5/21/10 - Cañon del Sumidero y Chiapas de Corzo

After an early breakfast, the group met at the morning meeting to talk about our plans for the day: a trip down the Rio Grijalva through Sumidero Canyon.

Some of the students wondered if we should bring our swimsuits. Professor Tromans responded jokingly, "only if you can out swim a caiman..."

Outside the hotel, we met Juan Carlos, a trusted friend of Professor Tromans for years. When we are in this part of Mexico, we're in Zapatista territory. Outside of the jurisdiction of the Mexican Government, Juan Carlos is not just our driver, but our diplomacy / get us safe passage through roadblocks guy. We'll be traveling with him, in his shuttle-sized bus, quite a bit from here on out.

We drove out and around the mountains of San Crisobal's valley, and onto a side road leading into the forest. After about an hour or so, we arrived at a large boathouse complex in the beautiful Sumidero Ecological Park. After applying copious amounts of sunscreen, all fourteen of us camera-toting gringos donned our fashionable orange life vests and, as gracefully as we could. climbed into the wobbling tour boat.

We passed by a group of Mexican students on a tour through the Canyon :)

The ride was pretty bumpy due to the fact that we were heading against the current. The steep canyon walls and surrounding jungle made for beautiful scenery.

Here and there, our guide would slow the boat to pull over to the side to point out interesting features, like landmarks, a flock of vultures, pelicans, and even a group of baby caimans lounging on a rock!

Mama wasn't far away....

We passed an interesting rock formation called the Christmas Tree. During the rainy season the water cascades down it like a waterfall. This time of year it's relatively dry (for a rain forest) and the formation is covered with moss.

Above it is a creepy pattern in the rock that looks like a face. The ancient Maya called it "the profile."

We pulled into a cave, called the "cave of colors," because of the beautiful pink and yellow streaks running through the limestone walls. Inside was a small shrine to the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe, with a ladder leading up. On the wall next to it was a plaque dedicating the shrine to the Canyon's early explorers and wildlife conservationists.

One of the most striking features of the tour was a cliff that is supposedly the highest point in the canyon. Legend has it that the local people, rather than be enslaved by the conquering Spaniards, jumped off this cliff to their deaths in the river below.

This cliff and the one opposite it form a silhouette that is featured on the State of Chiapas Coat of Arms.

The ride back was down river and super fast, but we did stop for a while to observe some monkeys swinging through the canopy! Professor Tromans, who was sitting next to me, turned to me and said, "Lilly, what kind of monkeys are those?" "Spider monkeys," I said, to which he replied (somewhat suprised), "Yes! They have a prehensile tail." I nodded and couldn't wipe the smile off my face, for having the chance to demonstrate that I actually DID pay attention in his anthropology class last semester.

After the boat ride, Juan Carlos drove us to the nearby city of Chiapas de Corzo. Standing in the middle of the town square is a huge gazebo-like arch, built during colonial times to represent the queen of Spain's crown.

Here, the local Chiapanecan Indians hold festivals, performing dances honoring their history. They are particularly proud of their status as the only Mayan tribe who never surrendered to the Spaniards. Emeliano Zapata, the revolutionary from whom the Zapatistas take their name, was born here.

Another source of cultural pride here is the marimba, a xylophone-like instrument that originated here. As we were walking through town, we stopped and watched two men playing a catchy, happy, tropical-sounding song on one. The sound of the marimba is something between a steel drum and a piano.

The guy standing on the side was collecting tips... :D

We passed by some little shops displaying some of the traditional decorations and clothing of the Maya in this area.

In the picture to the right, the two outfits on the right are the clothing of the Lancondon, who live in the rain forest. They are the ONLY Mayan tribe that was not found by the Conquistadors. They remain untouched, to this day, by Spanish influence. We'll be visiting them in a few days, I am SO EXCITED.

We stopped for lunch at a small restaurant, and were greeted by a friendly woman wearing a traditional embroidered dress, head scarf, and radiant smile. As Sam, Howie, Naylynn, Chelsea, JoAnn and I say down, we were a bit surprised to be handed a hand-written menu on a notebook page! We soon realized that this restaurant was actually the front room of a family's house. I asked for bottled water, and the woman actually went across the street to the Oxxo, bought a bottle, and brought it back for me! The food was amazing, and it really felt like we were guests, enjoying to the fullest this Mom-cooked meal, complete with plastic Spider-Man plates.

While we were eating, the young girl who lived there came home with her pink backpack and gave her mom a big hug. She sat on her lap and excitedly narrated her day at school while her mom held her and smiled. It was a heartwarming moment, and a stark contrast to the scene outside of two police officers strolling by on the sidewalk with shotguns. Yet another reminder of the oppressive apartheid system that has existed here for centuries, and is only recently starting to disappear, largely due to the social reformation efforts of the Zapatistas.