department

Mayans speaking their indigenous languages and wearing their colorful traditional dress, Zapatistas intermittently blocking roads and occupying the zocalo (central city square), abandoned 8th century cities and pyramids, awesome mist-covered mountains, great food, and a cool climate (during Tucson’s heat extremes). That does not sound much like my typical developing world experience – but it was. As part of a five-person team, including two wound-care experts, I recently spent two weeks caring for severe wounds and burns, as well as other medical problems, under the auspices of Don Sergio Castro, in the indigent indigenous community in Chiapas, Mexico.