1 12 2 https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/130e8818509ce403db20fc43c9a5f443.pdf 0d93b78b48271339a8b7f4d465e36047 PDF Text Text CHIAPA S Chiapas Update: Mexican Government Launches, Then H alts, Sudden Offensive the EZL'< and undcrstand thc =sons for their dectSion to tJke up arms as the only method 10 be h<'ard. From the hean of tht moum21n 1n Gurrr~ro we declare. <'You are nOt alont"• The lndig~nous org.'\niutions who r<ccnLI)• formed Orgl1nlztltion represem· formed the Counetl of Indigenous and ing the Indigenous :onrs of Chiapas. C.'mpesino Organt.tations of Chiap.1s warned in • press release on Feb. I I . (CEOIC} in February of 199'1, have "\Ve nrc sure th:t~ nil of u.s :tre on that list divided the states prcdomiMntl)• territory in whnt he terrned a .. poHce- and can C.'l(pt':Ct lObe nrrcsted soon." On Indigenous regions uno autonomous acuon" to nrrest the EZLN lendership. Feb. 13. the General Council described terrilories. now reJ>rcsentcd by an elecl· Nonetheless. Indigenous. non.govem· the government$ offensive ns a ..genoci· ed General Council of Plur.ethnic mcntol ond hun1on righiS organizotions dal war: r<ponang that five people had Autonomous 1\reM. On Feb. II. the throughout Ch~1pos, as well as members been killed In the communaty of La Council announced u would organa:e a of tht M\IOn.:ll mtdlatton commission Estrella. and th>l mony had been march from Chaapas 10 Mcxaco Cny to (CO:-IAI) hc3dtd by Bt<hop Samuel detamtd ond tonurcd by the anny in ·mob•liu a thot~S~nd lndagenous people Rmz. were also ••rgetcd by the go"ern· three lndagenous regions and an the from the autonomous regaons." and to menl OfftMl\'C. Thousands of &O''tm- communal)' of Ocosango. bnng aucnuon to the Chaapos conOact. tmnl troops occupacd communities nnd The Councd also Sl2tcd au; lntrnuon 10 set Ull roadblocks throughout the St>te. Offensive Halted conunue organtz:ms for \'lctOt)' m the seohng orr th< mcdaa, human nghlS In a sudden chonge of strategy. coming mun•CJpal and congrcssaonal worktrs, and the geneml populauon Zcdallo halted the mllhary offensave on elections an Chinll:lS. Although the cense-farc has been from chc zones of conflict. No major Feb. 11. and asked the national congress con01cts lx:tween the two ;lrmies have lO appro,•e a lnw gronting omneSt)' to temporarily re·cotablished In Chlnpas. been reponed, though one Mexican offi- members of the EZLN who surrender the state rcnmms cxtremel> tense. • cer was kallcd by sni1>er fore. their weapons. On the same day. the nal- Indigenous organiamlons reporc that \oVhcn announcing the offensive, ing party's governor of Chiapas, the so-coiled "while gunrds." paromili· Zcdallo ouempted to discredit the EZLN Eduordo Robledo Rmcon resigned from tary forces employed by Iorge by hnking le•dcrs to terrorist acts m the office m wh3t he called :m act of peace. landowners. have acted wuh increas· laiC 1960s. and dascloscd the leaders' Both the opposluon Pany of the ing \iolencc nnd nggrdSion through· alleged Identities Subcomandante Democmuc Rtvolulion (PRO) and the out the stole . The Gcncr.~l Couneal or M•reos was ldenufied os Rafael EZLN had detn(lndcd Robledo$ ~gna­ Pluritthnac A\ltonomous Areas m3d< $ebastljn Gullltn Vicente, a professor of uon following fraudulent tl<elions last the following call for help In thtar last commun1eauons from T2basco Slate Dettmber Ounng Robltdos mougurn- press rele3SC; Marcos tseJptd capturt when the army uon. PRO gubernotonal candtdate swcp1 amo the Z3p.111Sl3 capital of San Amado Mend3no fonncd a p.1mllel go,._ Und<r rhtS<: condutons, "t arr l<llling Pedro de Maeh<»Clln RtsadeniS of this emmcnt supported by many Indigenous out w rhe resr of rht ""dd ro !urn rhear eyes and 01hcr communities In Z:lp>lista ter- Orgl1niz.1110ns ~nd the E~LN. Avedafto toward Chlap<~s. IVt a•< In •teed of disuib· ritory ned I hear houses before the annys responded to Robledo's resignation by ulion of injomaallon 10 nmiontd and fnt<rasking PRO mllil~nts 10 surrender the narional sphcm; lmcrnatlonal obsen·ers; :trrL''ol. govcmmcnt buildings which they have letters to tht Mt>.iam .