Chiapa de Corzo is one of the oldest towns in Chiapas, the original capitol of the state, home to a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican archeological site and the largest and longest running fair in the Chiapas.
Two weeks ago, I squeezed into a taxi with my Italian neighbors and two of their friends from Italy and ventured to the city to take part in the celebrations. The fair begins in the beginning of January and runs for three weeks. Unfortunately, we got to town a little late and missed much of the traditional dancing and parades. We did, however, stumble upon a restaurant with the best vegetarian fajitas, two musical performances and overall celebrating throughout the fairgrounds (the center of town). Among the flashing lights of the midway rides, people dressed in traditional costumes walked giving praise parachico. The story of the ParaChico was told to me a few different ways, and all in Spanish, so, here is a brief summary of what I could find on the interwebs to help solidify what I heard from the locals.
The legend refers to a wealthy Spanish lady called Maria de Angulo who came to Chiapa de Corzo from an ancient town in Guatemala in the middle of the XVIII century. The purpose of her trip was to find a cure for her ailing son. Once she found the healer or curandero she was looking for, her son was healed and they returned happily to their home. But years later, the whole region of Chiapas was victim to plagues of locusts that ruined the crops and spread hunger and disease across the population. Facing such a catastrophe, the Spanish lady returned to Chiapas with her servants and gave away beans, corn, chicken and money as a token of gratitude for her son´s recovery. This is why, as the servants distributed the coins, they shouted "para el chico, para el chico" meaning "for the boy". Today, people celebrate the good deed with a parade during the fair.
Another legend of Chiapa de Corzo takes place in the 1500s, when the Spanish tried to conquer the area. The first attempt failed, but in 1528, the Spaniards overcame the fierce resistence from the indians. As the Spanish closed in, many indians jumped to their deaths in the Canon del Sumidero.
Also legen...wait for it, and I hope you're not lactose intolerent because the second part is dary, was the stuffed Marlburro cigarette hanging next to the Sponge Bob Square Pants (people love Sponge Bob here). That's right, it was a toy prize available to winners of the horse race game. It wasn't just a cigarette, but the clever maker of this toy printed Marl"burro" and had a photo of a burro underneath. If it wasn't such a horrible product, I'd have to say kudos to the marketing genious who came up with it. My neighbor won one. They also went on the motion sickness enducing Himalaya. I opted out. Not only was it a terrible idea for someone who gets motion sickness sitting passenger in a Ford Escort on a nicely paved road, it was 35 pesos. Too much to pay for nasea in my book. I was, however, glad to know that carnival workers are the same no matter what country you're in. I've never trusted carnival rides, especially ones that go upside down, considering their here today gone tomorrow nature. And the operators usually give me no reason to "buckle in" and enjoy the ride.
Sitting on the curb, waiting for the rest of our group, who we got separated from early on in the night and didn't see again until we were back in Tuxtla, three of us sat on the curb and scanned the crowd. Some of the best people watching happens at carnivals (an international truth). After hearing the booming sounds from fireworks blocks away in my apartment, I finally got to see the colorful lights in the sky instead of merely hearing the explotion.
We ended the night on a narrow street with a friendly man who sold us a six pack and offered snacks and a seat to relax. The festivities were winding down and we chatted about where he was from (Chiapa de Corzo, of course) and what he did for a living (a driver for a government official) and what he thought we should see in the city and Chiapas. The canyon was number one on his list, and I will be taking a boat through the canyon during my long weekend next week. I can't wait.
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