Jonathan, Climb to San Cristobal De Las Casas

Soon after entering the state of Chiapas we headed inland and began the long climb to San Cristobal De La Casas. Just after starting our climb we entered the scenic and wild Reserva De La Biosphera La Sepultura where Bobby swam in the wake of a tall waterfall and I accidentally ripped a toenail off.

At Tuxtla Guiterez I assumed that we had finished most of our climbing and that the remainder of the drive to San Cristobal would be flat for the most part. Just outside of Tuxtla we started climbing again and after stopping to let the van cool off three times and with the sun going down it became obvious that I had no idea how much higher we would climb. We literally ascended into the clouds on this amazing stretch of road and finally reached San Cristobal which we found to be a vibrant and beautiful colonial city.

The high mountains surrounding San Cristobol are filled with small villages and towns of indigenous populations said to be descendant of the ancient Mayans. Like the Mayans that took refuge here as their civilization collapsed over 1000 years ago the Zapatistas rebels also take refuge in the forests and mountains around San Cristobal. Small hand-sewn Zapatista dolls complete with machine guns, artistic graffiti and even revolutionary themed restaurants and shops are to be see in San Cristobal. This celebration of the Zapatista rebels was at first interesting and entertaining for me but at dinner one night I was reminded that there is much more to the rebels and their war. An enlarged photo of heavily armed Zapatistas surrounding a bound and pleading captive was on display above our dinner table. For me that vivid image of suffering brought to reality the violence and killing that I had read about and changed my perception of the many Zapatista signs pervasive in San Cristobal and the surrounding area. I hope that propaganda has permanently replaced violence in the Zapatistas war.

We stayed 3 nights in San Cristobal which gave me just enough time to fall in love with the city. With it’s beautiful scenery, diverse and interesting culture, historic sights and charming colonial center San Cristobal was one of the highlights of my trip to Mexico and I hope to return for a longer visit.

Jonathan Poole

Boston Texas