Semana Santa (Holy Week) takes up the whole week before Easter. The kids don't have school during this week and in addition, the week after is canceled for Spring Break. Reed and I took advantage of this and she planned a trip for us around the states of Tabasco and Chiapas.
Here are the highlights:
Villahermosa, Tabasco--not really the 'beautiful town' that the name implies but we walked around the town, visited the river called the Rio Grijalva, and spent the night.
Palenque, Chiapas--the name of the ruins and the town that is nearby. We spent two nights in a cabaña (palapa) in the middle of the Parque Nacional Palenque which was satiated with sounds of the jungle! In the early morning (about 2am) on both nights, a group of Howler Monkeys would make their way past our cabaña, calling out to each other in an eery, breathy howl (they are the loudest land animal with a call that can be heard for 3 miles). One day we toured the Mayan ruins of Palenque which covers 15 sq. miles and the next day we took a cumvi (van) up to the waterfall, Misol Ha and then to the thundering cascades of Agua Azul (we swam here).
Ocosingo, Chiapas--We stayed in a hotel that is owned by a U.S. couple who were forced from their ranch by the Zapatistas. (We learned from one of the women who worked at the ranch and now at the hotel, that the Zapatistas had great intentions for increasing the rights of the indigenous people of southern Mexico but power and politics have impeded the process.) We visited the massive ruins of Toniná which is where captives (including rulers) from Palenque were held and beheaded.
San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas--We spent 4 nights in this wonderful colonial town! We toured the Museum of Mayan Medicine, watched a reenactment of the trial and carrying of the cross by 'Jesus', went to Zinacantán to see a procession at the church by one of the indigenous groups called Tzotiles, took a boat through the Cañón de Sumidero, visited Na Bolom (a museum in a house owned by a Swiss couple who wanted to protect the people and work of an indigenous tribe called the Lacadón), got an oily massage, and shopped at the many artisan markets around the city.
Click on the link below to see the pictures!
Here is a link for you to hear what the Howler Monkey's sound like:
Coming next: Semana Santa, Week 2
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