what were the zapatistas fighting for? course hero

What did the Zapatistas do?

Apr 25, 2018 · a . They ’re definitely not violent , they ’re just very aggressive . The Zapatistas were never intended to be a warring force , according to Marcos in the Zapatista film , the guns are only meant as a mean of defense . Their aggressiveness really shows in how they carry their message and how they present themselves as this masked force .

What is the Zapatista National Liberation Army?

Mar 02, 2022 · The Zapatistas were a group of indigenous Mexicans who had been forced into subaltern positions by their oppressors and were fighting for their rights. Their purpose was to draw attention to their suffering and to establish a safe haven where they could dwell without fear of retaliation from the authorities.

Who are the Zapatistas and Delegate Zero?

The Zapatistas were concerned about the indigenous people and how the other people were taking up the opportunities of the people ("The Zapatista Movement: The Fight for Indigenous Rights in Mexico - Australian Institute of International Affairs," 2019). The movements had various success in the issues they helped to address.

What did Emiliano Zapata do in Mexico?

Jul 04, 2016 · View Essay - Zapata from HISTORY 122 at Rio Hondo College. Rio Hondo Book Report:Zapata: The Ideology of a Peasant Revolutionary by Robert P. Millon Edgar Linares History 122-30647 Professor J.

What did the Zapatistas do after the uprising?

Following the uprising, the Zapatistas turned to non-violent methods of organizing for indigenous people's rights and autonomy. In 1996 they organized a national meeting of indigenous people across Mexico, which became the National Indigenous Congress (CNI). This organization, representing a wide variety of distinct ethnic groups and backed by the EZLN, has become a crucial voice advocating for indigenous autonomy and self-determination.

What are the Zapatistas' influence on the world?

The Zapatistas and the writings of Subcomandante Marcos have had an important influence on anti-globalization, anti-capitalist, and indigenous movements across Latin America and the world. For example, the 1999 Seattle protests during the World Trade Organization meeting and the more recent Occupy movement that was kicked off in 2011 have clear ideological links to the Zapatista movement. In addition, the Zapatistas' emphasis on gender equality and the fact that many leaders have been women has had an enduring legacy in terms of the empowerment of women of color. Over the years, the dismantling of patriarchy has become a more central goal for the EZLN.

Why did the Zapatistas choose January 1st?

They chose this day because they knew the trade agreement, specifically the exploitative and environmentally destructive aspects of neoliberalism and globalization, would harm indigenous and rural Mexican communities. Crucially, around one-third of the rebels were women.

Where did Marcos live?

Marcos was one of the few non-indigenous leaders of the Zapatista movement; in fact, he was from a middle-class, educated family in Tampico, in northern Mexico. He moved to Chiapas in the 1980s to work with Mayan peasants. Marcos cultivated an aura of mystique, always wearing a black mask for his press appearances.

Where are the Zapatistas from?

Rebecca Bodenheimer. Updated August 23, 2019. The Zapatistas are a group of mostly indigenous activists from the southern Mexican state of Chiapas who organized a political movement, the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (Zapatista National Liberation Front, more commonly known as the EZLN), in 1983.

When did the Zapatistas start?

The Zapatistas initiated an armed rebellion in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas, on January 1, 1994. The most visible leader of the Zapatista movement until recently was a man who went by the name of Subcomandante Marcos.

Who is Rebecca Bodenheimer?

Rebecca Bodenheimer, Ph.D. is the author of "Geographies of Cubanidad: Place, Race, and Musical Performance in Contemporary Cuba.". Her work has been published by CNN Opinion, Pacific Standard, Poynter, NPR, and more. our editorial process.

What did the Zapatistas fight for?

The Zapatistas were fighting for land reform and Indigenous autonomy.

What did the Zapatistas represent?

For many sectors of Mexican society, the Zapatistas represented the voice of the voiceless, and inspired a new sense of hope for Mexico’s poor and Indigenous citizens after decades of desperation. T he Zapatista movement has had a deep social, political, and cultural influence at the national level as well.

What did the Zapatista women demand?

(Photo by Tim Russo) J anuary 1, 2019 marked 25 years since the Zapatistas captured the world’s imagination with their brief but audacious uprising to demand justice and democracy for Indigenous peasants in southern Mexico.

When did the EZLN start?

In November 1983 , they founded the EZLN as a small guerrilla cell.

Who is the current president of Mexico?

Current Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known as AMLO, was mayor of Mexico City at the time, and a key leader of the PRD. The Zapatistas have never forgiven AMLO, and the conflict could shape their relationships with the new president over his six-year term.

Is Chiapas a poor state?

Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost state, is rich in natural resources but one of the poorest states in Mexico. It has one of the country’s largest Indigenous populations, along with some of the highest rates of malnutrition, maternal mortality, and illiteracy. Chiapas also has a long history of conflict over unequal land distribution.

What did Zapata do?

Zapata was the son of a mestizo peasant who trained and sold horses. He was orphaned at the age of 17 and had to look after his brothers and sisters. In 1897 he was arrested because he took part in a protest by the peasants of his village against the hacienda that had appropriated their lands. After obtaining a pardon, he continued agitation among the peasants, and so he was drafted into the army. He served for six months, at which point he was discharged to a landowner to train his horses. In 1909 his neighbours elected him president of the board of defense for their village. After useless negotiations with the landowners, Zapata and a group of peasants occupied by force the land that had been appropriated by the haciendas and distributed it among themselves.

What did Zapata ask Madero to do?

Zapata met Madero there and asked him to exert pressure on the provisional president to return the land to the ejidos (the former Indian communal system of landownership). Madero insisted on the disarmament of the guerrillas and offered Zapata a recompense so that he could buy land, an offer that Zapata rejected.

How many men did Zapata have in Mexico City?

On November 24 Zapata ordered his army (now called the Liberation Army of the South and numbering 25,000 men) to occupy Mexico City. The people of the capital watched in astonishment as the peasants went from door to door humbly asking for food and drink, instead of assaulting palaces and violating women.

Who was Emiliano Zapata?

Emiliano Zapata was an accomplished guerrilla leader during the Mexican Revolution , and he strongly opposed the hacienda system that characterized much of rural Mexican life. Partly because of his efforts, fundamental land reform was enshrined in the Mexican constitution of 1917.

What was Emiliano Zapata's slogan?

Zapata adopted the slogan “Tierra y Libertad” (“Land and Liberty”). Emiliano Zapata (seated, centre) with staff, c. 1912. In the course of his campaigns, Zapata distributed lands taken from the haciendas, which he frequently burned without compensation.

Who was Francisco Madero?

Francisco Madero, a landowner of the north , had lost the elections in 1910 to the dictator Porfirio Díaz and had fled to the United States, where he proclaimed himself president and then reentered Mexico, aided by many peasant guerrillas. Zapata and his friends decided to support Madero.

What was the Zapatista movement?

The Zapatista movement shifted gears in the late 1990s, taking on a more peaceful, political character. Armed conflict with the government largely ceased. Within Zapatista regions, the administration was rebuilt in the image of the Zapatista movement with indigenous autonomy and increased indigenous involvement in government. The EZLN also sought to expand its ideology outside Zapatista territories by sending Zapatista activists and academics across the country to give talks. Relations between the Mexican government and the EZLN warmed to such a degree that, in 2001, Mexican president Vicente Fox's administration approved a revised version of the San Andrés Accords. But EZLN did not agree to the revisions and announced in 2003 that the original San Andrés Accords would apply in its territories. In the years since 2003, tensions between the EZLN and Mexican government remain unresolved.

What is the Zapatista National Liberation Army?

The Zapatista National Liberation Army (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, or EZLN) is one of the most prolific and influential revolutionary groups in modern leftist politics. The EZLN was founded on January 1, 1994 and based in the state of Chiapas in Mexico. Compared to other Mexican states, Chiapas had higher levels of poverty and a larger indigenous population. The Zapatistas drew inspiration from Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919), an important leader in the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). Zapata advocated for the rights of Mexico's peasants against Mexico's entrenched elites, the plantation owners. Eighty years after the Mexican Revolution, Mexico remained torn by similar kinds of economic and political strife that Zapata had combated.

What was the relationship between the EZLN and the Mexican government?

The Mexican government and the EZLN agreed to the San Andrés Accords in February 1996, honoring the requests of the EZLN. But Zedillo eventually rejected the San Andrés Accords and reignited armed conflict, sending covert paramilitary units to battle EZLN forces and terrorize Zapatista-held communities. This campaign culminated in the massacre of civilians in the Zapatista town of Acteal. The conflict between the government and the EZLN was unsustainable, leading to the next phase of EZLN's history.

What was the impact of the 1994 EZLN?

Leading up to the launch of the EZLN in 1994, Mexico teetered on the edge of economic turmoil. For many poor Mexicans, one of the most polarizing economic issues was the impending North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) among Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Set to go into effect on January 1, 1994, NAFTA would force Mexico to privatize the country's ejidos, or indigenous communal farms. The ejidos were supposed to be protected by the Mexican constitution. Many Mexicans also feared that NAFTA would be one-sided in the United States' favor and make Mexican industry uncompetitive.