The Chiapas uprising of 1994: Historical antecedents and political consequences

Abstract

This introduction examines the historical background and political consequences of the 1994 armed uprising by the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN) in the Mexican state of Chiapas. It begins by presenting a chronology of events, and charting some of the impacts of the uprising on democratization and the rights of indigenous peoples and women in Mexico. This is followed by an examination of the debate concerning the origins and nature of the EZLN itself. Also considered are the agrarian reform, state formation, economic crisis and political and religious change in Chiapas over the period 1920–2004. The final section looks briefly at some of the consequences of the rebellion of 1994, which reignited and intensified many of the pre-existing social and political conflicts in the state.