A very quick tour of Mexico & Guatemala

We left Antigua early on our last morning in Guatemala, spending most of the morning travelling to Mexico. The border crossing ended up being fairly straightforward — even though it was the day the world was supposed to end in 2012. But it barely registered because I spent most of the trip zoning out and watching the scenery pass by.

San Juan Bautista Cathedral, Chamula

Occasionally I’ve been in the right place at the right time to stumble across colourful celebrations. I saw lots of religious activities in Guatemala and Mexico. But it’s hard enough for me to believe in the rituals from my own cultural background — such as Christmas — let alone celebrations based on belief systems so different to my own. Aside from the whole end-of-the-world celebration, I’ve been thinking about the church just out of San Cristobal de las Casas in a town called Chamula, which smelled of pines and burning candles, a heady mix of ancient indigenous (pre-Hispanic) beliefs as well as those that have been integrated with Christianity.

Here’s my final travel video for now, capturing some choice moments from our tour of Central America.