~ovcrnmcnt; firum· Generalized Repression occupied in the region. dal assistance; hucrnallnnol orgcmizing In launclung the offensive. the ami protests. p11rtlcularly In front of Mexican governmem dcclarul its imen- Indigenous Organizing: "You MeXican emb<lsslrs and cOil$t<I<Uts; 1md uon to arrest a list of over 2. 000 indl- are not alone" cara•·ans. IVt ore also <ISinngfor supp<1rt In vacluals p.utlclp;oling on the state$ social Over 1,000 Indigenous represent:l- rht ltgal rc«>smtlon of the aa.ronomous movemencs The offices of CON PAZ. the ti\'CS from throughout the country met regions. Our lncentlon ts to $11(11gth<n tht largest human nghlS organualion in in Guemro state from Ott. 16-18 to so/idoriry btt~<ctn all O!•P·~d ~<. an Cha•pos. wert lOOted by tht militol)' on form the ~•uonal lndagenous the midst of a crudal n101ncn1 in lht 5lrugCom'tnllon (CNI). The CNI declared, ~ for tht ltbtratwn of the lndrgenous pa>Feb 10. The General Council of Plunethnae Autonomous Areas. the · we takc >Sour own the 13 positions of ple of Chwpas. 0 n Pebruory 9. Me.xican Presidem Emesto Zcdillo broke the censc·flre in Chiopas. ordering n surprise ilwosion of Zapatista-held 32 Abya Yala News � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 8, no. 4 (Winter 1994) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Chiapas Update: Mexican Government Launches, Then Halts, Sudden Offensive Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Winter 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Chiapas Update: Mexican Government Launches, Then Halts, Sudden Offensive Item Type Journal Article Volume 8 Issue 4 Pages 32-33 Publication Title Abya Yala News: Journal of the South and Meso American Indian Rights Center (SAIIC) ISSN 1071-3182 Date Winter 1994 Language English Abstract Note The Mexican Government launched a recent, short-lived offensive in Zapatista-held territory in Chiapas. Attachment Title Chiapas_update.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Cease-fire Chiapas CONAI EZLN National Indigenous Convention (CNI) https://www.abyayalanews.org/files/original/27ad61d2d1c2f36eb77cab7243a1f4c9.pdf 6dd234026d375c43567d3093093741da PDF Text Text CHtAPAS: MAYA IDENTITY AND THE ZAPATISTA UPRISING "In Chiopos. the own~rs of tht fincos trtoltht Indians worst thon they trtottheir onimols. Chiopos is on~ grtot finco in which we lnd•ons ore less tmportont thon the cows. Test•mony of o Mayo reptestntotr~ to the Notional congress in 1992 by Araceti Burguete Cal y Mayor he VIISI lllOJOriiY or the bpotista N.ulonrolllberauon Arm)'(EZLN) nghtCI'$ 11re lndtgcnous Maya To;olnbnl, Tzchnl . Tzotzil and Chole !"'OJ>It•ln addition 10 n smaller number of me;,u:os and other ethnic groups. TI>tlf demands ore dwcrs<. osctllatmg betwt<'n tho!.e rat~d by the m·olution2rycbs.- ommcd mo\'~mentsof Central Amcnca, clu.tc \lt>ucan amp<SIDO T (~t)demands.2ndthecl.aunsbetng made by the lnd•gcnous tnO\-.,mem. The EZLI' ha, also tncorpor2tcd m:o il.s po>nton>a "'de =R• of demands rdat• mg 10 tit< urb.tn mO\·cment's struggles, the polott<:.ll p;1rttcs, •nd to the demands for democracy ''Otced by Mcxtcan society In gcncr•tl, Is thos an Indigenous rebellion or an Indigcnous uprl•lng whh cam!"'Sino demands l is this the hegmmng or a Mexi· C.10 Cl\11 W,lf (or m'U,Oila) democracy oris 1 u a local struAAic to change the medit\'3] structures of Chtapul Is thiS the bst duptcr of the Central Amcncan classb>scd moluuons or 1011 the r.,... chapiU CJoop;:s.""""""" Ar«<h a.tpct<" • -.cCij' tZNl IANvul tZNl •cwolfdl 1-.ltpt'llloll W..l'r"JJIr'• fr""' (f!PI). ...,...._for tt.