Chiapas and the EZLN
Chiapas is a land of contradiction. The southern state of Chiapas is the richest in natural resource, yet it is the poorest state in Mexico. There is flowing water, fertile soil, oil, minerals and ancient forests that boast 40 percent of Mexico’s plant varieties and 80 percent of its butterfly species. The crops and cattle that come from Chiapas feed many people across North America, yet the workers of the land live in poverty and have little food for themselves. The most basic needs of the citizens of Chiapas are unmet, with 70% of workers making less than minimum wage and two out of three shacks that they call home without electricity, drinking water or drainage systems. Due to this desperate situation, more than 100,000 indigenous Mexicans have been forced into the slums or shantytowns that encircle the city of San Cristobal in the state of Chiapas. In addition to their deplorable living situation, education is almost nonexistent after the third grade. In fact, in 1994 when the Zapatistas revolted on the workers’ behalf, more than half of their population was illiterate. With its remote geographical location and its large uneducated indigenous population, Chiapas remains just far enough outside the eye of the government to receive much attention or assistance. Therefore, the Zapatistas have made it their mission to give a voice and face to these people so that they may receive a fair share of what they work for.
Analyzing Primary Sources:
Primary Source 1: First Declaration from the Lacandon Jungle - EZLN's Declaration of War
(Section 1)
"Today we say 'enough is enough!'(Ya Basta!)"
TO THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO:
MEXICAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS:
We are a product of 500 years of struggle: first against slavery, then during the War of Independence against Spain led by insurgents, then to avoid being absorbed by North American imperialism, then to promulgate our constitution and expel the French empire from our soil, and later the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz denied us the just application of the Reform laws and the people rebelled and leaders like Villa and Zapata emerged, poor men just like us. We have been denied the most elemental preparation so they can use us as cannon fodder and pillage the wealth of our country. They don't care that we have nothing, absolutely nothing, not even a roof over our heads, no land, no work, no health care, no food nor education. Nor are we able to freely and democratically elect our political representatives, nor is there independence from foreigners, nor is there peace nor justice for ourselves and our children.
But today, we say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
(Section 2)
We are the inheritors of the true builders of our nation. The dispossessed, we are millions and we thereby call upon our brothers and sisters to join this struggle as the only path, so that we will not die of hunger due to the insatiable ambition of a 70 year dictatorship led by a clique of traitors that represent the most conservative and sell-out groups. They are the same ones that opposed Hidalgo and Morelos, the same ones that betrayed Vicente Guerrero, the same ones that sold half our country to the foreign invader, the same ones that imported a European prince to rule our country, the same ones that formed the "scientific" Porfirsta dictatorship, the same ones that opposed the Petroleum Expropriation, the same ones that massacred the railroad workers in 1958 and the students in 1968, the same ones the today take everything from us, absolutely everything.
(Section 3)
To prevent the continuation of the above and as our last hope, after having tried to utilize all legal means based on our Constitution, we go to our Constitution, to apply Article 39 which says:
"National Sovereignty essentially and originally resides in the people. All political power emanates from the people and its purpose is to help the people. The people have, at all times, the inalienable right to alter or modify their form of government."
Therefore, according to our constitution, we declare the following to the Mexican federal army, the pillar of the Mexican dictatorship that we suffer from, monopolized by a one-party system and led by Carlos Salinas de Gortari, the maximum and illegitimate federal executive that today holds power.
According to this Declaration of War, we ask that other powers of the nation advocate to restore the legitimacy and the stability of the nation by overthrowing the dictator.
We also ask that international organizations and the International Red Cross watch over and regulate our battles, so that our efforts are carried out while still protecting our civilian population. We declare now and always that we are subject to the Geneva Accord, forming the EZLN as our fighting arm of our liberation struggle. We have the Mexican people on our side, we have the beloved tri-colored flag highly respected by our insurgent fighters. We use black and red in our uniform as our symbol of our working people on strike. Our flag carries the following letters, "EZLN," Zapatista National Liberation Army, and we always carry our flag into combat.
Beforehand, we refuse any effort to disgrace our just cause by accusing us of being drug traffickers, drug guerrillas, thieves, or other names that might by used by our enemies. Our struggle follows the constitution which is held high by its call for justice and equality.
(Section 4)
Therefore, according to this declaration of war, we give our military forces, the EZLN, the following orders:
First: Advance to the capital of the country, overcoming the Mexican federal army, protecting in our advance the civilian population and permitting the people in the liberated area the right to freely and democratically elect their own administrative authorities.
Second: Respect the lives of our prisoners and turn over all wounded to the International Red Cross.
