Return from San Cristobal

I'm back from a lovely (but short and full) mini-vacation to San Cristobal and locales after 2 12 hour bus rides (due to engine malfunctions, one was more like 13) and having been drenched more times than I can count (rainy season in the highlands is no joke). San Cristobal is very like a miniature Oaxaca in many respects, but has the advantage of having things like a wine bar and a decent Indian/ Thai/ Middle Eastern restaurant. I have a bunch of stuff I want to write up, but for now I'm just posting pictures, which I'll flesh out later.

It was good to start back with fieldwork this morning although I left my house at 7:30 to go with one of the doctors and ran into a blockade just outside of Tlacolula (I am less and less excited about the predominant form of protest/ pressure on the government, closing the highway).


Basically a community is trying to put pressure on the local levels of governance (municipal and state) for potable water, I think for the infrastructure but I'm not totally sure (although this sign also talks about public safety and school construction-- and makes it clear that this is a pacifistic movement).




On the way there my collectivo decided to bushwack it along parallel rutted dirt lanes while on the way back the collectivo dropped us off at the first blockade after which we had to walk at least 1 km to the other side.

This is with my zoom on full looking back toward the first blockade,