ON JANUARY 1, 1994, THE EJÉRCITO ZAPATISTA DE LIBERACIÓN NACIONAL (ZAPATISTA ARMY OF NATIONAL LIBERATION, EZLN) ROSE UP IN ARMS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN MEXICAN STATE OF CHIAPAS. It was a rebellion against the worsening conditions of the so called 'agrarian sector', which consists mainly of poor indigenous peasant farmers -- the survivors of adverse economic policies, political corruption, and a long history of institutional racism. The EZLN took its name from Emiliano Zapata, the hero of the Mexican Revolution of 1917, who fought to redistribute land to peasants. Zapata was betrayed and assassinated in 1919, but his example lives on. The Zapatistas of the 1990s demand relief from the authoritarian government's highhanded attitude toward the peasantry, or campesinos, reinstitution of constitutional guarantees to land, and resistance to the neo-liberal economic prescriptions of such transnational institutions as the International Monetary Fund and the North American Free Trade Agreement.

TWO YEARS LATER, IN JANUARY OF 1996, THE EZLN ISSUED THE FIRST DECLARATION OF REALIDAD FOR HUMANITY AND AGAINST NEOLIBERALISM. In it, the rebels called for an meeting of peoples in struggle throughout the world in the their 'free zone' in the Chiapas in the summer of that year. The EZLN made the call mainly because of the apparent interest in such a meeting demonstrated through their international referendum, or 'consulta', in 1995. The response to the First Declaration was tremendous -- much greater than the EZLN or their support groups expected. In July of 1996, over 3,000 people from five continents met at five sites in the Chiapas. This was the First Intercontinental Meeting for Humanity and against Neoliberalism, known in short as the 'Encuentro' (the Spanish word for 'meeting').

The discussion at each of the five sites of the First Encuentro was devoted to a different topic: politics, economics, culture and media, civil society, and identity and community. One common theme arose from the workshops (or 'mesas'): a 'network of struggles' had to be developed, in order to build a new pluralistic, democratic, and participitory international movement to combat contemporary, worldwide, neo-liberal capitalism and build alternatives to it. Several other themes arose, including the need for special focus on the struggles of women and indigenous peoples, living within and between the borders of nation-states. The participants also decided that a Second Encuentro should be held in the summer of 1997 in the territory of the Spanish state, to continue the discussion of these and other issues.

The Second Encuentro was held at six sites in the territory of the Spanish state between July 25 and August 3, 1997. Nearly 4,000 people from Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Oceania attended. Not only was discussion of the topics of the previous year's Encuentro continued, but 'networks' and 'women and the struggle against patriarchy' were designated themes to be discussed at all mesas.

THIS IS NOT A WEB SITE FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE EZLN, ITS VARIOUS SUPPORTERS, OR THE DIFFERENT MANIFESTATIONS OF 'ZAPATISMO' (WHATEVER THAT MAY BE). There are many good and thorough sites, links to some of which are found below. Rather, this site is dedicated specifically the continuing Encuentro process. In particular this site shall contain information on organizing in solidarity with the Zapatistas and work related to the Encuentros taking place in the United Kingdom, or relevant to such. This will take the form of announcements, occasional reports, analyses, debates, images, and imaginative writings. Activists and organizers are encouraged to contribute. Send submissions by e. mail to <barrenador@acephale.org>.

UK e-mail lists

CHIAPAS LINK: an e-mail focal point and discussion list for the exchange of information about recent events in the Zapatista struggle, human rights abuses in the Chiapas and elsewhere in Mexico, and about how you can make a difference -- whether locally or by working in Chiapas. To join, just send e. mail to <chiapaslink@acephale.org> with the word 'subscribe' in the subject field.

Articles, essays, and reports on this site

REPORT AND PHOTOS FROM THE ZAPATISTA CHALLENGE CONFERENCE, LONDON, MARCH 7 & 8, 1998 (posted 26/6/98)

Global Capital and Global Struggles: The Making of a New Internationalism and the Zapatistas' Voice (Massimo de Angelis, fHumaN)

Rainbow at Midnight: Zapatistas, Women, Indigenous Peoples and the Struggle for Autonomy from Neoliberal Globalisation (Patrick Cuninghame & Carolina Ballesteros Corona)

Review of Tom Barry's Zapata's Revenge (1995) (M.F. Lane)

Thoughts on the Second Intercontinental Meeting for Humanity and against Neoliberalism (M.F. Lane)

Journey through Chiapas (D. Trees, Bristol Chiapas Support Group)

We Will not Surrender! (D. Trees, Bristol Chiapas Support Group)

Links to other Encuentro sites

Introduction to the concept of the Encuentros (part of "Documents from the First Intercontinental Encounter" by Harry Cleaver)

The First Declaration of Realidad for Humanity and against Neoliberalism

The Gatherings for Humanity and against Neoliberalism

The Second Declaration of Realidad for Humanity and against Neoliberalism (preparation for the Second Encuentro)

Official site of the Second Encuentro

Links to general information about the EZLN

Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional

Enlace Civil (network of Zapatista civil society; Spanish-language site)

Acción Zapatista, Austin, Texas

Irish Mexico Group

Chiapas 95 discussion group

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Last up-dated on 18 August 1998