Of Zapatistas and Zorrillos

We left Mexico City on the Friday morning so as to increase our chances of reaching San Cristobal by Sunday lunch-time (as it's 570 miles or 917 km).  The first day we got all the way to Coatzacoalcos through many dramatic showers and lightning storms, in the back of several more pick-ups which is a pretty common way to travel in Mexico.

 We spent a lovely evening with our couchsurf there, where she and J traded hola-hoop for juggling lessons.  J wants to get one when she returns and, incidentally, is still also keen to learn to play the harmonica, possibly both at the same time.  C seems unimpressed (can't imagine why... - J).

By the next evening we were in Tuxtla Gutiérrez.  Aside from being awash in posters of the new governor gushing over his victory in the July election (at an unknown cost to taxpayers for the advertisements or even if it was solely from party funds, denial of advertising space for anyone besides him), it was nice but like a lot of cities that mostly exist from the latter half of the 20th century, a bit of a generic, industrial spawl.  We set off early again but unable to escape the taxi swarm (a continuing problem hitching on the edges of cities, involving frantically signalling to them that we don´t have money for them, whilst other drivers assume it is a taxi we want) we caught a cheap coach to San Cristobal and eventually worked out how to get out to the school at Oventic, which was another hour or so out into the stunning Chiapas mountain, up where the mist forever lurks and many of the maize fields are nearly vertical.

Wall of our classroom

What can we say about the school?  For those who aren't familiar with the Zapatista struggle, the Wiki overview is here.  But it is much more than another 'People's Front of Revolutionary Liberated People' that plagued the world 40 years ago(1).  It's about community building, and developing true direct democracy and autonomy for communities that have been ignored and denied access to state resources when they haven't been outright repressed and attacked.  The school is situated with several other projects, co-operatives, governance centres and educational resources that have been built on practically no resources.

So, we were going to learn both Spanish and about the organization of the communities and of similar struggles in Mexico.  And we learnt a lot about both, the practice of just talking in Spanish and not even being allowed (although one of the promotores running our classes spoke English) to ask for help in English, for hours each day, being really good or using more more of the language.  We shared a lot of ideas and talked politics and organisation with very interesting people- albeit in imperfect Spanish (J even had to try and explain her education in Spanish at one stage, not always easy even in English).  There was also an amazing library and film collection to bury ourselves in.

The two weeks over, and the only problem a couple of bouts of what might have been salmonella and certainly wasn't a giggle, but only lasted a day, we descended the hills again, feeling like we were emerging from a dream into the real world.  In reality, it's more like the other way around.

We stayed with the same host again back in Tuxtla, who is very lovely, and the next day went to the zoo.  It's more interesting than most because all of the animals in it are native to Chiapas, so its got a much more real and regional feel to it.  Also some of them, like this guy:

are just roaming around loose.  Not this guy though but he doesn't seem to mind:

We're not sure tapirs can mind anything.

On Sunday we hit the road again

I'm currently a big nerd about evening light and pictures of roads- J

for a lengthy hitch- google maps claims it is seven hours from Tuxtla to Oaxaca City and it takes longer because of windy mountain roads.  We made it though, including a ride with a family of fourteen crammed into a pick up and a car (it got even more crammed when we and our huge bags joined them), and a lot of nonchalant whistling as we cruised through some immigration and military checkpoints (2).

Yesterday lunchtime we picked up the keys for the flat we're staying in for the next month.  This came about because it was cheaper to get it for a month than to get a 'vacation home' for a week or two.  With at least two if not more friends joining us soon Couch Surfing would be very tricky and it's nice to have a base for a while.  It feels dead luxurious with a shower and a ceiling fan and bedsheets and everything.

We're off to explore a little of Oaxaca today having stocked up on food we can cook yesterday and in J's case become wildly excited over the amazing chocolate you can get here.

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(1)  And like anything that constantly repeats certain credentials  (our 'free' market anyone, which the 2007 crisis and forced bail-out demonstrates is't free in any sense of the word) usually is the opposite of what it says.

(2) Those with good memories will recall we were officially advised to remain 'illegal'.  But we're not convinced a checkpoint is going to believe that.  

Ciudad de Mexico

It's confusing, you see.  There are three things people might mean when they say Mexico.  Mexico the country, Mexico the state, and Mexico the city.  So since Guadalajara there have been signs for 'Mexico'.  Which was a bit disorientating as we could have sworn we were already there.  But given we usually lack a coherent plan and have ended up all kinds of places so far we couldn't be totally sure.

This week, after hitching with a trucker who turned out to be going to Mexico State (luckily its around the city), but dropped us off at a bus, we have definitely been in Mexico City.  Which is also in Mexico, so we've been there too.  But not Mexico state.

