Mexico City, January 3 (RHC)-- In Mexico, the Zapatistas have been holding a four-day celebration to mark the 30th anniversary of the group’s 1994 uprising when they declared war on the Mexican government and took five towns in Chiapas in southern Mexico. 

The uprising began on January 1, 1994, on the same day that NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, took effect.  The Zapatista National Liberation Army, or EZLN, warned that NAFTA meant death to Indigenous peoples. Supporters of the Zapatistas took part in this weekend’s celebration and praised the group for standing up to the Mexican government.

Zapatista leader Maria Gonzalez said: “To see the organizations upholding their autonomy encourages me. It is an example of dignity. They were the only ones who dared to raise their voices, to say enough is enough, against oblivion, against regression, against death, against discrimination.”