Mayan Lives, Mayan Utopias

The Maya Indian peoples of Chiapas had been mobilizing politically for years before the Zapatista rebellion that brought them to international attention. This authoritative volume explores the different ways that Indians across Chiapas have carved out autonomous cultural and political spaces in their diverse communities and regions. Offering a consistent and cohesive vision of the complex evolution of a region and its many cultures and histories, this work is a fundamental source for understanding key issues in nation building. In a unique collaboration, the book brings together recognized authorities who have worked in Chiapas for decades, many linking scholarship with social and political activism. Their combined perspectives, many previously unavailable in English, make this volume the most authoritative, richly detailed, and authentic work available on the people behind the Zapatista movement.

The dramatic January 1, 1994, emergence of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) in Chiapas, Mexico, brought the state's indigenous peoples to the attention of the international community. Yet indigenous peoples in Chiapas had been politically active and organized for years prior to the uprising. This compelling volume examines in detail these local and regional histories of power and resistance, powerfully bolstered by gripping and heartrending details of oppression and opposition. Situated broadly within the field of political anthropology, the authors trace the connections between indigenous culture and indigenous resistance. Their case studies include the Tzotzils and Tzeltals of the highland region, the Tojolabals of eastern Chiapas, northern Ch'ol communities, the Mams of eastern and southeastern Chiapas, and the settler communities of the Lacandon rain forest. In the wake of the Chiapas rebellion, all of these groups have increasingly come together around common goals, the most important of which is autonomy. Three essays focus specifically on the issue of Indian autonomy_in both Zapatista and non-Zapatista communities. Offering a consistent and cohesive vision of the complex evolution of a region and its many cultures and histories, this work is a fundamental source for understanding key issues in nation building. In a unique collaboration, the book brings together recognized authorities who have worked in Chiapas for decades, many linking scholarship with social and political activism. Their combined perspectives, many previously unavailable in English, make this volume the most authoritative, richly detailed, and authentic work available on the people behind the Zapatista movement.

Chapter 1 Foreword
Chapter 2 Introduction
Part 3 Part I: Mayan Lives: Continuity and Change
Chapter 4 A Generation of Crisis in the Central Highlands of Chiapas: The Cases of Chamula and Zinacantán, 1974-2000
Chapter 5 Between Civil Disobedience and Silent Rejection: Differing Responses by Mam Peasants to the Zapatista Rebellion
Chapter 6 The Ch'ols Reclaim Palenque, or the War of Eternal Return
Part 7 Part II: Mayan Lives: Making New Societies
Chapter 8 Regional Renegotiations of Space: Tojolabal Ethnic Identity in Las Margaritas, Chiapas
Chapter 9Buscando una nueva vida: Liberation Through Autonomy in San Pedro, Chenalhó, 1970-1998
Chapter 10 Regional, Communal and Organizational Transformation in Las Cañadas
Part 11 Part III: Mayan Utopias: Rethinking the State
Chapter 12 The de Facto Autonomous Process: New Jurisdictions and Parallel Governments in Rebellion
Chapter 13 Autonomy in the San Andrés Accords: Expression and Fulfillment of a New Federal Pact
Chapter 14 The Meaning and Scope of the Struggle for Autonomy