Wow! What a Week...

This has been one of the most, if not the most, eye-opening/consciousness-raising weeks of my life. Yesterday, I went to Tenejapa with my neighbor, who is an anthropologist who lived and studied this community for 7 years. Tenejapa is a small community of Tzeltal people. I went to La Casa Materna to talk with the doctor who attends to this small clinic. I talked to him for almost two hours about the way the indigenous women of this community are using (or more like not using) modern medicine during their pregnancies and for the births of their children. I got to sit in on two consultations. Both were so interesting. The first was a young girl and her husband (I later learned that they are 15!) inquiring about

anticonceptives. I try to be "culturally relative," but I admit that in this instance, I was sooooo happy to see that this young couple wanted to wait to have babies. The jovencito as the doctor called him looked like he was 12. It doesn't even seem possible that they could be parents. The second consultation had an even bigger influence on me. A pregnant woman, her husband, and their young daughter came in for a check-up. The woman did not speak much Spanish so the doctor asked the husband how his wife has been feeling. The doctor asked the husband how many kids he had and he said, "Six, with this woman." She was pregnant with her 7th child. Polygamy is still practiced in the small communities. It is an right/obligation for men who can afford to support more than one family. The man's comment made us think that either he had more than one wife or he and the previous wife were no longer married. Both were very timid and seemed unsure of the whole process. The doctor felt the woman's tummy to check on the baby. The husband stayed in the room, as is custom. All in all, it was a very short consultation. It was one of her last consultations because she is going to have her baby with a traditional midwife. When this is the case, the partera ususally begins to take over at the end of the pregnancy. The doctor signed a little card that the woman brought and then they left. I asked the doctor what the card was for and he told me that if the women attend all their prenatal appointments and keep up with their children's vaccinations, they recieve a small subsidy from the federal government. This of course fascinated me because it suggests that the government must bribe indigenous women to use modern medical services. I asked the doctor if he thought this was the case and he said a definite yes. This disproves my research hypothesis. But that's ok. I am learning so much! Then, today, I went to talk with a traditional midwife. In Spanish, she is called a partera. The community that they live in is absolutely beautiful. It is coffee-country but there are also tons of banana tress. The scenery was breathtaking. This woman was 79 years old and told me that she started to learn the art from her mother when she was 7 years old. She does not speak Spanish either so her family helped me translate. Luis, the anthropologist, video-recorded our conversation. I can't wait to show you all. She and her family live in another world. Really. I fell in love. I decided today that I am going to come back to Chiapas when I am a doctor because there are people like them. They don't need anyone's help. But they could use some of it. There house in tucked away in a coffee plantation. I am going to return so that I can give them a little gift, un regalito. And I would really like to see her with one of her patients. She told me that she sees about 8 women every day. I was shocked because the day before, at the clinic, the doctor saw two patients. This just shows that the majority of the women in these rural communities do not use modern medicine. The parteras do it all. We went back to Tenejapa and were suprised to see that the town was celebrating the last day of carnival!! Some of Luis' students are filming the event to make a documentary. I was able to take a picture because I was with them! The people came around and offered us sugar-can juice by the gallons. It was really good--it tasted like the green naked juice. But after 10 huge cups, I don't ever want to drink it again!!

I'm getting older...

So I went to church today. Everyone was really welcoming, even more than I had expected. It felt the same until I opened up the hymn book. We sang the same songs, but in Spanish! I do this alot. I realize that I am in a Spanish-speaking country but sometimes, I find myself suprised to hear Spanish. For example: Madalena y Ludo talk to their dogs in Spanish. What a trip! Dog's understand Spanish too. I have never in all my life heard someone speak a language other than English to their pet. And before today, I had not imagined singing hymns in a different language. It was another one of those Oooh moments!

It also occured to me today that I am older than the missionaries. What a weird realization!! I didn't know what time Sacrament meeting started so I just showed up at 9 and hoped for the best. Church doesn't actually start until 10. I was early. So were the missionaries. Suprise suprise. There was one Mexican missionary and one American missionary. We had nice conversation but I realized that they both had these odd social habits that only younger guys have. I'm not miss social butterfly so I am certainly not criticizing these guys for their awkwardness. Rather, I am just reflecting on an interesting observation. I met a girl from Holland at church. She is not a member but she is interested in the church because she is writing her master's thesis on the rapid growth of the church in south-east Mexico. I waited while the missionaries talked with her. The first thing she said to me when we left was, "How old do you think Elder Smith is?" I responded, "Just turned 19!" We laughed because we knew that we thinking the same exact thing!

My Address

In case of emergency, of course. This isn't a desperate plea for mail!

