Zapatista Update

It’s not unusual for rumors about a second zapatista uprising to circulate through the streets of san cristobal, but lately i’m starting to question what’s rumor and what’s real. an acquaintance who has lived here for 3 years and is somewhat connected recently said the news around town is that the zapatistas are preparing a “second phase” of the war. marcos himself has explicitly stated the zapatistas will not stand by as paramilitary groups continue to harass villagers and attempt to steal their lands.

of course, you can always find predictions of another uprising on lefty pubs like the world war 4 report and narconews. but when mainstream news agencies like reuters and high-profile writers like naomi klein suggest war is near, well… you start to wonder.

take all this into account and you start to notice other little things. that subcommandante marcos recently said he would not be seen in public for some time, for example. or, as my friend meredith pointed out, the fact that the mexico solidarity network recently decided to postpone its spring speaking tours “due to unforeseen events.” quite simply, many of the volunteers and activists who work closely with the zapatistas are quietly slipping out of sight. where are they going? what are they doing? i guess we’ll find out.