Zapatista Women

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Zapatista Women

• EZLN
• Emiliano Zapata
• Liberación Nacional

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Chiapas, Mexico
A history of exploitation and poverty
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Regional Differentiation
Central Highlands
Agrarian Reform, Tradition, Catholicism
Anti-Zapatista Coast Plantations,
Commercial Agriculture East
Ranchers, Landowners Colonization, refugees
Grassroots organizations Liberation Theology
Join EZLN
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Inequality Rebellion

• Resources in Chiapas
• Oil
• Hydroelectric power
• Timber
• cattle

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Mayan Peasants

• 1-4 has. Land (milpa agriculture)
• 7 of 10 homes lack electricity
• 9 of 10 homes lack drinking water
• Wages are 3 X lower than national
• 40 earn 1.74/day
• Infant mortality double national
• 67 malnourished

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EZLN

• Led by Subcomandante Marcos
• Seized San Cristóbal de las Casas
• 3 other towns January 1, 1994

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EZLN Demands

• Land
• Housing
• Health care
• Education
• Jobs
• Democracy
• Affirmation of Ethnic Identity

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The EZLN Organization

• Civilian Bases
• Work in Indigenous Communities
• Cooperatives
• Base Camp
• Combatants
• Women in Leadership Positions

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The Government Reaction

• 5000 Army troops sent to Chiapas
• (with support of arms and
• finances from the U.S.)

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Militarization of Chiapas
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The Acteal Massacre
December 22, 1997

• 45 killed
• 22 women
• 5 pregnant women
• 14 children
• 1 under 1 year

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Autonomous Communities
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Defense of Indigenous Rights
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Women the EZLN
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Comandante Ramona

• Women have been the most exploited. We get up
  at three in the morning to prepare corn for our
  husbands breakfast and we dont rest until late
  at night. If there is not enough food we give it
  to our children and our husbands first. So women
  now have decided to take up arms and become
  Zapatistas.

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Comandante Esther
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1995 San Andrés Accords

• Included Womens Rights
• 1996 National Indigenous Contress
• Women Raised Demands
• The First Uprising

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Womens Revolutionary Law

• In their just fight for the liberation of our
  people, the EZLN incorporates women in the
  revolutionary struggle
• Development of a more critical gendered
  perspective

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A Story from Marcos

• Susana, a Tzotzil, is upset. "I am angry," she
  tells me. "The compañeros say that it is my fault
  that the Zapatistas rose up last year in March
  1993.

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• In March of 1993 the compañeros debated about
  what would later be the "Revolutionary Laws".
  Susana was in charge of going around to dozens of
  communities to speak with groups of women and put
  together, from her thoughts, the "Women's Laws".

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• Susana had to read the proposals that she had
  gotten together from the thoughts of thousands of
  Indigenous women. She started to read and, as she
  read on, the assembly of the CCRI became more and
  more restless. You could hear murmurs and
  comments. In Chol, Tzotzil, Tojolobal, Mam, Zoque
  and Spanish. The comments jumped from one side to
  the other. Susana, undisturbed, charged on
  against everyone and everything

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• "We don't want to be forced into marriage And
  she kept going like that until she was done. At
  the end there was a long silence.

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• The "Women's Laws" that Susana had just read
  meant a true revolution for the Indigenous
  communities. The women responsible were receiving
  the translation in their dialects of what Susana
  had said. The men looked at each other,
  nervously, restless.

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• All of a sudden all the translators ended almost
  at the same time. And in a single movement, the
  compañeras responsible for the laws started to
  clap and talk among themselves. Needless to say,
  the "Women's Laws" were approved unanimously.

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• A Tzeltal man commented "The good thing is that
  my wife doesn't understand Spanish, because
  otherwise . . . " An insurgent official who was a
  woman and a high infantry rank, jumped on him
  "You're fucked, because we are going to translate
  it into all the dialects."

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• The companero looked down. The women responsible
  were singing, the men were scratching their
  heads.

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• Someone, as a joke, said that January 1, 1994
  was not the first uprising, that the first was
  March 1993. They joked with Susana and she left
  with a sharp "Fuck you" and something else in
  Tzotzil that nobody tried to translate. That was
  the truth the first EZLN uprising was March,
  1993 and was led by Zapatista women. There were
  no casualties, and they won.

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• First--Women, regardless of their race, creed,
  color or political affiliation, have the right to
  participate in the revolutionary struggle in any
  way that their desire and capacity determine.

Womens Revolutionary Law
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• SecondWomen have the right to work and earn a
  just salary.

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• ThirdWomen have the right to decide the number
  of children they have and care for.

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• FourthWomen have the right to participate in the
  matters of the community and have charge if they
  are free and democratically elected.

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• Fifthwomen and their children have the right to
  Primary Attention in their health and nutrition.

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• Sixthwomen have the right to education.

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• SeventhWomen have the right to choose their
  partner and are not obliged to enter into
  marriage.

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• Eighth--Women have the right to be free of
  violence from both relatives and strangers. Rape
  and attempted rape will be severely punished.

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• Ninth--Women will be able to occupy positions of
  leadership in the organization and hold military
  ranks in the revolutionary armed forces.

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• Tenth--Women will have all the rights and
  obligations which the revolutionary laws and
  regulations give.