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LAS ABEJAS Pacifist Resistance and Syncretic Identities in a Globalizing Chiapas

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LAS ABEJAS Pacifist Resistance and Syncretic Identities in a Globalizing Chiapas LAS ABEJAS Pacifist Resistance and Syncretic Identities in a Globalizing Chiapas Marco Tavanti 01FM 10/8/02 9:21 AM Page i RELIGION IN HISTORY,SOCIETY, AND CULTURE Outstanding Dissertations Edited by Frank Reynolds and Winnifred Fallers Sullivan The University of Chicago, Divinity School AROUTLEDGE SERIES 01FM 10/8/02 9:21 AM Page ii 01FM 10/8/02 9:21 AM Page iii LAS ABEJAS PACIFIST RESISTANCE AND SYNCRETIC IDENTITIES IN A GLOBALIZING CHIAPAS Marco Tavanti Routledge New York & London 01FM 10/8/02 9:21 AM Page iv Published in 2003 by Routledge 29 West 35th Street New York, NY 10001 www.routledge-ny.com Published in Great Britain by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane London EC4P 4EE www.routledge.co.uk Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper. Copyright © 2003 by Taylor & Francis Books, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Tavanti, Marco, 1965- Las Abejas : pacifist resistance and syncretic identities in a globalizing Chiapas / by Marco Tavanti. p. cm. — (Outstanding dissertations on religion in history, society, and culture ; 1) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-415-94215-2 (hardback) 1. Tzotzil Indians—Government relations. 2. Tzotzil Indians—Ethnic identity. 3. Abejas (Organization) 4. Chiapas (Mexico)—History—Peasant Uprising, 1994– 5. Pacifism—Mexico—Chiapas. 6. Massacres—Mexico—Acteal. I. Title. II.Series. F1221.T9 T39 2002 972'.75--dc21 2002006955 01FM 10/8/02 9:21 AM Page v This book is dedicated to Zenaida, Geronomo, Efraín and all other children, mothers, and fathers who survived the Acteal massacre... Your blood and tears water your land and our hearts, so that your rights will be respected and your dignity be cherished until justice will shine and peace will dawn forever. 01FM 10/8/02 9:21 AM Page vi Contents 10/8/02 9:29 AM Page vii Contents E LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 000 SERIES EDITORS’ FOREWORD 000 PREFACE 000 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 000 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 000 CHAPTER ONE Las Abejas and the Acteal Massacre 000 The 1992 Formation of Las Abejas 000 On The Violent Path to Acteal 000 December 22, 1997: Bury My Heart in Acteal 000 The Three Acteals: A Paradigm for Las Abejas Identity 000 Developing a Syncretic Organization 000 CHAPTER TWO Methodological and Theoretical Frameworks 000 A “Syncretic” Standpoint 000 Doing Fieldwork in Dangerous Places 000 Research as Collaboration and Bridge Building 000 The Open Fields of Chiapas Research 000 Syncretic and Other Types of Identity Constructions 000 Religious Collective Identities 000 Cultural Identity in Movement 000 Resistance to Neoliberalism in Mexico 000 vii Contents 10/8/02 9:29 AM Page viii viii Contents CHAPTER THREE The Struggle for Land and Dignity in Chiapas 000 A Double Marginalization: Poor and Indigenous 000 Understanding Chiapas, the Highlands and Chenalhó 000 The Tzotziles and Indigenous People of Chiapas 000 Neoliberalism Effects on Land 000 A Double Root of Identity: Land and Dignity 000 The Land is Our Mother: How Can They Sell Our Mother? 000 We Resist Because of Our Dignity! 000 CHAPTER FOUR The Juxtaposed Meanings of Acteal 000 The Intercommunitarian Conflict Interpretation 000 The Counterinsurgency Interpretation 000 Violent Meanings of Acteal: Paramilitary Presence 000 Political Meanings of Acteal: Military Presence 000 Cultural Meanings of Acteal: Tierra Sagrada De Acteal 000 Religious Meanings of Acteal: Los Mártires De Acteal 000 Gender Meanings of Acteal: An Attack against Life 000 Nonviolent Meanings of Acteal: Civiles as an Easy Target 000 Global Meanings of Acteal: Mirror and Center of the World 000 CHAPTER FIVE The Cultural and Religious Frameworks of Las Abejas 000 Cultural Framework: Las Abejas as a Maya-Indigenous Movement 000 Religious Framework: Las Abejas as a Progressive Religious Movement 000 Inculturation Dimension: Toward an Autochthonous Tzotzil Church 000 Ecumenism Dimension: Costumbristas, Católicos y Evangélicos 000 Participation Dimension: Catechists’ New Role and Method 000 Liberation Dimension: The 1974 Indigenous Congress 000 Mobilization Dimension: The Formation of Pueblo Creyente 000 CHAPTER SIX The Political and Human Rights Frameworks of Las Abejas 000 Political Framework: Las Abejas as a Neozapatista Movement 000 Twenty Years Later: The Same Demands 000 Las Abejas as a Neozapatista Movement 000 Las Abejas as a Civil Society 000 Contents 10/8/02 9:29 AM Page ix Contents ix Human Rights Framework: Las Abejas as an Indigenous Rights Movement 000 CHAPTER SEVEN