October 10, 2007

San Cristobal de las Casas is the heart and soul of the state of Chiapas, and the city that exploded on to the world consciousness in 1994 when it was partially taken over by the Zapatistas under the leadership of the balaclava clad Subcomandante Marcos.

And with our border episode quickly behind us - we were, after all veteran border runners at this point - we were anxious to get there.

We had read that, in addition to this historical significance, it was entirely unique in Mexico: full of exquisite colonial-era architecture, in a mountain retreat setting and with a large indigenous population.

The city sits in a tight valley at an elevation of 2,300 metres above sea level, and as we climbed through rich pine forests and past rustic log cabins, we were reminded of the drive through British Columbia’s mountainous Manning Park.

We knew we were in Mexico, however, because of the occasional golden-hued cornfield and the groups of indigenous women gathered alongside the road wearing ankle-length skirts made of black fur.

Once we arrived in San Cristobal – laid out on a grid and thus easy to drive in - we checked into the Hotel Parador Mexicanos on 5 de Mayo Ave, just a few blocks from the lively centro. We were drawn to the hotel not only for its location but also because the rooms were spacious and we could park the van in the lot right outside our door.

The Rancho San Nicholas campsite, on the edge of town, was just a bit too far from the centro – probably a 30 to 40 minute walk - to be convenient. We did move there for the second night, however, satiated from our sightseeing and happy to be hunkered down in the van and out of the heavy rain.

The books we had read were right. San Cristobal is unique. The only other city saw like it on our road trip was Antigua, Guatemala, although Antigua is far more “North Americanized” and has far more north American amenities than San Cristobal.

We had heard that San Cristobal’s markets were good, but they didn’t compare to Guatemala and we found it easy to not buy anything.

The cultural highlight was a stop at the Na-Bloom museum, a sprawling hacienda that showcases the artifacts and photos of a European couple who had devoted their lives to working with, and advocating for, the indigenous people from the Lacandon Rainforest.

The Lacondon's are both fascinating and tragic in that, due to their geographically remote homeland near the Guatemalan border, they were never conquered by the Spanish. In fact, they had very little contact with the outside world until the middle of the 20th century.

But ever since then it has been all downhill as they have seen the forces of development rapidly deforest their traditional territory.

Key Facts & Figures:

-Hotel Parador Mexicanos: $30/night
-Rancho San Nicholas campsite: $10/night
-Na-Bloom museum: $3.50/person