11) A WHIRLWIND TRIP TO CHIAPAS

By Darcy Robinson, Kamloops

            I took a recent whirlwind trip to Chiapas, with a Volkswagen that I rented in the white wealth inspired tourist area of Cancun. The drive, while long and exhausting, gave a good comparative analysis of southern Mexico and the Chiapas and Zapatista region. I had studied the Zapatistas years ago in university, but nothing would compare to even a short visit to this amazing place.

            The week before I arrived, Sub-commandante Marcos had officially stepped down as spokesperson for the Zapatistas. He felt his image had become too much of a focus in the struggle, and a new leadership and voice needed to be developed. On May 26, 2014, following the 20th anniversary of the Zapatista uprising "The voice of the Zapatista National Liberation Army [EZLN] will no longer come from my voice... Marcos no longer exists."

     I drove directly through the alto (high) zone where Zapatistas still control about a third of the territory of Chiapas. The road was extremely bad and patchy throughout. A group of Zapatistas came out with a rope gate and demanded a small toll of 20 pesos, which I gladly paid. There were no guard rails, as I drove high in the mountains nearly 11,000 feet above sea level. This ancient Mayan road was only paved in the 1980s to provide for a Mexican military base, not for the benefit of the Mayan people. The drive was stunning and terrifying.

     The immediate difference was the sense of dignity that I felt in the area. People were very focused on what they were doing. Children seemed to be everywhere with their parents or friends, and they seemed dignified in a way I haven't experienced in indigenous communities enough. 

    I arrived in San Cristobal, the most refreshing place I have ever been in Mexico. The liveliness and diversity was amazing. It had the cheapest and best kept hotels, the food was fresher than anywhere else in Mexico. At a free medical clinic, the sign was in English so I assumed it was free for all people.

            Growing up in Canada, it is hard to find indigenous people as a vast majority in any environment. What separates the Zapatistas from many modern socialist movements is the component of "liberty and recognition of indigenous culture." I had never experienced indigenous people as the vast majority in this way before. In Canada the language is being wiped out daily, while most Mayans still speak their native tongue as a first language. Despite genocide and colonization, indigenous people of America will never go away, but will live forever.

(The above  article is from the July 1-31, 2014, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)