A trip around Mexico December 2005 – March 2006

New Year in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.

On the 31st December 2005, we continued to look around the town. That night we went to have a drink at the Santa Clara Hotel. There was live music and people were all very jolly. We even danced.

The town was already taken by the troops of the EZLN who were there to ensure safe arrival and departure of the march that Commander Marcos and his troops were starting there to go to Mexico City to talk to the government and Congress to call for a halt to the state of war there was against the indigenous people of Mexico in the south of the country. It was a very strange view to see that all authorities and Army had withdrawn, they were not seen anywhere, and the town was in complete order. It was a self regulated order. No citizen provoked any act of violence. There was complete calm, everyone behaved normally, the streets were full of tourists, press people, Mexican people from everywhere; all shops, restaurants, etc were open.

The 1st of January started in an extraordinary manner. We went for breakfast and then to the square just in front of the Cathedral. it was midday. There was the EZLN man who the night before had cleansed us with saumerio and ancient sacred words. He was talking about what meant to be living in the jungle as part of the Zapatista National Liberation Army, about solidarity and a peaceful revolution.

I stayed listening to him and Raúl went into the Cathedral to attend the Mass where the priest preaching at the time was the Bishop of Chiapas. He is a priest well known for his pro EZLN opinions and his defence of indigenous people.

The EZLN man was dressed in a white top and white pants. He had long hair tied at the back and a band on his head covered his brow. He was tall and slim, with a dark tan. He looked like coming directly from India, but that was not the case, he had just left the jungle in the State of Chiapas.

When he finished his speech, he said that if any one wanted it, he would tell us what our mission and work was in this life if we gave him our date of birth. We lined to have this said to each of us. What he told me had nothing to do with mission or work to be done whatsoever. He said I had to be joyful because sadness made me lose energy, and that was it. I felt rather taken aback by his words. At that time in my life I was considering what to do with the rest of my life after retiring. I kind of hoped he would give me a clue as to what route to take.

After this, I went to the Cathedral to meet Raúl. The Mass was almost finished. Raúl was in line to commulgate. Then the Bishop said that those who wanted could take to him any object they wanted to be blessed. I was wearing that day a very old silver cross made by a well known silver craftsman in Taxco who had died long ago. This cross had been given to me as a present by Andrea, my daughter, who found it in an antiquarian’s shop in London. I took it to be blessed by the Bishop.

Years later I gave this cross to Jorge Ivan, my third son, as a kind of inheritance. I wanted him to have it as I really liked this cross for its history known and unknown.

The unknown part of its history is how it came all the way from Mexico to end up in a shop in London.

The known part of it I learnt when we went to Taxco, Mexico. As we looked at the silver craft in different jewlleries, we entered one where a man stopped me to admire the cross hanging from my neck. He said to me: » Would you like to meet the man who made this cross?» He took me to a big photo album they had in display. There he opened the first page and showed me the photograph of a man. He said «this is my grandfather, he made your cross. He was the first silver craftsman in Tasco. He learnt the craft from the owner of one of the mines, a German. This was when Taxco was being born as a silver mine center in the country.» He congratulated me for having this cross.

We went on around the silver shops and then another man stopped me saying » nice imitation». I instantly said: no,imitation it is not. You have here the original item. He came to look at it closely, he was silent for a moment. Then he said: «I never thought I would see an original piece around.» I said: I just met the grandson of the man who made it. He recognised the work of his grandfather. It is signed by him.

Once the cross was duly blessed, Raúl and I left the Cathedral and Raúl told me that the Bishop’s sermon was all about solidarity with the poor, support for those who helped them (EZLN) and the need for charity from every one and strong support for those marching from Chiapas to Mexico City: Commander Marcos and his troops.

We went for lunch.

In the afternoon we waited for Commander Marcos to arrive. The two plazas facing the cathedral were surrounded by trucks full of men and women guerrilla with their faces covered by snow hoods. They were armed and silent, they did not even move while the hours went by. people walked about as if nothing out of the ordinry were happening. It seemed a Sunday afternoon.

While we waited there were singers, alternative music and revolutionary songs. Also, some people spoke to the public. Among them spoke a man who read the proposal the EZLN had supporting the different groups of people discriminated by the political and social system. Among those he mentioned, he did not name those discriminated by reason of sexual orientation, age, physical and/or mental discapacity, etc. I felt angry. I could not keep silent. I had just bought some music to support the movement from a group of lesbian women who were there working in support of them. I went up to him and made my point. The spokeman agreed my point was correct. He called another man from the organization who also agreed it was their error to make such an omission.

As a result of my intervention, they decided an apology was due. Soon the spokeman addressed the hundreds of people there. He said he had made an omission and wanted to correct it. He gave a whole speech on discriminated groups of people he had not mentioned and said this had been brought to their attention by a compañera. I felt I had contributed to the movement, I was not an spectator only.

After this, the arrival of Commander Marcos called the attention from everybody.

He came on foot into the plaza surrounded by men and women guerrilla. Absolute order was kept. He and his other Commanders (men and women) were there after 12 years hidden in the jungle. It felt unreal.

The square was full of people from everywhere in the country, the national and international press, tourists, indigenous people, Germans, Yanquis, British, Latin Americans, Spanish people, All of this happening in an old colonial town in the most spectacular order. To this day I feel I participated in a historical event in a country I love.