Mexico, Zapatista Army of National Liberation

The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, EZLN) emerged as a significant political force in Mexico after seizing San Cristóbal de las Casas and several surrounding communities in Chiapas on January 1, 1994, demanding social justice and economic benefits for the poor. The guerrilla forces are largely peasants of indigenous origins in the highland region of Chiapas, a poor, rural state bordering Guatemala in southern Mexico. The initial attack and the response of the Mexican army resulted in at least 100 deaths, primarily civilians and guerrillas. The guerrillas' action drew international media attention, embarrassing the administration of President Carlos Salinas. The government responded by firing the government cabinet secretary in charge of national security and appointing a peace commissioner, Manuel Camacho Solís, to negotiate with the EZLN. Successful negotiations began in late February 1994, mediated by Bishop Samuel Ruiz, a longtime defender of peasants in his Chiapan diocese. But conflict was renewed in early 1995 after the government identified and tried to capture the Zapatista leader, Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente, known as Subcomandante Marcos.

In 1996 the government and the Zapatistas signed the San Andrés accords, but the provisions were never implemented. The central issue of these agreements was the granting of greater autonomy to indigenous communities in Mexico. When Vicente Fox became president in 2000, he promised to solve the stalemate between the government and the movement, with little success. The Zapatistas are no longer treated as a guerrilla movement, but rather as a political force. They tried to influence the 2006 presidential race, but their impact was negligible.

The immediate political consequences of the uprising included heightened tensions between hard-liners and political progressives within the administrations of Salinas and Ernesto Zedillo (1994–2000). The political debate in Mexico also began to focus on the serious deficiencies of the neoliberal economic policies pursued by the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). The uprising created potential conflicts between civilian and military leaderships and enhanced the role and prestige of the Catholic Church as a significant political mediator. The guerrilla actions inspired similar demands elsewhere in Mexico.

The Zapatistas had significant long-term consequences as well. They served as a major catalyst for reforms within the Mexican armed forces: in response to the Zapatistas' use of the Internet and the media to generate public support nationally and internationally, the army introduced important structural changes affecting professionalism and strategy. The success of the Zapatistas further spurred the growth of a wide range of nongovernmental organizations committed to nonviolent means of influencing government policy, thus contributing to democratization. The Zapatistas' policy goals also placed the concept of local autonomy on the forefront of the national political agenda, complementing a newfound emphasis on indigenous rights in the region. Finally, the demands of the rural underclass sharpened the focus on alleviating poverty, shifting the stress to redistribution of economic resources.

See alsoCamacho Solís, Manuel; Chiapas; Guerrilla Movements; Salinas de Gortari, Carlos; Subcomandante Marcos.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Benjamin, Thomas. A Rich Land, a Poor People: Politics and Society in Modern Chiapas, rev. ed. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1996.

Collier, George. Basta!: Land and the Zapatista Rebellion in Chiapas, 3rd ed. Oakland, CA: Food First Books, 2005.

García de León, Antonio. Fonteras interiors: Chiapas, una modernidad particular. Mexico: Océano, 2002.

Harvey, Neil. The Chiapas Rebellion: The Struggle for Land and Democracy. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1998.

Ramírez Paredes, Juan R. Nunca más sin rostros: Evolución histórica del proyecto del EZLN. Mexico: Eón, 2002.

                              Roderic Ai Camp