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33-561: Chamula is located in the Chiapas highlands , at an altitude of 2,200 meters (7,200 feet). It is inhabited by the indigenous Tzotzil Maya people , whose Tzotzil language is one of the Mayan languages . The town enjoys unique autonomous status within Mexico . No outside police or military are allowed in the village. Chamulas have their own police force. As of 2010, the town of Chamula had

66-478: A clay figure on top in the figure of Subcomandante Marcos or Comandante Tacho . Chiapas highlands The Chiapas Highlands , also known as the Central Highlands of Chiapas or Chiapas Plateau ( Spanish : Los Altos de Chiapas ), is a geographic, sociocultural and administrative region located in Chiapas , the southernmost state of Mexico . The Chiapas Highlands are in the central part of

99-514: A considerable volume and size. The Sierra Madre moist forests ecoregion covers the southern slopes of the mountains. The mountains intercept winds from the Pacific, creating fog, clouds, and orographic precipitation that sustain the ecoregion's cloud forests. The Central American pine–oak forests ecoregion covers the Sierra's high peaks and northern slopes. It is known near Guatemala city as

132-568: A place. Brown, (1993) talks extensively about the inequalities that the system has created for indigenous peoples and how despite the efforts of the Mexican government those inequalities still persist. Starting in the 1940s the Instituto Nacional Indigenista (INI) run a program aimed at "integrating" the indigenous people to the modern world. The public policy was known as indigenismo. Acculturation took place through

165-561: A population of 3,329. Other than the town of Chamula, the municipality had 149 localities, the largest of which (with 2010 populations in parentheses) were: Cruztón (1,756), Yaltem (1,664), Chicumtantic (1,599), Nichnamtic (1,496), Muquén (1,480), Majomut (1,450), Saclamantón (1,348), Catishtic (1,319), Romerillo (1,310), Cuchulumtic (1,275), Narváez (1,207), Bautista Chico (1,173), Las Ollas (1,165), Macvilho (1,142), Tentic (1,121), Arvenza Uno (1,107), Pugchén Mumuntic (1,046), and Tzontehuitz (1,004), classified as rural. The church of San Juan, in

198-766: A steady flow of labor to other regions and to the non indigenous living within the region. San Cristobal was described as a "parasitic city that used its political, administrative, and religious powers to strip the Indians of the fruits of their labors." The city was key in establishing an exploitation system in the region. At the center of the exploitation system there are long term ethnic divisions where mestizos (person of Hispanic culture from outside of Los Altos), ladinos (Person of Hispanic culture from within Los Altos historically San Cristobal) and indigenas (people from indigenous descent most of them are Tsotsiles or Tsetsales) have

231-640: Is a usual practice for intermediaries also known as coyotes (usually ladinos) to charge producers a high fee to transport their harvest from their community to the cabezera municipal (head of county) or San Cristobal to be sold. In that same way, products sold directly in the communities tend to be more expensive than when sold in San Cristobal. As a result, some indigenous coffee producing communities have self organize in to coffee cooperatives offering an alternative to independent indigenous producers to commercialize their product. Economic activity in Los Altos

264-433: Is constrained by a high degree of marginalization . The region's total population is 601,190 distributed in 1,182 villages of which only two have more than 15,000 inhabitants. The vast majority of people live in communities with less than 2,500 inhabitants. In fact there are more than 900 communities with less than 500 inhabitants. The largest population center is San Cristobal de las Casas with 158, 000 inhabitants. This city

297-465: Is cool with a January average of 12.3 °C (54.1 °F). Owing to its altitude and the relative aridity of the dry season, San Cristóbal de las Casas has a fairly high diurnal temperature range and nighttime temperatures are cool. Extended periods of frosts are rare, occurring only 2–3 days per year in December to February. Humidity is high (around 78%), even during the winter months, and fog or mist

330-467: Is either Tsotsil or Tsetsal. In fact, Tsotsil is the lingua franca in the region and is spoken amongst many indigenous of other denominations and some Latinos. The seasonal pattern of rain is ideal for the cultivation of maize and beans which are the staple food for most local indigenous people. However, at high elevations in Tierra Fria production only reaches subsistence levels. On the flanks of

363-686: Is known as the Sierra Madre de Chiapas in Mexico. It crosses El Salvador , Guatemala , Mexico and Honduras. The Sierra Madre is part of the American Cordillera , a chain of mountain ranges that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that form the western "backbone" of North America , Central America , and South America . The range runs northwest–southeast from the state of Chiapas in Mexico , across western Guatemala , into El Salvador and Honduras . Most of

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396-426: Is quite common during the winter months, occurring 13–17 days per month with fog. Usually, this clears off during the day. The wet season, which runs from May to October is warmer, with a June average of 17.0 °C (62.6 °F) and precipitation is significantly higher during these months. Fog is less common during this time. Average annual precipitation is 1,084.7 millimetres (42.7 in) most of it concentrated in

429-517: Is the regional economic and political center of the region. San Cristobal or 'Jovel' (in Tsotsil) was founded in 1528 as "Ciudad Real" by Spanish conquerors as the capital of the province and the headquarters of Hispanic control in the highlands. In colonial times the Chiapanecan region was a marginal territory due to its lack of precious metals and its long distance to the main commerce routes or

462-774: The volcanoes of Guatemala, part of the Central America Volcanic Arc , are within the range. A narrow coastal plain lies south of the range, between the Sierra Madre and the Pacific Ocean . To the north lie a series of highlands and depressions, including the Chiapas Depression, which separates the Sierra Madre from the Chiapas Plateau , the Guatemalan Highlands , and Honduras' interior highlands. The range forms

495-424: The Sierra de las Nubes, and enters Mexico as the Sierra de Istatan. Its summit is not a well-defined crest, but is often rounded or flattened into a table-land. The direction of the great volcanic cones, which rise in an irregular line above it, is not identical with the main axis of the Sierra itself, except near the Mexican frontier, but has a more southerly trend, especially towards El Salvador. The base of many of

528-622: The central heights of the Sierra Madre, above which they tower; but in reality their bases are, as a rule, farther south. East of Volcán Tacana (4,092 metres) which marks the Mexican frontier, the principal volcanoes are Tajumulco (4,220 meters); Santa Maria (3,777 meters), which erupted in October 1902, after centuries of quiescence, in which its slopes had been overgrown by dense forests; Atitlan (3,557 meters), overlooking Lake Atitlan ; Acatenango (3,976 meters); Fuego (i.e. "fire," 3,763 metres), which received its name from its activity at

561-406: The church, and the floor area is completely covered in a carpet of green pine boughs. Curanderos (medicine men) diagnose medical, psychological or ‘evil-eye’ afflictions and prescribe remedies such as candles of specific colors and sizes, specific flower petals or feathers, or - in a dire situation - a live chicken. The specified remedies are brought to a healing ceremony. Chamula families kneel on

594-576: The divide between the basins of the Grijalva and Usumacinta rivers and those that drain southwards into the Pacific Ocean . San Cristóbal de las Casas is the largest city in the highlands. Other towns include Comitán and Ocosingo . San Cristóbal de las Casas , a city in the Chiapas highlands has a mild subtropical highland climate ( Köppen climate classification Cwb ) moderated by its altitude. The dry season, which runs from November to April

627-636: The floor of the church with sacrificial items, stick candles to the floor with melted wax, drink ceremonial cups of Posh , artisanal sugar-cane-based liquor, and chant prayers in an archaic dialect of Tzotzil. Photography within the church is strictly prohibited as is photographing the Christmas procession to the church. Visitors can be thrown out of town for violating this rule. The main agricultural products are corn , beans , and squashes . Women often make traditional clothing, blankets, and souvenirs that include Zapatista -related items, such as pens with

660-610: The highlands between an altitude of 4,000 and 5,500 ft coffee can be produced. Coffee constitutes a major crop and unlike beans and maize it is sold for cash. Other cash crops are also produced within the region such as cabbage in Chamula or Mandarins in Tenejapa, but their importance is null compared with coffee. Cattle and sheep are other commercial enterprises. Producers (usually indigenous) also face hardships when trying to commercialize their produce, as described by Brown it

693-480: The main drainage divide between the Pacific and Atlantic river systems. On the Pacific side the distance to the sea is short, and the streams, while very numerous, are consequently small and rapid. A few of the streams of the Pacific slopes rise in the Guatemalan Highlands , and force a way through the Sierra Madre at the bottom of deep ravines. On the eastern side a number of the rivers of the Atlantic slopes attain

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726-514: The municipal cabecera (seat of government), is filled with colorful candles, and smoke from burning copal resin incense , commonly used throughout southern Mexico. Along the walls of the church are Catholic saints resting on tables posted in the church, but they represent Mayan gods. Candles are lit and the people sit on the floor and pray below the saints. The local form of Catholicism is a blend of pre-conquest Maya customs, Spanish Catholic traditions, and subsequent innovations. There are no pews in

759-539: The plateau is easily eroded by water, creating a karst landscape with many sinkholes, sinkhole lakes, caverns, and underground drainage. The Chiapas Depression separates the Central Highlands from the Sierra Madre de Chiapas , which runs east and west through the southern part of Chiapas and extending west into Oaxaca and eastwards into Guatemala and El Salvador . The Sierra Madre de Chiapas forms

792-702: The sea level. The northern and eastern slopes of the Central Highlands are drained by the Usumacinta River , which empties northwards into the Gulf of Mexico . The Chiapas Depression lies south of the Central Highlands. The Chiapas Depression and southern slopes of the Chiapas Highlands are drained by the Grijalva River , which also empties northwards into the Gulf of Mexico. The limestone of

825-418: The sea making it an unattractive region for Spanish conquers to settle in. In Los Altos the social order was composed of extreme castes, the majority of the inhabitants were impoverished Indians while few Spanish concentrated the social and economic power. Ethnic segregation was and still is at the core of the economic system. Since colonial times and until recently Los Altos indigenous population has provided

858-458: The southwest, which lies in the mountains' drier rain shadow. The Chiapaneca regional government recognizes the highlands as a socioeconomic region called "altos Tsotsil-Tsetsal" that is formed by 17 municipalities. Culturally, the region is subdivided in Tsotsil and Tsetsal. Spanish is the main language spoken in San Cristobal, however in all of the rural municipalities the main language spoken

891-539: The state of Chiapas. They are part of the Central American highlands, which run from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico to central Nicaragua . The Chiapas Highlands comprise a limestone mass with extrusive volcanic rocks at the highest peaks, covering over 11,000 km . They extend 160 km along a northwest–southeast axis, and 70 km at the widest. The elevation varies from 300 to 2,898 meters above

924-517: The time of the Spanish conquest; Agua (i.e. "water," 3,765 meters), so named in 1541 because it destroyed the former capital of Guatemala with a deluge of water from its flooded crater; and Pacaya (2,550 metres), a group of igneous peaks which were in eruption in 1870. East of the Guatemalan border, the range forms the boundary between El Salvador and Honduras. In El Salvador, the volcanoes form

957-435: The training of promotores -indigenous instructors- that taught Spanish, hygiene and cultural norms to indigenous communities. Another important component of the program was to introduce much needed infrastructure like roads, schools health clinics and commerce to the communities since as pointed out by Lewis, during the 1950s modern infrastructure was virtually non existent outside of San Cristobal. Despite many difficulties and

990-508: The use of controversial approaches, the program created a rudimentary highway system in which some of the communities are connected by all weather roads while most have access through dirt roads that are unusable during the rainy season or no road at all. As a consequence bringing products to the communities can be a difficult task. Sierra Madre de Chiapas The Sierra Madre is a major mountain range in Central America . It

1023-435: The volcanic igneous peaks rests among the southern foothills in the southern region of the range. It is, however, impossible to subdivide the Sierra Madre into a northern and a volcanic chain; for the volcanoes are isolated by stretches of comparatively low country; at least thirteen considerable streams flow down through them, from the main watershed to the sea. Viewed from the coast, the volcanic cones seem to rise directly from

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1056-635: The wet season. The wettest month recorded was September 1998 when 525.8 millimetres (20.7 in) of precipitation was recorded, and the wettest day recorded was on October 4, 2005 with105 millimetres (4.1 in). Extremes range from a low of −8.5 °C (16.7 °F) to 35.8 °C (96.4 °F). The higher elevations are covered by pine forests , with Mexican yellow pine ( Pinus oocarpa ) and smooth-bark Mexican pine ( Pinus pseudostrobus ). Pine–oak forests include Mexican yellow pine and smooth-bark Mexican pine with Quercus peduncularis and other species of oaks. montane cloud forests are found on

1089-455: The windward north- and east-facing slopes with high year-round rainfall. Predominant trees include oaks, majagua ( Trichospermum mexicanum ), American sweetgum ( Liquidambar styraciflua ) and alder ( Alnus sp.). Lower-elevation forests include areas of tropical evergreen forest, with big-leaf mahogany ( Swietenia macrophylla ), Spanish cedar ( Cedrela odorata ) and Santa Maria hardwood ( Calophyllum brasiliense ), and dry forests in

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