Text and photos : Claudia Alfonso Valenzuela
During a visit to Santa Martha, you can experience the most basic survival needs of the human being. People at Santa Martha still hunt, fish and collect all sorts of goods from the rainforest to obtain their livelihood. Together with maiz and bean crops, an enormous variety of products can be found in the backyard “patios”. However, in the kitchen, the “comal” (clay dish to prepare hand-made tortillas) shares the space with the convenience of a refrigerator and a blender.
Being a former “zapatista” community, indigenous of Chuj and Tojolabal origin are beginning to open their village to visitors. Santa Martha is located so close to the Guatemalan border that visitors can enjoy an invigorating walk through the fields and crops and have a picture taken at the landmark that marks the border between the two countries. That closeness to Guatemala has enriched the history and culture that can be enjoyed in Santa Martha. This is a place for those looking for a real encounter with the common Mexican peasant. Bathing in a natural spring, rowing in the lagoons, visiting the coffee plantations or exploring the “cenotes” are a few of the activities that can be undertaken in Santa Martha. Locals of Santa Martha hope that ecotourism will help them to preserve their identity and natural surroundings and at the same time that providing paid work to young people and women.
Contact
Aureliano López Ruiz
Ejido Santa Martha
Tel. : (55) 51 50 56 15
Language : Spanish
Réservations :
Culturalia Mexico S.C. Calle Central Oriente No. 5
Comitán C.P. 30000
Chiapas, México
Tel. : (963) 632 23 22, (963) 632 60 17
E-mail : ceceico@prodigy.net.mx
Language : English and Spanish