Speaker explores Chiapas' struggle

On Tuesday evening, a representative from the Red de Defensores spoke to Boston College students about the large-scale threats that globalization poses for the indigenous people in Chiapas, Mexico. Manuel Mendez Guzman titled his lecture "Communities Confronting Globalization."

Guzman is one of 29 members of the Red de Defensores, a group that fights against human rights abuses of the indigenous Zapatista people. He works with Corry Banton of the Mexico Solidarity Network, a U.S. lobbying organization devoted to protecting immigrant rights, to spread awareness about the challenges facing the indigenous in Chiapas. The Mexican government currently gives no aid to these people.

The Zapatistas of Chiapas, Mexico, have chosen to break away from the Mexican government and live in indigenous communities. Chiapas is the southernmost state of Mexico and rich with natural resources. The majority of the population is indigenous, and lives under marginalized conditions.

The Zapatista uprising began Jan. 1, 1994, in opposition to the implementation of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that occurred that same day. Guzman began his lecture by explaining that the indigenous people realized that their economic and social lifestyle was dramatically threatened by this treaty, so they decided to rebel immediately.

He mentioned that one particular aspect of NAFTA that was damaging to the indigenous communities was that free trade between Mexico and the United States made cheaper corn crop available, which virtually destroyed the indigenous peoples' main economic export.

Guzman added that the Mexican government has been violent in its opposition to the Zapatista movement in Chiapas.

Although there were numerous attempts at peace talks between the indigenous and the Mexican government in 1996, the Mexican government decided to fund "paramilitares" or paramilitary groups to intimidate the indigenous populations.

Guzman explained that his organization, the Red de Defensores, was established Dec. 1, 1999, to fight many of the human rights violations that were occurring at the hands of paramilitary groups. "Red de Defensores" literally means the "network of defenders." Guzman explained that the group originated as a group of people from the indigenous communities who were invited to take courses and learn about the human rights violations that were occurring.

The Red de Defensores made the protection of human rights, especially the protection of women, its major priority from the start of its organization until the year 2006. As a result of the Defensores' efforts, 11 paramilitary leaders were detained, including two leaders who were responsible for coordinating paramilitary activity in many other areas of Chiapas.

Interviews with these two leaders revealed that the paramilitary was receiving instructions from the Mexican government about whom to kill.

In 2006, the Red de Defensores started a new movement with economic, social, and environmental goals for the indigenous communities, said Guzman. Many of these movements are in response to recent laws, which prevent the indigenous from owning and passing on communal land to their families.

Many of the indigenous have been displaced from their original homes and now live with neighbors or in temporary camps without potable water or electricity.

They are hopeful that this new movement will continue to decrease the human rights violations in the Zapatista communities.