Las Abejas’ Construction of Nonviolent Resistance 000 Nonviolent Resistance as Political Contention 000 Memory of Resistance: Continuing 500 Years of Resistance 000 The Presence of International Human Rights Observers 000 The Accompaniment of Christian Peacemaker Teams 000 Developing Nonviolent Consciousness and Strategies 000 Gender of Resistance: Women’s Double Front of Resistance 000 CHAPTER EIGHT A Syncretic Identity of Resistance 000 Bringing Syncretism Back In 000 Syncretic Identity as Resistance 000 Las Abejas’ Syncretic Identity of Resistance 000 Constructing Circle of Syncretic Identity 000 Contributions of Syncretic Identity of Resistance 000 Conclusion: Never Again a World without Us 000 GLOSSARY 000 NOTES 000 REFERENCES 000 INDEX 000 Contents 10/8/02 9:29 AM Page x Part Title 10/8/02 9:35 AM Page 1 LAS ABEJAS Part Title 10/8/02 9:35 AM Page 2 Aronyms 10/8/02 9:22 AM Page xxvii Acronyms and Abbreviations E BRICO Brigadas de Campamentistas y Observadores (Brigades of Campamentistas and Human Rights Observers) CCRI-CG Comité Clandestino Revolucionario Indígena-Comandancia General (Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee-General Command) CDHFBC Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas (Human Rights Center Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas) CIACH Centro de Información y Análisis de Chiapas (Center for Analysis and Information on Chiapas) CIEPAC Centro de Investigaciones Económicas y Políticas de Acción Comunitaria (Center of Economic and Political Information and Analysis of Chiapas) CNDH Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos (National Human Rights Commission) COCOPA Comisión de Concordia y Pacificación (Concord and Pacification Commission) CODIMUJ Coordinadora Diocesana de Mujeres (Diocese Coaltion of Women) CONAI Comisión Nacional de Intermediación (National Commission of Intermediation) CONPAZ Coordinación de Organismos No Gubernamentales por la Paz (Coordinating Committee for Peace) CPT Equipo Cristiano de Acción para la Paz (Christian Peacemaker Teams) xxvii Aronyms 10/8/02 9:22 AM Page xxviii xxviii Acronyms and Abbreviations EZLN Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (Zapatista Army of National Liberation) FCRN Frente Cardenista de Reconstrucion Nacional (Party of Cardenista Front of National Reconstruction). FTAA Free Trade Area of the Americas FZLN Frente Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (Zapatista Front of National Liberation) INEGI Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía y Informática (National Institute for Statistics, Geography and Informatics) INI Instituto Nacional Indigenista (National Indianist Institute) NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement NGOs Non-Governmental Organizations NRMs New Religious Movements PAN Partido Acción Nacional (National Action Party) PGR Procuraduría General de la República (Attorney General’s Office) PPP Plan Puebla Panama PRD Partido de Revolución Democrática (Party of the Democratic Revolution) PRI Partido Revolucionario Institucional (Institutional Revolutionary Party) PRODESCH Programa de Desarrollo Socioeconómico de Los Altos de Chiapas (Socioeconomic Development Program for the Highlands of Chiapas) PRODH Centro de Derechos Humanos Miguel Agustín Pro (Human Rights Center Miguel Agustín Pro) PRONASOL Programa Nacional de Solidaridad (National Solidarity Program) SCLC San Cristóbal de Las Casas SEAPI Secretaria de Atención a Los Pueblos Indios (Secretary for the Attention to the Indigenous People) SERPAJ Servicio de Paz y Justicia (Peace and Justice Service) SIPAZ Servicio Internacional para la Paz (International Service for Peace) UNAM Universidad National Autonoma de Mexico (National Autonomous University of Mexico) Acknowledgments 10/8/02 9:21 AM Page xxv Acknowledgments E HERE ARE MANY PEOPLE I HAVE TO THANK. FIRST OF ALL, I WOULD LIKE to thank Liz, my wife, friend, and companion in my fieldwork. Thanks to her precious intuitions and valuable suggestions I was able to focus T my research on more sensitive issues. She accompanied me on many trips to the communities. We struggled and lost our breath together climbing the steep, muddy paths to the mountain communities around Chiapas. My wife and I shared precious moments with various communities of Las Abejas (The Bees); from village celebrations, public actions of resistance to delicate disclo- sures of displaced families and testimonies of the massacre survivors. In San Cristóbal, we were able to reciprocate the hospitality we received in the com- munities. We shared the warmth of our fireplace with Las Abejas and other indigenous friends coming to San Cristóbal. I would like to give a special thanks to Antonio Gutiérrez, one of the founders of Las Abejas and certainly one of the most committed
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