chiapas 1, mexico

We had been told earlier by a man in Palenque about the people of San Juan Chamula. They have a very free lifestyle in that they partake in the consumption of mushrooms and alcohol as part of their spiritual enlightenment. As with all Indians, the people mainly live by subsistence; they are able to produce virtually everything that they need for daily living; i.e. food from crops and animals, clothing and shelter etc. Therefore, in such a situation when a commodity exists that they cannot produce themselves it becomes extremely valuable. In these places, unfortunately, one thing which the people cannot manufacture themselves is coca cola. This is their most valuable commodity as they believe that it has a spiritual power. They believe that when they burp they purify themselves by expelling evil spirits. Prior to the discovery of fizzy drinks, locals had to drink liters of water to achieve the same cathartic effect. This seems hard to believe but this dependence upon coke appears obvious when in the town. Coke signs appear everywhere. (wild-net.com.au)