Zapatistas of Mexico EZLN

Zapatista Guerilla Movement The Zapatista guerilla movement gets its name from Emiliano Zapata, who lived in the early 20th century and fought for the rights of the native people. In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement came into effect. The Zapatistas were angered by this agreement and took over small towns in southern Mexico. They felt the trade agreement would be harmful to the farmers of the region.

Why did the indigenous people in Chiapas feel that they were being treated like second class citizens? Colonialism had enslaved the indigenous people Even after they were freed from the Spanish rule their status did not change greatly.

How did this lead to revolt in 1994? Indigenous people feared the NAFTA agreement would only make things worse on the native people

What changes did the Zapatistas want? Autonomy for the indigenous people Better economic and social conditions for the indigenous people

What was the impact of the Zapatista guerilla movement? Guerilla movement has served as an inspiration for other movements against unfair treatment in other parts of the world.

What were the political outcomes? Government signed a truce but never really followed through to enact anything in the government to help the indigenous people

How are remnants of the old caste system still noticeable in Latin American Society today? A caste system is a system that predetermines what certain people can do. The native people are limited in what they can do because their social status is much like the caste system that predetermines what they can do, who they can marry, and what they can become.