Within Chiapas there are several indigenous communities that live with their own language and traditions. Today we went to San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan, both Tzotzil groups.
What did I observe?
San Juan Chamula is a small town outside of San Cristobal. We walked into the city square to see tents filling the space with fruits, coffee beans, corn, and fabric. The people sitting in front of each stand speak enough Spanish to try to sell items to the tourists walking through. A row of church leaders covered in black wool vests over white shirts sit at one end of the town square. We were not allowed to take pictures of any of the community leaders.
We were also not allowed to take pictures inside the church that is center to the Chamula community. The mixture of indigenous faith practices and the Catholic influence create a stimulating scene in the walls of the church.
The outside of the church looks like many churches. It had large, double front doors opening into the sanctuary. The top of the white building had a cross on top. Inside, the church was like no other place of worship I have experienced. There were no pews or even chairs. The walls on both sides of the church were covered with human-like saints enclosed in cases like many Catholic churches. The difference was that the saints covered all of both walls. Each saint was holding a mirror facing out. Large flowered fabric strips hung from one side of the sanctuary to the peak of the church, to the other side at five different places. The floor was made of ceramic tiles covered in pine needles. Every few steps a circular area was cleared of pine needles so that people could light rows of candles in that circle. It smelled like Christmas. Groups of people sat around the little shrines throughout the church burning candles and incense. Some people were moving eggs across their bodies, a way to remove bad spirits, while other people held live chickens which were going to be sacrificed. Others were drinking bottles of coke. It is believed that when you burp, the bad spirits are leaving so coke is often a great way to get rid of the bad spirits. The front of the sanctuary had a more typical feel to it: John the Baptist was at the front of the church and flowers filled the space in front. This is the worship service - people kneeling by candles and praying while tourists squeeze their way through to watch.
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| Market in San Juan Chamula |
What questions do I have?
I was inspired by the traditions in the communities we visited, but was also left with a lot of questions. The Chamula community is a peaceful community where people take care of each other. Unique weaving and sewing of fabric, language, and other traditions have continued to be passed down from one generation to the next. It is powerful to see a group of people who are able to hold onto their customs when another group of people tries to impose their own culture on them. However, I found myself wrestling with the common question: When does the value of tradition and culture outweigh the value of individual rights? People who have chosen to break away from the Mestizo Catholicism have been exiled from the community and forced to live on the edges of San Cristobal. When I asked about people who didn’t want to wear the traditional symbols of the Chamula, I was told that most people just did want to wear them. When I asked about the women’s roles in the church and community I was told that they were treated equally. When I pointed out that all of the leaders of the community (who are the leaders of the church) are men and that only men can vote, I was told that it’s ok because the men talk to their wives about the way they vote. I’m skeptical of the situation, but I’m also skeptical of my own perspective because I have only visited the community for one day. I recognize how little I know.
What connections did I make?
It seems to me that Liberation theology would be an ideal religious match for the Zapatista movement that occurred in many of the indigenous communities surrounding San Cristobal. I think that my own admiration of liberation theology is probably getting in the way of my understanding of this other form of religion.
As an educator, one of my goals is to encourage my students to question the things that are simply expected of us. At the same time, I’m also always trying to get my students to think about the other perspectives in a situation. I was struggling with both of these ideas today.
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| Weaving in Zinacantan |
