We Keep Going » locals

San Cristobal

Jo — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:37:06 +0000

San Cristobal de Las Casas was founded in 1528 by the Spanish conquistador Diego de Mazariegos with the name of Chiapa Real de los Españoles. The city adopted its current name in honour to its Patron San Cristobal and to the Spanish friar Bartolome de Las Casas who defended the native indigenous people from the conquistadores.
San Cristobal was the capital of the province of Chiapas until 1821, when it belonged to Guatemala, and it was the capital of the state of Chiapas in the Independant Mexican Republic until 1892.
The city is located in the highlands of Chiapas, where the indigenous communities descendents of the ancient Mayas, the Tzotzil and Tzeltal, survive preserving their traditions and culture.
On January 1994 the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) came into effect, and on the same day the Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional (EZLN) emerged from the mountains to occupy San Cristobal and other towns in Chiapas, to fight for the rights of the indigenous people.
Since then the Mexican goverment has tried to wipe out all the native people in Chiapas, but failed due to most of the territory being in high mountains and a fierce defence by the EZLN. In more recent years, the Mexican people joined forces with the EZLN and the natives in marches and demonstrations in the city.
The Mexican goverment finally agreed to talk and try to resolve the situation peacefully. However the agreements made have not been respected by the goverment and the situation has remained the same.

There’s something about this place. I’m not sure what it is yet, but we like it here.
We’re staying for Christmas.

Views of the City

Jo — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:40:27 +0000

Oaxaca, OAX. , Mexico, DEC. 09.

Pedal Power Oaxaca

Jo — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:48:40 +0000

Yesterday we went exploring Oaxaca for bicycle shops and any more information we could gather about those “old school” singlespeed bikes we came across on the road from Juquila.
We saw lots of the usual “cargo bikes” the locals use for selling ice-cream, tamales, etc.

Mexican Cargo Bike with steam oven

Mexican Cargo Bike selling Tamales

Mexican Cargo Bike selling Elotes

We also saw one fully kitted cyclist on a carbon Look, and we discovered some people using their bicycles as their main mode of transportation, and not just people who can’t afford a car, but those who choose to ride a bike in the city.
We visited a few bike shops in the West end of the city:
Bicirama in Calle Aldama, Bicimundo across the street (where they had a knockoff of a Trek with a faux full carbon finish and “Discovery Channel” wheels, just weird), and Taller de Bicicletas Cruz Jr at the back of Hotel Rivera del Angel, in Mina street.

Bicirama

Bicimundo

Fake Trek

We found out that the single speed bikes are hand made in factories in Mexico city and Puebla. They don’t have a brand or a name. They’re popular because for about 2000 Pesos (150 US Dollars/100 Euros approx.) you can have a basic and reliable vehicle.
The frames are made of thick chromoly tubing, lugged, with wishbone seatstays and usually a double top tube. It has eyelets for racks on the rear horizontal dropouts and also on the fork. The geometry is super relaxed, with a long wheelbase and tire clearance up to 28×1.95.
The wheels look like they just came out of a trendy fixed gear bike shop I know in Paris, with large flange hubs, fancy twisted spokes (laced in radial or 2 cross pattern), and deep section profiled rims, all in crazy color schemes.
The drivetrain is normally a no-name chainset with platform pedals, thick BMX chain and a freewheel. The bars look like a copy of the Nitto Moustache with a short 1″ quill stem.

Singlespeed bike at Bicirama

Twisted spokes laced in a 2 cross pattern to a large flange singlespeed hub

Singlespeed at Taller Cruz Jr

This is utilitarian, practical cycling at its best: affordable basic quality human powered vehicles for the people.
(Pedal) Power to the people!

Banesto singlespeed

Singlespeed with rear rack

Singlespeed Cargo