San Juan Chamula Healing Ceremony: Candles, Ritual & Meaning
By Gillian Boyd Published 19 August 2026
What really happens inside San Juan Chamula’s healing ceremony – candle colours, chicken sacrifice, and the meaning behind this sacred Tzotzil ritual.
The Church of San Juan in Chamula, Chiapas
Following the Pox Tasting (pronounced posh) at yesterday’s free walking tour in San Cristóbal de las Casas, I was even more intrigued to visit the nearby autonomous town of San Juan Chamula, where the drink is used in religious ceremonies.
San Juan Chamula is high in the misty forested mountains, where nearly all of the 77,000 residents are indigenous and speak the Mayan language, Tzotzil. They have preserved their pre-Hispanic customs and culture as evidenced in their clothing and social structure.
Having gained my degree in Social Anthropology nearly 40 years ago, I have always been interested in different cultures so I wasn’t going to miss visiting this town.
We took a 20 minute colectivo from San Cristóbal de Las Casas to Chamula.
Clothing
Women
The women wear a home-made black wool skirt called a chamula which goes from the chest to ankle and is tied in place with a strip of cloth for a belt. The skirt also denotes their status within the culture – the more feathery the fabric, the higher the status.
On their top, the women wear a huipil, a colourful and intricately embroidered blouse that holds cultural and symbolic significance in the community. We had seen many women dressed like this in San Cristóbal de las Casas and some were on the short colectivo ride we had taken to Chamula.
Men
Traditional attire for men is a light-coloured shirt and trousers, with a woollen poncho of intricate designs and leather sandals called huaraches on their feet. Men also wear a distinctive black or white sheepskin vest with a wide colourful hand woven fabric belt and wide-brimmed hat. The length of the fur determines their social class. In Chamula the sheep are sacred and never eaten for meat.
Autonomy
The town of Chamula is fiercely independent and operates with total cultural and political autonomy. Essentially, they fought off the Spanish conquistadors, the Mexican Federal government and Catholicism. A sign on the outskirts of the town said the military, police and the press were not welcome.
No Police
Uniquely, there are no federal or state police patrolling the town. Instead, the community authorities appoint men known as Topiles or Auxiliares to perform the vital role of maintaining order and security within the community and ensuring local customs are upheld.
No Photos
Many Mayan people believe that you are capturing their soul, if you take a photo of them. This belief is strongly held in Chamula. We respected this and did not take our usual hundreds of photos.
Warning on Ticket
The ticket to the church issued by the Department of Tourism of San Juan Chamula, Chiapas states in capital letters in Spanish and English.
WARNING:
- IT IS FORBIDDEN TO TAKE PHOTOS INSIDE OF THE CHURCH.
- IT IS ALSO FORBIDDEN TO TAKE PHOTOS DURING ANY RITUALS AS WELL AS FROM OFFICALS WEARING RITUAL COSTUMES.
- THOSE TOURISTS WHO DO NOT RESPECT THESE RULES WILL BE PUNISHED
Punishment
The form of punishment was unclear. We were told it was a fine of $5000 MXN (£230) but a local Mayan woman in San Cristóbal de las Casas told us, in a serious and fearful manner, that they would strip you and beat you. We had also heard of people being thrown in jail for a day and having their camera broken. We took no chances and kept our phones in our pockets, not even checking them for the time.
The pretty white painted church with dark green trim in the centre of Chamula, looked like many other churches we had seen in Mexico and Spain but we soon discovered it was not.
Gold Framed Teeth
Seated behind a table at the main door was a man dressed in a pale blue embroidered shirt and cowboy hat. As he spoke my attention was caught by his teeth adornments – it looked like every tooth was framed in gold – a sign of wealth and status in the community.
The hierarchy and social status of someone living in Chamula is based on their position in the local religion. There is a decade long waiting list to become the annual spiritual leader of the church.
In addition to the responsibility, the position carries the expense of around US$10,000 in cleaning the church and providing the supplies for the rituals. Did we just meet the leader or is he on the waiting list?
Tourists outside San Juan Church in Chamula, Mexico
Inside was Different
We paid $30 MXN (£1.38) each to enter the church. Inside was unlike any other church I have ever visited and I have been to many in different countries.
Smoky Candles
The first thing I noticed was the dim light, due to all the thin smoky candles, looking like a serious fire hazard, perched on every available surface.
Pine Needles on Floor
Candle smoke mingled with the strong scent of the thousands of fresh pine needles spread all over the hard floor that are changed every two weeks.
This sacred carpet is considered a portal to nature bringing the sacred energy of the forest inside the building and walking on the pine needles releases a scent believed to be pleasing to the saints and spirits.
Solemn Tone
The tone was solemn from the constant low hum of worshippers chanting in the ancient Mayan language, Tzotzil. No organized service was taking place, but the church was full of small groups of worshippers at various stages of their ceremony.
Fusion with Catholic Symbols
The periphery of the large room was like a typical Spanish Catholic church with the altar and a statue of Christ at the far end. Heavily decorated with many bouquets of white lilies, which added to the already heady aroma of smoke, pine needles and copal incense.
