Zinacantán is a small, really small, village that has a really beautiful church with a town sign in front of it. Apart from that, in Zinacantán you can see how these table mats or scarfs are woven. I was mainly there for the latter.
I had noticed these scarfs, or as I found out in a conversation at some point, actually table mats – I really had to laugh when I heard what they were meant for and what I thought they were 😀 -. You have to imagine they really hang everywhere! Really everywhere. On all kinds of markets in all kinds of colours and with all kinds of patterns. And I think the most important thing is that they were and are portable. That means I could actually buy something that wasn’t a bracelet, earrings or ankle bracelet. I quickly fell in love with these things.
When I found out that they spend 15 to 16 hours on one of those scarfs/table mats until it’s finished (at least that’s what I remember), my jaw really dropped and I really wanted and needed to go to where they are being made. In other words, where you can watch people weaving these scarfs.

When I arrived in Zinacantán, I was taken by a local to a woman who was sitting on the floor of a hut and weaving. These scarfs in all sorts of different colours were hanging all over the walls and it was one of the first times I felt bad that I really couldn’t find a scarf that I liked. Neither could I bring one with me at that moment, so… Yeah. I had a look around, was offered a mezcal in a mini cup and got to watch the woman do her job for a bit.
It was almost a bit meditative the way she worked so calmly and relaxed. I mean, I’m well aware that most of it was probably staged, but it was still an experience. I politely asked if I could take frontal photos of her at work – without her face on them, of course. I was actually allowed to, which surprised me a little. Of course, I was extra discreet and tried not to disturb her while she was working. Apart from that, she didn’t speak much Spanish. I strongly suspect though that she simply spoke a dialect from Zinacantán and nothing else, or that she didn’t say anything for some other reason.

When I got back outside, I went to explore Zinacantán a little. I had to digest what I had just seen and also wanted to have a look around. I realised how poor most non-touristy places look to the naked eye and how little most tourists – including myself in some cases – probably ever get to see of the real Mexico outside of tourist villages and big cities. I also realised how incredibly small Zinacantán is and of course discovered the cathedral on my little tour. It towers beautifully and proudly in front of you with mountains in the background and a wonderful sign in the foreground.
Well, there’s not much else in Zinacantán. Oh and you can of course get back quite easily with a taxi colectivo. There are no buses going to Zinacantán or back to San Cris due to the low frequency of people. So I would answer whether you should go or not as follows: It’s worth a half or full day trip if you want to see how these scarfs/table mats are woven. I wouldn’t go just for the cathedral because it’s just a sweet ad-on for when you’re there anyway. The weavering and the whole experience itself is quite impressive, at least it was for me, but at the same time very special in terms of what you’re interested in. So I would advise you to go, but! only if you still have time and curiosity 😊