r4 Reclailrling the Land Indian l)easantMovements in Mexico: The Struggle for Land, Autononry Tlre l{esurqcnc(' oi l{ural Movenrents and Denrocracy irr Afi'ir';r,Asia .rrrdL:rtirr Arrrcr-ica Armando Bartra and Gerardo Otero Edited by Sarr Moyo and Paris Yeros I' spigsof it all. Inclia.sk.erv that thc larcl rvestherrs. cruc to thcir historv,riqht aucl also lubo'r, rvlrich ... is rvhat nraclcit blossor,. (Wrrrnarr r97.1) Thc purposc of this chaptcr is to asscsstlrc ertrcrqcr-lccof tlic Inclian pcasant rn()vclncnt in Mcxico at thc turn of the trveuty-first celrtllrv. Jr-rstes indiscnous pcasrnts r,vercthe- rnost raclical gr-oup irr rlrc l{cvolution of rgro-2o, thc r Jantrar\, 1994 trprising lcd by thc Zlpatista Nation:rl Liberation Arrrrv (EZLN) hls also rcprescnted a n'atcrshcd in Mexicols polrticrl historl'. Most analystsof indigenous pcasrnt nlovcl)lel)ts in Latin Arrrr'ric:r tcnti to crnphasizc either- the class basis of rural ulovc,rclrts (l)ctras ;rrci Vcltrrrcyer zoo r) .r the iclcrrtiry Folitics involvecl i, their rrrobilizatio' (Estcva r999; Alvarez ct al. r998).Ily contrast,\\.c arsuc thrr in rrrost social rnor.crncuts.bur particularly so in thc clsc oi i'discrrous pcasrnt strugulcs, 'ratcrill (larrcl)end iclerrtity (cultrrrc) derrr:rnclsare inscparable. Irrdigcnetrs ethnicitt' anrl culture ar.esinrprly thc anchorine points of the struqsle fbr lancl.Indrgenr>us cthricitics havc bcc, r-cprocluccd ftrr cellttrrics itl a subot.rliltate intcractiolt rvith nrliltg lnil rrri..l.lle qroups ancl classcs,:rnd its lcpr.duction has dcpcr.rded prir-narilv on havi'c i.rcccssto land (otero zoo4:r).whe'thc liukaqc rvith lard as 2005 thc rrcars of livcliho.d rvas sc'ercd pcr'anerrtlv, firrrrrer incligcr.'s pcoples hacl rro clroice br.rtto assirnilatcto rrrt,stizosocictv aftcr oulv a cotr;rlc or s() selrcrations.Althou{-Ih assitnil;ltion has resultccl in litst Ilnqr:rgcs ard culttrral practices. Mcxico has u,itrrcsscclsirrcc tlrc t ZEI) I]()()KS 97os. anrl rrtOst forcelullt' irr thc l99os. I strouq rcsurgerrcc <tf the Lt,rtlortt -\t'rr,)i'rl I)A\:II) i,IIII-II) RECI-AIN,lIN(] ()1'ERC) :8+ THE LANI) tsAR1'RA AND 3d5 strr,rgglcLrr- Indran peopL.s lor lancl and autononn- to rcprotluce thtir. and prop2g;11cda n'hite suprenr;rcisni,sought to conscitute :r n:rtion.rl culturc. Prrrt of this resnrgence is explained bv thc duplicirr. oi the iclcntitv tl.r.itexcluded the indian.'w'hilc this *'hite suprenrecisrn..ras N'lcrican qo\-crrlunent:on the onc h:rnd. ncs' lqrariln lelri_slationin cstai.lishcclin the inirial legislation of independenr Mexico. rhe sr:rte 199: canceilcd thc prossibilin.of tirrther rgrrrrian rcftrrrrr.br. ch:rnging tilovecl rrrostvigorousll' to cleprrive-Indr:rn conununities of their nreans Article :7 of tl.re r9r7 Constitution. s'hich h;rcl enrergcrl firxrr the of liveliirood ser,erll decrrcleslater. during tl.re Por/ili,ltoof i87(r-r9lo, Rewrlr-rtion (l3altr':rr99:. :oo-3:r):on the othcr l'rantl.the qor-cr-nure.ut the pcriod prior to the rcvolr.rrion.The libcral rlictator Porflrio L)iaz sisrrcd thc' r9li9 ILC) (lonr-cntion No. r69 on Incligcnor-rsl)eopl95 set out to r-rrrifi'thc n.rtion. c-\tenLlthe railr-oadnetrvork, :urclirtrpose (Helninclez Nar-rrrro r99-1).TIte latter has qiven lcqitinr.rcv r(, rhr nrilitarr. r-lr1efrorn the ccntle. Capritalisn'rrvus in firll expansion lt colttinucd strlrgglc for l.rncllnd tcrritorr'. norv n'ith thc adcleclccntr:rl this tinrc. but becrinse vast tracts of ianri renrained in the hands of rlcnrancl for :rntononrv in culttrlc irn(1sclt:govern:lr)cc. In :r countrr irrcliqcnous cornnrunities the Diaz qovernrlteltt chansed the larv to that has lrccrr suldcrl bv hberal itlcologv since thc ninetecnth centrir\. allcxv the f rocess of prinritivc rrccunrnhtion to proceeci fi-c-eir'. :rrtclti'r:rt has fcrverrtlv trietl ro estrlrlish a hornogcncous. nronolithic. Prirnitive acctrrrrul.rtionconsisteci in a clouble'lil.cration'of clirect /ii.