Who needs Zapatismo? state interventions and local responses in Marqués de Comillas, Chiapas

Abstract

The Zapatista uprising in 1994 has affected many areas of Mexican politics. This article analyses its impact in Marqués de Comillas, a sub-region of the Lacandon forest in Chiapas, by examining new projects of sustainable development and the creation of new local governments. Although each of these initiatives can be seen as part of the state's counter-insurgency strategy to undermine support for Zapatismo, local responses reveal a more ambiguous situation, in which the reproduction of exclusionary forms of economic and political organization are contested by the most marginalized groups, particularly women. The main argument is that Zapatismo remains a vital source of political identity and practical inspiration, as well as a necessary reminder of the pending tasks of democratization in Chiapas and beyond.