The small village of San Juan Chamula is located 10km northwest of San Cristóbal de las Casas in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. The village is home to a conservative and fiercely independent Tzotzil community estimated to be around 80,000 strong. The Chamulans live alongside several other indigenous communities in the highland area surrounding San Cristóbal. Numbering upwards of 400,000, the Tzotziles are one of the largest indigenous groups in the state of Chiapas.
Each group has its own language, religious rituals, customs and beliefs, including dress. Chamulen men are typically seen wearing black sheep-fur tunics while the women wear skirts of the same and simple embroidered blouses. The village’s tianguis, or weekly open-air market, takes place on Sundays in front of the local church and it makes for a very interesting day trip from nearby San Cristóbal de las Casas.
