Brigade 1 Reportback Document from the Observation/Solidarity Caravan to Zapatista Territory in Chiapas

Brigade #1 Report: Observation and Solidarity Caravan with the Zapatista Communities of Chiapas (Caracol IV Arcoiris de la Esperanza de el Nuevo Amanecer, Torbellino de Nuestras Palabras , Municipio Autonomo 17 de Noviembre) Morelia.

translated by Alma Perez

Conformed of Swiss, Spanish , Italian, French, Xican@s from the United States and Mexican observers, including the comrade Delia Perez who was liberated the past 24th of July after being unjustly imprisoned for eight years and member of the resistance movement “La Voz del Amate” in the Mexican prison known as CERESO #14 in Chiapas. Currently Delia is a participant in the organization “Voces Inocentes” composed of ex-political prisoners.

From August 3rd through the 7th four communities were visited: “Nueva Revolucion”, “8 de Marzo”, “10 de Abril”, and “Francisco Villa”. All of these territories were territories recuperated during the Zapatista uprising of 1994. Also, the municipal clinic, the coffee cooperative “Café Tatawelo”, and the Autonomous Recreation Center “Tzaconeja” (where the rivers meet) were visited.

Gatherings with authorities, health and education promoters as well as with actual community members took place in all the communities visited. The themes addressed were: how autonomy is exercised in the communities, honor and justice, autonomous health care, autonomous education, women’s participation, the creation and organization of cooperatives and food sustainability.

Emphasize was placed on informing about the problems of harassment and repression that communities are suffering, principally through the displacement from their territories and the exploitation of natural resources, for which the bad government uses counterinsurgency strategies.

In the case of the Tzeltal community “Nueva Revolucion” the bad government has plans to build a dam that would flood the community, and surrounding communities. Residents have been offered money to abandon their land which would not only leave the community landless but would also destroy the vegetation and wild life of the territory; all of this is part of the Hydroelectric Infrastructure Plan in the region.

In the Tojolobal community “8 de Marzo” the bad governments plan is to create an ecotourism project given that an unexcavated Mayan archeological site is found in the area which they want to exploit. Even though the territory where the site is found is not Zapatista territory the project would implicate the construction of roads which would require that Zapatista communities be removed from their land. The community also commented that neither military nor police officials enter the community but rather individuals undercover as civilians enter the community; these individuals are suspected to belong to government intelligence groups since they arrive with the intention of knowing how the Zapatista communities organize. In addition, paramilitary groups composed of individuals who still have faith in the political parties are formed by the government. These group members are given animals as incentives but since they do not have land to keep them they put them on Zapatista territory which creates confrontations between Zapatista communities and non-Zapatista communities. Also on occasions community members have seen how military personnel enter Zapatista territory and spread marijuana seeds so that later Zapatista communities can be accused of planting marijuana in their territory. This is the argument that the government of Sabines utilized when attempting to enter the Zapatista territory known as “El Carcacol de la Garrucha” on June 4th of this year.

The Tzeltal and Tojolobal community “10 de Abril” was formed in 1995 and has been disposed of their land on three occasions until this day, the same number of times that women, men and children have resisted and returned. The women of the community have been in the forefront of the struggle defending the land of their ancestors. Currently with the state government the strategies have changed, it is now the paramilitaries dressed as civilians that enter the communities and harass its members, creating divisions between communities and at the same time creating a threatening ad hostile climate.

In the Tojolobal community “Francisco Villa”, community members indicated that they were aware of the creation of paramilitary groups in a nearby community known as “Galilea”; the political parties that are behind this strategy are the PRI, PRD and the Partido Verde Ecologista, whom also incite young community members to consume alcohol which is prohibited n Zapatista communities. The government also has a fish farm project in mind which would require the creation of a dam; the intention is to privatize the natural resources of the Rio Azul. What this would implicate is the destruction of a mountain that serves as a containment wall for the community which would make the possibilities of a flood in the community very likely. The territory that this community currently occupies once functioned as a landing field for military helicopters and thus they faced constant harassment by helicopters over flying the area.
All of this forms part of the new governmental strategy undertaken by the current PRD governor of Chiapas Juan Sabines who obeys the project known as el Plan Mesoamerica (Plan Puebla Panama).

It is important to mention that for the purpose of reference the interviews with the Zapatista community members were recorded in audio and some in visual. These materials can be found in the following websites:

Enlace Zapatista
Regeneracion Radio
CMI Chiapas