Chiapas Rebellion in Mexico

This research paper describes and analyzes the Chiapas rebellion in Mexico in 1994-1995, what happened and why and the consequences. This outbreak of violence in the state of Chiapas did not represent a spontaneous indigenous uprising nor did it represent a serious military threat to the Federal government; however, because of when and where it occurred and its aftereffects, including the government's reaction and other events, it helped accelerate political change in Mexico and reflected the severe economic and social stresses which were associated with the economic restructuring and modernization of the country.

On January 1-2, 1994, six days after Mexico ratified the North American Free Trade Agreements (NAFTA), a force of 1000-3000 armed guerrillas seized control of San Cristobal de las Casas, the capital, and a handful of other towns in the State of Chiapas in the southeastern corner of Mexico.1 The rebels called themselves the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) after Emiliano Zapata, one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, who called for the return of land to the peasants. In their communique of January 6, EZLN called for economic and social reforms, the resignation of the government of President Carlos Salinas de Gortari and "clean elections throughout the country."2

Caught by surprise, the Federal government initially sent in 12,000 troops, (one fourth of Mexico's army), backed by tanks and aircr

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ired by foreign revolutionaries and lacked indigenous roots. The truth is that the goals of EZLN were supported by a great many people in Chiapas, especially in the impoverished eastern part where the revolt occurred. It was also true that the EZLN leadership was non-indigenous. President Ernesto Zedillo, who was elected by a narrow margin in August, 1994, revealed in February, 1995 that Sub-Commandante Marcos, the EZLN leader, was a 37 year old former university professor of northern middle class origins. Mexican writer Enrique Krause said that "this is not a classic peasant uprising--a freedom struggle over a concrete agrarian grievance."15 He said that the revolt was "a typical Latin American guerrilla movement in which the Indians are the cannon fodder and their leaders, the commandantes, supply the quasi-religious ideology and the military strategy."16 After the army and security forces killed an estimated four hundred students at a mass rally in Mexico City on October 2, 1968, Fehrenbach commented that "future Mexican governments . . . would have to contend with a restless, restive younger generation increasingly unwilling to accede to the present guardians of the Republic."17 However radical their true goals may be,

Category: Foreign - C