My guidebook also recommends a trip to some local Tzotzil villages just outside San Cristobal where Maya traditions are still strong. 'Alex and Raul' run half-day trips - there's no need to book apparently - just turn up at the square at 9.30am. I'm strolling around at the said time but there' s no sign of an official person - or tourist-type bus. Eventually I ask an old man selling chewing gum on the corner and he points to a woman with a clipboard. Could she be Alex?
There are six of us who want to go including four Brits. The first stop is to San Juan Chamula, the most traditional of Mayan villages. There are strict rules for locals - apart from dressing traditionally, you could lose your land and be expelled for converting religion or for not practising. Education is not compulsory and law is self-imposed. Locals are also superstitious and have planted green crosses on the hilltops surrounding the town.
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