The Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) was founded in 1983 in Mexico by non-indigenous members of FLN guerrillas and truly started to gain followers in 1990. The EZLN is based in one of Mexico’s most impoverished providences, Chiapas. Over ninety percent of the households in Chiapas live without running water and electricity. The EZLN was formed with the goal to fight for freedom, democracy, justice, and indigenous rights.
The Zapatistas have a united I suppose you could say it’s a calling card of sorts. All EZLN members wore a black balaclava or a red bandana on their face. But it was not just the army who wore these it was everyone who believed in the cause. These masks were much more than just to cover your face to keep your privacy. These masked showed the together they could do anything, and that they were no longer just meaningless faces in the crowd.
The EZLN formally “announced” its existence on January 1, 1994, the same day the United States, Canada, and Mexico agreed on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). On this day the EZLN declared war on the Mexican government. The EZLN thought that NAFTA would create a larger divide between the rich and poor people of Chiapas. On January 1st, around 3,000-armed EZLN member stormed major cities in Chiapas setting prisoners free and burning down government buildings. A battle between the military and the EZLN lasted for eleven days. The ELZN were pushed into the jungle and eventually, a ceasefire was agreed on. There was not much more coordinated violence after this time - mostly random moments of violence and peaceful protests.
This movement is a special one because this fight is still ongoing to the present day. The NAFTA also resulted in taking away Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution. This article had guaranteed indigenous groups land throughout Mexico. In 2016 the National Indigenous Congress and the ELZN agreed to put forward a candidate that would represent them in the 2018 Mexican general election. In May of 2017, María de Jesus Patricio Martíenz was selected to represent these groups.
Netpol
https://netpol.org/2015/11/02/ezln-masks/
Australian Institute of International Affairs
http://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/news-item/the-zapatista-movement-the-fight-for-indigenous-rights-in-mexico/
The Zapatistas have a united I suppose you could say it’s a calling card of sorts. All EZLN members wore a black balaclava or a red bandana on their face. But it was not just the army who wore these it was everyone who believed in the cause. These masks were much more than just to cover your face to keep your privacy. These masked showed the together they could do anything, and that they were no longer just meaningless faces in the crowd.
The EZLN formally “announced” its existence on January 1, 1994, the same day the United States, Canada, and Mexico agreed on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). On this day the EZLN declared war on the Mexican government. The EZLN thought that NAFTA would create a larger divide between the rich and poor people of Chiapas. On January 1st, around 3,000-armed EZLN member stormed major cities in Chiapas setting prisoners free and burning down government buildings. A battle between the military and the EZLN lasted for eleven days. The ELZN were pushed into the jungle and eventually, a ceasefire was agreed on. There was not much more coordinated violence after this time - mostly random moments of violence and peaceful protests.
This movement is a special one because this fight is still ongoing to the present day. The NAFTA also resulted in taking away Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution. This article had guaranteed indigenous groups land throughout Mexico. In 2016 the National Indigenous Congress and the ELZN agreed to put forward a candidate that would represent them in the 2018 Mexican general election. In May of 2017, María de Jesus Patricio Martíenz was selected to represent these groups.
Netpol
https://netpol.org/2015/11/02/ezln-masks/
Australian Institute of International Affairs
http://www.internationalaffairs.org.au/news-item/the-zapatista-movement-the-fight-for-indigenous-rights-in-mexico/
Emiliano Zapata was the leader of the Mexican revolution and is where the Zapatista got their name from