Mexican rebels mark anniversary with quiet celebration

By The Associated Press and The Dallas Morning News

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive

Last year, some 15,000 people marched to the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, criticizing President Vicente Fox and demanding stronger Indian rights.

This year, it was a nostalgic occasion, with about 1,000 rebels and their supporters remembering the old days of struggle — and brushing off questions about whether their movement has entered a blind alley of land disputes and quarrels with other Indians.

"Today we are gathered to remember the Zapatista uprising, the most important date in our entire history as Indians," a masked rebel leader who identified himself only as Daniel told a gathering some 20 miles north of San Cristobal de las Casas.

A group of rag-tag rebels, some carrying fake guns, shocked Mexico and the world on New Year's Day 10 years ago when they marched into several southern towns and declared war on the government.

After a week of fighting, a cease-fire was called and still-incomplete peace talks were scheduled. About 150 people died in the fighting, most of them young Mayan rebels.

Today, the threat of military action against the Zapatista rebels has faded, along with their presence on the national and international stage. But the political fight for Indian rights rages on across Mexico, analysts say, and is likely to do so for years to come.

"They came to the table without an invitation and made everyone uncomfortable," said Luis Hernandez Navarro, a columnist for the Mexico City newspaper La Jornada. "But they came to stay."

The Zapatista legacy in the 10 years since the rebels first appeared publicly and the 20 years since they formed in the jungles of the southern state of Chiapas has been a radical change in the Indians' perceptions of themselves and Mexicans' perceptions of the country's poorest minority, analysts say.

"What has changed is that people in the Zapatista areas are organized and have their dignity," said Hernandez, who has worked on community projects in Chiapas. "They can look at anyone in the eye, when before they had to bow their heads."

The government's point man to find a lasting peace, Luis Alvarez, agreed.

"They were right to rebel 10 years ago because of the poverty and misery," said Alvarez. "Theirs was a voice that spoke for the poor of Mexico. It was a voice that was heard, and now they are being helped" by the government.

There is still no formal peace accord between the rebels and the Fox administration. And the Zapatistas remain an armed group.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company