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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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“Gorilla jackets are all the rage here!” |
We had heard a few days ago that a cold front was approaching and it arrived with a vengance today. Thank Heavens we packed our cold weather kit. Not all the tourists seemed to be as well prepared however, as many were seen buying blankets, ponchos and silly hats from the market traders and hawkers around the square.
We noticed that the local population have some very "trendy" cold weather gear - the men seem to wear gorilla jackets, and the women gorilla skirts and ponchos - see picture! Don't think it will catch on back home though, so we resisted the temptation to buy them. Many local women were wearing very brightly coloured shawls, which brightened up a very dull day.
Wrapped up against the cold, we set off for the Temple of San Cristóbal, which sits atop a steep long staircase. From the top of the hill you can see the town stretch out into the surrounding hills. The style of this church is similar to many others in the town, in that it is mainly painted white with a bright strong secondary colour. This church was painted red and white.
Santa Lucia's Temple
Although originally built in 1819 it was then demolished in the late 1800's. Then between 1884 and 1892 an engineer from San Cristóbal built the current temple in the neo-classic style, with neo-gothic elements, keeping the traditional structure of the churches in this region - a single nave with wooden ceiling inside, and terracotta roof tiles.
The cathedral
This is the first temple built in the Royal city, and it is believed that construction started in 1528 however it was then delayed by natural disasters and the temple was not finished until 1815. The earthquakes of 1816 and 1817 damaged the building and it wasn't until 1920 and 1922 that the architect Carlos Z Flores led the construction work that gave the building its current appearance. In 1990 the Cathedral was also named the "Cathedral of Peace", following the beginning of talks between the Federal Government and the Zapatistas.
Friday 4th January 2008
After a very cold night we left San Cristóbal this morning for the long journey to Oaxaca - not the way we'd hoped to celebrate Barbara's birthday! A journey that started at 0850 and did not end until we finally arrived in Oaxaca at 2245. So we grabbed the first hotel and bedded down for the night.
previous travel blog entry
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