Katherine Zavala is IDEX's Programs Coordinator. Katherine is currently in Chiapas, Mexico visiting our long-term partners, DESMI and K'inal Antsetik, plus 5 new grantees, to meet with staff and the local communities and evaluate their progress.

August 9 2007:

As my flight left Mexico City today I saw endless buildings and houses below me. It was a beautiful sunny day to fly and I could see the diversity of bright colors from the buildings' rooftops. As the plane reached altitude, I saw the layer of snow on one of Mexico's famous volcanoes called Popocatépetl, rising just above the clouds.

One hour later, I see a completely different picture - large green patches of land everywhere! This was my first introduction to Chiapas.

Driving towards San Cristóbal de las Casas, the people I shared my taxi with fell asleep while we traveled through the green landscape, the fog and again through the green mountains as the sun shone through.

"What are those?" the lady next to me had woken up.
"Those are milpas [cornfields]," I said. There were miles of them!
"Maize, correct?"
"Yes, if you prefer it that way."

After an hour of thinking I was heading towards Emerald City, we came upon the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas.

August is high season for foreign travelers, especially from Europe and the US, so finding a place to stay was not so easy. But I finally found a room in a posada just north of the zócalo (central plaza). As I walked with my suitcases to the posada, a new friend I made accompanied me. She had originally tried to help me find another posada but apparently, it no longer existed. We passed a group of indigenous women and children on our way. One of the women was wearing a black woolen skirt or "fur" skirt with a fairly plan white blouse. "Than woman is from San Juan Chamula," my friend tells me, "see the skirt."

I know I have just arrived but I have yet to see many indigenous people. I feel I have been here before, though this is my first time to San Cristóbal and I haven't had time to explore this beautiful colonial town. But I think that feeling is related to how close this place looks to Antigua, Guatemala.

Tomorrow, I'll be going to the outskirts of San Cristóbal to a training center called CIDECI, place that helps indigenous communities by coordinating seminars and meetings there. One of IDEX's catalyst grantees, COMPITCH, is having its final day of its regional forum for indigenous midwives of Chiapas. I can't wait to be there!

Katherine

Labels: Chiapas, Compitch, IDEX, San Cristobal de las Casas

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