The Church at Chamula

This past weekend, I did a visa run from Panajachel, Guatemala, to San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico. This wasn't my first trip so I won't bore you with the details. If you're interested in how to do a visa run, please visit my previous post here:
http://chasingmarbles.blogspot.com/2015/06/90-day-visa-run-to-san-cristobal.html

Nothing has changed really. It costs Q500 per person return from Pana to San Cristóbal. I chose Magic Travel for this trip. The blog post following this one will explain how poorly things worked out! 😬

But back to Chamula...first of all, thanks to Cindy for the tip to visit this place! It was so awesome!

Why visit the church at Chamula? 
To experience an amazing and unusual traditional Mayan/Catholic religious site.

How do I get to Chamula?
In San Cristóbal de las Casas, look for colectivos (minivan shuttles) that have Chamula on the front hood. I found one up near the main market. Alternatively, visit any travel agency in San Cris and book a shuttle time.

How much time does it require to visit Chamula?
It was about a half hour trip either way, plus I spent about an hour inside the church and an hour exploring the village.

How much does it cost to visit the church at Chamula?
The colectivo from San Cris to Chamula cost 18 pesos each way. Entrance fee for the church is 25 pesos.

Look for these guys to take you from San Cristóbal to Chamula. (And back, of course!)

Approaching the church. So stunning!

Beautiful.

To the left of the church, look for this little place to buy your ticket, 25 pesos per person.

They are serious about the "no pictures" rule. It says, "Those tourists who do not respect these rules will be punished." Eeks!

Another sign warning of no photos or videos.

The archway as you go into the church.

I obeyed the rule of no photos and enjoyed just being inside the church. It was so very fascinating. I recorded the video below immediately after exiting the church to capture my emotions and description.

A few things I forgot:
There were pigeons and other birds in the rafters.
There were several big black bells sitting on a bench.
The Mayans in the church were drinking pop (soda) and alcohol, although I didn't hear any of the rumoured "belching to release evil spirits". I watched a man pour Coke on some flowers he had carefully arranged on the floor, and a woman used her fingers to spray Coke on the candles to make them sputter and hiss.

After leaving the church, I bought a red Fanta as a symbolic tribute to the church and gulped it down. I then strolled through the small, quiet town.

Wide empty streets. A few fruit vendors, that's about it. They arranged their fruit in piles on different coloured pails, it was cute and colourful!

I didn't want to take a picture of the local Mayans in their traditional clothing because I think that's kinda creepy, so I stole this photo from the Internet. The women wear fuzzy black wool skirts! I saw a few older men wearing white wool vests. Must be hot!

Traditional faldas (skirts) of the Tzotzil women of Chamula and Chiapas region in Mexico.

I found the sheep they get the wool from! They were each tied to a peg in the ground and were happily grazing in circles.

The reason I walked across town was to visit a graveyard we passed on the drive in. Interesting and very picturesque.

From what I've read, this church burned down and they never rebuilt.

I had a little stalker. 😊

Dried pine needles and branches and flowers on all the graves.

I didn't go closer to the church because I was nervous about stepping around all the graves.

These stray dogs didn't have a problem cutting across the cemetery!

More sheep just hanging out on the hillside.

This is the happiest ram I've ever seen! He's loving this sunny day.

San Cristóbal and Chamula currently have a weird obsession with pom-poms. I bought these from a little boy for 15 pesos. He said it was an adorno, an ornament. I told him it was a toy for my kitten!

If you still aren't convinced you need to visit Chamula, or you're just curious for more info, please read the article below. 😊
http://discoveringice.com/travels/north-america-mexico/chamula-chiapas-one-strange-little-town-and-its-famous-church.html

I'll be doing another blog post tomorrow with some more pictures of San Cristóbal de las Casas.