Settle into San Cristóbal de las Casas, the centuries-old City of Travelers, nestled in the cool highlands of Chiapas. In the evening, we’ll gather for a festive welcome meal, share intentions, and receive an introduction to the rich cultural context of the region from Ana Paula

*Please book your flights to arrive in time for dinner at 6pm or arrive a day early on October 2nd. You can check into your hotel room a day early at Sombra de Aqua.

We’ll explore the cobblestone streets and layered history of San Cristóbal de las Casas — once a Maya trading post and now a crossroads of indigenous, colonial, and revolutionary histories. 

Our day will include a walking tour of the historic and art-filled center; a visit to the Centro de Textiles del Mundo Maya, home to one of Mexico’s most stunning collections of indigenous textiles; and a stop at Na Bolom Cultural Center, the former home of anthropologist Frans Blom and photographer Gertrude Duby, now a museum dedicated to Maya culture.

Over a shared lunch, we’ll explore how textiles, trade, and resistance continue to shape life in the highlands. With free afternoons, this day gives you an incredible introduction to explore San Cris’s local markets, cafes, and neighborhoods throughout the week.

It’s market day in Zinacantan, a Tzotzil Maya village known for its lush flower cultivation, embroidery, and back-strap loom weaving. At the market, we’ll drop into daily life where textiles and flowers overflow in a riot of color and scent. We’ll also visit Mujeres Sembrando La Vida, a women’s weaving cooperative where brilliant floral embroidery blooms from backstrap looms — a visual language rooted in the natural world.

We’ll share a traditional lunch with the artisans — a feast of handmade tortillas, soup, and fresh salsas — and explore how food, like textiles, reflects the agricultural abundance and creativity of the region. Over lunch, Ana will lead a conversation about the role of women’s cooperatives in sustaining cultural heritage and economic resilience.

San Andrés Larráinzar is a community where weaving is both resistance and identity. This village is known for its bold geometric patterns and symbolic textile motifs. Highland Mayans speak in patterns here — with designs that tell stories of ancestors, nature, and resilience through complex brocade weaving on backstrap looms.

We’ll spend time with local weavers and learn about their techniques, tools, and ancestral designs. This village is also historically significant as the site of the 1996 San Andrés Accords — a landmark agreement between the Zapatista movement and the Mexican government affirming indigenous rights and cultural autonomy.

We’ll enjoy a home-cooked lunch prepared by local weavers — nourishing, handmade, and with seasonal ingredients from their gardens. During our meal, we’ll reflect on weaving as a living language — and how textiles carry personal, spiritual, and political narratives across generations.

Step into a world where ancient Maya cosmology meets Catholic iconography. The church of Chamula is unlike any other — carpeted with pine needles, illuminated in candles, and shaped by centuries-old rituals. We’ll respectfully learn about the customs and spiritual practices of this Tzotzil Mayan community.

We’ll gather for a simple lunch at a local comedor, savoring traditional dishes like slow-cooked beans, squash blossoms, and local cheese. Over lunch, we’ll explore themes of ritual and reciprocity — how spiritual practices and everyday life are deeply intertwined in Chamula.

In the morning in Amatenango del Valle, a Tzeltal Maya community of women potters, known for graceful clay jaguars, doves, and sculptures formed using generations-old techniques. Meet artists like Doña Juana Gómez and experience their open-fire kilns and shaping techniques.

We’ll enjoy lunch at a local artisan's home and talk about the transmission of knowledge — how artisan skills are passed from mother to daughter, generation after generation.

After lunch, we’ll head to Aguacatenango, where vibrant embroidery flourishes — bold flowers and geometric patterns imbued with color, symbolism, and motifs that we’ll learn more about from a local artisan family.

Spend a reflective day back in San Cristóbal, diving deeper into stories of cloth and cultural resilience. Our last day in the city for explorations, artisan visits, and connections includes a visit to Museo de Trajes Regionales where we’ll meet founder Sergio Castro and learn about his incredible collection of regional dress and decades of community work.

Following this thread, we’ll visit a collective of Zapatista artisans, whose textiles and handmade goods weave together stories of resistance, identity, and cultural pride.

We’ll share a final lunch together at a favorite local restaurant — celebrating the flavors of Chiapas with creative twists on traditional ingredients. Over lunch, we’ll reflect on our journey, discussing the roles of cultural guardians, storytellers, and artisans in preserving heritage while imagining new futures.

We’ll close our time together with a group dinner to reflect and celebrate this week of cultural and textile immersion.

We say hasta luego — carrying home not only beautiful handmade treasures but also stories of resilience, artistry, and cultural continuity.

You are welcome to extend your stay. Kim and Ana are happy to advise on additional workshops and experiences to enjoy!

Ana is a photographer and social designer whose work centers on Mexican culture. Originally from Mexico City, Ana has lived in Oaxaca since 2005 and was the founding director of the Textile Museum of Oaxaca. As a social designer, Ana has worked with various non-profit organizations, artisans, designers, and cooperatives in Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Chiapas. She was also the director of the CADA Foundation, which supports cultural heritage and identity. Ana has led tours as a cultural guide in Mexico since 2013. Throughout her work, she weaves connections between foreigners and locals, emphasizing cultural sensitivity and respect.

Kim Hunter is the founder of Traveling Traders Bazaar, a dream inspired by her year-long solo journey around the world in 2012. Meeting remarkable women artisans along the way sparked her passion for building deeper connections between travelers and makers. During an unexpected pause in Thailand during the pandemic, she partnered with Hill Tribe artisans to create handmade collections that celebrated resilience and tradition. Today, Traveling Traders Bazaar offers immersive journeys that invite travelers to engage directly with master artisans, explore new skills, and experience the beauty of cultural exchange.

This trip of 12 participants begins with dinner on October 3 and ends the evening of October 9th, our sharing and celebration. Hotel check out in the morning of Oct 10th.

We will have lunch together each day and have an opening and closing dinner together, (breakfasts and dinners are on your own), instructors and guides, transport, activities, and workshop fees are included.

From October 3-10, we have accommodations for both single and double rooms at Sombra del Agua in San Cristobal.

The price of this 8 day/ 8 night trip per person* :

$2550.00 USD Single Occupancy at Sombra de Agua in San Cristobal (8 nights).

$2250.00 USD Double Occupancy (2 beds/ 2 participants) at Sombra de Agua in San Cristobal (8 nights).

Payments for the trip shall be made in full, and include the NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT of $500 so we can reserve accommodations, transportation and artisan workshops.

Apply today! We review each application to get to know each participant and give us insight to create the best experience for each group. Once we've reviewed your application, we'll reach out ASAP to schedule a call, answer questions and send payment info. We use Stripe as our payment processor.

We will fill the trip in the order of application and payment received.

Payment plans are available on a case-by-case basis. Please send an e-mail to kim@travelingtradersbazaar.com an email to explore this option.