The copal incense tree resin is burned in clay censers to produce thick white smoke that is believed to carry prayers directly to God and the Mayan deities. It is also for purification of the air and the worshipper just like we had seen in the cleansing ritual in Mexico City. The smoke and heavy scent create a deeply meditative environment masking outside distractions.
Statues of Saints
Both sides of the room were lined with typical statues of saints, in gold and glass frames on dark wood plinths. But each held or wore a mirror.
Why? The mirrors ward off evil and are portals to the supernatural underworld. They remind worshippers to have their own self-confessionals as they see and know their own sins, when they look at their refection in the mirror. Mirrors were also of significance in Peru.
No Priest, No Pews, No Confessional Box
There was no confessional box or priest in the church. As I said, they follow their own rules, not the rules of the Catholic Church.
The centre of the room was devoid of pews or seats. As we walked on the fresh pine needles crushing them, the scent became stronger. Tourists, in whispered voices, walked slowly and respectfully along the left side of the room and returned on the right. Most, like me, had their heads slightly bowed with their hands clasped in front of them.
The Healing Ceremony
In the middle, there were small groups of worshippers. We stood near one family and watched silently. The shaman (called ilole in Tzotzil language) is a healer. This elderly woman in traditional clothes, was on her knees chanting continuously and leading the ceremony. Although the political leadership in Chamula is male dominated, within the spiritual realm of healing in the church there is complete gender equality.
To her right, sat a woman of about thirty, with a little girl of about four in a bright pink dress on her lap. Next to her sat the older brother, of about ten in jeans and football shirt listening and looking intently to the old woman.
Candles
On the ground in front of her, the shaman swept aside some pine needles with her forearm to make a little space on the hard floor. As she lit each candle, she dripped its wax onto the cleared hard floor so it would stand. In total, she laid three rows of thin candles; a row each of red, black and white candles.
Candle Colours
- Red – signifies fire, the east, or the restoration of harmony and strength
- Black – used for protection and warding off witchcraft, evil or negative energy
- White – represents air, food, maize and basic sustenance
- Yellow – symbolises the sun, prosperity and the south
- Green – represents a healthy harvest, nature and plant life
- Blue – represents the sky and spiritual calm
- Multicoloured – used in specific ceremonies to protect against envy and jealousy
Herbs
From her white plastic bag, the shaman lifted out a large bunch of herbs and two bottles. She wafted the herbs over the candles and the little girl, stroking her gently with the bunch while chanting continuously. At times the volume increased when the mother and children joined in.
Drink Pox
One bottle contained Coca Cola, the other Pox (pronounced posh), a locally distilled liquor made from multiple varieties of corn, sugarcane and wheat. We had tasted some the previous day on a free walking tour and it reminded me of vodka. The pox is drunk in order to warm the soul, opens the heart and welcome spiritual energy. The shaman sprayed a few drops of the Pox on the floor to appease and feed the saints. In Peru, they do the same for Pacha Mama (Mother Earth).
They all drank some of the clear alcoholic liquid, Pox and then some Coca Cola to burp and physically expel the wicked spirits from the body. Dark sodas like Coca Cola or red sodas are chosen to represent blood, life and vitality.
Chicken Sacrifice
As the live brown feathered chicken was produced from a black plastic bin bag, the chanting grew louder and more passionate. The herbs were waved over the chicken. Then the Shaman held the chicken to her side and twisted its neck in one swift motion. I looked away in a bid to recover my emotions and saw the same thing happen again in another little group ceremony. During our visit we saw three chickens sacrificed.
Throughout ancient Mesoamerica, a life must be offered to the spiritual world to save another. Here it was chickens, in Bolivia, it was llamas.
Bad Spirit is Transferred
The people of Chamula believe that the bad spirit is transferred from the person to the chicken. So when the chicken is killed, the disease or curse that was transferred to it, dies too. The body of the chicken is never eaten but is taken away and buried in a sacred or remote location to neutralise the bad energy permanently.
After the sacrifice, the shaman may inspect the chickens internal organs to confirm if the negative energy has been fully expelled.
The family stayed until the candles had all burnt out, then they scrapped the floor clean and re-spread the pine needles as if nothing had happened. Different groups were each performing their own rituals to their own timescale.
When my head began to feel oppressed from the smoke, scent and atmosphere, we left and drank in the clear mountain air in the near empty square.
In the Town
As we walked to the stalls and shops, I noticed for the first time, the live chickens for sale in individual cages near the square. Were these for consumption or for sacrifice? As we walked past Pollo Loco and smelt the roasting BBQ, we thought about the 3 chickens we had just seen.
We went for a walk around the town to explore and to process what we had seen. A man at a leather shop was sewing on an old Singer sewing machine, just like the one his mother had. We chatted with him a little, in Spanish while Graham chose a new leather belt.
Final Thoughts
Visiting the Church of San Juan in Chamula was an intense and powerful experience to witness. It stayed with me for a long time afterwards and led me to do to some research to find the answers to my questions on the significance of objects, which I have shared with you here. I think my Professor would be pleased to see I’m still using the tools he taught me, to stay curious about the world and learn from others.