< 6 of the modem lndtgcnou• 'lndtamst" revoluuonsl The rc<ent h•story of Chint>as can help cxpl.oln the nppmemly exclusive nnnue of these questions. The 7~1patlstn tcbelllon Is embedded in the histone nnd j\Co)<mphtc S!"'cificiues of Chtapo> Titc c•n be dl\1dcd 11110 fourdt>tlnct rtj\"'"' the fir-t.mcorporatc.thedcn-.clypopulatcd htghlands and the nc" 1) colonlUd bordtr zone; the ttntr.>l rtp<>n "hteh h.u only been popubtcd b)· fiiCl.lll"" ••nee ~ 19th Cmtury. the eoutal rtli'OncolonlUd tn thts Ccntu')· by n\C>Itzotmmtgrants:and the Soconu,.;o r<lloon ""h tiS old colonl31 sculcmems Th~ ••~ have few relauons wnh e•ch oth<r They are sustamed by d1ITcrent ctonomlc ::~cuvities. parually due 10 the ab.encc. until the 1970's, of ronds nnd communication. The conOict developed in the highland and border orca 1he highlands arc the ancestr.>lt<mtOI)' of the rtbdhon's pnn· ctpol actors. the· M•>·• Tzotztl. Tzclw. TO)Olabal•nd {hole pcopl<s The bordcrrtg~<>n. "htehmdudesthe Lacandon r:11nfore<~. h.urtcci\<'CI "a>tsol m•gnnt lndW>S from the htghlandso>crtht last JOyears h 110" CONI IIUte:> the r<gtonaJ 2nd soml ba.ic of th< l.lpatl>U army. ""'< Chiapas and Guat. mala: e shared identitie s The ong~rul \1 )Jtcmtory """!rag· mentcd dunng tht f,>m\Jllon of the colomal tUliOru,, Into rt\c Mt~lt:.tn Sl~ltS­ Chi:lpas, Tabosco, Yucnt.m, Qumtana Roo.and Cam(lechc· m ~ddt lion to Gun· temala and lld1 Ounng the wlom.tl tc. period. Chtapns bdongcd ll> $pam's Guatemalan C.1ptnlnt)' Ci<•nrral Its so· cia!. economic, ruhur•l • .tnd pnllucal structures "ere dchncd on thl> pcnod. and have pcr>l>trd 111 comrmpontf)' Chiopas "'''hout rrwluti<>NII)' change.. Ch12p3S was annc'cd b)· the \le>lcan R<:pubbcm 182-t astht rtsultof a plcbosotc m ,.hoch only lad•OO> (those of mix<:d Europcon and lrt<ltgc~ mcouy) --bcmg tit< onI)' cw:cn' "ho could �read and write--voted. Despite annexation to Mexico. Chiapas continued to be in~egrate:d with Guatemala. Even toda)'. iiS geogmphy, its language. e"en hs commerce rail within the limits or Guatemala. ln· migrmion or Guatemalans looking for work has also lxen common. Until the 1970's. there was no direct ro3d connecting Chiapas to the non hem pltt of Mexico. Thus, the state capital of Tuxtla Gutitrrez was located 1,000 km by road from Mexico City. An important aspect of highland Chiapan society which dearly identifies it with Guatemalan societ)' is that of identity. Indians were given a ke)' role in the construction of the Mexican state, but only as dead Indians. living Indians in comrast were denied. In Voi.8No.l &2 this way. a nation;;tl model was con . . structed based on the notion of a glorious Indian past and a hon>ogencous, that is. mestizo, (mixed ancestry) present. Guatemalan ideology differs substantially. There, people who are biologically mestizo assume themselves descendants of the criollos referring 10 themselves as ladinosand as the people of reason . In opposition obviously ore those lacking reason, the Indians. Chi apas in contrast to the rest of Mexico echoes the Guatemalan notion of identity. The ladinos negate racial mixing entirely and have org•nized society according to racial divisions~ thereby guaranteeing racial discrimination and turning the devaluing of Indigenous people into a dail)' act. Not the first indigenous uprising Indian people have paid an extremely high price to maintain their identity. Indian relxllions, though nearly always fnostrmed. have been as much a constant of Chiapas' history as has the ex-ploitation and oppression which followed the conquest. In 1532,the Maya rose against the Spanish. Followingtheirdefeat many heroically threw themselves from a cliff knownasCat)ondc!Sumi<lero. In 1712, followingseveml localuprisings.the Indigenous people throughout the highlands relxlled again: this time grouped around an apparition ofthe Virgin Mary. They declared the htdigenous