Day 17: San Juan Chamula from San Cristóbal de las Casas
Today is a very special day. Today we will visit San Juan Chamula from San Cristóbal de las Casas, one of the most interesting and magical places in this area of Mexico, although also one of the most controversial, since there is little information about this place and not always pleasant for a purely photographic theme, as we will tell later .
It is time to get up early, work for a while, as usual in our trip to Mexico in 45 days and when it is 7:30 to go to the breakfast room of the Hotel Posada El Zaguán, which is our accommodation in San Cristóbal de las Casas, After enjoying a full breakfast, return to the streets of San Cristóbal de las Casas, which so many incredible moments are giving us these days.
Although the usual is go to San Juan Chamula from San Cristóbal de las Casas with a tour hired through an agency, just as we did yesterday in the Sumidero Canyon and Chiapa del Corzo, this time we have decided to go free. Although the price of the tours is very tight, even more than doing it for free, the problem is that they do not leave you much time to be inside the church, the main reason we are going to San Juan Chamula, so after many evaluations, and although in some moments we have been told that it is not insurance, we have chosen to go for free and thus be able to enjoy and know this place as long as we need.
Another more comfortable and safe option is to book this excursion which also includes the town of Zinacantán and in which a guide in Spanish will pick you up at your hotel.
How to get to San Juan Chamula from San Cristóbal de las Casas
There are several options for go to San Juan Chamula from San Cristóbal de las Casas:
- Public Transportation: From the San Cristóbal de las Casas Market, in the San Juan Chamula Bus Terminal, buses leave to the town that leave you in the church area for 10 pesos in about 30-45 minutes depending on the traffic. To return you can take it again at the same point.
- Taxi: You can take it anywhere in San Cristóbal de las Casas for 80-100 pesos each way. To return you can take a taxi again in the Plaza Mayor, where the Temple of San Juan is located.
- Organized tour: 100% of the agencies have this tour, which also includes a visit to nearby Zinacat. The price is about 150 pesos, depending on the agency, it lasts approximately 4 hours, leaving in the morning and returning to San Cristóbal de las Casas at noon.
On this occasion, as we said before, we will go for free, opting to go by taxi, for 100 pesos. We have chosen to do so more than anything to gain time and thus be able to be in San Juan Chamula First thing in the morning and get to know the most about this small and interesting place.
San Juan Chamula from San Cristóbal de las Casas
The taxi, after 30 minutes of journey in which we hardly cross any other car, leaves us at the entrance of San Juan Chamula, about 200 meters from the Temple of San Juan, so the first thing we do is approach to the Plaza Mayor, where the church is and where right next to it we see the tourist post where you have to pay 20 pesos per person to access the church.
It is at this moment that we are warned of what we already knew. You can not take pictures inside the church, or the butlers (people who accompany the saints for a year), or the authorities, or processions. Although after asking several times they confirm that we can take all the panoramic photos we want, without any restriction.
This is something that dislodges us, since we have read many opinions of people who explain how they have taken their camera, even breaking it, for taking pictures outside the church.
Seeing this, we prefer not to take risks and not take out the camera, choosing to enter the temple and depending on how we see the environment, once we leave, we will see if we take a picture or choose to take the images in the retina.
San Juan Temple San Juan Chamula
As soon as we approach the entrance, we deliver our ticket and immediately offer us a guide service for 100 pesos, which for the moment we choose not to take to have a first impression of the interior without any explanation or company.
And so, expectantly, we access one of the most incredible and impressive places we have ever seen.
Entrance to the church of San Juan Chamula
We have a first contact of almost 30 minutes, surrounded by healers and families that fill the impressive church of San Juan Bautista, surrounded by copal, candles, pine leaves on the ground and some rites that we are not able to understand, but that They catch us as soon as they arrive.
After this first contact we decided to go out in search of one of the guides for almost 45 minutes, to understand from his hand and with his explanations, a little more everything that happens around us.
Finished his explanation and answer to all our doubts, he invites us to move freely through the church, to be able to approach and see closely all the details that he has been explaining to us, now alone.
After asking him several times if with this we are not going to make the devotees feel uncomfortable and receive on their part the confirmation that there is no problem, as long as we do not take pictures and do it with education, we spend almost 1 more hour in the inside to only see everything that happens around us, now with a slightly more formed vision of what we are seeing.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Mexico
- 10 essential places to visit in Mexico
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Mexico
- Best travel insurance for Mexico
- Security in Mexico
Tips for visiting the Temple of San Juan in San Juan Chamula
San Juan Chamula is without a doubt, known in Chiapas and in the world, for being the place that houses the Church of San Juan Bautista, the only one in the world where you can see some unique religious practices, which we warn you, do not They will leave you indifferent.
To visit the Temple of San Juan, several things must be taken into account. We recommend you to have the maximum education and respect, in addition to understanding that as tourists, we are guests to the place and this is not made so that we feel comfortable. That is why we should also try not to judge what we see, since we are mere spectators.
- It is strictly forbidden to take pictures inside the church, not even focusing on a place where there are no people. Similarly, you can not take pictures of the different processions that can take place or the butlers, who are the people who accompany the saints during the period of one year.
- This prohibition is strict. If you skip it you can have problems. Keep it in mind before taking out your camera or mobile. It is preferable to have an unforgettable experience, but that this is not for something you have done wrong.
