San Juan Chamula is an indigenous town located 10 km from the famous San Cristóbal de las Chiapas.

Interesting facts about Chamula

1. This town is famous for the St. Juan Bautista Church which has an incredible blend of ancient Mayan and Catholic beliefs. It was built in 1522.

2. 98% of the locals speak Tzotzil language, one of the many Mayan Languages. Even 3-year-old boys in Chamula speak Tzotzil. Do they speak Spanish? Yes. Not all, but some do.

3. Chamula has their own police force. They do not allow the Mexican Police or Military in this town. But, it is a safe town. Criminals are punished severely in this town.

4. DO NOT take pictures when you are inside the Church. They may even take your camera from you plus punish you for breaking their laws. Take it seriously, it is not a joke.

Tzotzil Language

I have Googled the Tzotzil language. I hoped to learn some words before visiting. I found the words on Gogle, but I didn’t know how to promounce them. So I wrote some common phases down and took them with me, in case I got to speak with the indigenous people in Chamula.

Tips: The number system and words for numbers are the same as the Spanish language. This is super convenient because you can negotiate and buy handicrafts from the locals.

 

How to get to Chamula from San Cristobal?

 

Travel Agency – You can find this Chamula tour in San Cristobal tour agency. This is a half day tour from San Cristobal, 9.30am-2pm or 2pm-5pm, cost 180-250 MXN (USD 10-14)

Do it Yourself – Walk to Mercado Municipal Jose Castillo Tielemans and ask around where to take the collectivo (White Van) to Chamula. People are very helpful here so they will tell you, or even bring you to the place to wait.

You will arrive at the collectivo station in Chamula. Remember, because this is the same place you can take collectivo back to San Cristobal. Walk from where the collectivo drops you about 100 meters the main square. Don’t worry, this is a very small town, you won’t get lost.

Fee: 18 MXN per person
Time: 20 minutes to Chamula

 

I am very excited to go to Chamula because this is an interesting town where not all the people speak Spanish. This means you can communicate using the Google Translate app. All you can do is hand and body language. Lol

 

 

You need to buy a ticket to enter the Church. The ticket booth is on the left side of the church. The ticket fee is 25 MXN. The look from the outside is almost like a Hispanic style Catholic Church, but inside, the church will blow your mind. There are pine needles all over the floor. This is the Mayan symbol of earth. Plus, there are thousands of candles lit on the floor, with people sitting in groups on the floor praying. There are no benches. They are chanting, while Shamans perform rituals. The air is thick with incense and the atmosphere is totally different from any Catholic churches elsewhere in the world.

 

Dan can’t bear the incense for long since his nose is sensitive. He left me alone inside the church because I wanted to watch rituals being performed. After about 5 minutes, a guy with grey hair approached me. I was like what? Now is the time to practice my Tzotzil language. He could speak Spanish but I don’t. I didn’t dare bring my phone out in Church to use my Google Translate app. Based upon my poor Spanish, I knew he was a Shaman. He offered me a ritual performance but I refused because Dan was not with me.

 

When I stepped outside to look for Dan, I found he spoke with an indigenous guy who had been living in Miami since he was 7 years old. He was in town visiting family for the holiday. The amazing thing was that he could still speak Tzotzil. So I was able to learn some phrases from him. Maybe later I will do a video about how to pronounce the phrases so you can use them when you visit Chamula. I always enjoy speaking a few phrases of the local language, just to see how surprised they are.

 

IMPORTANT: Do not try to snap a photo inside the church, it is forbidden and you might put yourself in physical danger. Remember, this town has their own police force. They also remind you in writing on the ticket that you purchase.

 

 

 

On the weekends, in front of the church, they have a big market, but we missed it. We walked around the square and the Mercado (market) was located on the right-hand side of the church. I bought some handicrafts from indigenous people. She didn’t speak Spanish at all, I was like hmm… Ok, lucky the numbering of Tzotzil is same as Spanish. We were able to make a deal, and it was cheaper than the prices in San Cristobal.

If you visit Chamula, please support the indigenous by buying handicrafts from them, as this is a poor town. You still can see some of them walking around without shoes, but I guess they are more comfortable walking without shoes?

 

Overall, Chamula is a very small town and you can finish it in an hour. If you are interested in indigenous cultures, this is one of the best places to visit.