headquarters of Cancuc as their capital and rejected Ciudad Real (now San Cristobal de las Casas), along with its civil and 7 �PERSP ECTI VES ON(H IAPAS several Indigenous revolts. The federal government responded in 1849 with a Jaw outlawing forced and uncompen· sated labor. This law ended the semifeudal custom of debt peonage. under which an indigenous or campesina (am· ii}'OCCupiesa portion of land in a finca in exchange for unpaid work: a situation which convened them imo the landlord's property and made securing their own land impossible. This legislation provoked an armed upnsing led b)' the landlords. who succeeded m overturn~ ing the law two years later. Debt (>tOn~ age was progressively e:Hminated in the rest of Mexico followi ng the revolution of 1910. In Chiapas, however, several hundred Indigenous people continue, even today. to work as indebted peons on the large plantations. just as the counter-reform gripped Chiapas in the 19th century, the state'' landlords also won the 20th century's counter-revolution. In 1910, Mexico was convulsed with the first social revo~ lution of the 20th century, its chat>gcs weren't felt itl Chiapas. One of the first actions of the re.volutiontuy government was to begi11 agraria11 reforms that respollded to the expectations of the millions of campesinos who had panici· pated in the re,·olution. President Venustiano Carranza scm his officials to the republic's different states in order to Many lapatista Comnw>nders and fighters, induding Comandante AM Maria, are women. ecclesiasticamhoritics. Finallyinl714. to ensure practicall)' free labor for their a powerful army from Guatemala anni· plantations. hila ted the rebels who had taken refuge in Ocosingo. The tremendous miser)' A state the revolution passed by which resulted from this defeat, followed l3bor relations are detem1ined by by lossoflandsand frequent famines led ethnic oppression maintained by politito further rebellions in 1864 and 1867 cians and ladino plantation owners. by Tzotzilcs attempting to reclaim their During Mexico's r.rst period of Libsovcreigntyuan imem which was again el':ll refonns in the 19th century. landrepressed. Since then. the state'scriollos holding families headed the counterand ladinos have perfected their control rcfonn. New privalization laws and colom·er the Indigenous population in order nization of Maya lerritories had caused 8 implement this reform. In 1914. General jesus Agustin Castro arrived in Chiapas as govemor and initiated land distribution and effons at protecting worker's rights. The land Q \vners immediately rose in arms declaring themselves against Venustiano Carranza. Their re· bellion coincided with the revohs in the counti')'S Nonhern and Central regions led b)' Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata . Histol)•'s paradox is that the Chiapan landowners declared themselves Villistas and Zapatistas, in order to ally with these armies. Thus, the first Zapatistas in Chiapas were counter·revolutionarics. The coumer~re"olutionarics' threatened secession from the Union, and the fedel':ll government was forced to negotiate. At this time, they conceded that Abya Yala News �PERS PECTIVES ON(H IAPAS Chiapas would always be governed by members of the Familia Chiapaneca··as the local criollos were known--and also that privately held land would not be exprop•iated. Since then, the Chiapan elite have invoked the specter of seces· sion and the defense of state sovereignty to avoid intervention b)• the national government. The cost has been too high. The revolution's institutions which are ubiquitous in the rest of Mexico. never arrived in Chiapas. Thus the continuity of Chiapas' similarity to Guatemala re· mained unbroken. Likewise, the lnsti· tutional Revolutionary Party's (PRJ) which has ruled Mexico since the revolu· tion only recent!)