Cerrada Prolongacion Peje de Oro
No. 3 Barrio Cuxtitali
C.P. 29230
San Cristobal de las Casas
Chiapas, Mexico

Tele # of the house: (01)967-678-59-48

Zinacantán

The second town that we went to is home to a different tribe of the Tzotsil ethnic group. It is larger in area but smaller in population than Chamula. This demographic difference probably explains why Zinacatan seems cleaner and quieter than Chamula.

Once again, the women's clothing marks the territory. The women here also wear long black skirts. But instead of being made of wool, they are made of cotton. They are more flowly than those of the women in Chamula. They wear beautiful shawls with shiny purple and blue flower embroidery. You kind of get an idea of the outfits from the pictures. We stopped at the house of a family that the tour guide knows. We only met the women because the men work in the fields during the day. The ladies were weaving, cooking, and taking care of the children. One girl did a weaving demonstration. And she gave us permission to take pictures! It was so impressive that I got fancy and recorded it on my camera. The video is not working on the blog so I posted the photo.

The guide then took us into the family's ritual room and proceeded to tell us some of his very strong opinions. First, he says he "trusts" the motivations of the Zapatistas. Then he talked at legnth about his concern that the indigenous culture is in danger of extinction to to the missionary efforts of protestants and evangelicals. He called this the "second conquest." Of course I was alarmed when he said that the Tzotsiles are never going to "go to Salt Lake City and tell the Mormons that their prophet is wrong so why should their missionaries come knocking on these people's doors telling them that sacrificing chickens is not the right way to worship God?" I appreciated his solidarity with the indigenous people and to be perfectly honest, he makes a valid point. I just hope that the Mormon missionaries are more tactful and respectul in their approach than he suggested. I am going to church tomorrow and I'll make my own opinions.

Chamula

Today I took a tour of two villages on the outskirts of San Cristobal. I read about this tour in the guidebook that the German guy I lived with in Mexico City gave me before I left. To be perfectly honest, I am desperately trying to make friends! Unfortunately, I was the only single person under 40 in the group. This making friends thing is harder than I expected! But I am really glad I went. Our guide spoke english and he was really knowledgeable and opinionated on the issues facing these two little towns. First, we went to Chamula. The town is home to one tribe from the Tzotsil ethnic Mayan group. Regular Mexican and foreign women can only live there if they marry a man from this tribe. The people of this little pueblo have fought long and hard to protect their culture. The town makes laws seperate from the Mexican government. It is totally comunal living. The women wear a certain outfit that only women of this tribe wear. The outfit consists of a long, thick, black skirt made of wool. It is held up by a thick cloth belt. Their tops are really beautiful. They are silky, ususally blue, with little gold buttons on the collar. Usually, they wear shawls around their shoulders and over their heads. And most all of them have babies on their backs. It seems to be part of the outfit! I still can't get over how young the mothers are. Maybe they aren't the moms? I don't know for sure. The poorest of the poor women don't wear shoes. The other women wear little sandals. Kinda like jellies, actually. I think I might get me a pair. I have always had a weird interest in jellies! The men usually dress more "western." However, today, I saw men wearing white and black sheep's wool tunics and cowboy hats. It was a special ritual day so that might explain why more men were dressed up. Unfortunately, pictures are strictly prohibited in Chamula. I was able to snap a few shots of the church and the market but I was careful to not get any people. The kids of Chamula are getting smart about this picture business though. A little girl came up to me and said, "hi my name is veronica. if you want a picture with me, i charge 10 pesos." I really wanted to take her up on the offer! All the kids were adorable. I could feel myself switch into like emotional mother-mode. Lots of aahhhs and ohhs. But in some ways it was really sad because they are so trained to beg for money. Little boys, probably two and three years old, came up to us with their palms out asking for "un pesooo." One boy, a little older, said he needed money to buy a notebook. They are taught what the tourists want to hear. The guide told us that it is not a good idea to give them money. I was torn.

