St. Thomas Law Review
First Page
159
Document Type
Article
Abstract
New Year's Eve of 1993 was full of great expectations. The main goal of the Salinas" government, the entering into force of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), would become a reality on the first of January. When the New Year arrived, unbelievable news spread. At dawn, in Chiapas, the forgotten ones had taken armed control of the heads of municipalities of four towns: San Cristobal de las Casas, Las Margaritas, Altamirano, and Ocosingo. The Mayan Uprising had started. In its first statements, the Ejercito Zapatista de Liberaci6n Nacional (EZLN) declared war against the Mexican government and the military. In addition, a series of demands for land, housing, health care, labor, education, etc. were made. Suddenly, Mexico was in a state of shock; it was a generalized crisis. Mexicans perceived that all their values were at stake. Approximately four years have passed since then. Violence is contained, but no permanent solution is at hand. In this brief study, I will present the main goals of the Zapatista movement and the problems faced by the Mexican State. This multicultural reality has been taken into account since the Zapatista Revolt. The main peaceful strategies in the negotiating process were the government's initiative through a new law to establish peace in the Chiapas, the continuous national and international propaganda of the Zapatistas denouncing corruption, neo-liberalism as the main cause of poverty, and the loss of sovereignty of the Mexican State. It is well known that the Mexican army is strengthening its position in the area of the uprising in the Chiapas, but the strategies are a well-kept government secret due to the delicate nature of the issue.
Recommended Citation
Margarita Gonzalez de Pazos,
Mexico Since the Mayan Uprising: Government and Zapatista Strategies,
10
St. Thomas L. Rev.
159
(1997).
Available at:
https://scholarship.stu.edu/stlr/vol10/iss1/15