The Beginning
One of the Indigenous movements in Mexico is the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional). They are a far-left libertarian-socialist political and guerrilla group founded on November 17, 1983 by non-Indigenous members of the National Libertarian Forces and Indigenous inhabitants in Chiapas, Mexico. They hold control of most of the southernmost states in Mexico. This movement was named after Emiliano Zapata, who was the main leader of the peasant revolution in Morelos.
The EZLN has grown among the Indigenous communities and the peasant organizations. The Zapatistas’ main goals were land reform and redistribution, political and cultural autonomy for Indigenous groups, and protection for these Indigenous communities. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the privatization of land, specifically communal farms were the main policies that began the EZLN movement. They saw themselves as a revolution against the rise of neoliberalism and became a platform to raise awareness of the inequality in Mexican society. The EZLN wanted more democratization of the Mexican government as the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) has been in power for decades.
On January 1, 1994, they made their first public declaration against the Mexican government. The EZLN called for an armed struggle against economic policies hurtful to the peasant and Indigenous communities, as peaceful protests did not achieve any change. An estimated 3,000 Zapatistas seized towns in Chiapas and had brief success until the Mexican army counterattacked. On January 12, 1994, the armed clashes stopped and the Zapatistas retreated into the surrounding jungles. To this day, the Zapatistas are still active, mostly in the southern states of Mexico.
Activity during the 2000s
In 2001, the Zapatistas created 32 “autonomous municipalities in Chiapas, Mexico, where they implemented their demands without the Mexican government’s support and with funding from international organizations.
In 2005, the Zapatistas presented the Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle where they spoke about their vision for Mexico and the world. This included support of Indigenous communities, racial minorities and peasants. It also supported the leftists government in other Latin American countries like Cuba, Bolivia and Ecuador.
In 2006, the Zapatistas began “The Other Campaign” where the EZLN visited all 31 Mexican states at the same time the 2006 presidential election was taking place. Before the campaign began, the EZLN invited national leftist organizations, Indigenous groups and non-governmental organizations to listen to the group’s claims for human rights and their goals.
In 2007, the EZLN along with other Indigenous communities in the Americas announced the Intercontinental Indigenous Encounter. The purpose of this meeting was to connect with other Indigenous communities through their shared pains and sufferings but also their differences.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zapatista_Army_of_National_Liberation#History
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Zapatista-National-Liberation-Army
Images:
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/92258912@N00/64601617)
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mexico.Chis.EZLN.01.jpg
License:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en