Mexico

Before we left on our trip to Central America we received some advice from a friend who had spent a great deal of time here. "What ever you do, do not eat the chicken." He told us this for the simple reason that often meat is not refrigerated between when it dies and when you add the salsa. Though this advice is probably sound I have not been able to follow it. Rather I am now doing the opposite. I find myself eating lots of chicken, even making a point of ordering it when I could just as easily get something else. The reason for this is simple. I am tired of being a helpless victim in the rooster wars. At four in the morning the opening salvo is fired by an overly aggressive rooster. This lone cackle is often enough to wake the dead but it is only the beginning. Moments later another rooster returns fire and the volume increases. It is not long before the number of combatants has increased to four then eight. It is impossible to keep track of the numbers. These birds seem to believe that it is their patriotic duty to out shout one another between the hours of 4 and 6 in the morning.

I can only hope that if I manage to eat enough chicken I will be able to sleep until the sun rises. It is after the sun rises that the dogs start.

As I write this we are in San Cristobal de Las Casas. This town was at the center of the Zapatistas rebellion in 1994. The rebellion was successful for several days before the Mexican military drove the rebels from the town. It would seem that the Mexican government is not going to be taken by surprise again. All around town the military is in evidence. Men is green are everywhere. The military is also backup by policemen who all carry assault rifles.

All of this is placed against a background of a beautiful town not unlike Santa Fe New Mexico. Colonial Spanish building line the streets. The sky line is dominated by the town’s several churches. The center of town is packed with cafes, jewelry stores and trendy places to east. The streets are filled with descendants of the Maya. The woman dress in brightly embroidered dresses as they sell souvenirs to the tourists. However, no amount of smiles will convince them to let you take their picture a few pesos will not even do the tick.

This morning we wandered though the market. Venders were packed one on top of the other selling beans, raw wool, salted fish, radios, flowers and thankfully chickens. The stalls had all been covered over with plastic tarps so that everything was cast in a soft blue light. We spent several hours wandering up one ally and down another and we plan to go back again.

I hope that everyone is doing well. News from home is always welcome.