Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The Zapatista Uprising and the Struggle for Indigenous Autonomy

2004; Utrecht University Library Open Access Journals (Publishing Services); Issue: 76 Linguagem: Inglês

10.18352/erlacs.9687

1879-4750

G. van der Haar,

Latin American Urban Studies

Ten years ago in January 1994, the masked rebels of the EZLN (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional) headed by Subcomandante Marcos shook Mexico and the world.After twelve days of combat, the Mexican government, under the pressure of national and international public opinion, called a ceasefire and the Zapatistas from their side made a commitment to fighting in the political arena rather than using their weapons in their efforts to transform Mexico.One of the results of the Zapatista uprising was that the indigenous question was put squarely back on the Mexican political agenda.While most of Mexico was preparing for its entry into the 'first world' with the formal start of NAFTA, 1 the uprising forcefully exposed the conditions of poverty and marginalization under which much of Mexico's indigenous population lived, the humiliation and discrimination they suffered, and the political exclusion which kept them from enjoying full citizenship.Though the EZLN had not initially presented itself as an indigenous movement, it did not take it long to assume its role as defender of Mexico's indigenous people.The Zapatistas became the symbol for the indigenous cause and in the years following, they developed into central protagonists in the struggle for indigenous rights and autonomy.This struggle has taken two main routes.The first concerned the strengthening of indigenous rights through legal reform.This went from the negotiations between the EZLN and the government on 'Indigenous Rights and Culture', which resulted in the San Andrés Accords, on to the battle to have the agreements translated to the legal plane.This long and difficult process ended in deception for the Zapatistas and for Mexico's indigenous movement in general, with the passing of a very limited legal reform in April 2001.The second route of struggle embraced the implementation of 'autonomy in practice', without awaiting legal recognition.This was done through the creation and consolidation of parallel governance structures amongst the Zapatista civil population, 2 known as municipios autónomos.After the legal battle entered an impasse, the organization and defence of de facto autonomy moved to the centre of the Zapatista struggle.It recently (August 2003) received a new impulse with the formation of the so-called Juntas de Buen Gobierno, bodies coordinating the autonomous municipalities. The San Andrés AccordsAfter a first unsuccessful attempt at reaching an agreement during the so-called Dialógo de la Catedral, in San Cristóbal in early 1994, a new round of peace talks