1 / 14

Zapatistas

Zapatistas. Unit 8 Notes. Who are the Zapatistas?. a group of Mexicans who support improved rights & living conditions for Mexico’s indigenous people named after Emiliano Zapata, who lived in the early 20 th century & fought for the rights of native people in Mexico

efrat
Download Presentation

Zapatistas

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Zapatistas Unit 8 Notes

  2. Who are the Zapatistas? • a group of Mexicans who support improved rights & living conditions for Mexico’s indigenous people • named after Emiliano Zapata, who lived in the early 20th century & fought for the rights of native people in Mexico • In the late 1900s, the Zapatistas were known for harassment and sabotage against the government.

  3. Emiliano Zapata • 1880-1919 • poor mestizo sharecropper • hero in the Mexican revolution of 1914-1915 • demanded justice for the indigenous people of Mexico

  4. What is Guerrilla Warfare? • sudden, unexpected acts carried about by groups that fight using “hit and run” tactics • Many terrorist groups employ guerrilla warfare.

  5. Chiapas • The uprising is focused in the Mexican state of 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?

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. Armed Takeover in Chiapas01/01/94

  10. Zapatistas’ Concerns • agreements between the Zapatistas & the government have not solved the peoples’ problems • They argued that the indigenous people of Mexico needed more help to improve healthcare, housing education, & jobs.

  11. Latest Developments • Seven years after the 1st revolt, on March 11, 2001, the Zapatistas marched to Mexico City and addressed Congress. • They encouraged the passage of an Indigenous Rights Bill. • Unfortunately, the bill was unsuccessful due to Congress radically changing it and denying indigenous people certain rights.

  12. Latest Developments • January 2003: Rose up again armed with machetes denouncing neoliberalism (free trade policies), ecotourism, foreign investment and plans for war with Iraq • have aggressively detained several foreigners in an effort to deter foreign investment

More Related