Sergio Arturo Castro Martínez (born 12 March 1941) is a Mexican humanitarian
who resides in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.
He is by training an agricultural engineer, teacher and veterinarian. However,
by nature he is a true humanitarian, ethnologist and polyglot (languages
include Spanish, French, Italian, English, Tzotsil, Tzeltal and Mayan
fluently). Castro has spent more than 45 years helping to build schools,
develop water treatment systems and provide wound care for burn victims for
the many indigenous cultures and Mexican people of Chiapas.
He travels daily to the surrounding indigenous villages and marginalized urban
areas to care for the health and social development needs of the under served.
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Entrance to the Sergio Castro Museum.
Over the years, for his service, Castro has been given tribal garb,
statuettes, masks, tools, and decorative items from the villagers he has
helped. He carefully displays these items in his museum at #38 Guadalupe
Victoria in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. The museum also
serves as his daily walk-in clinic for the needy from 4-7pm, after which
he personally gives tours to large and small groups. The tour includes a
detailed review of the various tribal wear, people's customs and a slide
show of the native Maya people.
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Museum of Regional Costumes.
The Museum of Regional Costumes (Museo de Trajes Regionales) is
located in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. The museum
displays more than 100 costumes and dress from the indigenous
populations of Chiapas. This is unique because typically all clothing
and personal possessions are buried with the dead. Jewelry, musical
instruments, costume accessories, religious objects, hats, masks, animal
skins and statuettes are on display. The tour is given by the museum
collector and owner Sergio Castro Martinez, a knowledgeable local
humanitarian. He describes the locations, dress, ceremonies, ways and
daily life of the indigenous.
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Introduction to the museum.
Sergio Castro introduces us to the native peoples and regional costumes
of Chiapas.
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Twelve of Mexico's officially recognized native peoples living in the
state have conserved their language, customs, history, dress and
traditions to a significant degree.
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The primary groups include the Tzeltal, Tzotzil, Ch'ol, Tojolabal,
Zoque, Chuj, Kanjobal, Mam, Jacalteco, Mochó Cakchiquel and Lacandon.
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Huipiles according to municipality of origin.
In the Altos Tzotzil-Tzeltal region of Chiapas, the indigenous costume
has played and continues to play a fundamental role in delimiting and
identifying indigenous women with the municipality to which they belong,
and they are recognized according to the colors and designs they wear in
their huipiles because the skirts are usually smooth and of dark colors
and do not present so much variety.
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San Andres Larrainzar and Tojolabal costumes.
San Andres Larrainzar, everyday man (left). San Andres Larrainzar,
everyday woman (center left). Tojolabal, everyday man (center).
Tojolabal, everyday woman (center right). Lacandon, everyday (right).
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Lacandon and Tenejapa costumes.
Lacandon, everyday (left). Lacandon, ceremonial woman (center left).
Tenejapa, authority man (center). Tenejapa, authority woman (center
right and right).
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Tenejapa costumes.
Tenejapa, authority woman (left). Tenejapa, carnival (center left).
Tenejapa, everyday (center, center right and right).
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San Juan Chamula costumes.
Tenejapa, everyday (left). San Juan Chamula, everyday man (center left).
San Juan Chamula, everyday woman (center). San Juan Chamula, ceremonial
woman (center right). San Juan Chamula, man (right).
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San Juan Chamula costumes.
San Juan Chamula, man (left). San Juan Chamula, police with his akteal
(center). San Juan Chamula, carnival (right).
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San Juan Chamula costumes.
San Juan Chamula, carnival (left). San Juan Chamula, authority man
(center). San Juan Chamula, authority woman (right).
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San Juan Chamula and Zinacantán costumes.
San Juan Chamula, authority woman (left). Zinacantán, everyday man
(center). Zinacantán, everyday woman (right).
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Zinacantán and Amatenango del Valle costumes.
Zinacantán, marriage (left and center). Amatenango del Valle, everyday
man (right).
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Amatenango del Valle, Aguacatenengo and Huixtán costumes.
Amatenango del Valle, everyday woman (left). Aguacatenengo, woman
(center left). Huixtán, single (center right). Huixtán everyday man
(right).
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Huixtán, Oxchuc and Ocosingo costumes.
Huixtán everyday man (left). Huixtán everyday woman (center left).
Oxchuc everyday man (center). Oxchuc everyday woman (center right).
Ocosingo, sibaka (right).
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Ocosingo, Yajalon, Palenque and Venustiano Carranza costumes.
Ocosingo, sibaka (left). Yajalon (center left). Palenque (center right).
Venustiano Carranza, everyday man (right).
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Venustiano Carranza and Magdalenas costumes.
Venustiano Carranza, everyday woman (left). Magdalenas, man (center).
Magdalenas, ceremonial huipil woman (right).
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Magdalenas and Pantelhó costumes.
Magdalenas, ceremonial huipil woman (left). Pantelhó everyday man
(center). Pantelhó everyday woman (right).
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Sergio Castro explains costume details.
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Sergio Castro shows some regional musical instruments.
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Children's regional costumes.
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Jesus Christ on Cross from Chiapas.
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Shamanic healing corner.
In this corner, shamanic cures are performed. Mr. Sergio Castro
explained to us that good shamans cure three types of problems: 1) fear,
2) loss of soul, and 3) the spell of a bad sorcerer.
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Contemporary healing rituals focus on the retrieval and
reincorporation of the lost souls or soul particles imprisoned
somewhere by specific deities or ancestors.
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The procedures can include the sacrifice of fowl treated as the
patient's 'substitute' (Tzotzil k'exolil-helolil).
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The main collection of ancient Yucatec curing rituals is the so-called
Ritual of the Bacabs. In these texts, the world with its four trees
and four carriers of earth and sky (Bacabs) located at the corners is
the theatre of shamanic curing sessions, during which "the four
Bacabs" are often addressed to assist the curer in his struggle with
disease-causing agents. Many of the features of shamanic curing found
in the 'Ritual of the Bacabs' still characterize contemporary curing
ritual. Not represented amongst these early ritual texts is black
sorcery.
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See more at
Maya religion - Wikipedia.
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See also
Sources
Location
