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 Entertainment | Books | November 2006 
Author John Ross Speaks about Mexico's Zapatistas
 Katrina Nattress - Oregon Daily Emerald
Poet, journalist and author John Ross spoke at the Oregon University recently about the Zapatistas movement in southern Mexico. The Zapatistas are an anti-globalization, anti-neoliberal, and mostly indigenous armed revolutionary group that achieved autonomy from the Mexican government in 2005, after 13 years of fighting.
Ross divided the rebellion into seven "times":
• The Time of the Secret
The Zapatistas movement manifested between November 1983 and 1993. Certain people in Chiapas who identified themselves as indigenous, that is, of native rather than Spanish descent, believed in making land decisions as a community. The Mexican government revised its constitution to give ownership of private land to the state. Ross said this action represented the "death nail" to indigenous people, and the Zapatistas formed the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) to declare war on the government, but kept it a secret as they trained.
• The Time of the Talking Guns
The day the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect, Jan. 1, 1994, the EZLN took its rebellion public and suffered state violence, Ross said. In the first month, Ross said 150 Zapatistas were killed. Officials claimed the number to be 40, but mass graves told otherwise, Ross said. After 12 days, 100,000 Zapatistas marched in Mexico City to show their concern with wealth distribution in Mexico. Chiapas, where EZLN is based, is one of the poorest Mexican states.
• The Time of the Armed Word
Following negotiations between April of 1995 and 1996, Mexican officials and the Zapatistas signed the San Andres Accord, which allowed indigenous autonomy. But, Ross said, President Ernesto Zedillo vetoed the accord, claiming it would allow the indigenous people to secede from the country. The Zapatistas responded that while they are Mexican they should be able to govern themselves.
• The Time of Silence and Blood
In 1997, the EZLN fell victim to more violence. The military massacred 45 Zapatistas supporters, including four pregnant women, days before Christmas and invaded Zapatista communities, Ross said. The iconic symbol of this time was a picture of a Zapatista woman trying to push an armed soldier off the Zapatistas' land.
• The Time of the Fox
In 2000, thousands of people from around the world marched in Mexico City to persuade Congress to legalize the San Andres Accord. They called it The March of the People the Color of the Earth. The Accord passed but was mutilated, Ross said. The EZLN broke off communication with the government until 2002, when 21,000 Zapatistas marched into San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico and declared, "We don't need the government to let us be autonomous, we just are autonomous," Ross said.
• The Time of Autonomy
In 2005, the government officially announced that Zapatistas may govern themselves while remaining a part of Mexico. Presently, the EZLN has prospered in self-governing, Ross said. 100,000 Zapatistas make up 1100 communities, with 29 municipalities and five annual meetings, called "catacoles."
• The Time to Move On
Subcomandante Marcos, the EZLN's leader, is currently touring northern Mexico, trying to foster support and unity among different groups of indigenous Mexicans. |
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