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a land reform bill introduced in 1993 sought to privatize the country’s ejidos
The Zapatistas argued that NAFTA and land reform would lead to further impoverishment of the Indians
Pres. Carlos Salinas de Gortari had initiated peace talks in early 1994, but the conflict with the EZLN remained unresolved by the time Ernesto Zedillo assumed the presidency later that year
In February 1995 President Zedillo launched a brief military offensive against the EZLN
issuing an arrest warrant for Marcos and other key figures
The unpopularity of those actions led Zedillo to reverse the policy and resume negotiations with the EZLN
when both parties signed what became known as the San Andrés Accords
Meanwhile, the government simultaneously waged a covert war against the rebels. It armed paramilitary units that battled the Zapatistas and their supporters, frequently attacking civilians as retribution for their support of the rebels
One of the most horrific of those attacks occurred in December 1997
when paramilitary forces that supported the PRI massacred some 45 people—mostly women and children—in the pro-Zapatista Chiapas town of Acteal
The roughly three million Mexicans who participated in the voting overwhelmingly supported the implementation of the San Andrés Accords
When Vicente Fox, the first non-PRI candidate to be elected president in more than 70 years, took office in 2000, the Zapatistas called for his administration to meet their conditions, which included implementing the accords
In 2001 the federal legislature approved a revised version of the accords
In 2003 the Zapatistas declared that they were unilaterally implementing the original accords in their territory
escorted the Zapatistas on a six-month countrywide tour known as “The Other Campaign,” which coincided with the 2006 Mexican presidential race
violent confrontations between the Mexican military and the EZLN had abated
but tensions between Zapatista communities and the state and federal authorities continued to exist
Fabián Cháirez, the artist behind a controversial 2019 painting of a nude Emiliano Zapata wearing high heels and a pink sombrero atop a horse
Cháirez’s latest exhibition, “La venida del Señor” (“The Coming of the Lord”), opened Wednesday at the Academia de San Carlos as part of the capital’s annual Art Week. It is scheduled to run through March 7
the nine large-scale oil paintings depict Catholic figures such as angels
nuns and cardinals in intimate and ecstatic interactions
sexuality and the deconstruction of traditional masculinity — particularly within Mexican and Latin American cultural contexts
“I use religious images and characters from the Catholic imagination to make a comparison between religious ecstasy and sexual ecstasy,” Cháirez said at the exhibit’s opening
Originally from Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Cháirez first garnered national attention in 2019 with his portrait “La revolución,” which depicts Mexican Revolution hero Zapata in a traditionally feminine pose atop a horse with a prominent penis
Displayed at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City
the piece sparked public debate and protests
said that the painting “denigrates the figure of the general” and is harmful to the image of Mexican heroes
with “The Coming of the Lord,” Cháirez continues to push boundaries
“Its intention is not to generate controversy
but to open a space for discussion about how symbols can be reinterpreted to include voices that have historically been silenced,” he told the newspaper Milenio
One of the paintings in the series features two males dressed in traditional Catholic cardinal attire
holding and licking a lit Paschal candle (a symbol that often represents the resurrection of Christ
two nuns are intimately touching their heads together with ambiguous but perhaps amorous facial expressions
Cháirez said the inspiration for the series came from classical religious artworks such as Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s “The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa,” Fra Angelico’s “The Annunciation” and El Greco’s “The Immaculate Conception.”
Cháirez originally explored these themes in 2018 with commissioned paintings for the LGBTQ+ bar La Purísima in Mexico City.
His work later caught the attention of European galleries
His current exhibit coincides with Mexico City’s annual Art Week
a major cultural event that opened Wednesday and will conclude Sunday
At the opening for “The Coming of the Lord,” Cháirez pulled on an arm-length
plastic opera glove and black plastic head mask with eye and mouth holes to pose for pictures alongside his works — “in order to generate greater mystery,” Milenio wrote
Cháirez — whose family took him to church in an attempt to change his sexual orientation after he came out to them — embraces the discussion his works generate
“I would love for the public to question the roles imposed within society,” he said
“I hope that they approach my work with a critical eye,” he said
He said a premise for his new series was exploring how “to make erotic portraits without stripping the Catholic characters of their habits and clothes — something that is usually common when making an erotic portrait,” he said
He added that he posted photos of his new works on social media — in an attempt to “play with censorship.”
“As much as people tried to censor my pieces
morality and eroticism are things that are in the mind.”
“The Coming of the Lord” will be on display through March 7 at the 245-year-old Academia de San Carlos
about three blocks from the Zócalo plaza in downtown CDMX
The artist plans to offer guided tours, providing insights into his creative process. He will disclose the date(s) and time(s) on Instagram and/or Facebook.
With reports from Milenio and Chilango.com
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The following article was originally published on our sister site Ideas de Izquierda México (Left Ideas Mexico) to commemorate the birth of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata
In 1910, Mexico was celebrating its 100th anniversary as an independent nation. Since 1877 the country had been under the dictatorial rule of General Porfirio Díaz Mori, a veteran of the Franco-Mexican war of 1867
Through both constitutional reforms[1] and rigged elections
governing for over 30 years (a period known as the Porfiriato or the Pax Porfiriana)
His administration was known for its ruthless suppression of any political and social opposition
residents of the town of Tomochic were massacred on Díaz’s orders after they declared autonomy
Of the town’s 279 residents noted in the previous year’s census
165 died in the violence; the only survivors were women and children
Similar violence was waged against workers
In 1906 miners in the northern state of Sonora went on strike
as did textile workers the following year in the coastal state of Veracruz
This was the direct background of the Mexican Revolution: both strikes were repressed ruthlessly by the government
which killed hundreds of people with the help of U.S
on the centennial of Mexico’s independence
Díaz had the perfect opportunity to show off his government as a modern administration
He ordered the building of grandiose public works
and he accepted gifts from foreign governments
such as big ornamental clocks from China and the Ottoman Empire
his opponent was the young landowner Francisco Ignacio Madero
Madero promised democratic reforms and soon grew popular among the masses with the slogan “Sufragio efectivo
He ran as candidate of the newly established National Anti-reelection Party
where he published a document called “The Plan of San Luis Potosí,” in which he refused to acknowledge Díaz’s election
Given that all legal options had proved ineffective
the Mexican people should rise up and overthrow the dictatorship
but their effort was supported not by middle-class sectors
but by the popular masses of workers and peasants
Mexicans had a democratically elected president
Madero had gathered the support of anti-reelection sympathizers
working-class anarcho-syndicalists like the Flores Magón brothers in the North
ranchers such as Francisco “Pancho” Villa in the northern state of Chihuahua
and peasants such as Emiliano Zapata in the southern state of Morelos
But Madero’s presidency left the Porfirian apparatus intact and delayed the much-awaited agrarian reform
who refused to recognize Madero for his demagoguery
Madero in turn branded Zapata a traitor and ordered the army to pursue him
Zapata and his supporters responded to Madero’s military aggression with the “Plan of Ayala,”[2] marking a break with Madero and proposing a radicalization that went far beyond the Plan of San Luis Potosí
Articles 6 to 9 of the “Plan of Ayala” were based on two fundamental principles: First
the expropriation and nationalization of lands without compensation
This would be carried out against “the landowners
científicos[3] or leaders who directly or indirectly oppose this Plan,” targeting all landowning classes in the countryside
the land would be seized by dispossessed peasants
based on the armed power of the insurgent people
and it was the landowners who would later have to prove their right to the lands before the courts
as was called for in bourgeois legislation
The “Plan of Ayala” was undoubtedly the most advanced programmatic formulation of the land question that arose during the Mexican Revolution
It gave Zapatismo a strong anti-capitalist bent
This was also expressed on the political terrain: if at the beginning of the revolution the Zapatistas allied themselves with Madero—whose program was limited to institutional reforms and who represented a sector of the ruling class—they finally broke with him and adopted an independent position
one whose basis was both the “Plan of Ayala” and the towns of Morelos
where they established their own military organization
The Zapatistas tried to put the “Plan of Ayala” into practice during the following years
But it was not until 1915 when the Zapatistas’ radical agrarian policy could be broadened and deepened on a large scale
It was then that the Zapatistas and workers began constructing their own state
or what the historian Adolfo Gilly calls the Morelos Commune—echoing the Paris Commune of 1871
the peasants and agricultural workers of Morelos stormed the heavens
always trusting any advice and refusing to listen to the people close to him
fearing that the social discontent in Mexico would affect U.S
plotted with Díaz’s nephew Félix and General Victoriano Huerta to oust him in a coup
They gathered the support of conservative forces and staged battles in Mexico City for 10 days straight in what is known as the Decena Trágica (the Ten Tragic Days)
killing thousands of civilians and troops loyal to Madero while he and his vice president
and they finally transported him and Pino Suárez to the Lecumberri prison and executed them there; Madero’s brother
also perished at the hands of Huerta’s men
Pedro Lascuráin was named interim president
and his only action during the 45 minutes of his tenure was to give power over to Huerta
This farce led those who had risen up against Díaz to take up arms once again
the revolutionary forces—joined by the forces of Álvaro Obregón
governor of the eastern state of Coahuila—aimed to oust Huerta
Zapata and Villa met in Mexico City and arrived with their forces in a five-hour military parade
They discussed their political positions and agreed that neither sought power
even going as far as to (in a Goofy Gophers-esque situation) ask the other to sit in the presidential chair
The Mexican Revolution held the Aguascalientes Convention to try to erase the differences between the two factions
Carranza and Obregón represented the interests of the Mexican bourgeoisie and urban sectors
which wanted to maintain the status quo as much as possible while abolishing the most abhorrent aspects that the Porfirian regime
who sought land through an agrarian reform
Since the factions represented interests of opposing classes and social forces
they could agree only on a new interim president
Carranza and Obregón argued that constitutional power needed to be respected
and thus named themselves Constitutionalists and their military branch the Constitutional Army
decided to respect the agreements of the Aguascalientes Convention
and their faction was known as the Conventionalists
When the Zapatistas left Mexico City and returned to Morelos
Obregón went to war with Villa’s Northern Division
since Villa was his most powerful military adversary
and defeating him would open the way to victory for the Constitutionalists
allowed Zapata and his supporters to build
one of Mexico’s most advanced social and political experiences
deepening what had been done since 1911 and in particular since the defeat of Huerta in Morelos
The land distribution was carried out to return ancestral properties to their original owners through agrarian commissions
which raised the topographical plans and the boundaries of all the villages in the state
granting them fertile lands for cultivation and resources such as water wells
This culminated in a great social transformation: the expropriation without compensation of the haciendas and the elimination of the economically dominant class in Morelos
This also showed that point 8 of the “Plan of Ayala,” as noted above
105 Morelos villages recovered their lands
in charge of the Executive Power of the conventionalist government.”[5]
This was accompanied by the creation of a National Bank of Rural Credit
The purpose of these measures was to promote the sustainability of agricultural production by facilitating access to credit
and tools and by promoting the modernization of the countryside and collective planning
Although this was mostly concentrated in Morelos and the neighboring states where the Liberation Army of the South had military influence
Manuel Palafox—one of Zapata’s secretaries—used these initiatives to widen the scope of the “Plan of Ayala.” On this point
it is important to consider the Zapatista policy toward the sugar mills:
The most advanced production units in the state of Morelos
due to their technification and productivity
were nationalized without payment: We are referring to the mills and distilleries…
were the main economic sustenance of the state…
operating with state-of-the-art machinery and a very sophisticated irrigation system
The degree of development of the sugar industry can be measured if we consider that Morelos supplied one-third of the sugar consumed nationally
and was the third-largest sugar-producing region in the world.[6]
The development of this profound economic transformation was not devoid of contradictions
While Zapata and his associates preferred the proliferation of sugarcane production to feed the sugar mills and thus fund the “war economy,” the communities favored guaranteeing their livelihoods through production for self-consumption
a decision that was generally respected by the Zapatista high command
The expropriation and nationalization of the haciendas and the sugar mills verified the anti-capitalist dynamic that unfolded in Morelos
a dynamic that—within the limits imposed by the economic and social structure of the state and regions—called into question the property of the former ruling class over the region’s primary means of production
The economic transformation was accompanied by a change in social relations
The expropriation and nationalization of land in Morelos had its correlate in forms of specific power that preserved the conquests and the achievement of the programmatic mandates of the Ayala Plan
According to Adolfo Gilly and John Womack Jr.