Third: Initiate summary judgments against all soldiers of the Mexican federal army and the political police that have received training or have been paid by foreigners, accused of being traitors to our country, and against all those that have repressed and treated badly the civil population and robbed or stolen from or attempted crimes against the good of the people.
Fourth: Form new troops with all those Mexicans that show their interest in joining our struggle, including those that, being enemy soldiers, turn themselves in without having fought against us, and promise to take orders from the General Command of the Zapatista National Liberation Army.
Fifth: We ask for the unconditional surrender of the enemy's headquarters before we begin any combat to avoid any loss of lives.
Sixth: Suspend the robbery of our natural resources in the areas controlled by the EZLN.
(Section 5)
To the People of Mexico: We, the men and women, full and free, are conscious that the war that we have declared is our last resort, but also a just one. The dictators are applying an undeclared genocidal war against our people for many years. Therefore we ask for your participation, your decision to support this plan that struggles for work, land, housing, food, health care, education, independence, freedom, democracy, justice and peace. We declare that we will not stop fighting until the basic demands of our people have been met by forming a government of our country that is free and democratic.
JOIN THE INSURGENT FORCES OF THE ZAPATISTA NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY.
General Command of the EZLN
1993
(Section 1)
"Today we say 'enough is enough!'(Ya Basta!)"
TO THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO:
MEXICAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS:
We are a product of 500 years of struggle: first against slavery, then during the War of Independence against Spain led by insurgents, then to avoid being absorbed by North American imperialism, then to promulgate our constitution and expel the French empire from our soil, and later the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz denied us the just application of the Reform laws and the people rebelled and leaders like Villa and Zapata emerged, poor men just like us. We have been denied the most elemental preparation so they can use us as cannon fodder and pillage the wealth of our country. They don't care that we have nothing, absolutely nothing, not even a roof over our heads, no land, no work, no health care, no food nor education. Nor are we able to freely and democratically elect our political representatives, nor is there independence from foreigners, nor is there peace nor justice for ourselves and our children.
But today, we say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
(Section 2)
We are the inheritors of the true builders of our nation. The dispossessed, we are millions and we thereby call upon our brothers and sisters to join this struggle as the only path, so that we will not die of hunger due to the insatiable ambition of a 70 year dictatorship led by a clique of traitors that represent the most conservative and sell-out groups. They are the same ones that opposed Hidalgo and Morelos, the same ones that betrayed Vicente Guerrero, the same ones that sold half our country to the foreign invader, the same ones that imported a European prince to rule our country, the same ones that formed the "scientific" Porfirsta dictatorship, the same ones that opposed the Petroleum Expropriation, the same ones that massacred the railroad workers in 1958 and the students in 1968, the same ones the today take everything from us, absolutely everything.
(Section 3)
To prevent the continuation of the above and as our last hope, after having tried to utilize all legal means based on our Constitution, we go to our Constitution, to apply Article 39 which says:
"National Sovereignty essentially and originally resides in the people. All political power emanates from the people and its purpose is to help the people. The people have, at all times, the inalienable right to alter or modify their form of government."
Therefore, according to our constitution, we declare the following to the Mexican federal army, the pillar of the Mexican dictatorship that we suffer from, monopolized by a one-party system and led by Carlos Salinas de Gortari, the maximum and illegitimate federal executive that today holds power.
According to this Declaration of War, we ask that other powers of the nation advocate to restore the legitimacy and the stability of the nation by overthrowing the dictator.
We also ask that international organizations and the International Red Cross watch over and regulate our battles, so that our efforts are carried out while still protecting our civilian population. We declare now and always that we are subject to the Geneva Accord, forming the EZLN as our fighting arm of our liberation struggle. We have the Mexican people on our side, we have the beloved tri-colored flag highly respected by our insurgent fighters. We use black and red in our uniform as our symbol of our working people on strike. Our flag carries the following letters, "EZLN," Zapatista National Liberation Army, and we always carry our flag into combat.
Beforehand, we refuse any effort to disgrace our just cause by accusing us of being drug traffickers, drug guerrillas, thieves, or other names that might by used by our enemies. Our struggle follows the constitution which is held high by its call for justice and equality.
(Section 4)
Therefore, according to this declaration of war, we give our military forces, the EZLN, the following orders:
First: Advance to the capital of the country, overcoming the Mexican federal army, protecting in our advance the civilian population and permitting the people in the liberated area the right to freely and democratically elect their own administrative authorities.
Second: Respect the lives of our prisoners and turn over all wounded to the International Red Cross.
Third: Initiate summary judgments against all soldiers of the Mexican federal army and the political police that have received training or have been paid by foreigners, accused of being traitors to our country, and against all those that have repressed and treated badly the civil population and robbed or stolen from or attempted crimes against the good of the people.
