Museo Na Bolom

Museo Na Bolom: Located ten blocks northeast of the Plaza Principal in San Crisóbal de Las Casas, is the Na Bolom Museum, which was the home of Frans Blom, a Danish anthropologist, and Trudy Duby, a Swiss photographer and journalist. They came to San Cristóbal de Las Casas in the mid-1900s and became passionate protectors of the indigenous people, working tirelessly to maintain their culture and environment. The Bloms have passed away, but their home is open to the public. It is now a non-profit foundation and houses a museum with many of the fascinating photographs taken by Trudy, as well as many religious artifacts and archaeological treasures they discovered. The museum can only be visited on a tour (when we visited, English tours were given at 4:30 pm, but be sure to check the time). Na Bolom is also a hotel—the favorite choice of accommodation for archaeologists, artists, and anthropologists. Na Bolom means the Jaguar, and there is a gift shop by the same name across the street from the museum where you can buy souvenirs and craft items. If you are not staying at Na Bolom, you can make a reservation for dinner (the meal is served family-style with the guests sitting at one large table).