decision-making and collective organization of villages served to re-create a type of democratic power in the state
which was the sustenance of the anti-capitalist measures carried out by the Zapatistas.[7]
Another author defines it as “an experience of self-government
of freedom for communities and of progress in transforming social
economic and political relations at the local level … an autonomous regional power—a regional state
The Morelos Commune and the Zapatista government[9] radically opposed all the governments that emerged during the revolutionary process: they destroyed—albeit locally—the capitalist state and its economic basis
sustaining themselves through the expropriation and nationalization of the latifundia and the sugar mills
nourished by their own forms of organization
as well as the revolutionary character of Morelos insurrection
the commune would succumb to the Constitutionalist military offensive
although Zapata and Palafox proposed extending their legislation to the national level
in the essential moments of the revolution
showed the primacy of a regionalist perspective
the expression of a peasant-based movement
the political and social immaturity of the young working class (as well as the harmful role of Constitutionalism
which co-opted working-class sectors) deprived the insurgent peasantry of the urban ally that could have powered a revolutionary struggle against the bourgeoisie for national political power
today’s EZLN does not uphold the most advanced and revolutionary principles of the original Zapatistas
There is no doubt that the Morelos Commune’s experience of self-government could not have been sustained for a single day without the expropriation of the landowners and the subsequent agrarian distribution
the self-determination of the peoples and communities headed by the Liberation Army of the South could become real only through a profound economic transformation and through an attack—in this case
a regional one—on the old power of the ruling class
And precisely because it did not have a perspective to fight for power at the national level and transform the entire capitalist structure of the country
the Zapatista experiment in self-government could not find greater support or avoid defeat
The actions of the Liberation Army of the South and the Morelos Commune
one of the most radical actors in the Mexican Revolution
should be contrasted with the experience and program of the EZLN
the latter’s Good Government Councils (created in 2003) and the actions of the Zapatista communities are part of a decades-long process of resistance against the bourgeois state and express the aspirations of indigenous peoples
Their defense against state repression—regardless of whether they govern neoliberally or “progressively”—is a matter of principle for revolutionaries
Sixteen years since the experience of autonomy and self-management in the Zapatista communities began
in a communiqué from the Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee-General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation and by the Zapatista Rebel Autonomous Municipalities of Chiapas
“The EZLN decided to totally suspend any contact with the Mexican federal government and political parties
and the Zapatista communities ratified in making resistance their main form of struggle…
Zapatista and rebel indigenous peoples have prepared a series of changes that refer to their internal functioning and their relationship with national and international civil society.”
The EZLN thus broke with the Mexican regime and created its own institutions
searching for a path toward autonomy outside the capitalist system—a project aligned with Toni Negri’s idea of “communism here and now.” But this project left the prevailing relations of production untouched and did not confront the political actors that guarantee them—such as the union bureaucracy
It likewise maintains the yoke of exploitation on the workers
leaving untouched the dynamic of looting and theft of indigenous land
The case of coffee growers’ cooperatives is an example
Although production for self-consumption takes precedence
and the surplus is always small and barely enough to purchase some of the goods they do not produce—salt
lime—the coffee sector is dominated by multinationals like Starbucks and Nestlé
which impose market prices.[10] Zapatista cooperatives cannot escape this
It would be a mistake to argue that the Zapatista peasants are outside capitalist relations
the Zapatistas have been directly affected by the neoliberal restructuring of the countryside
the vast majority of them have had numerous experiences of wage labor in the ranches and cities of the region and even of temporary migration to other regions of Mexico
the families that make up the EZLN have been multifunctional for several decades now.[11]
At the core of this discussion is that the EZLN command’s policy has dissociated the rightful claim to autonomy from the need for access to land and natural resources
This disassociation is found in the San Andrés Pact
which was adopted by the EZLN leadership as a true program
The lesson of the experience of the Morelos Commune is that autonomy is real only as long as the communities have the right to land
a historical right taken away in a history of robbery and plunder—an accelerated accumulation of communal lands on which Mexican capitalism rests
The last great chapter of this history of plunder began with the reform to the 27th Article of the Mexican Constitution by former President Carlos Salinas de Gortari
which promised “juridical security,” transformed the ejidos (communal lands) into private property with the certificates of parcel rights granted by the Registry of Agrarian Juridical Acts (RAJA)
parcels of ejido lands can now be leased and sold.[12] In Chiapas this is aggravated by the state’s lack of infrastructure and means of production (irrigation embankments
which economically suffocates the ejidatarios
Indigenous self-determination is unthinkable without the restitution of land
This requires a radical agrarian reform at the expense of the landowners—who own 41 percent[13] of Mexico’s 196 million hectares of land—and the multinational corporations
The latter are aided by the government through contracts to build megaprojects
such as the Mayan Train that President López Obrador has announced
the struggle for real autonomy leads to a confrontation with the state
which will hardly tolerate the undermining of large landownership
has repeatedly stated that its strategy is not to abolish the capitalists’ power or to fight for a government of the exploited and oppressed
At this point it also differs from the experience of the Morelos Commune itself
and it was based on the armed people and the expropriation of the landowners
implies its coexistence with the power of the state and the construction of spaces (or “islands”) of autonomy
a strategy that evades the struggle to expropriate the means of production and free the whole of humanity from the chains of wage slavery
A truly anti-capitalist perspective—considering that the EZLN claims to have such a perspective—must put forward the struggle for a government of workers
An alternative power that breaks with imperialist domination and forges an alliance with the millions of immigrant workers and peasants in the United States—many of them coming from native communities—and that expropriates the capitalists and landowners
there is no way to meet the demands of the great majorities
Only a government of the workers and the people could
provide the cheap credit and technical resources that poor peasants need
the handing over of water to large national and foreign companies
and guarantee the right to autonomy and access to land that is denied by the current political regime
This undoubtedly implies seeking a revolutionary alliance with the working class
an alliance that will put the exploited and oppressed of the countryside and the city on their feet
with the aim of struggling for a new state
based on bodies of self-determination of the masses
The strategic objective of this alliance would therefore be communism
understood as a society of free associated producers
If in Zapata’s time this objective was unattainable given the limitations of Mexican capitalism in its infancy
today’s Mexico offers a real opportunity to realize it
The oppression and despoilment of Mexico’s rural masses is deepening
and a powerful proletariat has emerged in the countryside
The task is now to reclaim Zapata’s struggle and take it to the end
Pablo is a sociologist from Mexico City and a leader of the Socialist Workers Movement (MTS)
With a cabinet full of Latin American hardliners
Trump’s second term has been geared towards reinforcing fraying U.S
Javier Milei is undergoing a major political crisis
This has created space for the revolutionary Left to organize a resistance
The Starbucks Workers Union in Chile has been on strike for almost three weeks
They are sustaining their struggle through coordination and solidarity with other Starbucks workers and other precarious workers across the country
They offer an example of how we can fight back against exploitation by multinational corporations
President Trump is trying to regain control of the Panama Canal to combat China's presence there
This will only serve to entrench imperialist control in the region further
and must be fought with working-class internationalism
Mahmoud Khalil’s immigration hearing represents an important gauge of the fight against repression of the Palestine movement
It will take a mass movement to stop these attacks
Below we reproduce in full a statement issued by Mahmoud Khalil from ICE detention on April 3
We stand with Khalil and all political prisoners who have been punished for their struggles against occupation
represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC)
turned out to rallies in over 200 cities across the United States
Their efforts must be part of a fight for a rank-and-file movement in public services
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Diálogo Américas
only a year after starting production in Africa
Chinese company Time Ceramics quickly became the leading manufacturer of flooring and tiles on the continent
the company already faces accusations of environmental abuse and irregular hiring of Chinese workers
Time Ceramics began construction of a plant in the municipality of Emiliano Zapata
with a $150 million investment and the promise to transform the region
This new plant will have facilities spanning more than a kilometer
making it one of the largest in Latin America
we’re seeing the recurring pattern of Chinese investments in Latin America,” Euclides Tapia
a senior lecturer in International Relations at the University of Panama
“Mexico is another example of the questionable practices that characterize Chinese companies’ operations in the region.”
the company dug wells without permits from the National Water Commission (Conagua)
filed a complaint with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) under the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement
highlighting unauthorized water extraction
and stressing on the harmful situation for Mexican companies due to unfair competition
The farmers presented documentation including the response from Conagua
confirming that the Chinese company did not have authorization to use groundwater
They also provided photos of the excavation of two water wells and the destruction of forest on the property
which constituted an illegal change of land use
According to the responses from public entities such as the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) and the Federal Attorney General’s Office for Environmental Protection (Profepa)
there is no environmental impact statement or request for a change in the use of forest land
under the land where the factory is being built
Increased activities would lead to overexploitation
and affecting the flow of rivers and springs
This situation would jeopardize the balance of the aquifer
and water supply for the population and agriculture
“The water issue represents the vulnerability of the region faced with Chinese investments given their indiscriminate use of water resources
which leads to displacement of local people from their communities,” Tapia said
“Local authorities prioritize the immediate profits offered to them by Chinese capital
without considering the long-term repercussions.”
the CEC Secretariat determined that the submission failed to meet certain criteria and terminated the process
during an operation in Emiliano Zapata at the location of Time Ceramics
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office found that of the 148 Chinese immigrants working for the Chinese company 39 did not have proper working papers
They were turned over to the National Migration Institute
“The 148 Chinese workers arrived in Hidalgo in mid-2023 to install the production line at Time Ceramics,” Mexican media outlet N+ reported in February
they have been housed by the company in a hotel
Only one group goes out twice a day for food.”
“China often smuggles Chinese nationals into the region
often in collaboration with certain local authorities,” Tapia said
“While they accept local labor for some cases
they do not allow the entry of skilled workers needed for infrastructure
as Beijing does not offer technology transfer
This discrimination affects Mexican workers.”
Mexican handicrafts are an integral part of the country’s cultural heritage
Craft production not only has an economic value but also a symbolic and cultural value
which is influenced by technological innovations and socio-cultural changes
reports the Spanish platform Gazeta de Antropología
“Artisans are constantly developing new techniques and designs to maintain the relevance of their products in the market
but unfair competition with [Chinese] industrial products could lead to the loss of traditional techniques and knowledge
affecting the cultural identity of artisan communities.”
some 200 Mexican workers of Time Ceramics protested the reduction of their wages from $130 per week to $98
demanding labor justice and revision of contracts to avoid loss of seniority
which they consider a violation of their labor rights
They also denounced a lack of safety equipment and slave-like treatment
“We don’t know what the working conditions are like in China
the more than 400 Chinese workers are working in inhumane conditions
Maybe that’s why they want to treat us the same way
pulling us and shouting at us; but in Mexico our rights must be enforced,” a Mexican worker told El Sol de Hidalgo
“Mexico’s geography makes it a key point for China
which prioritizes it because of its privileged access to immense markets with high purchasing power
Mexico is a privileged investment location for the Chinese thanks to the free trade agreement with these two powerful nations,” Tapia said
Beijing can directly or indirectly infiltrate these markets.”
The strategy behind this is to avoid tariffs imposed by the United States on Chinese imports
“Mexico must understand that Chinese investments seek to establish themselves in strategic countries
generating dependence and eventually economic control in strategic areas.”
For more on security and defense issues around the globe
— A new Mexican restaurant has already seen success in the two weeks that they’ve been open
Located in the historic Duluth Herald Building
Emiliano’s Mexican Restaurant has reported busy afternoons since their opening in June
Emiliano’s got their name from the Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata
who was known for leading an army to fight for land reform for the peasants in Mexico’s southern lands
Emiliano’s brings a Mexican and a Tex-Mexican flavor to Downtown Duluth
Incorporating their Mexican culture has been important to business owner Nestor Tapia’s success
which starts in the kitchen with their homemade flavor
we get the ingredients and we make it here
I know there is a big complaint of big enterprises who get in the Mexican market and they do pre (precook) things done for them
We make everything here from scratch,” said owner Nestor Tapia
Emiliano’s is open daily from 11 to 9 at night
As country marks centennial of Zapata’s death
government’s agenda makes ‘mockery’ of insurgent’s ideals
Sitting back in the shade of a sapodilla tree
Jorge Zapata González takes a slow drag on his cigarette and tells a cautionary tale of revolution and betrayal
rallied poor campesinos under the battle cry “land and liberty” a century ago – only to be double-crossed by a former ally and murdered
As the centennial of Zapata’s 10 April 1919 assassination approaches
his grandson senses a fresh whiff of treachery
the government is betraying Zapata’s ideals again,” he said
Mexico’s current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador
and declared 2019 the year of Emiliano Zapata
But in the revolutionary leader’s home region of Morelos
as López Obrador pushes for the completion of a power plant and pipeline that have faced strong opposition from the local community
“It’s a mockery – declaring 2019 the year of Gen Emiliano Zapata and then commemorating it by handing over the water from farmers in his birthplace to multinationals,” Zapata González said
View image in fullscreenEmiliano Zapata
Photograph: Granger Historical Picture Archive/Alamy Stock Photo/Alamy Stock PhotoImages of Zapata with a broad sombrero
thick mustache and bandoleer rival Che Guevara as icons of both romantic rebellion and capitalist entrepreneurialism
Zapata’s descendants recently applied to trademark his name and envisage earning royalties on merchandise ranging from T-shirts to tequila
“There’s always been a dispute over the legacy of Zapata
It was already at play shortly after his death,” says Emilio Kourí
who attributes Zapata’s enduring appeal to his being “a malleable figure … who is for everyone”
As a key figure in the country’s revolutionary pantheon
Zapata is routinely invoked by politicians of all stripes
The former president Carlos Salinas – the driving force behind a string privatisations and free trade deals that ended up forcing many campesinos from their land – named a son Carlos Emiliano
He said that his land reforms – which enabled the sale of commonly held land – would have been what Zapata wanted
last year brought Mexico’s left to power for the first time since the establishment of democracy in 2000
He has campaigned tirelessly against the structural reforms of the past 25 years and recently declared the death of Mexico’s “neoliberal period”
Observers say Zapata’s legacy holds a special importance for the president
who has promoted his administration as “the Fourth Transformation” in Mexico’s history – putting it on the same level of importance as independence from Spain
and 19th century legal and anti-clerical reforms
“López Obrador wants to construct a new official history and seize the legacy of Zapata as a symbol that he also is concerned for campesinos,” said Harim Gutiérrez, history professor at the Autonomous Metropolitan University.
Read moreZapata González is scornful of the politicians who claim common cause with his grandfather and fiercely protective of the family surname
where a museum has been built around the revolutionary’s childhood home
“My dignity as a man and my last name don’t have a price,” he said
he has thrown his support behind a campaign against the construction of a power plant
gas pipeline and aqueduct in the town of Huexca – which the president has backed
channeling anger over corruption into a landslide victory
where violence was rife and narcos acted with impunity
The president initially opposed the Huexca plant but changed his mind after coming into office
saying the electricity was needed and billions had already been spent
View image in fullscreenJorge Zapata González says Amlo has ‘done the opposite of what he promised’
Photograph: David Agren“He’s done the opposite of what he promised,” Zapata González said of the president
Locals complain that when the plant opened for testing the noise was unbearable
And Zapata said effluent from that time contaminated the nearby Cuautla River
López Obrador tried to assuage local worries by putting the project to a hastily called plebiscite, but tensions in the region were exacerbated when a local indigenous activist who opposed the project was shot dead days before the vote
Amlo denounced the 20 February murder of Samir Flores Soberanes as “vile and cowardly” – but he then offended local residents by saying the killing was intended to sabotage the plebiscite
The vote eventually went in the president’s favour
“López Obrador is not welcome in the state of Morelos,” said Teresa Castellanos
State prosecutors say they are still investigating leads which point to the involvement of organised crime – a common refrain in Mexico
where the murders of environmental activists
human rights defenders and journalists often go unsolved
“All of us here feel threatened,” said Yasmin Ríos
a former local official who opposed the project
I have a house in Washburn where all the family lives
I thought it was a great location,” said Nestor Tapia
“Me and my family come to Duluth every weekend
so I thought it was a great city to do business.”
Being the newest addition to the restaurant game in Downtown Duluth is never easy
But in the weeks since Emiliano’s open in late June
the restaurant has already won over customers
but they’re not going to taste the same like this one,” said Sandra Velze
our sauces that burritos have or enchiladas have
“But whenever they want to spice it up we can serve some salsa on the side.”
Emiliano’s is courteous to the average Minnesotan taste
But for the more seasoned tastes Tapia explains
“I’ve been working with dried peppers with ghost peppers with habanero peppers
“I’m a history freak in Mexican history,” said Tapia
“Everybody in Mexico knows about the Mexican revolution
And one of the heroes that came out of that was Emiliano Zapata.”
Emiliano Zapata is owner Nestor Tapia’s idea
Zapata was a Mexican revolutionary known for leading an army to fight for land reform on behalf of peasants in Mexico’s southern region
But around the restaurant Tapia pay’s other homage to his ancestor’s and heritage
He hopes that people walk away satisfied from hunger and more informed about our neighbors to the south
In Mexico I used to teach English as a second language,” Tapia said
“That’s why teaching is still in my blood and I love that part.”
Emiliano’s plans on adding new menu items in the future
“Just try us and you won’t regret,” ended Tapia
Emiliano Zapata: With your permission, my President, we make our tortillas with corn, not patience.
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and they’ll likely conjure a man sporting a giant sombrero
The FAC and allies have vowed further protests
but their attacks on LGBTQ+ activists are also based on an incomplete
oppressed minorities resisting and saying ‘Enough.’”
I cannot prove Zapata would have responded like Marcos. But, I am reminded of Nietzsche’s aphorism, “One is most dishonorable towards one’s god: he is not permitted to sin.” For nationalists
a queer-friendly Zapata is inconceivable — Zapata cannot sin
— and the feminine version degrades him
Perhaps they fear that such a portrayal reveals how even machos feel queer desires
a revelation undermining static forms of masculinity and revolutionary ideology
In contrast, a queer(ed) Zapata is a necessary symbol for silenced minorities seeking visibility as violence against LGBTQ+ people remains high
This was Cháirez’s motive — to use Zapata
His supporters see “La Revolución” as part of the evolving Revolution
of updating and honoring Zapata for today’s needs
Masculinity is a mask, Cháirez told PlayGround, evoking Paz. In the backlash over “La Revolución,” the mask’s fragility is on display. Underneath is a more complicated version of Mexican history than stereotypic iconography allows. And la lucha (the fight) for recognition continues
Featured image caption: Artist Fabian Chairez with his work, “La Revolución,” 2013. (Courtesy Fabián Cháirez)
Jones is Assistant Professor of History at SUNY Geneseo and specializes in Mexican history
He is the co-editor (with Veronika Fuechtner and Douglas Haynes) of A Global History of Sexual Science (California
is a history of the queer social world of Mexico City between 1880 and 1960
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Revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata appeared in drag Friday when members of the LGBTI community gathered at Mexico City’s Palace of Fine Arts to show support for artist Fabián Cháirez and denounce violence against the community
Cháirez’s painting La Revolución, which depicts a feminized Zapata, has sparked controversy since it was used as publicity for an exhibition at the arts center earlier this month
But even more controversy has followed an agreement by the federal government with Zapata’s descendants to install a plaque alongside the painting to explain their dismay with it
The Secretary of Culture also agreed to withdraw the publicity that used the painting
wearing a pink sombrero and high heels and riding a horse with an erection
protesters expressed support for freedom of expression and spoke against hate crimes against the LGBTI community
“I would rather die in ladies’ shoes than live on my knees!” and “If Zapata were alive
he would be with us!” were among their slogans
A banner revealed there were over 1,500 hate crimes against the LGBTI community from 1995 to 2018
Cháirez himself attended the protest and spoke to the crowd of around 300 people
denouncing the government’s decision to stop using his painting for publicity and to place the plaque alongside it
“People who have expressed rejection and have made homophobic
macho and misogynistic statements do not deserve a space in a building like the Palace of Fine Arts
It will be worrying to share the space with such a statement,” he said
He said he could empathize with the family of the “Strongman of the South,” despite disagreeing with their attempted censure of his work
“I understand the anger of some because of an image that does not correspond to their expectations
I have felt rage when others have tried to impose an idea on me that does not fit with my way of thinking
This is something that many of us face every day
which is why with my painting I search for other possibilities of existing
entitled Zapata Después de Zapata (Zapata After Zapata)
also expressed his disapproval of the concessions made to the revolutionary’s descendants
“It’s a shame that the Secretariat of Culture signed the agreement with the Zapata family,” said Luis Vargas Santiago
It is an attack on my curating and against the work of Fabián Cháirez
and sets a precedent that invalidates freedom,” he said
A protest by around 200 farmers at the Palace of Fine Arts on Tuesday turned violent when they attacked members of the LGBTI community who had gathered to show their support for the painting and freedom of expression
A representative of the Network of Civil Society Organizations
proclaiming that the actions of the farmers on Tuesday do not represent the opinions of all farmworkers
We can’t abandon our sexually diverse companions
We’re going to keep fighting with you hand in hand
Sources: Milenio (sp), El Universal (sp)
one of the main leaders of the Mexican Revolution
was killed in an ambush by a rival revolutionary faction
leaving his struggle for the rights of indigenous Mexicans and peasants unfinished
according to many of those who see themselves as his heirs -- including the Zapatista National Liberation Army
a former rebel group that staged a brief but bitter uprising against the Mexican government in the 1990s
the Zapatistas led a noisy protest on the sidelines of the commemorations in Chinameca
the small town where Zapata was assassinated
Hundreds of protesters shouted anti-government slogans as Zapata-themed floats paraded by and young students marched beside them in the garb of Zapata's guerrillas: broad-brimmed sombreros and farmers' shirts
with red handkerchiefs around their necks and bandoliers of bullets across their chests
The protesters then set up a stage and read out a series of diatribes against President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador
sees himself as a defender of Zapata's legacy and has declared 2019 "The Year of Zapata."
But he has alienated the Zapatistas with his plans for mega-infrastructure projects they say will damage the environment and infringe on indigenous land rights
including a railroad across southern Mexico and a new gas-fired power plant in Morelos
like all the country's previous bad governments
wants to hijack the image of Emiliano Zapata Salazar so his struggle for land rights will die along with him," said indigenous activist Marichuy Patricio
reading out a message from "Sub-Commander Moises," the current leader of the Zapatistas
He would not march alongside" Lopez Obrador
who bore a long black mustache that he called a tribute to the late revolutionary
Lopez Obrador held a separate event in the Morelos state capital
Thousands of indigenous farmers and Zapatistas protested in the southern state of Chiapas
blocking roads and demanding the government do more to protect their land
arguably ranks just behind Che Guevara on the list of iconic Latin American revolutionaries
he worked on a ranch that belonged to the son-in-law of Mexico's then-dictator
where he got an up-close look at the extreme inequality dividing the country
Zapata emerged as a key leader of Mexico's farmers when the anti-Diaz revolution broke out
he was among the most radical of the revolutionaries
calling for the large-scale redistribution of land to the country's poor and indigenous farmers
infighting broke out among rival revolutionary factions
setting the stage for Zapata's assassination
with rival revolutionary leader Venustiano Carranza in power
Zapata was lured to a meeting with a pro-Carranza colonel
The fight over his legacy started almost immediately
The post-revolution government soon claimed him as a national hero
peasant farmers and especially indigenous Mexicans are the most marginalized and impoverished" in the country
has begun to emerge as an ironically capitalist brand
His descendants have applied to register his name as a trademark
with plans to sell merchandise stamped with his image
On Wednesday Lopez Obrador unveiled lottery tickets bearing Zapata's picture
Among the treasures housed within the special collections and archives at UC Riverside is a repository of 427 glass negatives depicting the early years of the Mexican Revolution
This rare and fragile resource gives an up-close and personal glimpse of Mexico during a pivotal moment in its history
the collection features leading revolutionary figures like Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata Salazar
along with intimate scenes of soldiers engaged in battle on the streets of Mexico City
students and others will now have access to this remarkable record through the country’s Ministry of Culture
UC Board of Regents Chair Monica Lozano presented Mexico’s Secretary of Culture with a digitized
annotated copy of the entire Osuna catalog — along with a set of 56 prints and access to UC’s online collections portal — during a March 29 reception at Casa de California
“The Sabino Osuna collection is important in its own right
but it is also significant in that the Mexican Revolution was the first war to be extensively photographed
thus propelling the new medium of photography,” Lozano said
UC President Janet Napolitano, Lozano and other university leaders are in Mexico for meetings with government, education and business officials, as part of a three-day trip aimed at strengthening UC’s partnerships with Mexico
Napolitano launched the UC-Mexico Initiative in 2014 to foster strengthened and expanded opportunities for partnerships between UC and Mexico’s universities
and to work together on areas of mutual concern
The initiative focuses on five areas: arts and culture
“California and Mexico share a long and rich tradition of arts and culture,” Napolitano said during the reception
“It’s with great pleasure that we provide the ministry with access to the Osuna collection as a symbol of our continued partnership on issues of cultural significance.”
UCLA study finds area of overlap in ‘deeply polarized’ issues
UC Berkeley scientists developed a new type of porous material called a covalent organic framework
which quickly sucks up carbon dioxide from ambient air
The University of California opened its doors in 1869 with just 10 faculty members and 40 students
the UC system has more than 295,000 students and 265,000 faculty and staff
with 2.0 million alumni living and working around the world
MEXICO CITY (AP) — A controversial painting of a Mexican Revolution hero will remain on exhibit accompanied by a note saying the descendants of Emiliano Zapata do not agree with the effeminate depiction
Mexico’s culture ministry said in a statement Thursday
The painting displayed as part of an exhibit of artworks about Zapata in the Fine Arts Palace shows a nude man with the revolutionary’s signature mustache astride a horse
He’s wearing high heels and striking a seductive pose
Zapata’s relatives had threatened to sue to have the painting taken down
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador called on his culture secretary to mediate the dispute
The painting titled “Revolución,” by painter Fabian Cháirez
spurred protests by farmers and counter-protests by defenders of sexual diversity this week
Zapata relatives visited the exhibit Wednesday
As part of the deal to keep the painting up
officials agreed to spread the word about the Zapata’s legacy and stop using the painting in official publicity
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THE BEST OF THE AMERICAN LATINO & MULTICULTURAL EXPERIENCE
Both revolutionary leaders had extensive correspondence
but the key to this story is in a single letter
Can you imagine what would have happened if Mexico's most famous dissident leaders
had allied against the United States?
Although it may seem like an invented ucrony
it actually happened within the framework of the Mexican Revolution (1910-17)
which last November 20 celebrated 110 years since the beginning of a conflict that intended to end the long reign of General Porfirio Diaz
This is how the revolutionary tried to make it known to Emiliano Zapata in one of the 30 letters that were exchanged during the years of the revolution:
"The common enemy for Mexico is currently the United States and the integrity and independence of our country is about to be lost if all honest Mexicans do not first unite and
We met in January 1916. Mexico lives the numerous human losses while the group of revolutionaries that at first fought against Diaz' control disintegrates into multiple factions
military man and businessman Vetustino Carranza had joined forces between factions for coup president Huerta to leave power
but then he began to disagree with Villa and Zapata and started an internal battle between the members of the revolution.
After having been defeated when he tried to invade Sonora from Chihuahua
Villa wrote very upset to Zapata assuring him that his defeat was due to US support and indicating that Carranza was about to sign an agreement with Mexico.
The only way to stop them and prevent Mexico from losing its sovereignty was "a joint invasion"
"(...) you must already be aware of the treaties Carranza signed with the Washington government
(...) we decided not to burn one more cartridge with the Mexicans
and to prepare and organize ourselves properly to attack the Americans in their own burrows and let them know that Mexico is the land of the free and the tomb of thrones
Villa also added that he had divided his army into guerrillas and that in six months they should meet in the State of Chihuahua and "make the movement that will bring about the union of all Mexicans"
Appealing to the Indian blood that ran through Zapata's veins
his revolutionary compadre harangued him to defend the homeland and prevent "our land from being sold" to an enemy that "must always be fomenting hatred and provoking difficulties and quarrels among our race
The sad ending of this story was more prosaic than Pancho Villa's words.
it was found among the clothes of one of the militiamen killed in the attack led by Villa in Columbus
What do you think Emiliano Zapata would have responded to
The story was originally collected by historian Armando Ruiz Aguilar, author of We the Ignorant Men Who Make War.
THE BEST OF THE AMERICAN MULTICULTURAL EXPERIENCE
The story of Australian Roderick James Martson (at times referred to as Marston) – the photographer who became a Zapatista – was largely unknown until the 1990s
when his great granddaughter Erin Reid discovered a box of his journals and photos taken during the Mexican Revolution in the basement of his Vancouver home
Reid has not yet released the contents to the public but has confirmed that the journals and photographs document his time with the Zapatistas
He has been referenced in Zapata biographies simply as “El Gringo”
Martson was an intrepid traveler and adventurer
he began traveling the world in search of adventure and his wealthy parents indulged his wanderlust
His travels eventually took him to Vancouver
His desire to become a prospector took him south to the United States
His scientific skill and intuitive sense of timing led him to invent a method of mining using explosive devices he invented to rip away the hard rock revealing the hidden treasure within – veins of gold to be exploited
His expertise gained him huge profits and gave him an edge over the other gambusinos (prospectors)
Eventually gold mines in the region began to dwindle
traveled further south into Mexico to seek new adventures
He received permission from President Porfirio Díaz to settle in the city of Tehuacán
Puebla to carry out “scientific work” which for Martson meant mining
He immediately acquired a silver mine and once again employing his unique explosive techniques
His profits were so immense that he built a large estate and hired twenty people to staff it
For the next six years he spent his time making money
and indulging in his true passion: photography
the Mexican Revolution of 1910 interrupted this more settled life for Martson
General Emiliano Zapata’s army dominated the states of Morelos and Puebla
The slogan of the Zapatistas was “Land and Freedom”
Their goal was restitution of the land to the peasants – land currently owned by wealthy landowners
As the Zapatistas advanced through the area
ranches and estates fell one by one – the land then distributed to peasants
According to the limited accounts available
he and his employees put up a fierce defense but they were no match for Zapata’s army – the estate was in ruins
The Zapatistas considered him a “gringo” (born in the United States) and Zapata ordered him to be executed by firing squad
The story goes that by displaying a tattoo of the British flag on one of his arms
According to interviews conducted with his great-granddaughter
he had obtained the tattoo while spending time with the British merchant navy during his earlier travels
but Zapata decided to spare him if he agreed to fight with the Zapatistas
donning the Zapatista hat and carrying bandoliers on his shoulder
became part of Zapata’s army and was assigned to a battalion in Puebla
Zapata put him in charge of blowing up the roads and railways being used by the federal army to fight the Zapatistas
Porfirio Díaz was overthrown and revolutionary leader Francisco I
Madero marched triumphantly into Mexico City to claim the presidency
Zapata – as the revolutionary leader of the south – began peace negotiations with him in the hope of sharing power in the new government
it quickly became apparent that Madero was not interested
Zapata restarted the armed struggle for land – this time fighting the federal forces under President Madero
On one occasion General Zapata himself ordered Martson to blow up a hospital where wounded federal soldiers lay dying
Zapata saw his disobedience as a betrayal of the cause and ordered him to be executed
But the Zapatistas had come to like and respect the gringo – even calling him Captain Martson – and intervened to save his life
but he continued to fulfill his revolutionary duties until he was eventually captured by the Madero federal army and imprisoned
who was at the time seeking the support of foreign nations – and believing Martson to be a British citizen – gave him a reprieve on one condition: exile
He made one last trip to the Zapatista camp where he had spent so much time to say his goodbyes to his comrades
and collected his most valuable possessions – his photographic equipment
and his journals – and departed for the United States
He traveled around the United States trying his hand at managing land
patented laxative) until he migrated north to Canada – where he finally settled down in Vancouver to start a family
All that remains are his journals and more than 500 photos of Zapata and the Zapatistas
His days of wanderlust had finally come to an end but many of the details of his adventures in Mexico remain shrouded in mystery
Sheryl Losser is a former public relations executive and professional researcher
She spent 45 years in national politics in the United States
She moved to Mazatlán in 2021 and works part-time doing freelance research and writing
Campesinos storm museum to call for removal of image featuring revolutionary hero posing in pink sombrero
A new portrait of Emiliano Zapata has caused a firestorm of outrage for its portrayal of the Mexican revolutionary hero striking a seductive pose – clad only in a pink sombrero and high heels.
Furious campesinos stormed one of the country’s most renowned art museums on Thursday to demand the removal of the painting, part of a new exhibition titled Zapata after Zapata that seeks to present alternative views of the Mexican revolution.
Read more“This isn’t freedom of expression
They can’t exhibit our history that way,” fumed Antonio Medrano
The small painting by Fabián Cháirez depicts a naked Zapata
His willowy frame is bound by a ribbon striped with the Mexican tricolor of red
while his lips pout under his distinctive curved moustache
Press pictures of the painting provoked strong reactions in Mexico
where Zapata has maintained an unambiguously heroic reputation since the revolution of 1910 – when he called for “reform
Some of Zapata’s heirs – with matching droopy moustaches – vowed to take legal action against the exhibition
“We are not going to allow this,” said Jorge Zapata Gonzalez
this denigrates the figure of our general – depicting him as gay.”
Apocryphal tales of a gay romances involving Zapata have been published in recent decades
but historians say there is little evidence to support the stories
View image in fullscreenFarm workers block the entrance of the Fine Arts Palace to protest against the painting. Photograph: Eduardo Verdugo/APMexican politicians of all stripes have long tried to claim Zapata as their own – including the some of his supposed revolutionary allies, who later betrayed and killed him.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared 2019 – the centennial of his death – as the “year of Zapata”, emblazoning the revolutionary leader’s familiar image of a bushy mustache, sombrero and bandolier on government letterhead and promotional materials.
“He’s the least controversial revolutionary strongman and the most ‘leftwing’ in the modern sense,’” said Harim B Gutiérrez, history professor at the Autonomous Metropolitan University.
But Zapata’s image is also the most malleable, and it has been appropriated by a host of social causes which may not have much to do with his original struggle to secure a better deal for landless peasants.
“Every 20 years or so something pops up” involving Zapata’s image, said Luis Vargas Santiago, the curator of the current exhibition at the Palacio de Bellas Artes.
Most recently, that “something” has been gender and sexuality. The current exhibition comes at time when Mexico’s LBGTQ communities have become more prominent and women have been more outspoken against the country’s endemic machismo, sexual harassment, and femicides.
women protesting in Mexico City against sexual violence have been criticised for spraying graffiti on monuments and centuries-old buildings
Vargas Santiago said the use of Zapata to advance social agendas followed a similar logic
“It’s not like Zapata’s image is a fixed symbol which cannot be challenged,” he said
Zapata is also an image that can be subverted.”
Vargas Santiago said some of Zapata’s descendants had expressed support for the exhibition
The family itself has also split over the use of Zapata’s image – with some descendants applying for a trademark to sell Zapata-branded merchandise such as T-shirts and tequila
Our response is: he belongs to everyone who identifies with his legacy.”
López Obrador said on Wednesday that the painting didn’t bother him
“but I’m not a member of the Zapata family.” He asked the culture ministry to find a solution to family’s concerns
Government spokesman Jesús Ramírez Cuevas later tweeted that the government was “committed to artistic freedom and respect for diversity.”
A new “everybody friendly” bar has been opened at Basilio Badillo 447
adding to the quickly expanding options of restaurants and bars that have recently opened in the East Emiliano Zapata neighborhood
The Tunnel Bar, opened by local entrepreneurs Sugarbaker
even better conversation and catch up with friends and neighbors. The Tunnel Bar is hosting a soft opening on Wednesday
own Anonimo Video Bar and its neighbor upscale bar One Six One
as well as the recently opened restaurant Judy’s Diner
Tamale and Sugerbaker own Tamale’s Tours
The Tunnel Bar is the first business that will open that will be part of a larger group of businesses called Las Terrazas
and anchors the building at the corner of Basilio Badillo and Jacarandas
The vision for Las Terrazas includes a larger complex of restaurants
Las Terrazas is the vision of Al Carswell
an entrepreneur and long-time resident of Puerto Vallarta bringing his experience in the hospitality industry to Puerto Vallarta
The name of the bar comes from its location
It sits 1,200 feet from the entrance of Tunnel Chico
which takes you out of Zona Romantica.
“The theme of the bar is everything tunnel,” explained Ringwald
“Being 1,200 feet from the main tunnel that takes you out of town
yet had a clear visual reference to the area.”
He said that the four friends were on vacation in an area that was full of tunnels and the theme just came to them
“We began taking videos of us driving through the tunnels and the ideas just kept coming in,” he added
“The bathroom door will look like a mine shaft entrance
The artwork on the walls is reminiscent of 1980’s NY subway graffiti
all of the design details fell into place.”
Ringwald said they had been looking at locations for almost a year
and settled on the current spot because of its up and coming growth
we feel that we would be a greatly needed addition to this barrio,” he said.
Several bars and restaurants have opened in the area including Qulture
“We really wanted to open a place where you could come and have a great cocktail and even better conversation
then go next door and have a bite or do some shopping,” Ringwald explained
“We have curated a great playlist of music that will always be playing
but will not be at a level that you would have to scream over.”
The bar will feature a specialty drink menu of fabulous cocktails – all named after famous tunnels in the world – and a special happy hour from 3 to 6 each day
steamed hot dogs will be on the food menu.
“We will start off by serving Subway Dogs (steamed all beef hot dogs),” Ringwald said
Once the other spaces are open in Las Terrazas
we will offer specialty menu items from the other two restaurants (Vietnamese and Italian).”
And while the bar is owned by four gay men
Ringwald stressed that it would cater to everyone as a neighborhood bar
He and his husband Sugarbakr live in the neighborhood (about three blocks away).
“All four owners are all queer but we wanted to make this bar for everybody
We want to bring something a bit different to the area
while still reflecting the community,” he said.
Elixir and Awaysis as LGBTQ+ owned businesses in the general area.
And there are not a lot of queer bars in the area,” he explained.”Reinas
Awaysis are all in this barrio and we love them all.”
You’ll be greeted in the bar by Augustin
Ringwald said all have been hired to help create a fun and friendly place to drink and socialize
Address: Calle Basilio Badillo 447 (on the corner of Basilio Badillo and Jacarandas)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tunnelbarpv
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tunnelbarpv
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President López Obrador declared today that 2019 will be the year of Emiliano Zapata
charro hat-wearing hero of the Mexican revolution
The president told reporters at his morning press conference that he had decided to dedicate this year to Zapata to commemorate the centenary of his death and to recognize his role in the armed struggle that lasted from 1910 to 1920
All of the federal government’s stationery will feature Zapata’s name
adding that the best homage that will be paid to him “is that the government
which arose from the people and through democratic elections
were on hand to hear the president’s declaration
said that he was confident that López Obrador would be a president who embodies his grandfather’s ideals
the people of Mexico and their critical awareness have awoken and together we’re going to rebuild Mexico
which was handed to us bleeding and in tatters
with thousands of missing persons and looted by corruption at all levels,” he said
“The people of Mexico and the Zapatistas are with you
was the leader of the Liberation Army of the South that fought to overthrow former president Porfirio Díaz and for land reform
The Mexican revolution ended Díaz’s 30-year rule as president in 1911 but fighting continued for nine more years as competing factions sought to take power and exert control
Source: Noticieros Televisa (sp), Reforma (sp)
Descendants of Emiliano Zapata announced they will sue the painter of a nude and feminized portrayal of the revolutionary general
as well as the Secretariat of Culture and the Palace of Fine Arts for using the painting in a promotion for an upcoming exhibition
Painted by artist Fabián Cháirez, the piece sparked controversy on social media after it was posted
said the painting “denigrates the figure of the general” and is harmful to the image of Mexican heroes
He said some people wanted to go to the Palace of Fine Arts and burn the painting
“but we are respectful of the institutions and we are going conduct ourselves in the best way
but we are not going to allow the figure of the general to be denigrated.”
Accompanied by family and descendants of other revolutionary figures at a press conference outside the state government place in Cuernavaca
Zapata said that depicting the “Strongman of the South” in a homosexual way was disrespectful to the history of Mexico
the “purest and most noble icon of the Revolution,” the very government employees that posted the painting wouldn’t have the jobs they have today
“If General Zapata or General Villa hadn’t led the Revolution
these dimwits wouldn’t be in the spots they occupy today
And they’re repaying him by denigrating his image in a place as important as the Palace of Fine Arts?” he said
He and others behind the proposed lawsuit aim to use the legal recourse to settle the dispute in a way that does not break friendly ties with the government of President López Obrador
“We’re investigating what’s behind this and in the lawsuit we’re going to do everything necessary to avoid problems,” he said
Zapata added that although there may be thousands of paintings that depict the general in various forms
he believes that such a painting should not be exhibited in a place like the Palace of Fine Arts
“People will respect General Zapata or we will make them respect him,” he said
Sources: El Financiero (sp), Milenio (sp)
Jordan Peele’s third feature Nope is about the spectacle of cinema through a genre-blend film of sci-fi
While Nope may seem the most straightforward entry compared to Get Out and Us
one thing is for certain; the complex thematic layers are in the details
Costume designer Alex Bovaird’s choices for Angel’s (Brandon Perea) wardrobe at first appear to be a stylistic choice
it is subtly revealed as a message to the audience
Nope follows the siblings of Haywood Hollywood Horse’s owners OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer) as they attempt to save their ranch. Struggling from financial hardships OJ has no other choice but to begin to sell off his horses to the nearby themed attraction called Jupiter’s Claim which is run by Jupe (Steven Yeun)
As uncommon weather anomalies begin to transpire near the ranch
OJ decides to install several security cameras with the help of Fry’s Electronics crew member Angel
who soon catches wind of the Haywoods’ true intent
the trio ventures out to capture footage of what they suspect may be the culprit: a flying saucer
After the initial and tense encounter of the third kind
the Haywood siblings and Angel regroup in the city at Angel’s place
Jesus Lizard for Emerald and Rage Against the Machines for OJ
you may be thinking Angel has great taste in music
Each band tee is given a proper amount of screen time and is overtly framed in each shot
The red Rage Against the Machine shirt could be seen as a marketing technique for the reunion of the ’90s rock band
But knowing how Peele always adds silent thematic tie-ins throughout the mise en scène in his films
the deliberate choice to have OJ wear this particular band is intentional
What makes this specific shirt pop aside from the bright red contrasting against the dark night sky is who the shirt is featuring: revolutionary Emiliano Zapata
Rage Against the Machine is overt in its political stance through its lyrics
There are many revolutionaries that inspired frontman Zach de la Rocha
Zapata evolved from a successful and skilled horse trainer competing in rodeos and horse racing to one of the most memorable Mexican revolutionaries
He’s a major influence on many people including de la Rocha
The inspirational ideologies of Zapata can be found in tracks like “Zapata’s Blood”
This track speaks about the Indigenous revolutionary group
that formed in the ’90s in response to the corrupted government in Mexico and are considered the ideological heir of Zapata
whose name now corresponds with fighting against the oppressor
While Peele could have picked another Rage Against the Machine shirt featuring another revolutionary like Che Guevara
the decision to have Zapata front and center is crucial
When we are first introduced to the Haywood siblings
OJ and Emerald take one of their horses to be filmed for a commercial
Emerald gives a speech about the family business of Haywood Hollywood Horses
Her main talking point is how her lineage is traced back to the first ever moving picture by 19th-century photographer Eadweard Muybridge
But while there is information on the photographer
there is no information on the subject of the picture which in this case is the Black jockey riding the horse
This is where the lineage of the Haywoods and the first motion picture intersect
The unnamed Black jockey is a direct descendant of the Haywoods
the comparison of Emiliano Zapata and the Haywoods comes strictly from them being BIPOC
The Haywoods are a reminder of the origins of cinema and the original Black actor and horse wrangler
Zapata’s portrait is a callback to the original vaqueros (cowboys) in the Americas
the dawning details of these horse wranglers are slowly getting whitewashed
Yet there is still another layer of similarities to be peeled back
The resemblance between OJ and Zapata begins with the deaths of their fathers as the catalyst for their journeys
After Nope‘s horrific cold opening with the live segment of the fictional TV series “Gordy’s Home” we meet OJ’s father
His time is cut short as a quarter mysteriously falls from the sky and onto Otis’s head and enters his skull
OJ must now take care of the horse training business his father left behind
Emiliano Zapata’s life took a similar route after becoming an orphan after his father’s
Emiliano Zapata was left to watch over his brothers and sisters which led to his entrepreneurial voyage
After garnering skills as a successful horse trainer and farmer
Zapata entered the political sphere and was soon elected as the village’s council board president of his birthplace of Anenecuilco
Zapata fought for the rights of villagers and took matters into their own hands against the haciendas
massive estates used as businesses that exploited rural and Indigenous Mexicans
While Peele’s UFO may not be an allegory for the haciendas in the Mexican Revolution
the themes of exploitation are still prevalent between the two
Jupe exploits his horrific past with Gordy the chimpanzee for a quick buck
Jupe’s exploitative tendencies are taken a step further when the audience begins to realize the creature
This holds true when the wild alien follows his own instincts and begins to suck up everyone inside the amusement park in one of the most uncomfortable scenes presented in a major blockbuster horror film
This harrowing scene depicts Jean Jacket extracting resources from land it views as subordinate
the people getting chewed up in its claustrophobic foreign digestive system are no different than the cattle Jupe would offer
This is exactly how the haciendas operated during the life of Emiliano Zapata
The estates were mainly put in place by the Spanish and would exploit the Indigenous people of Mexico by extracting resources off the land and labor with no remorse of who is supplying the needs
The haciendas metaphorically fed off the foreign-to-them land
joined forces and sought to fight against the personified behemoths of oppression
OJ and his crew follow suit by fighting against a hostile alien who literally devours off a foreign-to-it land
The film’s climax is filled with non-stop suspense and sci-fi action as the trio attempt to take the “Oprah shot” of Jean Jacket
OJ’s wardrobe is changed into another hand-me-down
OJ is sporting an orange crew members sweater for The Scorpion King
a film where the BIPOC protagonist must fight against the White oppressor after the genocide of the majority of Indigenous tribes
While the red Rage Against the Machine shirt is only prevalent during OJ’s decision to fight against the extraterrestrial during the second act of Nope
the ideologies of Emiliano Zapata are still present in the third act
is one of Zapata’s most famous quotes: “It’s better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.” These are words that many live by
whether they are inspired by Emiliano Zapata or not
just like Zapata’s followers during the Mexican Revolution
Dwayne Johnson’s character in The Scorpion King
The urge to fight against the oppressor is universal
The decision to highlight one of Mexico’s revolutionary heroes in a blockbuster film about fighting against a foreign power is more than just a stylized choice
Categorized:Editorials News
A nude painting of Mexican Revolution hero Emiliano Zapata has sparked controversy and protests in Mexico due to its portrayal of the leader in heels and a pink sombrero
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico marked the 100th anniversary on Wednesday of the assassination of Emiliano Zapata
one of the main heroes of the 1910-1917 revolution who was gunned down by government soldiers over his unyielding defense of peasants
President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador particularly identifies with Zapata
in a country where politics have long been dominated by the north and center
and both viewed agriculture as the natural vocation for their region
Speaking at a commemoration ceremony Wednesday
Lopez Obrador said it is important to “understand the importance that the land holds for the rural people of the south.”
Lopez Obrador has designated 2019 as the year of Zapata
and the government has issued subway tickets
postage stamps and lottery tickets with images of the mustachioed
The president said Zapata never sold out though he was offered land and wealth
the favorite chant at Mexican protests remains: “Zapata lives
‘Zapata lives,’ because he was incorruptible
he was the most loyal leader that rural people have ever had,” Lopez Obrador said at the ceremony
which was held in Zapata’s home state of Morelos
Lopez Obrador has a deep interest in history
and he has called his own presidency the “fourth transformation” of Mexico — on a level with the Mexican Revolution
the 1810-1821 independence struggle against Spain and the liberal Reform movement that broke the power of the church in the 1850s
But that love of history has also drawn criticism
as when Lopez Obrador sent a letter to Spain asking for an apology for the 1519-1521 Spanish Conquest
Critics called that unnecessary and divisive
saying that “historical memory is always going to be present
is always going to have a special place” in his administration
EJÉRCITO ZAPATISTA DE LIBERACIÓN NACIONAL.MÉXICO
A quienes firmaron la Declaración por la Vida:A la Sexta Nacional e Internacional:Al Congreso Nacional Indígena:A los pueblos de México y el mundo:
Les explicamos lo que pasó con los dos compañeros bases de apoyo zapatistas
José Baldemar Sántiz Sántiz y Andrés Manuel Säntiz Gómez
que fueron detenidos ilegalmente y secuestrados por las fuerzas conjuntas del gobierno federal y el estatal el pasado 26 de abril de este 2025
Estuvieron en calidad de desaparecidos por 55 horas y sólo fueron presentados ante la autoridad corrupta
gracias a la presión del Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas
Fueron acusados de secuestro agravado en contra de Pedro Díaz Gómez
el ejército federal y las llamadas Fuerzas de Reacción Inmediata Pakal
aprovecharon y se robaron pertenencias y paga de los afectados y de las comunidades
una motocicleta y una fuerte cantidad de dinero en efectivo
Mientras el supremo gobierno jugaba con la vida
libertad y bienes de los dos detenidos ilegalmente
las autoridades autónomas zapatistas llevaron adelante su propia investigación con la guía de Verdad y Justicia en común
como pueblos organizados que somos en común
están las de no permitir el tráfico de drogas
Así como las borracheras y otras faltas que son determinadas en común
Conocida la detención y grave acusación en contra de estos dos compañeros
los GALEZ investigaron si es que andan metidos en asuntos de secuestro
La estructura organizativa encargada de investigar llegó a la conclusión de que los dos compañeros son inocentes
las autoridades autónomas siguieron investigando y llegaron a confirmar la participación en el crimen de otras dos personas
se pusieron bajo custodia en una de las comunidades zapatistas
Los dos criminales confesaron el secuestro y asesinato en contra de Pedro Díaz Gómez
y señalaron el lugar preciso donde habían enterrado el cuerpo
Señalaron la complicidad de otras personas
quien lo comunicó a las autoridades del mal gobierno
Viendo que quedarían una vez más en ridículo
las autoridades corruptas corrieron a movilizar a sus fuerzas y detuvieron a uno de los señalados que estaba prófugo
Esta persona confirmó lo confesado a las autoridades zapatistas
Fue así como llegaron al lugar donde estaba enterrado el cuerpo de la víctima del delito
Todo esto lo supo el gobierno en sus tres niveles de gobierno
En lugar de liberar inmediatamente a nuestros compañeros inocentes
le dieron largas al asunto y propusieron un intercambio de detenidos
Así podrían sobornar a los medios de comunicación y venderles la historia de que todo había sido mérito de la justicia estatal y federal
Y también podrían quedarse con lo que robaron a los originarios pobres que sufrieron su ataque
El mal gobierno volvió a mandar a sus fuerzas represivas en búsqueda de un cuarto implicado
también aprovecharon para seguir robando pertenencias de las comunidades
las autoridades federales y estatales presionaban y amenazaban a los defensores de derechos humanos porque su denuncia los iba a mostrar tal cual son: unos represores de inocentes y fabricantes de culpables
En la madrugada de este 2 de mayo del 2025 se entregaron a los dos criminales confesos detenidos por los zapatistas al Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas para que revisaran el estado de salud de los detenidos y certificaran si habían sido violados sus derechos
El Frayba procedió a entregar a los culpables a la autoridad oficialista
En el transcurso de la mañana de este día 2 de mayo
nuestros compañeros Baldemar y Andrés fueron liberados
Pero los robadores gubernamentales se niegan a devolver todo lo que despojaron
Los gobiernos de la mal llamada 4T mienten en todo lo que dicen respecto a los pueblos originarios y los movimientos sociales
Son iguales o peores que los gobiernos priístas y panistas anteriores
Esas cantidades que presumen de “detenidos”
En lugar de comprar opiniones favorables en los medios y redes sociales
los malos gobiernos deberían pagarles bien a sus fuerzas represivas para que no tenga que robar a quienes menos o nada tienen
Lo sucedido no es sólo en nuestros territorios
los migrantes y hasta las personas sencillas
que trabajan día a día para ganarse honestamente el sustento diario
encarceladas y asesinadas por un gobierno ansioso por congraciarse con el poder del dinero
sin importar las banderas bajo las que se esconda
Su signo es la muerte y así lo llevará hasta el fin de sus días
Como pueblos zapatistas hemos pensado en una forma de combatir al imperio de la muerte
se vio que el Común camina por la verdad y la justicia
Este logro de la liberación de nuestros dos compañeros inocentes fue fruto de un triple esfuerzo: el de los defensores de los derechos humanos
el de la solidaridad y apoyo nacional e internacional
Es momento de no olvidar a otros pueblos hermanos
que sufren los ataques mortales del mal sistema
a los desaparecidos y a quienes les buscan
a las personas que sólo son un número en las estadísticas del crimen
Compañeros y compañeras les informamos con alegría que por la irrefutable inocencia de los compañeros
se demostró de manera contundente y por las acciones persistentes de quienes se movilizaron: personas en lo individual
organizaciones… Las exigencias de libertad total fueron irrebatibles, así se obtuvo la libertad absoluta y se logró arrebatar de las garras del mal gobierno a las BAEZLN
que viva la resistencia por la Verdad y la Justicia
A los pueblos de México y del mundo,A los organismos y colectivos defensores de derechos humanos,A las Redes de Resistencia y Rebeldía,A la Sexta Nacional e Internacional,A l@s firmantes de Una Declaración por la Vida en los cinco continentes,A la Europa Insumisa
nuestros compañeros Baldemar Sántiz Sántiz y Andrés Manuel Sántiz Gómez
bases de apoyo del Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional
fueron detenidos de manera arbitraria por elementos de las fuerzas de seguridad del estado mexicano en todos sus niveles de gobierno
Su detención no fue un error: fue una advertencia
una muestra más de la guerra que se libra contra quienes defienden la vida
desmembrando la paz para convertirla en terror
civiles armados: todos al servicio del despojo
de los intereses que quieren borrar la autonomía desde su raíz
y fabricaron delitos a los compañeros inocentes
como lo hacen quienes saben que su poder no tiene ley ni ética; porque lo que buscan no es justicia
Buscan desmontar la organización de los pueblos
callar la palabra colectiva que se niega a obedecer
POR ESO AQUEL DÍA LAS FUERZAS REPRESIVAS DEL ESTADO MEXICANO IBAN CON ÓRDENES DE APREHENSIÓN EN CONTRA DE DETERMINADAS PERSONAS
APREHENDIERON EN SU LUGAR A NUESTROS COMPAÑEROS BALDEMAR SÁNTIZ SÁNTIZ Y ANDRÉS MANUEL SÁNTIZ GÓMEZ; AL HACERLO VIOLARON SUS DERECHOS HUMANOS MÁS ELEMENTALES
SE LOS LLEVARON SECUESTRADOS AL CENTRO ESTATAL DE REINSERCIÓN SOCIAL PARA SENTENCIADOS NÚMERO CINCO DE SAN CRISTÓBAL DE LAS CASAS
La ofensiva contra los compañeros zapatistas se suma al cerco militar y policiaco desplegado durante el Encuentro Rebel y Revel Arte
convocado por el EZLN en el Caracol de Jacinto Canek y el CIDECI de San Cristóbal de Las Casas
la palabra rebelde y la construcción de alternativas son vistas por el poder criminal que gobierna este país como amenazas
Con esta embestida quieren expandir la nación de víctimas y dolor que es la 4T
pero nosotros y nosotras somos pueblos que luchan
que caminan construyendo la vida en la tierra que nos vio nacer
La represión no nos dobla; la desaparición no nos borra; el miedo no nos paraliza
como árboles viejos que han aprendido a resistir el fuego
Decimos claro que la desaparición forzada es política de Estado
Sabemos que la alianza entre gobierno y crimen organizado no es una excepción
de justicia y de libertad que no se arrodillan ante el dinero transnacional
ni las armas que portan sus grupos legales o ilegales
convocamos con urgencia a los pueblos de México y del mundo
a los organismos y colectivos defensores de derechos humanos
a l@s firmantes de Una Declaración por la Vida en los cinco continentes y a la Europa Insumisa
A REALIZAR LAS JORNADAS GLOBALES POR LA LIBERTAD INMEDIATA DE BALDEMAR SÁNTIZ SÁNTIZ Y ANDRÉS MANUEL SÁNTIZ GÓMEZ
BASES DE APOYO DEL EJÉRCITO ZAPATISTA DE LIBERACIÓN NACIONAL
Y A NO PARARLAS HASTA LOGRAR SU LIBERTAD INCONDICIONAL
MEDIANTE ACCIONES EN CADA UNA DE NUESTRAS GEOGRAFÍAS Y DE ACUERDO A NUESTROS MODOS
Que la rabia se transforme en acción organizada
Que la dignidad encuentre eco en cada corazón que no ha olvidado el valor de la verdad
esa que construye nuevos mundos en miles de lugares del planeta y que desde ahí nos sumemos a la demanda de justicia
¡ Libertad inmediata para Baldemar Sántiz Sántiz y Andrés Manuel Sántiz Gómez
AtentamenteAbril de 2025Por la Reconstitución Integral de Nuestros PueblosNunca Más un México sin NosotrosCongreso Nacional Indígena
Exigimos la libertad inmediata de las Bases de Apoyo del EZLN José Baldemar Sántiz Sántiz y Andrés Manuel Sántiz Gómez
Denunciamos enérgicamente la criminalización y represión sistemática del Estado mexicano contra el Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN) y sus Bases de Apoyo
José Baldemar Sántiz Sántiz y Andrés Manuel Sántiz Gómez
quienes fueron privados arbitrariamente de su libertad en un operativo que se efectuó en la comunidad de San Pedro Cotzilnam
lo que representa un ataque directo al movimiento zapatista y al territorio donde se construye la Autonomía y la Libre Determinación
en la persistente lucha por la Vida y el Común
En las primeras horas del domingo 27 de abril de 2025
las BAEZLN fueron ingresados al Centro Estatal de Reinserción Social para Sentenciados (CERSS) No
bajo acusaciones de secuestro agravado en un proceso plagado de irregularidades
La detención de las BAEZLN se realizó sin orden de aprehensión y los cateos a sus hogares se llevaron a cabo sin autorización judicial
robos y violaciones flagrantes a sus derechos humanos
perpetradas por las fuerzas de seguridad y militares
incluyendo la Guardia Nacional y las Fuerzas de Reacción Inmediata Pakal
evidencian un patrón sistemático de represión y violencia estatal en Chiapas
El caso es un ejemplo más de la estrategia de criminalización utilizada por la Fiscalía General del Estado de Chiapas
que fabrica pruebas y acusa injustamente a personas inocentes
mientras los verdaderos responsables permanecen impunes
Este ataque no solo viola los derechos individuales de José Baldemar y Andrés
sino que también constituye una agresión al territorio y la autonomía de los pueblos zapatistas
Por lo consiguiente exigimos a los gobiernos federal y estatal:
¡Llamamos a la solidaridad nacional e internacional
organizaciones y movimientos a movilizarse en sus tiempos y modos
Es urgente alzar la voz para detener la represión del Estado y garantizar la libertad de los compañeros BAEZLN
quienes hoy son rehenes de un sistema represivo
Manténganse atentos a las actualizaciones de este caso y actúen en defensa de la dignidad
la justicia y los derechos humanos y por la defensa de la autonomía
Al firmar esta Acción se enviará automáticamente un correo con tu dirección como remitente a autoridades gubernamentales. Más información en la política de privacidad.
https://frayba.org.mx/firma-por-la-libertad-inmediata-de-las-bases-de-apoyo-del-ezln-jose-baldemar-santiz-santiz-y-andres
Descarga la Acción Urgente No. 02 en PDF(98.25 KB)
más de 40 organizaciones de la Red de Europa Zapatista
denunciamos la violencia que afecta a los pueblos originarios y a la población civil de México
A el Congreso Nacional IndígenaA el EZLNA los medios alternativos
libres y/o autónomosA los medios de pagaA las Organizaciones de Derechos Humanos a nivel Nacional e Internacional
Una vez más nos enteramos en la Europ Insumisa que en México se asesina
se continúan violando los Derechos Humanos
se secuestra y se desaparece a aquell@s que buscan la vida
a quienes luchan por defender el medio ambiente y el territorio
lider histórico del Consejo de Ejidos y Comunidades Opositores a la Presa La Parota
falleció el 25 de abril después de siete dias de convalecencia tras el ataque armado perpetrado en su contra el 18 de abril
cuando terminaba sus labores en la bahía de Acapulco
Marco Antonio debía estar bajo la protección dispuesta por la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos
Al momento del ataque Marco Antonio estaba solo
integrante del Colectivo Guerrero Buscadores de Jalisco
fueron asesinados la noche del 23 de abril en el parque del Fraccionamiento Las Villas
varias comunidades indígenas de Michoacán denunciaron acciones violentas por parte del grupo delictivo Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación
El gobierno local ha minimizado los hechos violentos
negando incluso la violencia contra lxs defensorxs
las madres buscadoras y las comunidades autónomas
Estos hechos son algunos en la larga lista de víctimas de una violencia que va día con día en aumento
ataques armados en contra de las poblaciones
El Estado mexicano niega y oculta la realidad
Es parte del problema al no reconocer la crisis de derechos humanos que atraviesa el país y al facilitar la operación de grupos armados en diversas áreas del país
Al día de hoy hay al menos 127 mil personas desaparecidas en todo el país
incluyendo miles de migrantes centroamericanos y del Caribe en su paso hacia Estados Unidos
Como denunció y documentó el Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas
la Agencia de Investigación de Inteligencia Ministerial
la Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana del Gobierno Federal
acompañados de dos vehículos con personas civiles armadas
realizaron cateos sin órdenes judiciales en domicilios de familias Bases de Apoyo Zapatistas en la zona del caracol 2 de Oventik
De manera violenta detuvieron a los compañeros tsotsiles José Baldermar Sántiz Sántiz y Andrés Manuel Sántiz Gómez
Por 55 horas no se supo de su paradero y las autoridades no emitieron ninguna información al respecto a sus familiares
Los compañeros fueron puestos a disposición del Juzgado de Control y Tribunal de Enjuciamiento de San Cristóbal de las Casas sin aclarar el motivo de su detención ni los detalles de las 55 horas en las cuales estuvieron en calidad de desaparecidos
El ataque contra las Bases de Apoyo Zapatistas ocurre a una semana del Encuentro de arte
rebeldía y resistencia convocado por el EZLN
donde el subcomandante Moisés denunció las amenazas constantes al Cideci y al Caracol 7 Jacinto Canek por parte de la Guardia Nacional y del grupo Pakal
una fuerza policial especial creada recientemente por el nuevo gobernador de Chiapas
En lugar de amenazar las iniciativas de autogestión y autonomía y a quienes buscan construir un mundo distinto al de la opresión capitalista
las autoridades deberían garantizar el ejercicio de los derechos de las comunidades Zapatistas
y el acceso a la justicia para l@s defensores de derechos y las madres buscadoras así como la no repetición de crímenes como la desaparición forzada
los asesinatos por causas políticas y la represión
Pero esas mismas autoridades son parte de la causa de estos problemas
En México hay una guerra que comenzó en los años 1960
La narrativa absolvente para el Estado de la narcodemocracia ya no se sostiene
ilegales y el Estado llevan a cabo con el interés de controlar el territorio para especular con la vida
Los asesinatos de Marco Antonio Suástegui y María del Carmen Morales son sólo una prueba más
a l@s adherentes a la Sexta y a la Declaración por la Vida a firmar la denuncia del FrayBa para la liberación de José Baldermar Sántiz Sántiz y Andrés Manuel Sántiz Gómez:
https://frayba.org.mx/actualizacion-fuerzas-de-seguridad-y-militares-desaparecen-2-bases-de-apoyo-zapatistas
¡Desde la Europa Insumisa y Rebelde denunciamos la violencia que afecta a los pueblos originarios y a la población civil de México!¡No más guerra en México!¡No más guerra contra los movimientos sociales y las comunidades en resistencia!¡No más guerra contra el EZLN!¡México no es un territorio de conquista
Los días 13 a 19 de abril de 2025, el EZLN organizó el Encuentro (Rebel y Revel) Arte
realizado en el Caracol Jacinto Canek y en el Cideci / Universidad de la Tierra Chiapas
El eveto es parte de una serie de encuentros con el fin de reflexionar sobre la crisis civilizatoria que atravesamos
imaginar otra humanidad posible y caminar de forma conciente y colectiva rumbo al “día después”
Aquí compartimos algunas de las presentaciones a lo largo de los 7 días del encuentro
COMUNICADO POR EL FEMINICIDIO COMETIDO CONTRA MI COMPAÑERA DE LUCHA: SANDRADOMINGUEZ
De lo que digo a partir de este momento es solo mi responsabilidad y para ello solo tengo mi palabra.Escribo este comunicado desde mi comunidad
recordando que SandraDominguez tuvo una doble raíz
El pueblo que la cobijó por parte de su padre fue San Isidro Huayapam Mixe
traté de prepararme para el peor escenario y es el que finalmente aconteció
buscaron generar un dolor perpetuo porque en el lenguaje del horror
porque la muerte cierra un ciclo y deja certeza
pero el desaparecer a alguien amplifica el dolor a través de la zozobra
La desaparición forzada no existe por casualidad
el Estado a través de la historia ha usado la desaparición forzada como un mensaje político a sus disidentes
ahora el crimen organizado usa la desaparición forzada como una muestra de control y poder
cuando los intereses del Estado y los intereses del crimen organizado encuentran un enemigo en común sucede lo que ha sucedido con Sandra Dominguez
porque aunque la narrativa oficial gubernamental haya canalizado todo su esfuerzo y recursos a su alcance para imponer una versión que criminaliza al esposo de Sandra,y defender a personajes impresentables como a su funcionario Donato Vargas
lo único que ha hecho es obviar que se protege a quienes fueron señalados por Sandra
Para que el crimen organizado y las células delincuenciales ejecutaran materialmente la desaparición forzada y el feminicidio de Sandra Dominguez
es porque hay una estructura institucional del gobierno oaxaqueño que facilitó en primera
su operatividad y ampliación de actividades criminales en poblaciones donde el gobierno había mantenido a discrecionalidad el estado de sitio que poblaciones como María Lombardo llevan viviendo desde hace años
el avance del crimen organizado hacia la zona Mixe por San Juan Cotzocón es innegable a pesar de que hace años denuncié esa realidad
ahora insistimos con este gobierno de Jara
quienes lo minimizaron nombrándolo como situaciones de violencia orquestadas por grupos generadores de violencia
cuidando de no nombrar lo que es un hecho: que en Oaxaca nos empieza a azotar el CRIMEN ORGANIZADO
Tuvo que desaparecer Sandra para que por primera vez
se atendiera y ejecutaran acciones de desarticulación en pueblos que venían siendo atormentados de hace muchotiempo por la violencia
esos matones están protegidos por ministerios públicos
por políticos y operadores políticos de la zona donde precisamente Sandra hacía activismo y era una figura incómoda porque llegó a documentar dichas alianzas y es una información que en su momento tendrá que salir a la luz
Sandra denunció a diversos funcionarios por su participación en grupos virtuales donde se agrede a mujeres indígenas
ahí estuvimos hombro a hombro acompañándola
Pero poco se sabe de qué varios de esos funcionarios denunciados tienen vínculos con el crimen organizado que la desapareció precisamente en esa zona
estamos ante la implementación de una verdad histórica
la prioridad del gobierno oaxaqueño es dejar en claro que ellos no fueron
mantienen en el poder a quienes Sandra denunció con evidencias
Previamente dije: Es importante la participación de instancias federales para romper con el conflicto de interés que tiene el gobierno en el caso de la desaparición
pero aún me parece muy lejano que vayamos a conocer la verdad
estoy seguro que las respuestas de lo que cuestionamos
que la verdad que buscamos no llegará pronto
No puedo decir tajantemente aún si a Sandra la desapareció y asesinó el estado
que a Sandra la desapareció y asesinaron el crimen organizado y operadores del gobierno oaxaqueño a los que Sandra había denunciado
llama la atención que el presunto responsable de su desaparición haya sido ejecutado en uno de los operativos
llama la atención que una detenida haya sido elemento policial
llama la atención el financiamiento a medios y bots que buscan a toda costa criminalizar e imponer la versión oficial
Pero la historia de mi amiga y colega Sandra Dominguez no acaba con su muerte
que el país ya no necesita más perseguidos asesinados
están sembradas desde su mamá y compartidas con sus hermanas y hermano
que no descansaron hasta que Sandra regresara a casa
y esas virtudes las compartió con nosotros
con toda las personas que la conocieron y por ello su historia continúa en cada lucha
porque aunque su muerte es un mensajeclaro de intimidación a quienes ponemos la palabra y el cuerpo para defender derechos humanos
vamos a transformar el miedo en valor y acción.COMUNICADO POR EL FEMINICIDIO COMETIDO CONTRA MI COMPAÑERA DE LUCHA: SANDRA DOMINGUEZ
Quiero agradecer a todas las personas que no soltaron el tema
que ayudaron a nombrarla en todos los espacios y pedirles que sigamos nombrando a Sandra porque si bien ha culminado la búsqueda física
Agradezco a la oficina del Alto Comosionado y a la Comisión de Desaparición de la ONU por prestar ojos y oídos a Sandra
GRACIAS POR TODO MI QUERIDA AMIGA SANDRA DOMINGUEZ
AGRADEZCO ESE PRIMER MENSAJE CON EL QUE EMPEZÓ TODO
Joaquín GalvánActivista de Derechos Humanos
Mateo es el creador de extraordinarias obras de Stop Motion
La Teia dos Povos (Tejido de los Pueblos) es una articulación de movimientos sociales autonomistas en Brasil
indígena y popular en el campo y la ciudad
del Movimiento de Lucha por la Tierra y la Teia dos Povos
creó el cortometraje de ficcion “Candinga”
sobre “el día después” del colapso civilizatorio y la ancestralidad indígena y negra como fuentes para reconstruir el mundo
sagrado alimento de los pueblos originarios de Brasil
Christy Petropolou presentó varios videos:
“IJÉ MARIRÃ Ã – Siempre recordar”
sobre la cultura de lo común entre los pueblos Kayapó Mebengokre en la Amazonia en Brasil
Documenta la ceremonia de juramentación de la jefa Pãnh-Ô Kayapó (mayo de 2023)
la pintura corporal y la elaboración de la comida tradicional Kayapó
Destaca la importancia de las Ferias Tradicionales de Semillas para el pueblo Mebengokré y su intención de participar en el Festival de Semillas de Peliti
El Festival de Semillas de Peliti es una grande feria de libre intercambio de semillas
El video “Que miren al cielo” (να βλέπουν τον ουρανό)
sobre el despojo de Lesvos Solidarity por el espacio de PIKPA que habla de la criminalización de la solidaridad con los refugiados en Lesvos Grecia:
Compañeros de la Juventud Comunista presentaron “El canto del papán”
un cortometraje que retrata la importancia biocultural de la tierra y el territorio para las comunidades totonacas
así como las problemáticas y amenazas que se presentan por la extracción de hidrocarburos
un ave protector que avisa a los habitantes de la selva sobre intrusos
se narran las transformación que ha vivido la región de Papantla
El Colectivo Komún Cinema realizó, del 29 de julio al 27 de septiembre del 2024, acciónes formativas compuestas por 10 talleres cortos de disciplinas diversas @ las faldas del volcán en la periferia de la capital Michoacana, intitulados “REConociendo el territorio”. Algunos de los audiovisuales resultantes se pueden encontrar aquí: https://www.komuncinema.mx/elterritorioquehabitamos/
realizado en el Caracol Jacinto Canek y en el Cideci/UniTierra Chiapas
se presentó una gran diversidad de obras de artes plásticas
Aquí un registro fotográfico realizado por Radio Zapatista
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Mexico City: A controversial painting of a Mexican Revolution hero will remain on exhibit accompanied by a note saying the descendants of Emiliano Zapata do not agree with the effeminate depiction
Mexico's culture ministry said in a statement on Thursday
Mexican artist Fabian Chairez stands next to his painting of Mexican Revolution hero Emiliano Zapata straddling on a horse nude
The painting displayed as part of an exhibit of artworks about Zapata in the Fine Arts Palace shows a nude man with the revolutionary's signature moustache astride a horse
He's wearing high heels and striking a seductive pose
Zapata's relatives had threatened to sue to have the painting taken down
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called on his culture secretary to mediate the dispute
Zapata relatives visited the exhibit on Wednesday
officials agreed to spread the word about the Zapata's legacy and stop using the painting in official publicity
"This is a controversy about how to represent our national heroes
and who is allowed to do it," said Guillermo Osorno
but that he also belongs to the gay community
a symbol of the sexual revolution of the 20th century."
The painting was part of an exhibit of 141 works representing Zapata in different ways - as a leader of the 1910-20 Revolution but also an "icon of feminist battles and contemporary activism," as the government's fine-arts institute described it
Zapata's image is as ubiquitous in Mexico as George Washington's is in the United States
The Mexican hero is almost always depicted as sombre
Mexico's culture ministry said in a statement on Thursday
The painting displayed as part of an exhibit of artworks about Zapata in the Fine Arts Palace shows a nude man with the revolutionary's signature moustache\\u00A0astride a horse
He's wearing high heels and striking a seductive pose
Zapata's relatives had threatened to sue to have the painting taken down
officials agreed to spread the word about the Zapata's legacy and stop using the painting in official publicity
\\\"This is a controversy about how to represent our national heroes
and who is allowed to do it,\\\" said Guillermo Osorno
a symbol of the sexual revolution of the 20th century.\\\"
The painting was part of an exhibit of 141 works representing Zapata in different ways - as a leader of the 1910-20 Revolution but also an \\\"icon of feminist battles and contemporary activism,\\\" as the government's fine-arts institute described it
Zapata's image is as ubiquitous in Mexico as George Washington's is in the United States
with a bushy moustache\\u00A0and a sombrero
Emiliano Zapata was a popular leader in the Mexican revolution of 1910
He organised southern guerrillas and fought for agrarian reform
In a melodramatic scene based on a generally discounted legend, angry young peasant Emiliano Zapata confronts dictator Porfirio Díaz in Mexico's National Palace. The young Marlon Brando plays Zapata
which is a problem mainly because the young Marlon Brando could only play Marlon Brando
They've taped his eyelids up in a bizarre attempt to make him look like an indigenous Mexican
but he just looks like Marlon Brando with his eyelids taped up
but he just sounds like Marlon Brando doing a half-hearted impression of Speedy Gonzales
the real Zapata was renowned for his high-pitched
Former communist Elia Kazan directed Viva Zapata
shortly before he began informing for the House Un-American Activities Committee
the film is an odd mixture of eulogy to a radical left-wing revolutionary
When rebel figurehead Francisco Madero is in exile in Texas
the Zapatistas chat about how wonderful the USA is: "Up there they protect political refugees
but he governs with the consent of the people!" True
The Mexican revolution broke out during the presidency of William Howard Taft in the US
is Taft's attitude to Latin American liberation: "The day is not far distant when three Stars and Stripes at three equidistant points will mark our territory: one at the North Pole
The whole hemisphere will be ours in fact as
it already is ours morally." The Americans interfered repeatedly in the Mexican revolution
changing sides as suited their own interests
Madero suited those interests only for a brief time
Madero is portrayed as naive to the point of idiocy
not least when he doesn't work out he's being executed by a firing squad until someone actually starts shooting
said to a loyal officer as he was taken off to be killed
imply he knew what would happen: "Adiós
I shall never see you again." The film has Victoriano Huerta
It also omits any mention of the common theory Madero was killed on the say-so of American ambassador Henry Lane Wilson
though it does appear Wilson gave Huerta the impression that the United States was basically fine with him bumping off his rival
She threatens to stab him with the massive pin from her mantilla
the new Mrs Zapata tries to have sex with her husband
Teach me now!" Zapata was not illiterate
the historian fails to see how it would have been an urgent necessity on this occasion
by government troops riding forth against him
Zapata was assassinated by the forces of president Venustiano Carranza
an event the film makes even more confusing by substituting a fictional president
gets a lot wrong about Emiliano Zapata and the Mexican revolution
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ROAR is an independent journal of the radical imagination providing grassroots perspectives from the front-lines of the global struggle for real democracy
the Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata was ambushed and murdered after taking a leading role in the peasant revolution in Chiapas
1919) was a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution of 1910 against the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz
He is considered to be one of the national heroes of Mexico; the Zapatistas
a revolutionary movement based in the state of Chiapas
Zapata was born in the small central Mexican state of Morelos in the village of Anenecuilco
At the time Mexico was ruled by a dictatorship under Díaz
The social system of the time was a sort of proto-capitalist feudal system
with large landed estates (haciendas) controlling more and more of the land and squeezing it away from independent communities of Indians (pueblos)
who were then subsequently forced into debt slavery (peonage) on the haciendas
Díaz ran local elections to pacify the peones and run a government that they could argue was self-imposed
Under Díaz close confidants and associates were given offices in districts throughout Mexico
These offices became the enforcers of land reforms that concentrated the haciendas into fewer hands
avoiding peonage and maintaining their own land (ranchero)
In fact the family had in previous generations been porfirista
Zapata himself always had a reputation for being a fancy dresser
appearing at bullfights and rodeos in his elaborate charro (cowboy) costume
Though his flashiness would usually have associated him with the rich hacendados who controlled the lands
he seems to have retained the admiration and even adoration of the people of his village
so that by the time he was 30 he was the chief of the village
Though he was not of pure indigenous blood (he had some Spanish ancestry and was considered mestizo)
Zapata quickly became involved in struggles for the rights of the Indians of Morelos
He observed numerous conflicts between villagers and hacendados over the constant theft of village land
and in one terrible instance saw the hacendados torch an entire village
For many years he campaigned steadily for the rights of the villagers
first establishing via ancient title deeds the claims of the villagers to disputed land
and then pressing the recalcitrant governor of Morelos into action
disgusted with the slow response from the government and the overt bias towards the wealthy plantation owners
Porfirio Díaz was being threatened by the candidacy of Francisco I
who at the time was perceived as a chance for genuine change in Mexico
unrest finally broke out in the formation of guerrilla bands
becoming the general of an army that formed in Morelos (the Ejercito Libertador del Sur – Liberation Army of the South)
Zapata was partly influenced by an anarchist from Northern Mexico named Ricardo Flores Magón
The influence of Magón on Zapata can be seen in the Zapatismo Plan de Ayala
but even more notably in the Zapatista slogan “Tierra y libertad” or “land and liberty,” the title and maxim of Magón’s most famous work
Zapata’s introduction to anarchism came via a local schoolteacher
who exposed Zapata to the works of Peter Kropotkin and Flores Magón at the same time as Zapata was observing and beginning to participate in the struggles of the peasants for the land
largely due to widespread rebellions by the peones
some new land reforms were carried out and elections were to be ensured
Zapata was dissatisfied with Madero’s stance on land reform
to make Madero understand the importance of the issue or to get him to act on it and support the Plan de Ayala
after Madero’s appointment of a governor who supported the plantation owners and his lack of motion towards settling the land issue to Zapata’s satisfaction
Emiliano mobilized the Liberation Army again
if the people could not win their rights now
they would have no chance once they were unarmed and helpless
Madero sent several generals to try and defang Zapata with little success
Madero was soon thereafter overthrown by Victoriano Huerta
who gave amnesty to Díaz and suppressed indigenous resistance to land reforms
The peasant reaction to this increased the size of Zapata’s forces considerably
and also gave rise to a new group in the north: the Villistas under Pancho Villa
The Villistas were mainly composed of Madero supporters
Zapata at first was hesitant to meet with Villa
after Villa vehemently rejected the Plan de Ayala when a Zapatista introduced him to the concept in prison
Opposition to Huerta coalesced under Venustiano Carranza
who led a Constitutionalist faction which both Villa and Zapata eventually allied with
These forces proved too much for Huerta to match
the Constitutionalists set up a convention to decide the form of the government
pointing out that none of the attendees had been elected
Instead the chiefs in Morelos sent a delegation to present the Plan de Ayala for consideration and observe the state of the convention
Soon thereafter Carranza had himself made head of the government
Initially Carranza commanded the loyalty of Álvaro Obregón
but grew increasingly fractured after many long years of campaigning
The Carranza regime ultimately put a bounty on Zapata’s head
expecting disenfranchised Zapatistas to betray him
It also attempted to entice away the other chiefs in the Zapatista army; neither proposition proved successful
a General Guajardo invited Zapata for a meeting
Guajardo riddled him with bullets and turned his body in for the bounty (getting half of what was originally promised)
the Liberation Army of the South slowly fell apart
eventually disappearing after Obregón’s rebellion deposed Carranza
particularly in revolutionary tendencies in south Mexico
Via Libcom.org
The ROAR Collective published ROAR Magazine (2011-’22)
an online journal of the radical imagination that provided grassroots perspectives from the front-lines of the global struggle for real democracy
More >
Source URL — https://roarmag.org/2016/04/10/on-this-day-in-1919-emiliano-zapata-assassinated/
My manners: we haven’t properly been introduced
My name is Gustavo Arellano, and if you’ve heard of me at all, it’s probably because —take your pick— I was editor of OC Weekly/I wrote the syndicated column, ¡Ask a Mexican!/I wrote the book Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America/you know my nerdy voice from hearing NPR in the past 14 years
so much so that I’d take time out from all my gigs to pen thoughtful lists and essays about Mexican music for OC Weekly
The American public still remains horribly ignorant about nuestra música beyond mariachi hats and narcocorridos
Especially the old stuff: so little has been written about old stars like Toña la Negra
and Trio Calaveras in English that I’m surprised no one has bothered before
When I left OC Weekly, the homie boricua Julio Ricardo Varela graciously invited me to pitch ideas to Latino USA, I suggested I do my music essays. He thankfully accepted, so this is the fourth of five listicles I signed up for
I return next year—so if you like what you’ve heard and read so far
But for now, this week’s subject: songs of the Mexican Revolution, and yes, TODAY November 20 is the anniversary of when it all started in 1910.This genre is now regularly heard live only on Mexican oldies station or whenever mariachis perform
The cataclysmic event is when the corrido truly took shape as a song of the people
and its authors crafted vivid epics that taught history
had rhythms that made them hummable over a century after the events depicted
even Chalino Sánchez—recorded whole albums of corridos villistas
when was the last time you sang a song about World War I
Do you know any songs besides “Over There” and “How Ya Gonna Keep ’em Down on the Farm (After They’ve Seen Paree)”
the 1916 pursuit of Pancho Villa by General John Pershing that resulted in nada
the brothers Zaizar sing of thousands of gabacho faces “covered in shame” as they trolled northern Mexico with airplanes and modern weaponry in a vain search for the original dirty Mexican
Highlight of the song: When Villa flies over the Americans and waves adiós
The vigor of the song’s lyrics —“If they ask for my blood
my blood I’ll give/for the residents of our nation”— and its meaning (a nickname for a Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle) almost tricks you into thinking this was written by a soldier straight from the battlefield
But it was actually from the 1949 movie ¡Arriba el Norte
the song paints such a powerful scene of righteous rebellion that groups across Latin America recorded it
including this late-1960s version by Chilean folk group Quilapayún
The ranchera legend Aguilar killed it on this ode to Pancho Villa’s horse (Seven Leagues
named so because of the distance he allegedly galloped in one day)
because it mixed Aguilar’s two great loves: history and horses
the song doesn’t say much about the horse other than it’s Villa’s favorite
and that it “stood and neighed” every time it heard the train whistle that signaled its master’s return
But “Siete Leguas” is still a beautiful song… and now the name of a bad tequila
This corrido isn’t exactly about the Mexican Revolution
but rather a mining strike that happened in the Sonora city in 1906
one that saw an American posse cross the border to kill Mexicans in their own country
That incident became one of the outrages allowed by the Porfirio Díaz administration that led to the Mexican Revolution
and one sung by every ranchera and norteño singer since
And then there’s this version by Los Caminantes
who make it bouncier than usual but maintain the song’s dour defiance as it matter-of-factly states the protagonist’s predicament in jail
True story: I once played this version to Rage Against the Machine’s Zach de la Rocha off my iPod in downtown SanTana
Few songs of the Mexican Revolution that remain in heavy rotation today praise anyone on the side of Mexican government
but this tune about one of Villa’s greatest foils is a notable exception
The corrido gives him nothing but #respect
my general/I also was a brave man/I want you to execute me/I want you to execute me/In front of the public.” The most famous version was by Antonio Aguilar
but this old version gives nearly all of the lyrics
Nearly all the famous songs of the Mexican Revolution come from el Norte
“Soldado de Levita” (“Soldier in a Frock Coat”) tells the travails of a bedraggled cavalry soldier motivated to battle—gracias to a beautiful woman and a widow
But its mournful lines —“He who’s born disgraced/begins from the crib/to live martyred”— has stuck in the Mexican psyche and got a shout-out in José Montoya’s famous 1970 poem about a Korean War vet
This isn’t one of José Alfredo Jiménez’s most famous songs
which just means it’s a minor masterpiece—his “And Your Bird Can Sing,” if you will
“Four shots were fired/at two in the morning” is the dramatic start
as the protagonist kills his wife’s lover in her arms
just after the mariachi horns toots a dash of “Taps” to foretell his fate
“I owe you in life/to be sentenced to death.” Again: this is one of José Alfredo’s third-tier songs
This is a curious entry in the pantheon of Revolution favorites
as it’s the title for two markedly different corridos about the same mythical figure
who did a film of the same name and three sequels)
casts him as a drunk womanizer killed for a morena
casts Gabino as a general in the Revolution assassinated in the line of duty
The only similarities between the two: he was an “indio suriano” who could step on thorny plants and not feel a thing
he was killed with 18 shots from a Mauser handgun
and “with a bottle of aguardiente/he shouted ‘¡Viva Zapata!‘”
If this one sounds a bit like “Siete Leguas,” it’s because the author is the same: Graciela “La Bandida” Olmos
who could write macho corridos as well as any hombre and knew Villa personally
“En Durango comenzó” begins her lush paean
and it’d go on to be covered multiple times
But the most famous take is by Miguel Aceves Mejía
“El Rey del Falseto,” who lets his warm vocals wrap around lyrics that follow the shape of Villa’s career: a beginning as a bandit
“I don’t know fear,” and his eventual death
There are surprisingly few popular songs about Emiliano Zapata—in fact
the most prominent mention the general gets is in “Gabino Barrera.” But as proof that the Revolution still reverberates over a century later
comes this Rage Against the Machine track from their “Live and Rare” album
“Zapata’s blood/Wasn’t spilt in vain,” screams lead singer Zach de la Rocha
“So now the most poor/wage war/To reclaim their name.” He then slows the tempo down ala Gil-Scott Herron
https://youtu.be/RN6nhTHuVS4
……were you with NPR back in the day??
….Please reach me at my e-mail address or Eric Holland Music (face)
Or surf Zapata Eric Holland Music for the video
FYI…In the 2000’s I crafted four different drafts of Zapata in the state of Jalisco And finally finished with this original……which had over 10,000 hits of one version at one time For the past 15 years I am still performing in San Carlos
Sonora at the Soggy Peso beach bar and restaurant…….
it is a storyteller song-somewhat factual with some verses that are a bit colored……thx for reading
I enjoyed your reviews……and hoping Zapata and Magdalena will live on and on…
is it considered to be about the revolution
I am looking for a corridor about a killing of a de la Rocha
By the way Zac de La Rocha is my 2nd cousin
I can’t wait to listen to all of them and to put them on my play list
Being a first generation it’s important that we know our history
and looking forward to more interesting articles
and website in this browser for the next time I comment
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