• installed itself in Chiapas. Its peasant and worker organi· zations which ha,·e coopted social movements in the rest of Mexico only arrived in Chiapas in the 1970's, and still have liule presence. The Lacandon rainforest: cradle of rebellion Due to its regressive agrarian po1ic)' most of the state's arable land was con· cetnrated in a few hands by J9qQ. Ac· cording to population censuses, more than half was owned by 2.6% of the population. just nine landlords ac· coumed for 630.532 hectares. In con· trast the average size of Indigenous and C;"tmpesino farms was under two heeLares. At the same time, a significant proportion of the state corresponded to 'National U.nds", that is forest areas susceptible to colonization. Population growth and the exhaustion of the ances· tral Indigenous territories. government support for forest colonization. the dis· ever is characterized by steep slopes and oil. Nonetheless, the majority of com· extreme!)' poor soils underlain by calcar· munities lack electricity as well as a'!)' of cousrock. These soils retaillwater poorly; the other benefits yielded by their rc· making agriculture very difficult. The sources region's physical harshness further sharp· Chiapas has the second highest proened social discontent. portion ofindigenous inhabitants (28%) The Indigenous colonists adapted 10 of all the Mexican states, three quarters life in the forest only after profound of whom live in dispersed l'ural seulc· cultural, political and ideological mems. It also has the highest infant changes. They left parents and grand· mortality and illiteracy rates, percentage parents behind and remodeled their iden- of citizens with inconles less Lhan two tity around the central desire to obtain minimum salaries (about $250), and out· land. In order to survive new and difn . . standing petitions for land. just under cult conditions half of the state's and the land· families live in "Is this the last chapter of the Central owners unre· houses with din letaing violence. American class-based revolutions or noors. a statistic the colonists is it the first chapter of the modem closely related to formed political children's disease Indigenous "lndianist" revolutions?" or productive orrates. A study preganizations. pared by the insti· These strengthened their nascent tute for European·l<ltin American Stud· campesino identity, subst itutingfor their ies reponed the following: 'Chiapas has communal (Indian) identity. The the lowest levels of electricity in the rainforest's new colonists and their young country (66.7%). 0nly58%ofthehouses descendants are the protogonists of the have running \vater when the nalional conflict in Chiapas. The four municipal average is 79%...The. state's population centers taken by the Zapalistas: San is only 4% of the nation. but constitutes Cristobal. L'5 Margaritas. Ocosingo and 25% of all the disputes between Altamirano were all poims of departure campesinos and landlords in the coun· from the jungle, specificall)' from U.s try. disputes which often are violem!l Cm)adas. The uprising's detonators Chiat>as' economic structuresarearchaic; plantations for export of coffee, carda· mom, extensive livestock grazing and logging--with· out value added processing. placement resulting from constmction According to official stat is· of hydroelectric dams, the advent of oil tics, Chiapas holds the un· exploitation, soil deterioration, political enviable position of being and religious persecution and violence between 1960 and 1980 led to accelcr· ated colonization of the U.candon. The population grew from 5,000 to 300,000 inhabitants in those years. Thousands of Indigenous families from the highlands needing a piece of land to work took refuge in the forest . principally in the region of U.s Cm)adas. This region howVoi. 