SMALL VILLAGE OF CRAFTS THAT WORK THE MUD
Amatenango del Valle, called in its language Tzo'ontajal "The town of the Potters", is located on a small elevation that dominates a fertile valley covered with cornfields, 38 km. from San Cristóbal de Las Casas on the federal highway 190 towards Comitán.It is a beautiful Tzeltal village that is located on an elevation that dominates a fertile valley covered with crops, where the use of pre-Hispanic methods in the process of making pottery persists to this day.
Each head of the family has a piece of land to work with and these are located in the vicinity of the municipal head.Its agricultural products are sold to a receiving winery, which is responsible for distributing it to companies in other parts of the Republic.It has a population of over 6600 inhabitants and is located at 1810 meters above sea level. The name of Amatenango del Valle means in Nahuatl "fortified place of the amates"; Due to the continuous wars the towns used to be fortified; as a consequence of this, the word tenango, a walled place, became synonymous with place or town.
The Tzeltal group that originally formed the town settled in the area during the pre-Columbian era and in 1486 it was invaded by Aztec troops. After the conquest of Chiapas in 1528, it was cited as belonging to Teopisca and by the end of the XVI century, it had already become a cabecera in its own right.
The colonial Church dominates the traditional farmhouse and the orchards of this Tzeltal community, famous for the pieces of clay that the artisans model by hand and then cook with firewood in the open sky, showing with this technique a strong prehispanic ascendancy.
Due to the customs and traditions of the place, it is not possible to take photographs in the Church and the saints when there are processions during the festivities, as well as the artisans; in the latter case it is recommended if you want to take a photograph of the artisans you must request authorization to do so.
Attractions and Historical Architecture, San Francisco Temple: Its origin dates back to the XVII century whose facade stands out among the Chiapanecan facades due to its height and slenderness. The temple is of a single ship with roof to two waters.
Art and Crafts, the use of pre-Hispanic methods still persists in the process of making pottery and is famous for the pieces of clay that artisans model by hand and then cook with firewood in the open sky, showing with this technique a strong pre-Hispanic ascendancy.
Pots, bowls, urns, jugs, pitchers, jars, pots and zoomorphic figures, are the products of this ancient tradition that evokes in the art of mixing earth and water, modeling clay, drying it and burning it, the first act of creation in the Mayan worldview. You will be able to observe the women with their typical clothing composed of blue skirt, red skirt, white huipil embroidered in red and yellow and headdress.
Festivities and traditions, in Amatenango del Valle various popular festivals are celebrated, mainly religious, since the majority of the inhabitants practice the catholic religion. Among its festivities is that of April 28 to 30 to venerate Saint Peter the Apostle, on October 4 to Saint Francis of Assisi and December 13 to Santa Lucia.
Among the customs that prevail in this place is that of baptisms. The grandparents of the child to be baptized are those who seek and speak to those who will be the godparents, for that they carry an offering consisting of a bread box and a refreshment grate. If the people accept, the offering is left, and if not, it is returned. The sponsor is in charge of buying the future godson two changes of clothes, if it is a child, a white one and another color, if it is a girl, a white one and another that is a typical costume.
Chiapas is tradition, folklore, dance and especially marimba music in its innumerable fairs and festivals that take place during the year in different cities; generally celebrating his patron saint.