Fourth: Form new troops with all those Mexicans that show their interest in joining our struggle, including those that, being enemy soldiers, turn themselves in without having fought against us, and promise to take orders from the General Command of the Zapatista National Liberation Army.
Fifth: We ask for the unconditional surrender of the enemy's headquarters before we begin any combat to avoid any loss of lives.
Sixth: Suspend the robbery of our natural resources in the areas controlled by the EZLN.
(Section 5)
To the People of Mexico: We, the men and women, full and free, are conscious that the war that we have declared is our last resort, but also a just one. The dictators are applying an undeclared genocidal war against our people for many years. Therefore we ask for your participation, your decision to support this plan that struggles for work, land, housing, food, health care, education, independence, freedom, democracy, justice and peace. We declare that we will not stop fighting until the basic demands of our people have been met by forming a government of our country that is free and democratic.
JOIN THE INSURGENT FORCES OF THE ZAPATISTA NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY.
General Command of the EZLN
1993
Document Based Questions
1) What is this document and when was it written? Who wrote the document and who is the intended audience? (Section 1)
2) What is the purpose of this document? What does the EZLN want from the reader (action or inaction)?
3) What tactics does the author use to encourage his audience to act (or not act)?
4) What issues does it put forth? Does it offer any solutions? If so, what are the details?
5) What kinds of rights are guaranteed to U.S. Citizens by the Constitution? What are the Zapatistas' demands? With those answers in mind, are their demands fair and reasonable? (Section 4)
6) What kinds of injustices pushed the Zapatistas to write this letter?
7) From the background reading and the primary source analysis, do you think the modern day Zapatistas were justified in their actions? Was violence necessary?
8) How would you react if you were a Mexican peasant with no land or opportunity? Really try to imagine working all your life and having nothing to show for it.
9) How do you think that technology makes the modern Zapatista movement different from Zapatas' original movement in 1910?
10) Do you think Emiliano Zapata would have agreed with the tactics of the EZLN?
2) What is the purpose of this document? What does the EZLN want from the reader (action or inaction)?
3) What tactics does the author use to encourage his audience to act (or not act)?
4) What issues does it put forth? Does it offer any solutions? If so, what are the details?
5) What kinds of rights are guaranteed to U.S. Citizens by the Constitution? What are the Zapatistas' demands? With those answers in mind, are their demands fair and reasonable? (Section 4)
6) What kinds of injustices pushed the Zapatistas to write this letter?
7) From the background reading and the primary source analysis, do you think the modern day Zapatistas were justified in their actions? Was violence necessary?
8) How would you react if you were a Mexican peasant with no land or opportunity? Really try to imagine working all your life and having nothing to show for it.
9) How do you think that technology makes the modern Zapatista movement different from Zapatas' original movement in 1910?
10) Do you think Emiliano Zapata would have agreed with the tactics of the EZLN?
Primary Source 2 - Artist's interpretation of NAFTA's negative effect on the Mexican people
Document Based Questions1) Which members of NAFTA are shaking hands in this drawing?
2) What are they agreeing to? 3) Who are the winners in this situation? Who are the losers? Who is doing the work and who is receiving the benefit? 4) Who is left out of the agreement? Why do you think this upsets the Zapatistas? 5) What does this tell you about who has power in this situation and who does not? 6) Can you think of other situations where indigenous groups have been denied rights to the land they have worked and cultivated? 7) Do you think that it is fair to treat indigenous groups this way in the name of globalization and economics? 8) Were Zapatistas justified in their use of violence? Should they have declared war? 9) What could the government or NAFTA have done differently? Should they have been required to consider the rights of the indigenous peoples? |
Primary Source 3 - Signs seen in the state of Chiapas in Zapatista territories that serve as a warning to the Mexican Government
Document Based Questions1) Noting the translation on the right, who are these EZLN signs directed toward?
2) What is the purpose of such signs? 3) Who and what are they trying to protect? 4) What does "The people rule and the government obeys" mean to you? 5) How would you react to seeing these signs if you were part of the Mexican Government's army, commissioned to contain or even put an end to this rebellion? What if you were one of the many indigenous residents of these areas? 6) Do you think these signs are effective? Why or why not? |
Vocabulary to assist with reading comprehension |
Insurgent: a person who rises in forcible opposition to lawful authority
Promulgate: to make known by open declaration; publish; proclaim formally or put into operation Expel: to drive or force out or away; discharge or eject: Elemental: Basic, simple Fodder: Raw material, kindling Pillage: To rob Dispossessed: Evicted from property, without property or status Summary judgement: a judgment rendered by the court prior to a verdict |