8No. l &2 Mexico's poorest state. Ninety-four of its Ill mu· nicipalities are considered highly marginal. The paradox is that Chiapas is also a rich state. In the last 10 years, it has held the third and fourth place respectively in the production of gas and 9 �PERSPECTIVES ON C HIAPAS In a good will gesture, the EZlN inaugurated peace talks by releasing ex-governor ~bsalon Castellanos, held since the u prising's second day. Castellanos a nd his family own a significant portion of Chiapas' la nd and wealth. The EZlN and Indigenous organizations demand his trial for crimes committed during his administration, a period w idely seen as the state's most repressive in modern history. OUI of the total population of close to 2,000,000. about 1.130,000 are •economically active• that is, 55.4% of the population receive-s no income. While Chiapas occupies Rrst place in the country for social marginal h)'. this is further aC(:entuated in the conflict re· gions. Illiteracy for those over 15 years old in Chiapas is close to 30%, in the Indigenous municipalities it is nearly conclude that lands are totall)' distribtned and that there are no large landholdings. others provide contrary opinions. According to leaders of the opposition, Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), the last census showed that 2.8%of the estates in thestate have more than I . 000 hectares each; while 40.75% have less than I 0 hectares each. According to this source. five large properties twice that. In Altamirano 51% of the concentrate 36,000 hectares. Thiny population over 15 years old is illiterate, percent of the nation's petitions for land in Las Margaritas 48%, In Ocosingo 47% arc concen!Tated in Chiapas, totaling while in San Cristobal24% and Comit~n approximauily 134,000 petitioners. 23%. The Indigenous people living in These petitioners saw their hopes for this region are the most marginal of the receiving land dashed with reform of marginal. article 27 of the constitution in january of 1992. In addition to land, productive reLand ownership and Article 27 sourcesarealsoconcentrated. The probThe virtual lack of an agrarian refom> in Chiapas, as explained before, is di- lem of inequ.~lity corresponds not only rectly rtlated to the socio·e<:onomic and to the concentration of propeny but also political problems are at the root of the 10 a discriminaLOry sysunn which sharp~ January first explosion. The land distri- ens the exclusion and oppression of Inbution which occurred was realized prln~ digenous people and reproduces exploicipally on National lands, and resulted tation. from the struggles of the Indigenous people and campesinos without land. The 1970's: explosion of Rather than resolve petitions for grant- campesino organizations ing ejidos or restitution of communal Stntggle for land in Chiapas has allands. the government has responded to ways been a radical process subject to demands for land by promoting coloni- violence from landlords. The federal zation of ncar wastelands. There is no consensus on the current quantities within each type of land ownership in the state. Some investigations 10 Indigenous peuuoners for land were given no choice but to opt for the ejido Conn or ownership. In this Wa)'. Indigenous people panicipating in the stntggle for land assumed a campesinista con· sciousness through which they demanded land to work rather than the autonomous terri~ories which were stolen during the European invasion. This campesino-class consciousness has homogenized the struggle of the Indigenous people of Chiapas. The figure of Emiliano Zapata has been continuous!)' ilwokcd to suppon land struggles, whereas the indigenous stntggles for recovery of Indian govern- mem were forgotten with the oral history of the tmditionallndian communi- ties. An organizational landmark In October of 1974, the state's first Indigenous Encounter was hosted by Bishop Samuel Ruiz. This event marked the