Going into the church was another culture shock experience. Although there are crosses and saints and bells...all the things we normally associate with Catholic churches, this church is not associated with the Vatican. There is no clergy. The people don't read from the Bible. Nobody celebrates first or second communions or weddings inside the church. Instead, what is practiced is a fascinating blend of catholic and ancient mayan rituals. When you walk in, all you see is candles. Then, you look down, and notice that there are pine needles all over the floor. There are no pews. People sit on the floor and intricately arrange different colors of candles. Our guide explained that the colors and arrangements have specific significances. People also bring in soda bottles and place them in front of the candles. No idea why they do this, but it makes for an interesting display. And it is a good reminder that coca cola has literally made it into every nook and cranny of the earth. No matter how "traditional" you think people are, they drink soda. Guaranteed! I later learned that some of the soda bottles were filled with an alcohol that the people drink and offer to the saints as a sacrifice. It was interesting to observe different groups of people (mostly women) pray and chant. There are no services in the church. Everyone worships in their own way. Some bring live chickens into the church and then sacrifice them to the gods. There is no blood. Just a quick twist of the neck! Other people come in with spiritual leaders to be healed. I saw some pretty cool rituals going on with herbal plants and eggs and corn. I have not the slightest idea what the healers were doing but I am sure there was a purpose to it all.

After the church, the guide took us to the house of a spiritual leader. This particular leader was in charge of protecting the spirit of St. Anthony. There was a huge shrine in the house but it was barely visible because the entire house was filled with a thick smoke. They burn pine resin to keep away the evil spirits. And again, the ground was covered in pine needles. The smell was overwhelming. I felt a little dazed and confused when I got up to leave!

Although the city attracts a lot of tourists (mostly curious gringos like myself!), it is not phony. The people do their own thing, with or without us. They are happy to let others observe their culture as long as they are respectful. And donations are always accepted!

Fotos de Chiapas

I was a tourist for the day! I didn't even try to hide the guide book . I had out the map. I wore walking shoes. I asked for directions every five seconds. I took a taxi home. I usually try to fake it. I don't know why. The fact that I am a foot taller than everyone kinds of gives it away!

The pictures are random:

1) An exhibit of how Mayan women give birth, taken in the museum for the development of mayan medicine. The woman on her knees is the one giving birth. The man is her husband. And the woman behind her is the midwife.

2)My house!!

3-5) Really beautiful churches.

The only problem is that these pictures don't really capture the city. There are tons of signs in the center that make it known that the people of Chiapas (mainly indigenous people) do not like having their picture taken. There are cultural reasons. For example, they believe that a picture can startle your spirit and it will flee from your body. But also, I think that it is just plain demeaning. They are living their normal lives and we tourists treat them as some interactive museum exhibit. I can see how that would be annoying.

San Cristobal, Chiapas

I arrived in San Cristobal yesterday afternoon. I quickly met my mentor, Gracia, and she took me to the house that I will be living in. I live with her friend--an eclectic italian woman who moved to Mexico because she makes textiles and fell in love with the method that Mayan women in Chiapas use to weave. She has a nine year old daughter. They live in a beautiful ranch-house. It is filled with her art and textiles! Envision a layout in an Anthropologie magazine! I can onl hope that she offers to make me somehing in the three months that I am here! I live upstairs in a modest little room. I have to watch my head when I walk around because the ceilings are quite low! It has a lot of architectual charm though. I can open up these cute little doors and walk out onto the balcony overlooking her spacious backyard. And my internet works from my room! I don't have to intrude on their family space everytime I want to check my email. Such an improvement! The rent is a little steep, but I am just relieved to have a secure place to live for now. All my food is included and I have my own bathroom. She serves a midday meal at like 3pm. Mexicans (and Italians!) eat their biggest meal at this time, rather than at night. I make my own breakfast and a little something at night. So far it is working out great. She is a really good and healthy cook. And the best part is, she offers an alternative to Mexican food! Don't get me wrong, I love Mexican food. But a salad every once in a while is amazing.
I have only been out in the city one time, but my initial observation is that San Cristobal is drastically different that Mexico City. It is stunning in a third-world sort of way. The city is bustling and bright, but it lacks the world-class city intensity of the Distrito Federal. I am really amazed at how alive and visible the indigenous culture is. As culturally sensitive as I like to think I am, I was not prepared to walk through the market and see women and men holding live chickens upside-down by the feet. And I took a second look at petite, barefoot women carring huge loads on their backs that are supported by a band across their forehead. I saw several really young women lugging babies that were half the size as them in cloths wrapped around their shoulders. While I was in the bus, the other passengers had a conversation in an indigenous mayan language. I am almost certain that it was about me since I hit my head really really hard getting in the bus. I am too tall to be in San Cristobal!
I thought that San Cristobal was a jungle, but I was definitely wrong. I got caught up in the sensationalism of the Zapatistas! They live in the jungle, but not of Chiapas is like that. San Cristobal is at a really high altitude so the temperature changes a lot during the day. Nights are really cold and days are pretty warm. While I was in the car from Tuxtla (the city where the airport is), I was amazed at beautiful the landscape is. I need to take pictures. It is too hard to explain! Tomorrow I am going to be a tourist so I will try to post some of my pictures.
Today, I met with my mentor and then went to the university that she works at to start my reseach. i don't think I will be studying the Zapasistas anymore. It is hard to get permission and blah blah blah. But I will still study maternal health among indigenous women. Chiapas has a really unfortunate public health system, especially for people who are poor and marginalized. I want to study the medical services that are available for poor indigenous during their pregnancies and before and after the birth event. I want to investigate/criticize the assumption that "less modern" women want to use "less modern" medical services. San Cristobal has more ngo's than any other city in the world. Many offer health services. It is interesting because many indigenous women have begun to accept the very new age services that these organizations offer--water births, prenatal massages, accupuncture, etc...Interesting, right? It is a perfect example of non-linear development. Non governmental organizations are filling up the social space that the Mexican government abandoned during its transition to neoliberalism. Indigenous women, who are usually thought of as being passive in regards to their health, are bypassing the limited social services that the state offers and instead are actively searching out alternative ways to recive medical attention. These are just my initial research ideas. Now I need to see if I am right by talking with women! I met a guy in the library today who offered to help me translate. He works for an organization that helps integrate street children into public schools. It was interesting because although he is Mexican, he doesn't speak Spanish fluently. His first language is tzotil and like me, he started to learn spanish in high school. Such a trip!
Keep in touch! I don't want to be doing all the talking. Let me know what's going on in all your lives!

