San Juan Chamula is a municipality (municipio) and township in the
Mexican state of Chiapas. It is situated some 10 km (6.2 mi) from San
Cristóbal de las Casas. As of 2010, the municipality had a total population of
76,941. Virtually the entire population of the municipality is indigenous and
speaks an indigenous language. In 2010, the census reported that 99.5% of the
population age 3 years or older speaks an indigenous language. The Tzotzil
people and language dominate the municipality.
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Entrance Arch in San Juan Chamula.
The town enjoys unique autonomous status within Mexico.
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No outside police or military are allowed in the village. Chamulas
have their own police force.
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Heading to the market.
The street leading to the market in the Central Park (Parque Central) is already full of street vendors.
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The market.
The market is located in the central park in front of the church (in the
background on the right).
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The market.
The main agricultural products are corn, beans, potatoes, and cabbage.
Women often make traditional clothing, blankets, and souvenirs.
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Approaching the church.
Tourists can visit the church, a very peculiar place whose interior
cannot be photographed due to the same beliefs of the inhabitants. The
architecture of the temple is of colonial style; however, both the
interior and exterior are painted white and the stone of the original
construction has been completely covered.
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Entrance arch to the Peace Square.
The atrium of the church is called Peace Square (Plaza de la Paz).
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Church of St. John Chamula.
Inside there are no traditional benches to sit and pray, as the
inhabitants kneel and pray. They create a very special mystical
atmosphere by performing rituals that are the product of the mix of 16th
century evangelization with pre-Hispanic Mayan religious beliefs.
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Believers pray in front of multicolored candles of different sizes,
rows of candles are often found attached to the ground.
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The floor is also almost completely covered with a pine branch, as
Chamula beliefs consider it a sacred tree and in order to be in front
of God, they approach through the pine and the light of the candles
(which illuminate their path).
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Along the walls of the church are Catholic saints resting on tables
posted in the church, but they represent Mayan gods.
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The figures of the saints have mirrors, and that the confession is
carried out personally in front of one of the different saints and the
mirror is for the believer to reflect himself. The Chamulas have the
conviction of not lying to themselves.
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Medicine men (curanderos) diagnose medical, psychological or
‘evil-eye’ afflictions and prescribe remedies such as candles of
specific colors and sizes, specific flower petals or feathers, or - in
a dire situation - a live chicken. The specified remedies are brought
to a healing ceremony. Chamula families kneel on the floor of the
church with sacrificial items, stick candles to the floor with melted
wax, drink ceremonial cups of Posh, artisanal sugar-cane-based liquor,
and chant prayers in an archaic dialect of Tzotzil.
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Three crosses in the central park.
Due to the triad pattern found in much of pre-Columbian art,
contemporary triad groupings of crosses in the Maya area are subject to
debate as to whether this is a totally Christian concept. Triadic
groupings of crosses also represent a fusion with pre-Columbian
ideology.
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According to Holland (1964:14), the Tzotzil-Maya still venerate the
ancient Maya axis mundi/sacred world tree which ascends from the
center of the earth and connects the upperworld to the earth and the
underworld.
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Other pan-Maya symbolism, expressed at various communicating cross
shrines, is that Maya Crosses often have an overhead semi-circle of
flowers similar to those documented in Chiapas by Vogt (1969:405).
Holland (1964:15) has explained the significance of the Tzotzil flower
arches as follows, "the sun ascends the thirteen layers of the
heavens, which form a path ornamented with flowers (and) in the
afternoon it descends." Indeed, Vogt (1969:601) has documented that in
Chiapas this semi-circle of flowers, when placed directly overhead the
cross, forms the arch of the sun as it traverses the sky and thus
marks this as a point of centrality and the cross as the world tree
which is used to communicate with ancestral entities.
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Chamula Authority.
The Chamula authority is a sculpture of a character who is wearing
traditional attire called "chuj" and in his right hand he holds the
command staff symbolizing the authority of the Tzotzil peoples. Created
by the sculptor Mario Avitia.
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The extended family, compadrazgo, and the cargo system
constitute the backbone of sociopolitical organization in Chamula.
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The cargo system in Chamula is a variant of civil-religious
hierarchies in indigenous Mesoamerica, a system through which
individuals alternate between civil and religious positions, thus
climbing the ladder of prestige and power in their communities.
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The Chamula express their strong feeling of community by serving in
this traditional hierarchy. Assisting the deities, they bring
blessings upon their families and all the Chamula people.
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The street market.
The Chamula still define themselves as independent agriculturists who
plant their small milpas with the sacred trilogy of maize, beans, and
squashes. Planting one's own land is still the most respected occupation
for men, as it stresses independence and commitment to traditional
values. The high elevation of lands in Chamula, the fact that they have
been intensively planted for hundreds of years, and the
fractionalization of land bestowed upon both male and female children
have reduced the size of landholdings and their productivity. On
average, the Chamula can produce only about 20 percent of their yearly
food requirements on their own lands. Most Chamula depend upon wage
labor on farms and plantations to support their families or to
supplement their plots' production. Many rent lands at lower elevations
to plant their foodstuffs—and move there during several months each year
to care for their crops. The majority of households own sheep, an
important economic asset, since they are the source of wool to weave the
family's clothing. Most households also raise chickens, which are eaten
occasionally during celebrations and as ritual food. Some households
tend pigs.
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Some households produce utilitarian pottery, furniture, and candles,
but weaving is a universal activity for Chamula women and is
considered the quintessential female occupation. In the late 1970s
many women learned to embroider and to produce more modern-looking
garments for tourists.
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From Pre-Hispanic times, periodic local markets have been of central
importance in the area. Everything is sold in these markets, from
ritual objects, fresh produce, and cooked food to clothes, furniture,
and other household needs. People attend the market with enthusiasm,
for it is not only a place to buy and sell but also to exchange the
latest gossip and visit with relatives and friends.
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Leaving San Juan Chamula.
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See also
Source
Location
