Day 187: Chiapas

Chiapas, the land of unspoken beauty. Words cannot describe how breathtaking my trip to Chiapas was. If you ever travel to Mexico, you absolutely have to travel to Chiapas. Chiapas is home to the largest indigenous population in Mexico. It borders Guatemala and Belize.  It is has a wide array of biodiversity given its tropical climate and unperturbed land.

I will first start with San Cristobal de las Casas. San Cristobal is a small colonial pueblo situated in the mountains.  At some point, it used to be the capital of Chiapas but that title now belongs to Tuxla. The beauty of San Cristobal lies in its surrounding areas. I went to a small pueblo called Chamula and oh my goodness I was impressed. Chamula is very small and it concentrated around one church. I went in and I was impressed. The people of Chamula blended their Mayan beliefs and rituals with Catholicism. Unfortunately I was not able to take any pictures (although I did sneak one in). San Cristobal had some interesting museums on Jade and Amber.  Looking through the pieces collected at these museums, you really get to appreciate the abundance of natural resources available in Chiapas. I took a trip down to Sumidero Canyon and it was absolutely great. They took us on a speed boat and showed us the canyon. I was able to see three crocodiles! The pictures speak for themselves.

Then for the main treat, the ruins of Palenque. I ended up taking an organized tour to Palenque that made stops the water falls of Agua Azul and Misol-ha. Walking around these waterfalls, you get to appreciate the richness of the area.

Palenque deserves a post on its own. The ruins are sight for sore eyes. Situated in the jungle, Palenque stands out with its magnificent architecture. I had the pleasure of visiting the ruins twice and the one word I will use to describe the ruins is mystical. It is truly astonishing was the Mayans were able to construct. There is literally jungle everywhere. It is estimated that only 5% of Palenque has been uncovered.  The obvious favorite is the Temple of Inscriptions, which houses the crypt of Pakal. Walking around Palenque you get to appreciate how the Mayans had the vision to create such astounding cities.

You absolutely have to visit Chiapas and Palenque! I will be traveling to the Yucatan for Semana Santa so stay tuned for more on the great Mayan ruins. Please do ask if you are at interested in Chiapas. I did not really go into much detail in this post because quite frankly, it would be a lot to cover. Of all my trips, Chiapas has been the best. I believe that it has a lot of culture that for some unfathomable reason is not often talked about in Mexican history. I am absolutely fascinated by the Mayan civilization and the development of their culture. Best of all, Chiapas and much of southern Mexico is still inhabited by indigenous people who are strongly connected to their history and lineage.

Now back to studying for my final for marketing….

 

Day 173: Taxco

This past weekend, I took a day trip to the beautiful city of Taxco. Taxco is widely known for its mining of silver. It is one of the oldest mines of the Americas. The Spanish conquistadors (i.e. Hernan Cortes) took large sums of silver from the area.

 

The silver was beautiful and there is a ton of jewelry. If any of you avid readers take a trip to Taxco, make sure to get Silver .925 as it is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Translation: the silver is durable. It was interesting to walk around town as I would often hear people asking ambulantes (street vendors) how much an item cost in US dollars. Several of the vendors that I met were kind enough to let me take pictures of their collection. If you were looking to buy jewelry, I would stay away from the main plaza as the prices are through the roof. There are tianguis (bazaars) where you can find family owned businesses and jewelry at a much more reasonable price.

 

It was nice to walk around the city and soak in the scenery. While there may not be big touristy places to visit, sans Santa Prisca, like other Pueblos Magicos, Taxco is a great city to walk around. If you have a chance, I highly recommend going up to the Cristo monument as it provides a great view of the city. Again, if you go to Taxco you have to try the Pozole verde. It is a soup with maize, pork or chicken, avocado and tortilla crumbs. It is a tradition dish that is delicious. Before I forget, I highly recommend you attend a taller (workshop). It really is more informal than a workshop as you can walk into some stores and ask the artisans how they make jewelry. In my experience, it seems like most would be willingly to show you how they make the jewelry if you ask kindly. Make sure to this visit this gem of a city that is situated between Acapulco and Mexico DF.