Beyond looking at hippies there are lots of great things to do in San Cristobal de las Casas – most tours take you out of the city to visit indigenous villages, and natural wonders. We did a tour with a sustainable tourism company called Tienda Experiencias. Their website is currently only in Spanish, but they have two staff members that speak excellent English, and they are currently creating an English version.
They have over 60 experiences currently, varying from mountain bike riding, to bird watching to canyoning to visiting indigenous villages. We went on a tour to the nearby village of Zinacantán, where we visited the home of Maria, one of the few remaining traditional weavers.
She continues to weave using mostly natural fibres (cotton, wool and a special type of plant I can’t remember the name of), using the same techniques her ancestors have for hundreds of years. She showed us how she made all of the various creations she produces (which includes traditional outfits, table cloths, wall hangings, blankets), then we both had a go at doing it.
She learnt her craft from her parents and she has taught her two daughters and their children as well. Her goal is to keep passing down these skills to future generations.
First she showed us how to create balls of wall from the raw material (very hard) and then how to weave. NIkki was pretty good at that one (see the photos below). Most of the items take a couple of weeks to create – some several months! It was fantastic to learn about this as there are so many women and children selling these wares in the street, and you have no idea who has made them or whether they are genuine (for the record Maria said a lot of the weaved products sold in town are from Guatemala, and some are second hand from deceased people!).
During all of this we were accompanied by Maya, our lovely tour guide. She translated the many questions we had for Maria (who spoke Spanish).
After the weaving, we sat down for a traditional meal of tortillas (all hand made), beans, pumpkin seeds and salsa – all cooked over an open fire.
It was a fantastic experience – gaining an insight into the daily live of an indigenous family, who is able to continue to sustain this lifestyle thanks to the income she is earning from these tours (80% of the tour fee goes to her and her family). We’d highly recommend the company if you’re in San Cristobal. They also organise experiences throughout Chiapas – particularly in the national park zone south east of San Cristobal.
Cost: 350 pesos each
Time: Around 4 hours
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