Zapatista Army of National Liberation

The Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) is a Mexican Indigenous-led political and armed movement based in Chiapas. It became internationally known after its 1994 uprising against the Mexican state.

Chiapas: A state in southeastern Mexico with a large Indigenous population and persistent rural poverty. The EZLN emerged in Chiapas, where its communities and organizing took root.
Zapatista autonomous municipalities: Local governing bodies established by Zapatista communities outside formal Mexican government structures. They put the movement’s demand for Indigenous self-government into local practice.
Comandanta Ramona: A Tzotzil Zapatista commander and representative who became a prominent figure in the movement. Her public role challenged gender exclusion and represented Indigenous women within Zapatista politics.
San Andrés Accords: Agreements signed in 1996 by the Mexican government and the EZLN on Indigenous rights and culture. They recorded negotiated commitments that the EZLN said the government failed to implement.
Institutional Revolutionary Party: A Mexican political party that governed the country continuously from 1929 to 2000. The EZLN’s 1994 uprising challenged a political system long dominated by the ruling party.
North American Free Trade Agreement: A trade agreement among Mexico, the United States, and Canada that took effect in 1994. The EZLN chose the agreement’s start date for its uprising, opposing its effects on Indigenous livelihoods.
Caracoles (Zapatista communities): Regional centers coordinating Zapatista autonomous communities and their relations with outside groups. They organize regional cooperation among communities and autonomous municipalities.
Comandanta Esther: A Tzeltal Zapatista leader who addressed Mexico’s Congress in 2001. Her congressional speech presented the movement’s demands through an Indigenous woman’s perspective.
Cocopa Law: A 1996 legislative proposal intended to implement the Indigenous-rights provisions of the San Andrés Accords. The proposal became a focal point in disputes over whether the agreements would be honored.
National Liberation Army (Colombia): A Colombian Marxist guerrilla organization founded in 1964. Despite a similar name and armed origins, it developed in a different country and political context.

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