Why was Subcomandante Marcos important?
Known for his trademark ski mask and pipe and for his charismatic personality, Marcos coordinated the EZLN’s 1994 uprising, headed up the subsequent peace negotiations, and has played a prominent role throughout the Zapatistas’ struggle in the following decades.
What were the Zapatistas fighting for?
Their initial goal was to instigate a revolution against the rise of neoliberalism throughout Mexico, but since no such revolution occurred, they used their uprising as a platform to call attention to their movement to protest the signing of the NAFTA, which the EZLN believed would increase inequality in Chiapas.
What lies at the root of the Chiapas conflict?
Although the roots of the uprising – poverty, exploitation and anger over the government’s seeming abandonment of the peasantry – are not unique to eastern Chiapas, the way the region’s recent history combined them brought rebellion to a head among the people there. …
Who started Zapatistas?
Zapatismo is used by historians to refer to the armed movement identified with the ideas of Emiliano Zapata, leader of the Mexican Revolution, reflected mainly in the Plan de Ayala term 1911. The members of the Liberation Army of the South led by Zapata were known as “Zapatistas”.
Who was the leader of the Zapatista rebellion?
Subcomandante Marcos. While not Mayan himself, Marcos emerged as the group’s leader, and when the EZLN – often referred to as Zapatistas – began their rebellion on January 1, 1994, Marcos served as their spokesman.
What was the history of the Chiapas rebellion?
The Chiapas region has been the scene of a succession of uprisings, including the “Caste War” or “Chamula Rebellion” (1867-1870) and the “Pajarito War” (1911). The EZLN emerged during the government of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which had ruled Mexico for more than seventy years, in a dominant-party system.
Where did the Zapatistas seize Chiapas in 1994?
On the morning of January 1, 1994, an estimated 3,000 armed Zapatista insurgents seized towns and cities in Chiapas, including Ocosingo, Las Margaritas, Huixtán, Oxchuc, Rancho Nuevo, Altamirano, and Chanal.
When was the Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional founded?
The Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN) ( Zapatista Army of National Liberation) was founded in the Lacandon Jungle in 1983, initially functioning as a self-defense unit dedicated to protecting Chiapas’ Mayan people from evictions and encroachment on their land.