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Rebel Movement Achieves Land, Liberty and Dignity in Chiapas
by Sean Luse
in Journal issue March-April 2005
March 21, 2005

It has been 11 years since the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) marched down from the highlands and into the international spotlight. Overrunning the Mexican military, the EZLN seized control of four highland towns in Chiapas. The Zapatistas declared the passage of NAFTA a “death sentence” and after years of preparation rose up in armed rebellion. They stated that they fought for Tierra, Libertad, y Justicia (Land, Liberty, and Justice). They claimed that they did not seek power, but wanted to create a political space for all to participate in the remaking of society. I recently had the honor to travel throughout Chiapas as part of a Fair Trade coffee tour. I saw the struggle for human dignity and the way the Zapatista movement and fair trade coffee cooperatives have empowered the indigenous communities.

Seated high in the Mountains of the Mexican Southeast, San Cristobal de Las Casas is the cultural and market capital of Chiapas. The city is a unique mix of Spanish colonial and indigenous Mayan cultures. Walking along the narrow cobblestone streets one can’t help but feel the tension between tourism and revolution in San Cristobal. There are 60,000 Mexican soldiers, 1/3 of the entire Mexican armed forces, stationed in Chiapas. Military bases and checkpoints line all major highways. Elderly European couples walk past walls spray-painted with slogans like “Viva EZLN!” and “Death to Fox!” Old Mayan women sit in front of Internet cafes selling Zapatista dolls and Subcomandante Marcos t-shirts to “spring break revolutionaries” as heavily armed Mexican soldiers flirt with pretty girls. This is Chiapas. A state characterized by rampant militarism and the struggle for indigenous rights.

Traveling North out of San Cristobal it soon became evident that I had left Mexico and entered the autonomous municipalities of the Zapatistas. Oventic, a town little more than an hour outside of San Cristobal, is one of the great accomplishments of the Zapatista movement. It is a beautiful community that is adorned with many large, intricate murals depicting the indigenous struggle. Oventic is the welcome center for the Zapatista autonomous zones; it is the gateway to the real Chiapas. It is an extremely clean and orderly village replete with numerous shops selling handmade crafts and clothing made by Zapatista women’s cooperatives, a shoe factory, a recycling and composting program, a Spanish school for gringos, and the Good Government Committee for the municipality of San Andreas. The Good Government Committees and the women’s cooperatives are some of the greatest successes of the Zapatista movement.

In the Zapatista autonomous zones it is said that the people do not obey the government, the government obeys the people. In August 2004 the EZLN broke almost two years of silence to announce the creation of “Good Government Committees” or “Juntas of Good Government” at a gathering in Oventic. The 33 Zapatista-controlled autonomous municipalities were organized into five new caracoles (conch shells), an important symbol in Mayan cosmology. Each caracoles is the seat of a Good Government Committee that operates autonomously from the state government and the EZLN military structure. The Good Government Committees provide the justice that the Mexican government is not providing to Zapatistas and non-Zapatistas alike.

Traditionally in Chiapas women were submissive to men and were not likely to be involved in public policy or decision-making. In contrast the Zapatista movement has empowered the women within its ranks like no other modern movement. In fact it was a rebel indigenous woman, Mayor Insurgente Ana Maria, who commanded the EZLN during the January 1994 uprising. These women, for generations subjugated not only by their government but by fathers and husbands, have organized themselves into cooperatives so that they can educate themselves and gain access to markets in the U.S. and Europe.

In the Mountains of Chiapas coffee production is the most common occupation and an integral part of the indigenous culture. The recent introduction of the fair trade business model has created tremendous opportunity for small coffee farmers. Farmers are organizing themselves into cooperatives in order to assist each other in the production, processing, and marketing of their coffee. The cooperatives are organized democratically with a member elected board of directors that hires managers to operate the co-op. This structure allows farmers to cut out the middlemen and get a better price for their coffee.

Fair trade standards stipulate that coffee producers receive at least $1.41 per pound for organic beans; no matter how low the commodity market falls. Farmers who do not belong to a cooperative are forced to sell their coffee to middlemen, called coyotes, who may pay as low as $0.43 per pound. Because of the fair price they receive, coffee cooperatives have been able to invest a significant amount of money back into their communities in the form of schools, health care, and community food stores. International fair trade standards also encourage farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices. Sustainable farming helps build a long-term economic base for farmers while protecting their communities, the environment and consumers from dangerous chemicals1 . When consumers buy Fair Trade coffee they can be sure that they are supporting small farmers by creating a “fair” alternative to “Free Trade”.

The rugged highlands of the Mexican Southeast are a land in rebellion, a land that is home to vibrant Mayan cultures and some of the best coffee grown in the world. In 1994 the indigenous communities of Chiapas said, “Basta!” (Enough!), they demanded land, liberty, justice, democracy and autonomy, and eleven years later they have achieved many of their goals. The indigenous communities of Chiapas have managed to survive the devastating impacts of NAFTA and military occupation by organizing themselves into autonomous cooperatives, creating extensive solidarity networks via the Internet and gaining access to international markets through Fair Trade.

1 Equal Exchange Inc., www.equalexchange.com

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