I am telling you, Mexicans can celebrate! They celebrate hard: they drink, they sing and dance and it is all together a lot of fun! San Cristobal was no exception. After the road from Palenque through Ocosingo, we were a little tense, to say the least. That evening we were in our room, resting and getting some much desired sleep, when we heard gun shots in the distance. Then more gun shots. “I need to go and check what it is!” Michael was worried. “Come on, – I said, – This must be nothing. If it were something, there would be a bunch of police everywhere by now”. “Nooooo …..it is something….” After about a 10th time around, Michael finally couldn’t cope anymore. “I am going!! I need to see what’s going on!!” So he went.
He came back laughing. “Those were no guns! Apparently, people are having fireworks! It’s the Mexican Independent Day!”
Mexican Independence Day
Mexican Independence day is September 16th, and it is a national public holiday. It celebrates the speech that Miguel Hidalgo, one of the nation’s leaders during the War of Independence, had made in the town of Dolores on September 16, 1810. He motivated people to fight against the Spanish regime, and even though the actual Independence was not declared until September 28, 1821, it is still celebrated on the day of the famous “Cry of Dolores”.
This year it fell on a Sunday, so the activities and celebration lasted pretty much from Friday to Monday. All over town, there were stages and performances, traditional music and dance. People were singing and dancing everywhere, even on the streets.
Celebration Markets
Both Saturday and Sunday, the main square (Zócalo) of San Cristóbal served as a giant market. Markets in Mexico deserve a special mention – this is where you can try truly local foods for very little money! From tacos to huge skewers of meet, and all kinds of sweets: from cream cones to churros… there is everything! I couldn’t pass the chance to taste a fresh churro: this sweet delight reminds me a bit of a funnel cake.
As a snack, I got a cup of oversized olives: they were really huge and tasted almost sweet, like some sort of salty-sweet apples. Very unusual taste! They were olives though, no doubt about that!
Strolling the Streets of San Cristobal
After Monday, when streets and squares cleared up and everyone was resting after the busy weekend, we finally got a chance to do a relaxed stroll around. And what a beautiful quaint town it is! Due to elevation of 2200 meters (7200 feet), the temperature was gentle and warm during the day and cool at night, no AC needed! We even wore sweaters in the evening! Surrounded by mountains and churches, with beautiful colonial atmosphere, colorful buildings and cozy streets, spreading in every direction, San Cristobal totally stole our hearts.
San Cristobal is Foodie Heaven!
If you want to eat, though, don’t try to sit outside… We did, and at once, we were attacked by souvenir vendors and beggars. In the end, we surrendered and retreated inside the courtyard. There is a variety of food to try: from traditional Chiapanecan meals , such as chipilin soup, tamales de Chiapas or rolls with fresh Chiapas cheese, to staples of Mexican cuisine such as tortilla soup and all kinds of enchiladas, including my favorite mole, to gourmet masterpieces, like cappuccino mushroom soup with foam on top.
Our Favorite Bar in San Cristobal
As much as we love wine, by no means could we miss the perfect wine bar in town – La Viña de Bacco. I will not exaggerate if I say that we stopped there every single evening!
Filled with funny memorabilia, it offers a versatile menu with all kinds of wines of the region and the world, starting at 20 pesos per glass (!), and with every glass purchased, they offer a tapa! It is usually a small piece of French baguette, covered with a vegetable or cheese spread, ham, hard cheese or hummus. By the time you are done with your wine, you will probably be no longer hungry! Besides wine, they offer craft beer, tequila and other liquors and a complete food menu, and accept credit cards. As you can see from the following picture, they have a remedy to pretty much any problem! 🍷😍
The manager/bartender, Miriam, made us really welcome and when she had a moment, she was happy to chat with us and listen to our travel stories. If you go to this wine bar and Miriam is there, don’t worry, she will hook you up!
Where We Stayed
At the end, I would like to say a couple of words about La Casa de Mama, the hotel we stayed at. Walking distance to everything, large rooms with king-size beds and heavy high-quality wooden furniture, super friendly stuff (they did their best to help me print out the documents for the Guatemala car insurance policy), and a beautiful courtyard at a very reasonable price. We couldn’t be happier.
San Cristóbal was one of those places that get under your skin and we didn’t want to go away. Quaint and cozy, and at the same time full of life and celebration, this town is definitely worth visiting and exploring for a while.
Besides the town itself, there are many places around it that you can see. We chose to take a tour to one of the most magnificent (and troubled) nature wonders – Canyon de Sumidero.
