zapatista

Zapatista refers to a member or supporter of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), a Mexican leftist and indigenous movement primarily active in Chiapas. Named after Emiliano Zapata, the movement emerged in the 1980s from indigenous communities seeking land rights, autonomy, and resistance to neoliberal policies. The EZLN built a decentralized network of indigenous and campesino organizations and promoted autonomous governance in several communities.

In January 1994, the Zapatistas led an armed uprising in Chiapas to protest NAFTA and demand rights for indigenous peoples. The action drew international attention and led to a ceasefire, followed by negotiations that produced the San Andrés Accords in 1996. The accords aimed to recognize indigenous rights and autonomy but were not fully implemented by the Mexican government. Since the mid-1990s, the EZLN has largely pursued political organizing and social projects through autonomous governance rather than large-scale armed conflict.

Organizationally, the EZLN emphasizes non-hierarchical decision making and operates through councils and assemblies. In autonomous zones, known as caracoles, local residents elect Juntas de Buen Gobierno (Councils of Good Government) to administer education, health care, security, and economic development. The movement also engages in solidarity activism, linking indigenous struggles to broader anti-capitalist and anti-neoliberal campaigns, including the “Other Campaign” in 2006 to participate in national politics without forming a traditional party.

Influence and legacy: Zapatistas have become an enduring symbol for indigenous rights, community self-determination, and critique of globalization, influencing social movements in Mexico and beyond.