So here I am, without Amy, touring San Cristobal. According to the guidebook, for my own safety, I shouldn’t leave the center of San Cristobal. Gringos are easy to spot and often get mugged, sometimes putting their lives at risk. As long as I have a tour guide, though, I should be safe enough. Rather…

The part of San Cristobal that I would consider the real “city” only goes for about a ten-block radius around the main square. Once you get outside of that area, you’re in less attractive--and less safe--neighborhoods, and then the outskirts of the city. Taking my guidebook’s advice, I decide to stay in the central area.…

Geographically, in a sense, San Cristobal sits on a little peninsula. But unlike most peninsulas, San Cristobal is not surrounded by water. Instead, it’s surrounded on the north, east, and south by rebel-friendly areas. In 1994, the North American Free Trade Act, or NAFTA, was signed by Mexico, the US, and Canada. NAFTA allowed for…

The next place I visited, with my tour guide Senor Lopez, was the Tzotzil Indian village of Chamula. Despite how close it is to San Cristobal, Chamula is very different. It’s a simpler, more rural way of life. I consider it the most “unspoiled” example of Indian life that I saw during the entire trip.…