July 9 - Talking about a Revolution

If Minneapolis can be ranked the # 1 hipster city in America, I think San Cristobal could be the most hipster place in Mexico.  

What have I observed? 

This morning, Kate and I had a quiet run through the city, passing numerous coffee shops and bakeries.  The fog was rolling in over the mountains surrounding the city and bells were tolling from churches lining the city square.  It is a beautiful place to run.  By this afternoon the city was full of locals selling textiles and jade on the city square and the pedestrian walking street that cuts through town. Tourists sporting backpacks, Keens, and bikes seem to flock to this site of the1994 Zapatista Revolution.   This evening we walked past the zocolo to find a rock band playing in one corner, a traditional Mayan dance being performing in another, and large canvas art being created in a third area.  We walked into a bar called Revolucion to find pictures of Che and Marcos on the walls.  A band covered Bob Marley and the tables filled with conversations in German, French, and Italian.   

Different places we went and lectures we attended today reminded me that blocks away from this celebration of revolution are neighborhoods full of people who are still pushed out of the center of this city.  We attended lectures about migration trends in Mexico, the history of the Zapatistas, and the changes in textiles of different indigenous cultural groups in Chiapas. 

The city center in San Cristobal

What questions do I have?

It’s clear that the Zapatista movement brought the attention of the needs of many people to the government, requesting more school, roads, and equal treatment.  As disparities still exist, I can’t help but wonder where the appearance of the Zapatistas are now.  I also find myself wondering if the international zest for the Zapatista is stronger than the energy within Mexico right now.  

Today we listened to an interesting lecture about the changing clothing of the different Mayan cultural groups throughout Chiapas.  I am glad that this tradition is being documented, but I want to hear more of it from the voice of the women who wear and this clothing.  I always wonder how the perspective of the narrator changes the voice of the story.  

Fulbrighters, Trina, Alejandro, and I with one of our guest speakers

A shop that makes recycled paper in San Cristobal