Lecture 3 - Chiapas in Rebellion

Question 1

What does NAFTA stand for?

Answer 1

North American Free Trade Agreement

Question 2

What date did the Chiapas rebellion take place and why?

Answer 2

January 1st 1994 (new years day)

Not as many police on duty

Question 3

How many guerrillas took part in the uprising?

What area did it focus on?

Answer 3

3000-4000

Focused on city of SAN Cristóbal de las Casas (popular tourist site in southern Mexico)

Question 4

The uprise made world news headlines because -

Answer 4

Mexico is considered the most stable in southern Mexico - not the sort of place it would happen

Question 5

Roots of rebellion - sub-regions

Answer 5

Pacific lowlands
Central plateau
Lacandón Jungle (rainforest)

Question 6

Roots of the rebellion -

Who was displaced?

Answer 6

Mayans displaced by Ladinos - powerful

Pushed to plateau from the lowlands and then into the jungle

Question 7

1950s onwards

Answer 7

Chiapas poor migration to the jungle left them landless

Question 8

How many days of fighting on Chiapas uprising?

Answer 8

12 days then ceasefire was called and peace talks began

Question 9

NAFTA included cancellation of article 27 of Mexico’s constitution

Answer 9

Article 27 —> native communal landholdings were protected from sale or privatisation

Question 10

How did the native farmers feel about the removal of article 27?

Answer 10

Feared loss of their remaining lands and feared cheap imports from the US

Question 11

What did they do during attacks?

Answer 11

Attacked civic centres eg city halls and barricaded themselves in

Question 12

Parsons 1995 on the Chiapas uprising

Answer 12

‘While chaipas, in our opinion, does not pose a fundamental threat to Mexican political stability, it is perceived to be so by many in the investment community.’
‘The government will need to eliminate the Zapatistas to demonstrate their effective control of the national territory and security policy.’

Question 13

Losers of chaipas rebellion / NAFTA Agreement

Answer 13

General purchasing power plummeted (along with wages)
1994, 50% malnutrition
Ecological problems - ex-oil workers made redundant
Technology - machinery was too heavy for the plateau
Soil erosion - large machinery

Question 14

Marcos 1994

Answer 14

‘The government really screwed us, now that they have destroyed article 27, for which Zapata… fought… we and our families have been sold down the river… we did everything legal that we could… and to no avail’

Question 15

Zapatista Manifesto for Change

Who was key spokesman?

Answer 15

Man of mystery - always wore a ski mask - gave all speeches (symbolism for ‘every man/woman)

Question 16

EZLN proposed laws:

Answer 16

Equal rights for both genders
Urban reform - keeping rent affordable
Regulate ‘free-trade’ - more control over economy

Question 17

After the uprising what happened?

Answer 17

National sympathy and international attention

Bombing in San Cristóbal - lots of damage

Question 18

Official response - sustainable rural cities project 2007

Answer 18

State-planned new towns
Peasant communities being concentrated
Stated aim- integration into national state and global economy

Question 19

Calderón 2008 on sustainable rural cities project

Answer 19

Will allow ‘families to establish themselves in a secure place, in a planned city with services, with drinking water, a city with school and health centres, that will have a true sense of community’

Question 20

Vergara-Camus 2009 reiterating ‘land’ social movements push for sustainability:

Answer 20

‘Land is a way to regain some degree of autonomy from the cold functioning of the market’