1. Good Morning/Afternoon! 3/5/13
Good Morning! 1/10/12
EQ: Who were the Zapatistas and what did they
do?
HW: Study guide 1-7. Test on Thursday.
Sponge
#1. Pick up a handout in the blue tray-
complete the “Cuba” side
#2. Take out your study guide.

2. Zapatistas
Unit 7 Notes
Bennett

3. Who are the Zapatistas?
 a group of Mexicans who support improved
rights & living conditions for Mexico’s indigenous
people
 Where does the name “Zapatista” come from?...

4. Latin America Guerilla Organizations
• The Zapatista
Movement in Mexico
• People from the
Chiapas region of
Mexico.
• Made up primarily of
poor farmers and
workers of indigenous
American ancestry.

5. THE NAME OF THE ZAPATISTAS
• The Zapatistas get their name
from one of the leaders of the
Mexican Revolution,
Emiliano Zapata.
• Zapata is a Mexican symbol
for rising up against a
government that oppresses
the people.
• Emiliano Zapata DID NOT
CREATE the Zapatistas, but
his lifetime achievements
inspired the name of the
group.

6. Why Chiapas?
• It’s a resource-rich state in southern Mexico:
– produces over half of Mexico’s hydroelectric
power
– 2nd largest petroleum producing state
– Largest coffee exporting state
• So what’s the big deal there?

7. What’s the Big Deal?
• Chiapas has the worst rates of poverty in Mexico:
– three-fourths of its people are malnourished, half live
in dwellings with dirt floors
– 19% of the population has no income
– 39% earn less than minimum wage ($3/day)
• Chiapas is a huge contributor to the global
economy (water, oil, etc.), but is getting little in
return.
– huge division between rich & poor in the state

8. What are they fighting for?
• Zapatistas want to eliminate the division
between the social classes in Chiapas
(wealthy vs. poor)
– They argued that the indigenous people of
Mexico needed more help to improve healthcare,
housing education, & jobs.
• They have tried to peacefully negotiate with
Mexico’s government, but the agreements
have not solved the peoples’ problems…
• .

9. Subcomandante Marcos
"The natural wealth that leaves these lands doesn't
travel over just these three roads (leading to Chiapas).
Chiapas is bled through thousands of veins: through oil
ducts and gas ducts, over electric wires, by railroad
cars, through bank accounts, by trucks and vans, by
ships and planes...And what tribute does this land
continue to pay to various empires? Oil, electric
energy, cattle, money, bananas, honey, corn, cocoa,
tobacco, sugar, soy...and Chiapan blood flows out
through a thousand and one fangs sunk into the neck
of southeastern Mexico."

10. NAFTA & the Zapatistas…
• 1994—North American Free Trade Agreement came
into effect & allowed free trade between US, Canada,
& Mexico
• Some people in Mexico did not like this plan:
– thought that NAFTA would allow cheap farm goods to
come into Mexico from the US
– thought NAFTA benefitted the wealthy and hurt the
poor Native American farmers by lowering prices of crops
like coffee and corn
– farmers in Mexico would not be able to compete with the
cheaper food

11. NAFTA & the Zapatistas…
• On the day NAFTA took effect, the
Zapatistas took over 7 towns in their part of
Mexico (state of Chiapas).
• The Mexican army was sent to remove the
Zapatistas.
• fighting lasted for several weeks, & a cease-
fire eventually ended the fighting
• Zapatistas did not go away

12. Armed Takeover in Chiapas
01/01/94

13. The Revolt of 1994
• The revolt was put down by
the Mexican National Army,
but the Zapatistas received
recognition from governments
worldwide.
• The revolt helped put
pressure on the Mexican
government to fix the
problems in the Chiapas
region

14. Mexico and the Zapatistas Today
• Since the Zapatista revolt in
1994, the Mexican
government and the EZLN
are working constantly to
come up with solutions in the
Chiapas.
• The Zapatistas want more
money and assistance from
the government in helping to
make the Chiapas region
prosperous.
• It’s taking a long time…

15. ZAPATISTA WRITING ASSIGNMENT
There are different opinions on exactly what the Zapatistas
fight for. Therefore, I want you to take a stand and write
either in FAVOR of the Zapatistas or AGAINST them. So
do you think of the Zapatistas more as:
1) A freedom fighting group that fights for the
rights of poor farmers and second class citizens.
OR
2) A terrorist group who is attempting to overthrow
the Mexican government through violence and
other illegal activities.

16. Picture Analysis
• What exactly do you see in the photograph?
• How are the people dressed?
• What are they doing?
• Imagine that you are in the picture. What
would you hear? What would you smell?
• Prediction: What happened right before this
image?
• Prediction: What happened right after this
image?

17. Picture 1

18. Picture 2

19. Picture 3

20. Picture 4

21. Picture 5

22. Picture 6

23. WHAT IS A GUERILLA?
Is This An Example of a Guerilla?

24. WHAT ARE GUERILLAS?
• Usually a small military
group
• Made up of non-traditional
soldiers
• Does not represent a
country but more a
common group or cause
• Uses surprise attacks and
sabotage to attack larger
more formal enemies

25. GUERILLA OR NOT GUERILLA??