As long as that's all clear.

Mexico city is big.  And it's busy and fast paced.  It's the only capital city we've visited so far and definitely one of the largest.  We're back in a world of crowds, a big underground metro, markets you could lose an elephant in, political graffiti, and a huge variety of people (with a tendancy towards loads of goths.  This actually makes sense when you consider the catholocism, which mixed with indigenous beliefs has created such a death-oriented society.  Add to that rebellion through fashion and consumption and the post-everything apathy of big cosmopolitian cities.  So they're everywhere, and it is far too hot for so much black, thick make-up and layers of metal and leather jewelry.  Yes, we both spent years in crowds of teenagers who didn't look so different.  It's not that we dislike it.  That's just it- they're ADORABLE.)

Also, the whole place is VERY slowly sinking, because it used to be a lake and has been filled in but then drained leaving insecure silt.  The cathedral is visibly wonky.

On our first night here our hosts took us out for some pulque, which is a fermented cactus drink that was invented by the Aztecs.  Except you weren't supposed to drink more than one cup or the god of four hundred rabbits possessed you and you went bonkers.  Ignoring this warning, we enjoyed several.  It has to be consumed within 24 hours of brewing or it goes off, so really we were doing the bar a favour.

Split between the next day and Tuesday we went on a mural hunt.  As we've said, they're a huge art form here and they're really amazing and interesting.  The Nacional Palace and Palace of Fine Arts are both free, and so is the Colegio del san Ildefonso on Tuesdays.  There are lots of artists but two big names are Orozco-

and Riviera (Frida Kahlo's fella)

that picture may not be totally clear, but thats because I had to use the Landscape setting and still didn't get it all in.  I just wanted to give an idea of the SIZE of the thing.  It's in the National Palace and is about the history of Mexico from prehispanic times to the 30s.  It's interesting that it's in no way slavishly devoted to Mexico, and there don't appear to be many good guys.  It's hard to imagine the UK allowing something criticising the wealthy of the country and the church and showing rape and murder of indigenous people to be up in such an important building for the state.  It's kind of strange, as it's not like the Mexican state has been any different in its actions to many others.  But it seems they have much less idyllic view of their history.  Perhaps its because at the time it was a very socialist country, and socialist art is different?  We certainly like how realistic and literal Riviera's pieces are (though still very aesthetically driven).  Orozco's need a little more context and some of the others stray a bit into the abstract for our liking.

On Sunday we also explored the Museo de la Revolución, which is under the big monument to said revolution.  It was going to be a gigantic palace for someone with lots of money and power but they only got as far as one big dome before the revolution happened, which was a bit awkward for a while until someone thought of turning it into a monument.  It was free on Sundays (some things are free only for residents or Mexicans, which we understand but means we had to skip a few things) and the info in there is really detailed.

On Monday, we visited Teotihuacán (the challenge is pronouncing it after a few pulques).  It was one of the first big urban and religious centres in mesoamerica, a contemporary of Ancient Rome and bigger than it was at the time.  The people there had no writing so we know little about them.  Yes, its completely stunning, and we're basically only looking at foundations and ruins.  It was deserted (lots of theories and most of them involve politcal unrest and some kind of uprising involving the burning of rich powerful men's houses, hooray) five hundred years before the Aztecs showed up the area, before the heyday of the Maya away in Chiapas.

We spent the whole day there and there was plenty to see, and a lot of walking.  It's so hard to know anything for sure about the place.  For hundreds of years the biggest temple has been called the Temple of the Sun, but now the theory is its much more likely to have been a storm and water god, and the Aztecs assumed it was the Sun God just because they were big on him.  How would it really have felt to be there?  Even if we knew the history better like we do in some other cities, you never really know.  In a hundred years if anyone digs up London they'll assume Starbucks was essential to government, we worshipped a God called Gap and everyone thought the Shard skyscraper was dead important to their daily lives (anyone heard of it and not lived in London?  Didn't think so.).  You get a sense of the majesty and size of everything, and a powerful sense of the years.  Even thinking about how little we do know seems important.

Wednesday, at the Museo de Anthropologia, it was information overload.  It's an amazing place.  It starts with the evolution of mankind as a species, introduces anthropology, and then talks about all the different peoples of prehispanic Mexico up until the invasion by the Spanish.  Upstairs there are just as many sections on where the peoples of modern Mexico are now and how they live.  We spent six and a half hours there and did not see it all properly by a long chalk.  It's interesting to see how eurocentric our education always is about these things.  Not that the museum has escaped its own social context, but they have made a real effort to explore so many different groups.  In Europe, you hear a lot about the Aztecs, but they were only around, mostly killing other people, for about two hundred years before the Spanish showed up.  South of them the Zapotec had huge cities lasting twice as long as that and the Mixtec developed metallurgy.

