3 MONTHS IN THE MOUNTAINS
And so, our Mexico adventure continues, from the Mayan Riviera to the Mountains of Chiapas...
While we were in San Cristobal de las Casas last month, we took the opportunity to check out some rental properties, on a whim, really. We simply were curious to see what was available. In very little time, we came across a tidy, two-bedroom house on a hill on the north side of town that overlooks the church of Guadalupe and is within easy walking distance from the zocalo, the town center. As equally charming as the house, was the fact that its owner happened to be looking for new tenants. The owner also happens to be a noted anthropologist, an expert on the languages of the Tzotzil and Zincantan people—the local indigenous population—and lives in another house on the adjacent property when conducting research in Chiapas.
As made obvious in our previous post, we became fascinated by San Cristobal de Las Casas upon our first moments in the city. Sometimes, a place draws you in without explanation. It is not always clear as to whether these places are destined to simply be added to our list of favorite spots on the globe, or whether we are meant to spend more time there. In any case, the art of "Slow Travel" is gradually becoming revealed to us, and we're intrigued by the benefits it has to offer. With only backpacks and laptop bags, moving from place to place is effortless. It seems suspiciously easy! Yet, each place we go, we are enlivened. New sights, sounds, curiosities, and treasures lie in wait.
We have found that our perceptions of Mexico have completely changed as a result of our travels, making us all too aware of our limited understanding of this beautiful country. In this month of exploring, we have only glimpsed a small portion of the things that make Mexico as diverse, intriguing and vibrant as we now know it to be. So, starting in March and for the following three months (possibly more), we will be trying out life in San Cristobal. A place we are looking forward to calling "home", for this next chapter...
Below, a few photos of the house and area:
Some interesting tidbits from the owner, about the house and neighborhood...
There are good (food) shops on the Calle Real de Guadalupe just near the foot of the hill up to the Guadalupe church, and also farther down Guadalupe near the corner of Diego Dugelay, the “mercadito,” if you don’t feel like hiking to the market. Just around the corners from this house are tortilla shops and butchers, places to buy fresh chicken, little vegetable and fruit stands, etc. For about 4 pesos you can also take a collectivo (several run down Guadalupe, and also both directions on Ejercito Nacional, which is one block south) to and from the center of town and the main market, and a taxi will take you anywhere in San Cristobal for about 20 pesos. The neighbor to the west is Don Hector, and his wife, Doña Poli, sells firewood and a few odd items of food. The guy across the street is Don Daniel, and he is a respected local person, whose son drives a taxi. The woman across the street a little to the east sometimes sells tamales on Saturday nights (you can tell by the red light she hangs outside the door—it means “tamales for sale.”) There is a second shop with an assortment of things across the street to the west, a little down the hill.
We will be sending out our updated address information via email closer to the date of our move. Stay tuned!