- From the moment you arrive in San Juan Chamula, if you want to enjoy the experience, we recommend having an open mind, without a predisposition to judge what you see. We anticipate that inside the church you will see animal sacrifices, so you might prefer not to enter or have a more panoramic image staying at the entrance, without getting close to the faithful and seeing the images more explicitly.
- Although when you buy your ticket they will tell you that in the town and outside the church you can take panoramic photos, we believe that it is preferable to ask permission before taking any photo abroad to people around you, for If they feel uncomfortable.
- If you want to take a souvenir in the form of a photograph, you can always buy a postcard.
- As we commented, in the church, you will see images in a certain way shocking For our culture. Try not to judge. Just dedicate yourself to look and open your mind. We assure you that it is a unique experience.
- If you have reached San Juan Chamula for free, we recommend you to have a first contact inside the church without a guide, then go out to look for a guide, they are usually at the same door, and then stay inside, mixing with the faithful to be able to get closer to the explanations that have been made to you.
San Juan Chamula
After our experience, we have to say that if you are in this area of Chiapas, come until San Juan Chamula It is totally recommended, since you will have the opportunity to see some of the most incredible rites in the world.
It's more than 11 when we leave the church of San Juan Bautista, willing to take a walk around the market area that surrounds the Plaza Mayor of the town, which allows us to see a little more closely the day to day of San Juan Chamula
Main Square of San Juan Chamula
In addition to the Plaza Mayor we recommend walking through the adjacent streets, where you can see more of this charming town and look out at one of the many food stores to get closer to the local product.
San Juan Chamula
An hour later we decided that it is time to return to San Cristóbal de las Casas and on this occasion we decided to do it in a collective, not so much for the price, 18 pesos per person, as for the experience of moving in this transport.
The groups leave from the church square, in front of the secretary of tourism and leave once they are full, although that happens every 5-10 minutes, so once inside, it is not 12:30 when we are already Sancris way.
Once in the city we stayed at the bus terminal of San Juan Chamula, taking the opportunity to make a technical stop before lunch to have a delicious coffee from Chiapas and continue with today.
We decided on Yik Café where we ordered coffee The Aurora, cultivated at 1600 meters and a melon smoothie for 45 pesos, which we have to say are exquisite. And this is where once the morning passed and our visit to San Juan Chamula, we began to be aware of everything we have seen and felt during these intense hours.
San Juan Chamula Bus Terminal in Sancris
That is why before continuing with the story of this day we want to place special emphasis on our feelings, especially as regards the security of going to San Juan Chamula from San Cristóbal de las Casas for free. And it is that after the experience we have to say that practically everything we had read and everything that we had been told, obviated at all times the possibility of going free, with the only explanation that "San Juan Chamula was an insecure place", forcing us practically and somehow to choose the tour as the only possibility to reach the church of San Juan Bautista.
After our experience going there by taxi, returning afterwards by bus and during the hours that we have been there moving around for free, we can say that we have not felt at all insecure at any time. Even in the moments in which we have taken the camera, always to take far and panoramic photos, we have felt totally safe and not at all observed.
We believe that it is our duty to make our sensations and experiences known and that with them in hand, each traveler can choose to make the visit free or organized, but having all the information and being able to choose how to do it, since we believe that the worst What can happen to a place is to grow with this topic. As we believe that the worst thing that can happen to a tourist is to stop visiting somewhere because they don't have enough information.
Book the best rated Spanish tours and excursions in San Cristóbal de las Casas by travelers:
- Excursion to Sumidero Canyon
- Excursion to San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan
- Excursion to Agua Azul, Misol-Há and Palenque
- Excursion to Lagunas de Montebello + El Chiflón Waterfall
- Excursion to Amatenango del Valle- Many more excursions and tours here
After this time of reflection we go directly to the La Lupe Restaurant, where we were already on the first day, after enjoying the many visits to do in San Cristóbal de las Casas and where today we order some taco arrachera more some Guadalupe quesadillas more soda, beer and two express for 390 pesos.
La Lupe restaurant. San Cristóbal de las Casas
After a quiet table we approach the laundry to pick up a new batch of clothes that we have taken this morning and that will serve to store the clothes of more shelter, since tomorrow we follow the route of this trip to Mexico for free starting a new stage with which we will approach warmer moments.
We take advantage of this time of noon to rest and work and when it is 4 o'clock go back to the streets of San Cristóbal de las Casas, to walk again through its charming streets and meet Irene, from the blog Chronicles of an Argonaut, which takes practically Two years touring Mexico and now he is in Sancris, where he will settle for a few months before continuing his incredible journey.
San Cristóbal de las Casas
And as we did in Mexico City with Alan and Victoria, today we share with Irene many hours talking about travel, about Mexico, about life and most importantly, enjoying long conversations that we have an indelible memory, in addition to the immense luck to meet an aunt of thosereally”, Which are rarely found along the way and that referring to his words"He wants to travel, see the world and know all the possible places, but he is not in a hurry".
Irene, we hope our paths cross again at some other time. We promise not to talk about anything that refers to any accounting issue 😉
And so, in the best way and with the best company, at 11 o'clock at night and after dinner at the Te Quiero Verde restaurant, we say goodbye to Irene and San Cristobal de las Casas, a place that has fallen in love and where , we are sure, we will return.
Day 18: San Cristóbal de las Casas - How to go to Palenque in Chiapas from San Cristóbal de las Casas
