San Juan de Chamula, where Indigenous spirituality, Catholicism, and capitalism merge
<p>“There is a church, it is the most interesting place you will visit during your time in Chiapas, Mexico”, the free walking tour guide in San Cristobal de las Casas talks about San Juan de Chamula. Indeed, what an interesting place. San Juan Chamula, a small village just outside of San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, is an anthropologist’s dream. This small Mexican town is where indigenous spirituality, Catholicism, and capitalism collide.</p>
<p>Chamula is home to the Maya direct descent indigenous peoples, the Tzotzil. It is the religious and political center for the Tzotzil in the highlands of Chiapas and is visited by hundreds of tourists and Tzotzil around the area. Chamula is famous for its church and its rather unorthodox use of it. Being officially Catholic, as most of the Mexican state, they merged Mayan practices in their rituals that are performed in this white green church in the middle of the town (Rigg, 2013).</p>
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