Zapatistas

Zapatistas, officially known as the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), is a revolutionary indigenous people’s group based in the southeastern Mexican state of Chiapas, advocating for land reform, autonomy for indigenous communities, self-determination, and social justice. 

The Zapatista uprising was marked by decades of systemic marginalisation and exploitation of indigenous populations in Mexico. The movement emerged in 1994, coinciding with the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA symbolised a further threat to indigenous populations, as it promoted free-market policies that favoured large agribusinesses and foreign investments, undermining local economies and traditional ways of life. The Zapatistas, primarily composed of indigenous Maya people, declared war against the Mexican government, protesting against the neoliberal economic policies that they argued would exacerbate poverty and inequality for indigenous communities. The movement was named after Emiliano Zapata, a key figure in the Mexican Revolution who championed agrarian rights and social justice. 

Zapatistas’ initial military actions quickly shifted to a focus on creating autonomous self-governing communities, emphasising direct democracy and horizontal, collective decision-making structures. The Zapatistas have established autonomous zones in Chiapas where they operate their own system of governance, schools, and health services, rooted in their cultural traditions, independent of the Mexican government. This decentralised approach enables local autonomy, fosters community cohesion, and promotes resilience against external pressures and interventions. Additionally, the Zapatistas’ commitment to women’s rights and liberation is a central aspect of their ideology and organisational practices, promoting gender equality, women’s participation in decision-making, and challenging patriarchal norms and structures within indigenous communities and broader society. 

The Zapatistas’ strategies have evolved over time, combining armed resistance, peaceful mobilisation, and civil society engagement to advance their demands, raise awareness about indigenous rights, and foster solidarity among diverse communities, movements, and allies nationally and internationally. In 

Mexico, the Zapatistas have become models of indigenous self-determination and grassroots democracy. Internationally, they have inspired social movements and activists worldwide, advocating for anti-globalisation, anti-capitalism, human rights, and the rights of indigenous peoples.