SUSHI in Mexico

Really, it exists. And it was good. I thought you all should know!

Tlahuac

I am finally getting around to posting my pictures. It's been a rough few weeks. Ok,.. not that rough because I am in Mexico. I will rephrase. I have had a lot of work the last two weeks. But as of 12pm today, I am done!!! I presented my research proposal yesterday and turned in my essay today. Classes ended on Friday and I don't have anything obligations until Sunday--which is when I leave for Chiapas. My housing is all arranged. I am going to live with a friend of my mentor in San Cristobal. I am anxious to start the "next part" of my life in Mexico, but it is really scary. I have gotten comfortable here in Mexico City. I like all the people in the EAP program. But they are all going staying here and going to UNAM. I am going far away, by myself to research indigenous women's health in the poorest state in Mexico. And then I have to write a thesis paper in a different language...What was I thinking?! These are just my pre-departure nerves. I have been more emotional than normal lately. Two days ago, I went to a cafe to write my paper. I don't like being in the house all the time so I do most of my homework at cafes. I always bring my computer and there is never any problems. Except two days ago. I was working away and then the lady comes up to me and tells me that I will have to pay to use the electricity. Ok, no problem. I have never had to do that before but I wasn't too worried about the 10 pesos an hour that she cuoted me. So I'm working, working, working. I was the only one in the place. The workers weren't very friendly but I didn't care. I wasn't there to chat. Then, I get up to leave and I tell the guy that I need to pay for my drink and the electricity. He tells me 60 pesos. What? 60 pesos? I told him that I had not been there for 6 hours. He gave me a really mean look and said that I was. Feeling really defeated, I paid him the 60 pesos and left. It was not that big of a deal but for some reason, as I was walking home I started crying. Ugly cry, as Oprah would say. Tears and all! I knew it was stupid but I couldn't stop. When I got back home, of course all the family was at the table eating lunch. I had stopped crying by that point but of course, they could tell something was wrong. I told them the jist of what happened and that it was not a big deal...But the dad was all fired up and he made me walk with him to the cafe and talk with the guy. I wanted to die! I avoid that street at all costs now.

Tlahuac. The reason for the post. Our history teacher took us on a field trip to her friends farm. Mexico City is unique in that it has an agriculture area within the metropolitan. This is the way that the entire city used to look. I might have mentioned it before, but the city was essentially built on a lake. The aztecs scooped the ground from the bottom of the lakes and built mounds, called chinampas. They built and planted on top of the chinampas. It was actually a very efficient farming method because the ground from the bottom of the lakes has a lot of minerals and is therefore very fertile. People think that the abunance of food that this farming method created is what made the aztecs able to rise to power and sustain their armies. Our guide, Don Tomas, still uses this method to farm his land. He's pretty new age though. He grows fancy lettuce and sells is to Wal-Mart. He picked us up from the center of the city on his really awesomely decorated boat and then took us to his Chinampa. And his wife made us quesadillas with all different types of fillings--squash flower, fungus that grows on corn, fermented cheese...all really weird sounding, but amazingly delicious. In the picture with the food you can see how he maneuvered the boat.

And I included a posed picture of people--it's me and my roomate Megan and our friend that lives down the street, Aileen. They all started school today but I am free!