ARTICLE: 30th Anniversary of the Zapatista Uprising

A fter much speculation and rumors, the official invitation to the 30^th anniversary of the armed uprising of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) was finally published on December 24^th, after a series of 20 communiqués that explain its reading of the moment and the strategic option of the movement for the future.

The invitation, however, was accompanied by a warning regarding the risks of participating due to the current insecurity situation in Chiapas.

For those who chose to participate despite this, the anniversary celebration took place in Caracol Dolores Hidalgo, municipality of Ocosingo, between December 30^th, 2023 and January 2^nd, 2024.

Of the 5,000 to 6,000 people who participated, the vast majority were Support Bases and militia. Others came from further afield, including 20 countries, such as Argentina, Bolivia and Brazil, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Slovenia and Iran.

Each of the 12 Caracoles or Zapatista regions performed a work. The topics addressed included life on the farms, where their grandparents had to serve in a situation of semi-slavery, the Mayan Train and its effects, and the new structures of the movement that were presented at the end of 2023.

In the communiqués read on December 31^st, Subcommander Moises once again presented the new structure of the movement, whose commitment is to “invert the pyramid.” He also spoke of the “Common”, lands that belong to no one and, therefore, belong to everyone. Only what is grown in the ground belongs to the person who planted it. “We will defend ourselves,” added Subcommander Moisés.