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Abstract
Examined here is the way in which the indigenous uprising in Chiapas has been able to mobilize international support by employing globally shared discourses to articulate collective identities and political demands. The focus is on the group of liberation theology Roman Catholics in San Pedro Chenalhó and their political association Las Abejas, today one of the most potent symbols of civil indigenous resistance in Chiapas. Of interest is how peasants use suffering as a key concept to position themselves within a global humanity. Evoking Christian ethics as well as international human rights legislation, they demand the right to live without suffering, and regard their political struggle as part of a global struggle for justice and peace.
Notes
1 The Catholics differentiate themselves from Protestants and ‘traditionals’ in the municipality. Catholics became divided after the Zapatista uprising, when many joined the Zapatista base groups in Chenalhó and parted company with the diocese. This article focuses on the ‘official’ Catholic group in Chenalhó, which has maintained close relations with the diocese.
2 The practitioners of ‘customary’ religion in the indigenous communities, while influenced by Catholicism and in some regions defining themselves as Catholics, have only limited relations with the diocese and its clergy, primarily for receiving the sacrament of baptism for their children.
3 Interview, 16 June 1996.
4 Interview, 27 May 1996.
5 The NAFTA agreement between Mexico, the U.S. and Canada came into force on 1 January 1994, and is commonly given as the main reason why the Zapatistas chose that day to initiate their uprising. The changes of Article 27 concerning the status of ejidal land were made in 1992.
6 The Exodus of the Israelites is a central theme for liberation theologists, since it is regarded as pointing to ‘the liberating intervention of God,’ which is understood to have taken place historically, embracing not only religious but also social and political liberation [Gutierrez, Citation1996: 220–21].
7 Catholic Pedranos state that all humans, including the rich, may experience suffering, for example, at the loss of a child (and then also seek God for comfort). Such suffering, however, is characterized by them as individual and sporadic, not collective and continuous.
8 Interview, 8 June 1996.
9 Interview, 30 May 1996.
10 Pedranos usually called the association Sociedad Civil. The name Las Abejas was used principally when acting outside Chenalhó. Since 1998, however, the formal name of the association is Sociedad Civil Las Abejas, and it is referred to mainly as Las Abejas.
11 Communiqué from Las Abejas on 22 September 1999.
12 Speech by Bishop Felipe Arizmendi, reported by the electronic news service Melel Xojobal,2000.
13 Newsletters from Jesuit Pedro Arriaga 11 March 2002; ‘Pascua Tzotzil en Chenalhó’, and 12 April 2002; ‘Angeles y mujeres’, the latter with text attached by Harriet Paterson, 2 April 2002; ‘The Virgin of the Massacre: An Easter Pilgrimage’.
14 Since Polhó is a Zapatista-controlled village, it is more restricted where visitors are concerned. Acteal thus provides an easy-access alternative for those interested in learning about indigenous struggle.
15 See, for example, the CHT web site on www.prairinet.org/cpt or the SPAN website www.spanweb.org.
16 www.globalexchange.org/tours, December 2002.
17 ‘Greetings From Zapatista Land’ by Margot Roosevelt in Time Magazine, 3 September 2001. The tour made a contribution of 800 pesos (US$90) to the camp.
18 The statue is part of series of ten planned by the artist, to be erected in various parts of the world, each to serve as a memorial ‘of a severe infringement against humanity’ (data from the artist's website: www.aidoh.dk).
19 The yearly prize is part of the activities of the National Consultative Commission of Human Rights of the French Republic. Las Abejas shared the prize and 600,000 francs with five other associations from all over the world.
20 ‘Greetings From Zapatista Land’ by Margot Roosevelt in Time Magazine, 3 September 2001.