Zapatismo
The concept of Zapatismo emerges from the continuing
resistance of the Zapatistas (predominantly Indigenous Ch’ol,
Tzeltal, Tzotzil, Tojolobal, Mam, and Zoque people), who
introduced themselves to the world via an armed insurrection
in Chiapas, Mexico on New Year’s Day, 1994 –the day the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was operationalized.
While the implementation of NAFTA appeared to be the direct
cause of their revolt, the uprising occurred in response to
over 500 years of ongoing colonial oppression, which was being
exacerbated by intensifying privatizations and dispossessions
of their land and freedom. Prior to rebelling, the Zapatistas
spent over a decade clandestinely organizing their eventual
insurgency, and upon the dawn of January 1st 1994, they stormed
six cities in Chiapas, occupied government buildings,
liberated political prisoners, burnt state records, announced
their ‘Women’s Revolutionary Law,’ expelled landowning bosses
from haciendas, and exchanged bullets with the Mexican
military. The fighting lasted for a total of only 12 days,
after which, a ceasefire was negotiated.
Since that time, and despite an
ongoing counter-insurgency being
spearheaded by the Mexican
Government, the Zapatistas have
focused their efforts on living
a peaceful life of decolonial,
anti-capitalist,
collective
resistance, concentrated upon
Zapatistas
traditions
recuperating land, mutual aid,
and exercising autonomy. The
achieve this by centering their Indigenous
and the practice of horizontal governance,
equitable gender relations, anti-systemic health care,
grassroots education, and agro-ecological food sovereignty.
Additionally, The Zapatistas are working towards constructing
what they refer to as ‘Un Mundo Donde Quepan Muchos Mundos’
(‘A World Where Many Worlds Fit’) by emphasizing the dignity
of ‘others,’ belonging, and common struggle, as well as the
importance of laughter, dancing, and nourishing children.
What has emerged as a result of their rebellion is a concept
often referred to as Zapatismo. For the Zapatistas, Zapatismo
can neither be defined, nor captured in the language offered
by modernity. Despite its elusive nature, Zapatismo is often
described as an intuition rooted in dignity that is felt in
the chest and compels one to say ‘Enough’ in the face of
injustice and the suffering of others. In this way, Zapatismo
closely aligns with the statement: ‘Para Todos Todo, Para
Nosotros Nada’ (‘Everything for Everyone, Nothing For Us’), a
motto found throughout Zapatista communities. The Zapatistas
are also careful to stress Zapatismo does not seek power, is
not a model or doctrine, and should never be imposed, but
rather, is flexible and changes across geographies. Even given
the enigmatic essence of Zapatismo, it does remain the driving
force behind the Zapatistas’ everyday struggle, as well as an
inspiration and galvanizing source of international solidarity
for many people throughout the world. Consequently, Zapatismo
has also been taken up across borders, and is often theorized
as seven principles, which include:
Obedecer y No Mandar (To Obey, Not Command)
Proponer y No Imponer (To Propose, Not Impose)
Representar y No Suplantar (To Represent, Not Supplant)
Convencer y No Vencer (To Convince, Not Conquer)
Construir y No Destruir (To Construct, Not Destroy)
Servir y No Servirse (To Serve Others, Not Serve Oneself)
Bajar y No Subir (To Work From Below, Not Seek To Rise)
Finally, to explain Zapatismo most accurately, perhaps it is
best summed up by the Zapatistas themselves:
Zapatismo is not a new political
ideology, or a rehash of old
ideologies.
Zapatismo
is
nothing, it does not exist. It
only serves as a bridge, to
cross from one side, to the
other. So everyone fits within
Zapatismo, everyone who wants to
cross from one side, to the
other. There are no universal recipes, lines, strategies,
tactics, laws, rules, or slogans. There is only a desire – to
build a better world, that is, a new world.
Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee
Zapatista Army of National Liberation
Essential Reading
EZLN-CCRI. (2005). Sixth Declaration of the Lacandon Jungle
(Sexta Declaración de la Selva Lacandona).
Klein, H. (2015). Compañeras: Zapatista Women’s Stories. Seven
Stories Press.
Marcos, S. and de Leon, J. P. (2002). Our Word is Our Weapon:
Selected Writings. Seven Stories Press.
Marcos, S. (2005). Conversations with Durito: Stories of the
Zapatistas and Neoliberalism. Autonomedia.
Ramírez, G. M. Carlsen, L. and Arias, A. R. (2008) The Fire
and The Word: A History of the Zapatista Movement. City Lights
Publishers.
Further Reading
Aguila-Way,
T.
(2014).
The
Zapatista
‘Mother
Seeds
in
Resistance’ Project The Indigenous Community Seed Bank as a
Living, Self-Organizing Archive. Social Text, 32(1 118):
67-92.
Castillo, R.A.H. (2002). Zapatismo and the Emergence of
Indigenous Feminism. NACLA Report on the Americas, 35(6): 39.
Conant, J. (2010). A Poetics of Resistance: The Revolutionary
Public Relations of the Zapatista Insurgency. AK Press.
Holloway,
J.
(2002).
Zapatismo
and
the
Social
Sciences. Capital and Class, 26(3): 153-160.
Marcos, S. (2007). The Speed of Dreams: Selected Writings,
2001-2007. City Lights.
Speed, S. (2014). Zapatista Autonomy, Local Governance, and an
Organic Theory of Rights. In: Warrior, R. (Ed.). The World of
Indigenous North America. New York: Routledge.
Questions
The Zapatistas structure their communities, and resistance,
around collective work, mutual aid, and critical selfreflexivity – what other examples of this type of praxis
exists throughout the world? How might these things, and
Zapatismo, be practiced in your local community?
One of the primary principles of Zapatista communities is:
‘Para Todos Todo, Para Nosotros Nada, (‘Everything for
Everyone, Nothing For Us’) …what is the role of humility and
sacrifice in struggling for social transformation?
The Zapatistas have built their communities around their own
interpretations of what ‘democracy, liberation, and justice’
means. They have done this in order to liberate their
communities from neoliberalism, colonialism, capitalism,
patriarchy, exclusionary social relations, and the state. In
thinking about liberation and autonomy, what are the ways in
which we are dependent upon, and complicit with, these systems
ourselves? How might we collectively transgress them?
How might the 7 guiding principles of Zapatismo be applied to
other movements for social justice?
Submitted by Levi Gahman
Photo 1: “You are in Zapatista Territory. Here the people
lead, and the government obeys.” (Chiapan Highlands, Mexico)
Photo 2: A mural on the side of a Zapatista meeting space
(located in the Caracol of Oventic)