First Against the Wall

Square of San Cristobal

View larger photo 

I love the fact that San Cristobal, a town high up in the hills, sells little figurines of Zapatista dolls as if they were children’s toys. A popular and much feared revolutionary group, the Zapatistas make the San Cristobal countryside their home. They are very popular in this part of the world, hence the varied merchandise. I couldn’t resist buying a Zapatista key ring, a black masked revolutionary, dressed like a ninja.

This isn’t to say San Cristobal is unsafe. Far from it in fact. The town was very friendly and was a bit of a tourist mecca. The town had some very lively marketplaces, the colourful produce ranging from hammocks to ‘Mayan artefacts’ I declined the opportunity to buy such modern antiques and settled for my Zapatista friend. I await the revolution.

The bus journey to Oaxaca must be noted. A 12 hour trip of hell. The original bus we had booked had broken down and after a 2 hour delay we were eventually shoved onto a bus to Tuxtla. Once there we had another 4 hour wait with a bus station Nazi who wouldn’t let us leave our bags anywhere or sit down. The urge to push him in front of oncoming buses was very strong. At some point we got placed in a bus to Oaxaca and our journey could continue.