Comitan Mexico, about an hour away from San Cristobal, stands in sharp contrast to the terrain and culture we encountered during previous days. There are no dogs, no donkeys, no mules, no machetes wielded by strong weathered hands, no huts built with found materials, no women washing clothes in the nearby river. Instead of dogs and donkeys milling about on the street corners there are mariachis and works of art intelligently placed about the city plaza. Young smart looking men carry laptops and cell phones in their well manicured clean hands. Fantastic pieces of immaculately cared for architecture surround a beautiful central square. Hundreds of stylishly dressed young men and women stroll about; perhaps on their way to one of the many quaint outdoor cafés encircling the central plaza. Lovers hold each other closely on park benches, each staring deeply into the eyes of the other, exchanging sweet words of warm affection under the cool darkening sky. The sound of the mariachis tuning their guitars fuels the developing energy of a Friday night.
A short walk from the square reveals that much of the original culture still exists behind this image. Within a few blocks expensive boutiques and salons are replaced by shops selling saddles for donkeys and Columbian made machetes. Women carrying baskets full of baked items on their heads amble to the market a few blocks from the square. Within just a few miles of the city limits indigenous folks draw water from wells with buckets and tend to their flocks of sheep along the roadside.
These contrasts give this country a rich sense of character. The stark contrast of peoples and environments is astoundingly beautiful. True, it is difficult to see so many people living in impoverished conditions, but they do so with great grace and strength. Sometimes it is hard to tell who are the haves and who are the have nots…
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