Tomorrow, we're leaving and headed for Chiapas, to study Spanish at the Zapatista-run language school (our classes start on Monday but we're still hitching so its better to be in plenty time).  We may not update for a couple of weeks.  This language school was a major part of our planning the trip and we're very excited to experience the home of one of the most inspiring groups in the world, and improve our Spanish while we're at it.  Wish us luck and we will see you in Oaxaca, where some friends are joining us for a bit of a change of pace :)

Guanajuato State

The city of Guanajuato itself is located in a ravine.  This means it is very vertically built, with lots of little winding alley-ways and tunnels for the cars.  The disadvantages of living here would be high rent, lots of tourists clogging the streets and no parking.  However as a visitor it was gorgeous though it looked straight out of Castille or Italy.  The network of tunnels snaking through the town and allowing access to the outside world were different though and definitely enhanced the idea of being transported to somewhere different.

Of course there was the very pretty and unreasonably numerous collection of churches, which seemed to have one cathedral per architectural fad.  As the location of the Cervantino, there is a definite Don Quixote theme; statues, T-shirts, bumper stickers, murals.  There is also a museum of Don Quixote iconography from paintings by Picasso and Dali, to pottery, chess sets (which J loved) and statues.  There were hundreds of them, from all over the world and all different cultures.  Some had replaced the windmill with a mushroom cloud, in one he led the refugees of the Spanish Civil War seeking a home.  It was amazing how big a symbol he has been to so many people.  And while the literature that Cervantes was satirising has largely not survived (at least not for popular audiences) Don Quixote has and has transcended that simple understanding to be reworked as a character and set of values in times and cultures far beyond the text.  Also it was free as it was Tuesday so that was great too.

In the evening our couchsurf offered to take us to Leon which is a much larger city nearby, and where he had lived until recently.  He had a friend we could stay with who was coming back to Guanajuato on Thursday.  He felt we had missed several things in Leon so we set off there.  We met his friend, who although she spoke a little bit of English, it was a great chance (and easier) for J to speak Spanish.  This was great as we are trying to learn Spanish and when people speak fluent English it's just much easier to do so, so these opportunities are a good thing.  Also, she (well, her dog) currently has a litter of ADORABLE puppies.

In the morning we wandered around the downtown of Leon, where there was a really cool art centre running all sorts of open classes and hosting local exhibits.  We also went the University Library, which while very large, had surprisingly few books in it given the space available.  But libraries don't hold books these days, they are rather Institute status symbols.

However there was a really good museum nearby, which had lots of interesting bits from the importance of food in Meso-American cultures, to mining in the region (Guanajuato supplied a third of the world's silver in the 18th century), to showing local examples of the architecture of different political periods (Colonial to Independence to Revolution).  During our walking around, we crossed a bridge over the large motorway running through Leon, where there's a cute local thing of couples putting their names on padlocks and attaching it to chains that run along the top of the walkway.  There were scores of them all the way along.

Thursday we knuckled down the difficult and serious task our couchsurf (back in Guanajuato) had set us; that is, of eating lots of tasty local food.  So we had bombas, which are diced pineapple and cucumber and jicama (which is very juicy and tasty), along with lots of fresh lime juice, (optional) dash of chilli powder and crisps and cheese on top.  This was followed by tequila ice-cream for J and rumpope (an egg-nog-like drink apparently drank on Day of the Dead) ice-cream for C.  Yay-ness all round.  We returned back to Guanajuato in the evening and chilled out in one of the squares, people watching and making flowers.  There was much to see as the city is heaving for the festival with all kinds of street theatre and music on each corner.  We chatted for a while with a guy from Honduras, who possessed a fine looking drum.  He told us we'd love Honduras as it is very pretty.  Also that many people there watch the Scottish football league as two of Celtic's players are Honduran.  Apparently this will assure us of a warm welcome.       

Today was another sunny day so we went out for a hike in the surrounding hills.  It was beautiful and the air was noticably cleaner than it has been in the cities, over the last week or so, we've both felt like we are getting the start of a cold a lot of the time and our mucus has been a little bit on the bloody side.  Locals tell us this is normal.  In Leon especially the massive factories are a somewhat obvious suspect, people telling us about the very nasty chemicals they have had to work with right in the heart of the city.  Since Mexico City is quite famous for it's pollution we'll see what that's like.

