Click here for more information on the Zapatista Movement. An Advertisement of the Zapatista Revolution

Groups of indigenous Mexicans have been adversely affected by the policies of NAFTA. One such group, the Zapatista Revolution, has declared war against the Mexican state. Though not an armed war, these individuals have sought retaliation through nonviolent and defensive action against the Mexican military. The group takes its name from Emiliano Zapata, the agrarian reformer and commander of the Liberation Army of the South during the Mexican Revolution; they view themselves as the ideological heirs to Zapata’s principles, hence their name. They seek to stop all military, paramilitary and corporate into Chiapas. Their social base is mostly made of rural indigenous people, with supporters in urban areas. However, this group is notable because they have utilized social media to advertise their plight.

Media has played an indispensible part in the success in the Zapatista Revolution; The following are the observations of Yale Professor, Grace Rollins of the movement:

…the rebels could otherwise never have sustained their cause. While most are indigenous peasants too poor to buy beans, let alone guns, they face heavy coercive repression from the state and are constantly terrorized by human rights abuses tactically conducted below the radar of corporate media. Upon my arrival, I discovered that my fellow observers and I were the Zapatistas’ most potent defense; our role was to represent the eyes of the world, making the Mexican military too self-conscious to hurt people. It worked. Despite the government’s obvious desire to stifle the resistance, it couldn’t withstand being portrayed by the media as the ruthless oppressor of poor Indians.

Documentaries have been made to capture the plight of the Zapatistas; an overwhelming majority documents them as a people looking to be treated with peace and equality.

Below is a moving documentary released around the world at the time of the Zapatista’s rise. It is now available for free for the viewing public.

 

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