AT THE HOUSE OF THE JAGUARBy Joyce Gregory WyelsEven before I entered my room at Na Bolom, I knew I would like it. I think it was the name, "Santiago," in place of a room number, that pleased me. Charlotte, the smiling young woman who unlocked the door, explained that all the rooms in the guest house are named after local Indian villages, and furnished with their authentic crafts. Inside, I was struck by the vibrant orange and pink textured fabric covering the beds, and the tasseled wool rugs in zigzag patterns on the hardwood floor. To one side, a mini-library invited browsing. But the focal point of the room was the real adobe fireplace, cut logs stacked neatly next to it. Little clay figures of birds and animals marched across the mantel, and Lacandon Indians gazed out from stark photographs on the wall above. For the right kind of traveler, staying at Na Bolom can be a richly rewarding experience. The former hacienda and coffee mill has been transformed into a museum that is also a library, an ecological preserve, and a research center for the study of the Lacandon Indians. Best of all, it's a guest house with eighteen rooms available to visitors. Part of the appeal of Na Bolom is its location in San Crist�bal de las Casas, high in the Sierra de Chiapas, the forested mountains of Mexico's southernmost state. Popular with European travelers, this old provincial city is just inaccessible enough to discourage invasion by tour companies. Sixteenth and seventeenth century colonial architecture serves as a backdrop for much older Indian markets, native crafts, and religious rituals. One of the pleasures of staying at Na Bolom is meeting the international travelers who assemble here. Anthropologists and ethnologists come to study the indigenous population. Artists and writers use the tranquil setting to nurture their creative ambitions. During my stay, a family of Lacandon Indians quietly enjoyed the center's hospitality. Everyone dines together family-style, with 26 chairs lined up at the communal table. Guests partake of European cooking and fresh vegetables from Na Bolom's own organic garden. The food is good, filling, and nutritious. Hearty peasant bread and tangy homemade marmalade complement the meals. A brilliant tapestry dominates one end of the dining room. Artist Robert Semple explains the Maya blood-letting ritual depicted in his original embroidery: a Maya princess is drawing a rope through the hole pierced in her tongue, returning blood to the gods who gave their blood for mankind. Travelers to the remote Maya site of Yaxchilan will see the carving that inspired the hanging. The fruits of Na Bolom's "artist-in-residence" program are visible everywhere. In dining room, guest rooms, and gardens, original sculptures and paintings vie for space with folk objects and pre-Columbian artifacts. Artists who qualify for the program are welcome to stay free at the center, the only requirement being that they leave behind an expression of their art. Afternoon tours of the museum unlock other treasure-filled rooms. A collection of religious paintings and statues dates from the late sixteenth to the nineteenth century. The library houses rare books and manuscripts among its 10,000 volumes on Maya culture. In the room "Moxviquil," visitors view human remains, tools, clay sculptures and items of daily use, all gathered from a site that flourished from about 550 to 900 A.D., during the classic Maya period. Most haunting are the black and white photographs of Lacandon Indians displayed throughout the museum. Descendants of the talented and literate Maya, these Indians are distinctive among other tribes of the region. Their flowing, shoulder-length hair and white tunics, once made from the bark of trees, set them apart. These portraits, which have been exhibited in the United States and Europe, are the work of Gertrude Duby Blom. It was she, together with Franz, her archeologist husband, who founded Na Bolom nearly half a century ago. They had first encountered the Lacandones in 1943, when they accompanied a Mexican archeological expedition into the isolated rain forest. At that time, only 250 members of the tribe remained. Both Bloms made it their mission to study and assist these forest people as they made their transition into the twentieth century. After her husband died in 1963, Gertrude continued their work until her own death four years ago; the tribe now numbers about 400. The traditional home of the Lancandon tribe has been the rain forest. Until recently, the northern Lancandon still performed their ancient rituals at the sacred places, Palenque and Yaxchilan. But giant stands of mahogany attracted lumber companies, who built roads into the forest and began systematically to destroy it. Realizing that the survival of the Indians depended on the existence of the forest, Gertrude Blom embarked on a campaign to save the Lacandon rain forest. The tree nursery she founded can provide 30,000 trees annually for reforesting the land. The story of Na Bolom is in every respect the story of Franz and Gertrude Blom. Even the name derives from a happy accident: "Blom" is very close to the word for jaguar in local Mayan languages, and the jaguar was an important symbol to the Maya. When the Lacandones confused Franz' surname with "Bolom," the Bloms adopted both the symbol and the word for jaguar, adding "Na" to make it Na Bolom, the House of the Jaguar. Swiss-born Gertrude stamped the museum with her personal character. Until the end, the indefatigable octogenarian could be seen riding horseback, directing the staff, or presiding over comida in the impressive dining room. A measure of her authority was the haste with which distinguished professors scurried to the table at the sound of the dinner bell. Swiss efficiency notwithstanding, Na Bolom has its surprises. Awakened by what sounded like gunshots at 5:00 one cold morning, I listened, intrigued, to the strains of live Mariachi music outside my window. When curiosity overcame my better judgment, I pulled a blanket around my shoulders and padded through the dark patio to the street entrance. There the night watchman intercepted me. "What's that noise?" I asked him. "Cohetes!" he exclaimed, thrusting both arms upward like a firecracker exploding. Behind him, seven Mariachis lined up under the street lamp as though posing for a record cover. The watchman explained that the firecrackers and lively tunes were a signal to the townspeople that a procession to the church was about to begin. Sure enough, as I watched, entranced, men, women and children appeared in little groups. When a sizable crowd had gathered, they picked up their flowers and instruments, fired off a few more cohetes, and filed up the hill to the church. San Crist�bal, a charming town in its own right, is a good base from which to explore the Indian villages and Mayan ruins of Chiapas. If you want to learn something of the Indian heritage before you explore, there's no better place to start than at Na Bolom. The staff can brief you on the major archeological sites--Palenque, Bonampak, Yaxchilan. They can also guide you to the surrounding Tzeltal and Tzotzil Indian villages, each with its unique, vividly colored traditional costumes. A popular guide book advises, "If San Crist�bal is not on your list of must-sees, make a new list." I would agree. And make reservations at Na Bolom. It's not often that you get a chance to stay in a museum. For more information about Na Bolom and Mexico’s many other attractions go to: http://www.go2mexico.com -Updated 3-8-99- |
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