(#30 in the Open Pamphlet Series) On January 1st of this year the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, consisting primarily of Mayan Tzetal indians, declared war against the Mexican government and took control of the city of San Cristobal. The various dominant news organizations presented this as just another guerrilla insurgence, a five minute story for a few days, then forgotten amidst the pig circus malaise of Washington, DC. But there was more to the story than that, and this pamphlet fills in the pieces. For the most part it amounts to a group descended from the indigenous peoples of the area that have organized themselves to demand justice and genuine democratic reform. Included here is the story of their struggle, as well as documents from the Zapatistas themselves. The fact that the revolt began just as NAFTA took effect and that the Mexican government was willing to negotiate testifies to the power of their organization. Is this the beginning of a broader revolt?
Like the rest of the Open Magazine series, this is vital countermedia, an antidote to the usual information tripe.--Jake Berry
This review originally appeared in TapRoot Reviews #5,
Contact the editor, luigi-bob drake, at Burning Press
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