Abstract
When the Zapatista army emerged from the mountains and jungle of the previously forgotten Mexican state of Chiapas in the early hours of the 1st January 1994, (the ones without faces, the ones without voices) they stepped directly into the media spotlight, making front page news around the world. With fresh ideas and radical actions, the Zapatista rebellion has highlighted that the Tzotzil, Tzeltal, Tojolobal, Chol and other Mayan ethnic groups of Chiapas experience conditions of extremes of poverty in Mexico. Infant mortality is double the national mortality average. 67% of the population suffers from malnutrition. The year before the Zapatista uprising, roughly 30,000 people in Chiapas died of hunger and diseases related to malnutrition. Today the situation may change with the election of Fox and on the otherside the Pacific Zapatistas in Mexico organized a meeting between Marcos and Fox. Nevertheless, we will try to understand the Zapatistas movement and the need for it.
