Sra marie teresa and the scoop in town

Zinacantán girls wearing everyday clothing---embroidered capes, skirts, blouses

I'm meeting Sra. Marie Teresa Santiago in front of our compound for she has a strong background in Tsoltle and Mayan customs.  We're walking off to the colectivos, but within one block Sra Marie sees someone she knows and conversations flow. Another block and she's noting who lives in which house and which foreigner or Chamulan has bought which house.  She spots new construction, and the next thing I know we're having conversations with the contractor and he's showing us the 8 apartments being built by a French owner who appreciates small-designed architecture.   He leads me upstairs to the best and says the loft above has the best views.  He's right.  It's an  outstanding view of tiled roofs in San Cristobal de las Casas. I'm already fantasizing about moving here, but then again it's been 30 degrees, and it's cold I tell him.  Wait, he says, the French have put in a chimney. A chimney?

Yes, it's an electric stove. This might be the only place in all of San Cristobal with potential heat during the winters.  We're talking 7000 feet. The air is thin and the cold is deep within the bones at night.  Oh yeah, now I remember why I can't live here.  So we say good bye and make our way through the market.

I had been in the market, but Marie Teresa sees things I miss. She stops at an herbalist and notes remedies for arthritis with salvia and ... got to get her treatment plan for C.   She says hello to people along the way and asks after a husband, a child, how the treatment she gave Donellia is working.  She stops for aguacates, for her youngest grandchild has a fondness for them. The vendor is still living on the hill but her neighbor's children are off for the semester.   And yes, please try this fruit.  Marie Teresa says wash it off first for this vendor is part of an organic cooperative, so it's safe to eat. But I choose not to look at the water. She guides me through a few more blocks, noting that this house must be housing many, many families for she sees 7 utility cells on the outside wall.  Rural families come to San Cristobol and share the rent of two floors of a building paying for the utilities of only one apartment.

The conversations don't stop for a moment with M.Teresa. While sharing the back seat of the colectivo with a Zinacantán woman and waiting for one more rider and the driver, she notes everything.  "Ah," she says, "are you the cousin who has a comedor/small restaurant in el centro/ And you are married now?" They know some of the same people and "yes, the festivities were lovely last week" with people attending St. San Sebastian's church which brought in money for the comedor.  "Money was good then but this week, not so good," she replies.

The driver and other gentlemen passenger are engaged in conversation with M.Teresa as well, as she knows the mother of the man and is surprised to find out that one of the brothers has died, but his mother's house is doing well, etc.  While all this is going on she keeps an additional conversation with me about who lives in the houses we pass, the Hollandaise folks who are making a strong impact within the community, the new shopping center that is going to open in 2015 and how she has a small stand there already. They are just waiting for all the permits and construction to occur.  This is a growing city.  We drive another 14 km out of the city into a very rural setting.

Passing 50, 60, maybe 100 greenhouses explains why so many of the Zinazantán families are doing well.  The flower industry is a worldwide industry and the Dutch visit annually to contract and obtain the best. The variety is incredible, from iris, lily, roses, petunias, gardenias, gerbana, to gladiolas and more.
But this is a conservative culture and the Zinazancan's chose to keep the same rituals, clothing, and remain as religious as their Mayan grandparents.  Our first stop is at the church. And yes indeed, the offerings of flowers, platanos, bananas, fruit, bouquets grace the inside of the church from last week's San Sebastian festival.  It is absolutely not allowed to take photos within any of these Mayan churches.  While they allow entry, photos in any sacred setting is forbidden.  There have been repercussions for foreigners (non-Mayan Mexicans and others) with cameras or camera cards taken.  This is verbotin. So I can only share that the ceiling and altars are covered with arrangements that any florist would love to say they had created.

Part 2 hiking through the Zinacantán hills to meet with weavers