Last week I moved from Guadalajara (Jalisco) to Merida (Yucatan). I am therefore still in Mexico but it is a different vibe nonetheless. In Guadalajara you have mariachis and tequila, which is maybe the first association we, foreigners, have of Mexico. Yet since it is pretty modern and large city, you don’t have a particular feeling of living an authentic Mexican experience. Moreso I’ve had a big city experience, with supermarkets, malls, and Starbucks at every corner.
Where is the local culture?
I love Guadalajara and all it has to offer, amazing people from expat and other groups; I have my favorite coffee shop, yoga place, cocktail bar and the best improve group! But talking with my friends about it made it all seem like I have been staying in a universal sort of bubble, where the stuff I was describing didn’t feel location-specific.
It felt like the local culture was getting swallowed by a general, modern, needs-fulfilling stage. Instead of easily getting immersed in the local and the authentic, you needed to search for it.
So that made me wonder, are we sacrificing our traditions in order to fit the needs of the consumer? Are they really getting extinct?
When the consumer wants to have a local experience, do we have to artificially create it for them?
We talked about exactly this topic last Sunday when I participated in a dialogue at a cacao ceremony in Izamal (near Merida) organized during a four day festival of Mayan culture – Paayt’aan.
The cacao ceremony was led by two amazing women. Although not of Mayan descent they were interested in the history and tradition of the indigenous people of Mexico. They spent time learning about it and practicing the ceremony side by side with the Mayan people. Now they sharing that learning and wisdom with the others. At the ceremony we also met a guy who is of Mayan descent and an archaeologist who speaks the indigenous language. He wrote stories themed around the temples and pyramids, secrets and wisdom of his ancestors. Those stories were used as introductory meditations during the cacao ceremony. We revisited them as a reference point for the dialogue after the ceremony.
From specific to generic
The theme of the dialogue was the Mayan soul. Of course, being from Croatia, I don’t know much about Mayan culture, history and tradition. As the dialogue advanced, I realized that there is a common theme of the traditional, authentic, local culture being pushed aside by a more powerful stream that suits the consumer and before you know it, it’s gone.
It doesn’t have to happen with guns and bloodshed. It can be elegantly gifted to you with all the luxuries, so you choose to have it under your roof. Yet unaware of the price you are paying for it. When the time comes and the consumer is asking for your traditions, you get reminded of them having been there at some point. You start running around trying to find someone who still remembers them, to artificially (re)create what was originally there.
That happened with the cacao ceremony, among many others, in the example of the Mayan tradition. I’m sure can look at our own cultures and see where we have lost what once was natural to us.
It’s up to all of us
So, as digital nomads, let’s try to find the ancestral wisdom of the place we are visiting. Let’s learn about those traditions from the people who still care about them. Let’s find the farmer’s markets and eat at a local diner. Let’s talk with the people you’d normally ignore and open our hearts to each other. Let’s share our stories and traditions with the others and let’s not forget. Let’s not give up on something society implies is shameful or not good enough, because it is. At some point in the future they will be looking for it. You’ll want to face-palm yourself for having shoved it aside.
Let’s preserve the local culture, let’s celebrate diversity!
Up next – Merida!
Next week I will share with you my experience of Merida, so stay tuned for our blog posts. If you have any questions about the cacao ceremony or anything about Mexico, don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly. For all the questions about responsible travel or being a digital nomad in Croatia and how you can support the local and authentic life there, join us on Facebook or Instagram. We are here for you!
by Antonija Bosanac
Antonija was born and raised in Split, Croatia. Now a restless traveller gone digital nomad in 2019, she’s passionate about building communities, volunteer work, education and human & civil rights. Currently working as a coach in the field of interpersonal communication and self development, she’s promoting change through individual work with clients; as well as being en route to getting a degree in psychotherapy. For her current location, check her Instagram profile.