After our hike we went to the Museum of the Mummies, where the dry atmosphere and mineral-rich soil had caused very rapid natural mummification of some of the bodies buried here.  They're pretty interesting and creepy to look at, including little children, often ornately dressed up to give them into the care of particular saints.  Often the mummies have little stories told in the first person on their display case- kind of creepy and playful at the same time.  Mexico is famously cultural obsessed with death, and the museum and the huge, ornate, busy, slightly chaotic cemetery behind it seem to fit in with this.

There's a sense of life and continuance around the cemetery that we've never experienced in Europe.  People here who have also lived in the states say they have definitely noticed a difference too.  Like Europe, America hides the dead and dying and fears them, often culturally killing the old by cutting them out of their lives long before they actually die.  Here, you don't get a chance to do that among all the ceremonies, books, art and brightly painted dancing skeletons.

Guadalajara

We trundled out on Tuesday morning with no concrete plan other than to find pretty, old stuff, proving as the day progressed that if you set your goals at nice manageable levels you will not be disappointed.  Guadalajara is full of beautiful churches, theatres and monuments.  As the capital of Jalisco it is also home of tequila, mariachis, and charros (Mexico rodeo cowboys): lots of those ´what you think of when you think of Mexico´ things all in one place.

Some of our favourite spots were the weird melty steampunky statues/benches in one big square

and the murals by Orozco in the government building

Murals are a big thing in Mexico and there´s lots to be found- lots of famous ones were commissioned after the Revolution, but its also just a much more common art form at all levels.

We learnt a lot about the tequila that evening, as our host has several different kinds and introduced us to them over a nice dinner we made with our co-surfer (1).  In order to drink it properly you should just sip it neat, apparently.  J is in favour of this and decided it would be culturally appropriate to sip a lot of it.  Having said that you couldn´t do it with what you actually get in the UK, as it´s totally different and the method is usually to drink it so fast you can´t taste it.

On Wednesday, surprisingly devoid of headaches (must be the quality) we went to Guadalajara´s Museo Palentologica.  There was a special exhibition on about corn, which at first glance sounds very boring, but when you remember how completely integral to all the agriculture and human culture of the area it is it makes it really interesting in context.

On Thursday we went to ask immigration what we should do about not officially being here (in the Federal government buildin we dubbed the Kafkaquarium).  We could wait three weeks and pay 1,250 pesos which we should have paid on the border (if we´d personally hunted down the border guard from wherever he was(2)), and is included in your flight if you fly here, and get a tourist form.  Or we´ll be fined on the border when we leave.  How much? we naturally inquire.  She reckons its about 290 pesos and basically officially advises us to go for that.  Seems like they WANT you to not be official.

That evening we went to the oldest cantina (bar) in Guadalajara with our host and a whole crowd of couch-surfing friends and contacts of his.  A couple of guys from Japan (3) are also on a round the world trip.  Look how much more professional and shiny they are than us.

After a quiet Friday as J wasn´t feeling great (not enough tequila) we explored the Tiangus Cultural alternative market on Saturday (some good stuff from the local area, but a lot very similar to alternative markets the world over.  Plus the group of people doing some traditional native dances from the area being next to a larger group watching people play Guitar Hero was FUNNY- C.

On several evenings we made more tin-can flowers and chilled in squares (not at Tiangus Cultural though because there were much better tin-can things there).  It´s a really nice way of interacting with a new space.  You´re not demanding people watch you like busking, and you can still people watch.  But lots of different sorts of people come over and chat or want to buy them, and as they cost us nothing but rather enjoyable time we just sell them for whatever people want to give.

Sunday we went to see a charro competition.  Lots of pretty horses

and impressive tricks

and it´s pretty cheap and full of locals, obviously something people actually go to in the area.

Yesterday we hitched easily to Guanajauto, Guanajauto (so pretty they named it twice).  The majority of the journey we made in a big yellow school bus (minus children).  Our lifts had just appropriated it in Guadalajara and were driving ten hours back to Monterrey for reasons they did not elaborate on.  Such is life (which is still a famous saying among bush rangers)

Our host here showed us round last night and today we´re off to explore and find out what events are on at this month´s Cervantino Festival.


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(1) Our co-surfer was a very nice guy from Australia, but left a couple of days early because he paid to go and stay in a hostel where he could be sure of getting internet to watch the Aussie Football League finals.  Heh.  Australians.

(2) It´s not that Mexican customs doesn´t exist.  It´s all available and there for you to find, just like local bypass schemes

(3) Did anyone know in Japan you get vending machines with booze in them?!?! Really!  But apparently underage drinking isn´t a problem, which, combined with our very British and Aussie excited reactions to this news probably explains culturally why Japan is allowed that privilege and we´re not.