beginning of the campesino and In- digenous mobilizations in the region. At this event Indigenous people reflected on their common problems and began to organize. This proce-ss was accelerated with the arrival in these years of several political organizations with different ideologkaltendencies. go"ernment's general agrarian re£onn One of the first to arrive was the policy emphasized the ejido form of ten· Central of Independent Agricultural ure (individual and sub-divided) in det- Workers and Campesinos (CIOAC), a riment to trnditional communal tenure. national campesino organization affili· Abya Yala News �PERSPECTIVES ON (HIAPAS atcd with the commumst p:~ny and inspm:d b)•the progr:unofEmdlllnOZap:lta hs members <stabli$hed thc~lvos in lndtgcnous communmes and worked for l~nd rdonn and to org;~nizt agricultural day-laborers attached through systems of peonage to the flncas. A S«ond lmponant movements in the count ry'sagmrlnn stntggle since 1979 was the N:uional Coordination Plan de A)•ai:~(CNPA). hsprofoundlyagrarianist and anti-partisan program was also de· nved from the program of Emiliano Zapata. hsmost imponamexpressionin Chiapas has been the Emihano Zapa12 C.ampcsmo Ot'ff'nlz:ltton (OCEZ). Both or thCaOO\'COrf'lntZOIIOOSSUffered from brutal represston camcd out b)' local death squads and S«ttrit)' forecs in the 1970's and 1980's Also dunng these years, young a®·· ists, mostly cconomtes Students and ad· herents to Maotst plulosophy arrived from the country's non hem region becoming known as l..os Norte~os. They had both rtsour<;esnnd enthusiasm. They teamed Indigenous languages and organized. In contrast to CIOAC and OCEZ. this group did no• omphasize land struggles, but rather the formation of ejido unions (coopemnves) to enhance productive actlvttlts. Current!)'. man)· of these ex·acnvlstS hold htgh offices in Salinas de Gonan's government. A slgnific•nt nuntherofthc members of these \-arious org;~mmnons ha\1! pre· sumabl)' joined the r:1nks of the EZU>!. Campesinista and lndianist organizations The formation of Indigenous organi· zations that nssumc a humanitarian ban~ ncr is tl recent nctlvity th:n has not been able to establish itself significantly in the consciousncssofthe Indigenous peoples. The C.1mpcstna and lap:1tist.1 tradition has until now subjug.1ttd lndianist elrons. Among the Indigenous organizations formed tn the rt"ttnt years, are the Organozanon of Indigenous Doctors and the Coordinator of Maya Org;~nizations Strugglingforuhernttort(COLPUMALI)· Vol8No.l &2 -member of the Independent Indian dudes m p:~rt: I) modtfleauon of the Peoples Front (FIPI). The majority of relation bet"un the State and thelndtg· these org;ont:ations \\Cre formed by In- enous peoples which imphcs consutu· digenous actl\1stS that had experiences tional recogniuon or thctr nght 10 self. tn the camllCStna dctcrmtnatton: 2) rec· struggle, but 1hirty percent of !he nation's ogmuon of ttrntorial rights of the lndig· whom in A r.:.ctnt petitions for land are concentrated cnous people of the process or rc· indiani.t.1tion (no in Chiapas...These petitioners saw coumry and o r more than 7 years their hopes for receiving land Chiapas and estnbllshold) have begun mcm or plurl-ethnic dashed with reform of article 27 ..: Indigenous t'egions to base their where the different claims nnd urg."l· nization in thetr Indian identity. These Indigenous identities and mestizos claims still have hulc \\"Ctght in Chiapas. would live under equal conduions: 3) Ftrst bec:tuse 11 is • young movement, modificlllOn or nationalllW$10 guaranbut also bec:tusc 11 has nOt had the inter· tee the p:~rtldp.1tfon of lndtgenous repnational economic support that other resentation m the leg1sbtavt. execunw: movements ha\·t ruch·rd Sorne mem- and judicial branches of government at bers of these org;~ntz.1uons nlso joined the federal and Slate