San Juan de Chamula

In San Juan de Chamula an 'Indian' village a few kms away from San Cristobal de la Casas there is one church for 60,000 inhabitants. That is to say people are not devout catholics. Weddings, burials, births are all celebrated by the Mayan crosses planted in the various neighborhoods of the village and at home (population here is of full or predominant Maya descent). But then, why is there a church in the village?

From the outside, the church looks like a colourful little catholic church. But as you step in an unknown world opens up, a different period of time... a place you don´t quite understand.


The church is used by locals as a healing place. As you step in you discover dozens of people kneeling, crying, holding living chickens, you see candles everywhere on the floor, pine needles spread all around, a very strong smell of encens overpowers everything and you hear chickens and children playing. Male saints stand to the left, women saints to the right (yes, women saints.... not very catholic, is it?.

There is no priest in this church, but only ´curranderos´(healers) who cure people from spiritual and physical problems. To have an audience with a healer you need to make offerings to your saints, the healers or whoever (I did not quite understand everything). The items you must offer are the most surprising of it all: encens, pine needles, coca-cola or some other sweet drink (there is a huge coca-cola factory a few kms nearby), posh (a local alcoolic drink made out of sugarcane), eggs and living chickens. To cure you or understand your problem the healer takes your pulse and rubs your body with the eggs you brought.

It is all weird and difficult to understand in here. A shame it is strictly forbidden to take pictures.

After so much intensity I blew up a fuse and got married to Daniela in a village nearby as you can see below: