a cemetery by an abandonded church built from the stones of a nearby temple.
this is milk-coffee religion. maya coffee meets catholic milk.
the crosses on the tumbs, like the churches, face east, towards jerusalem, or towards the sunrise. take your pick. are you more maya or more catholic?
prosaically, the crosses show the way to heaven. up, of course! and just so you don´t get lost, we´ll add more crosses to your grave every year, when we come to visit on the day of the dead.
come to the town, we´re having a fiesta. you can visit the church, but please no pictures of our holy men.
incense in the air, palm leaves on the wall, pine needles lining the floor. music blaring, fireworks cracking. we´ll drink some coca cola as we say our prayers, so we can burp the bad energy away.
today we won´t kill the chicken. only san juan gets the chicken, for santa rosa, just candles.
a man falls of his chair, children ask for pens, a peso for a photo, drink some holy spirit!, shirts and blankets, fruits, will you buy one?, smoke fills the air, holy men sing and dance, women smile with golden teeth, what do you like?
welcome to san juan de chamula.
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