level. the ranks or tht Zap.1tisto anny. The differences between the It is imponant to note as well. thot Campcstni$talndtgcnousmo'·emcntand even as the EZLN was nourished by the the lndi:3nist lndtgtnous movement nre movements mentioned above, the great clear. The Zap.11istodcmandsnrise from majortty of the activists and organiza· both thes.: traditions which follow the tions in the state decided not to actively campesinista line. but :u lhC snme tinle. panicipate in the armed uprising. Even identify in the lndianist demands possi· so. they have noted on several occasions bilities for ending coloniAl oppr~ssion. that they share the s.1nte struggle. After This most recent lnthg,cnous upristhe upnsing, tht.sc org;tni::ations fom1ed ing in Chiapas has gtven new atr 10 the themseh..,stntothe State Indigenous and Indigenous movement in Mexico. A new Campcslno Counc:il ofChi> pas (CEOIC). feeling has nooded the rnilltons or lndi· in an attempt to rorm 3 common front to ans of Me.'<ico who have Strengthened defend the mterests of the Indigenous their struggle through processes or uni· organlz:luonsond campcsmos in the con· ftca~ion. Nc,-enhelcss. the mOSI impor· text ofthe negotillions thot were opened tam thing IS the hope that It hos brought between the go,·cmmcnt and the EZI..N. tothelndigcnousmovemcnt worldwide. There nrc se,•cml lmponant dilfer- The S)•np:~th)• wluch the EZLN pro· e.nces between the programs of the voktd in the world ~hows that the IndigCampcsinista and lndianist organiz.1- enous struggles have reason and justicc tions. The campeslnlto organizations on their side. A report presemcd to the European demand: I) land distribution nnd nlodir.cation of orticle 27 tocontlnuc with the Parliament on the topic of Chlapas by agrarian rclom~; 2) cheap and appropri- the Institute for Europenn·l.atin Ameriate credit lor agricultural production: 3) can Rclationsemphasizcdthnt'Thcconroods, health care, cducauon, housing nict shows that the increasing aggresand other services; 4) support in the Si\"encss of the Indigenous communtties productl\"e process, installauon of ogre- in latin America will lead to urmed conindustry and 5) gu.tmntees of indtvidual nicts. if the gro\\1118 consciousness of human nghts. Indians as subjects Wllh rights, is not The lndillnlst org.1nlzat!on's program. followed b)• tncrtased go,emmemal cawhose proposal is he:~ded by FIPI in- pacity to satisfy their necessules.' " 11 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Vol. 8, nos. 1 &amp; 2 (Summer 1994) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Chiapas: Maya Identity and the Zapatista Uprising Type The nature or genre of the resource Journal Article Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Araceli Burguete Cal y Mayor Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Summer 1994 Language A language of the resource English English Zotero Title Chiapas: Maya Identity and the Zapatista Uprising Item Type Journal Article Author Araceli Burguete Cal y Mayor Volume 8 Issue 1,2 Pages 6-11 Publication Title Abya Yala Date Summer 1994 Language English Abstract Note Zapatista Army of National Liberation rose up in Chiapas highlighting Indigenous rights and issues including the lauding of Indigenous culture and leaders in the past while ignoring the problems facing current indigenous populations and marginalizing indigenous identities. This latest uprising comes in a long line of rebellions. After the 1910 Revolution much of Mexico received lands apportioned by the new constitution but Chiapas was largely left with medieval power structures. Organizing in the Lacandon rainforest spread throughout the state sparking an indigenous led rebellion. Attachment Title abya yala p6-11.pdf Attachment URL [No URL] Chiapas EZLN Indigenous Uprising Lacandon rainforst Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN)