In light of the widely-publicized organized crime violence in San Cristóbal on June 14, Magdalena Gómez signals the ongoing crisis of violence, intervention of criminal groups and chaos that ensues just an hour away in Oxchuc.
Self-defense is an artform of life in the midst of a system of death. It is a way of walking through obstacles, teaching us to continue being peoples and human beings. Not to conquer something like power, but simply to continue walking as the very lives that we are.
So, how much time did the Zapatista communities take in discussing-deciding this wondrous initiative? 529 years? 500 years? 200 years? 111 years? 27 years?
Gilberto López y Rivas explores autonomy and the meaning of self-government according to the Zapatistas. Cada tanto surgen hombres y mujeres que piensan por los demás; que se rebelan para exigir tierra y libertad. (Apuntes del curso La Libertad según l@s Zapatistas) Every so often there are men and women who rise up to think for others; who rebel to demand land and freedom. (Notes from the course Freedom According to the The Zapatistas)