-(ri.ir(rli.rcc1-Lrioocl) rt:ttion;ri idcntitr'. inrliqt.rrousstr"r,rggles represcllt ploclucers fiorn the nrcans to produce thcir live'lihood (i.e., e\pro- a trrajor challcrrge (Hcnrrinciez Nar:arro r997). pliation of rndieenous lar.rtls)and florn arrv clcpendencr. rcl:rtions Tl.ris chapter traces thc lise of the incligenotis pcrs:rnt nro\-c- n'hich nrav have prevented rhenr firrr-n sellrnq their labour-po\\-er. nlcnt i1r Nlcxict'r. s,ith entph.rsis on thc last rltrcc dec:rrlcs oi tirc thr-rscreating a iree proletariat fclr capitalist clel'elopurenr.Illrportrnrh'. tl'erttictl-r ceutllr\-. The tirsr \ectior) olters b:rckgroi-rutl irrfonnatioli at the centre of this process rvere the lanrlholdings oi the Rontarr on ittt'ligcnor.rsstnrggles I?rr i.rncl lrrd :rntonorrx' .rnd thc corrccPtual (lathoLc (ll-rur-t:h,u,'hich bv the- rnid-nineteenth cr:lttrlry \\ras the fi-:rnrcs-or-kuse.d to interprsl rhenr. The scconrl section discusscstirc lat'gestl:rndorvner, under :r n'pe of fiudal orvncrship.Thrs contraste(l rel.rti,.rnsbctn'een thc Nlexicalr st:rte iurLl Inciian pcoplcs throughout rurarkccl]r'rvith the enrerginu liberal rcleolos\. :rncl represernted;r nr:r- the fn.entieth cerrttrn'.u'itl.r eutphasiscln thc r97os-i98os. The rhirtl ,ior fbttcr to capitalist devcktpnrent. Tlrus the liberal refbrlns in rl-re section oticrs rn rn:rlvsi. of the EZLN trplising in r99-1.s-ith lttcn- rll_57Cl<>nstttutiou providccl the le-galirrstrunteltts to expropriate the tiolr p.ric1ttt lrorr-the EZLN.rncl tlte lrro:rtlcr intliqcn,)Ll\ rr1()\-(nrrnt Clhurclr'slanriholdinss.A'cl tl-resanre la*,, aided b,v further-legislation in Nlc-rico lr:n'r' inrpactcrl olr e.rch othcr. Fin:rlh'. our conclusion in r883 ancl r,3,9,1.went on to be applied to indiqenor-rscotnrtrunirr- :rtlclrcssc'sthe tlilernrrrrr oi the rncligenor.rslllovcnent tnci.n': n'i1l it land. Thus. after the libe ral rctbrnr lal's anci duririg thc Ilrifirirtlo, the corrsolicl.rtr'itsc'lf a-. lr strictlv incliqenous lllo|elnent. or go bcvoncl its Inclian conununitics n'ere clcprir-ed of 9o per ccnt oi their l.rnd. ethnrc Lrouncl.rriesto founcl its classiclentitt as part of the pe.rsantn: The irnnrediate oLrtconlc of the liberal rc'fornrs \\,:ls a translef iu antl thus est.rbiish:rlliarrces s-itl'r the lcst of the ;.r';r5.tI,r..anrl othcr- land ou,nership fi-ortr the (lhulch and thc lnciian conlulrnitics to sitborclir-r:rtec1.rsse,. in 1\'lerico? existirrs arrd neu- latilirtdrstas.largelandholders rn the prir-atc secror oi Mexican agricultnre. Irr the decaclcsrhat follol.erl. ther. sarisficdtheir voraciotrs :ippetites frrr l:rnd br. tencing ofF large portions of Inclian conrnrun:rl larrcl.u'l-rilc also bondinc disl-re551'55si1 History and Concepts Incli;-rnpeasants t() the iantl thlough various c'lebtsthat thev u'ould incur as n'orkers to thc lanclou-ncr' (crcdits for u'ed,-ling t-easts.goods aclr,lnccd at ticrirl,r.r lrtrlrE't'rioii.ipctlrlc-r 1t 7ro-ttiolLrrri,rl-l/c.r iro dc rty,t or hacienda stores. and so on). Ti-rese debts rvere inher-iteci If the colorirrl -strte disposscssetlircli:rn co.rrrrrnities and sub,jectecl bv tlie peolts'children. t'ho u'ere not able to leave rheir jobs'Lrntil trrost of tltcir rnerrrbels to sllrr-cn-ancl irarsh lol'].i11- c,rrrrlrtr,rns.tlrc all outstanding clebts ro tire lancllord \\ere setrled (L6pez C)inrara pcrstcolonial N'le-xic.instrte :lttellptccl tc-.elinun;rtc Indilns as a rocill r967: Hansen r97+). crtcqorv altogethcr. Uporr Nle-xico's politicrrl inclepcndence fi-on.r Tl-re rg t o rcvolution:tr\' lttovcltlerlt coaL'sced iir clifterent \va\-s Splin in t8:t. the rulinlt g1-.111i11-{5 classcs.ri'l.rich clesccncletlli-onr in tbe various reqiorrs oi Mc-xico. Il the North. rerrolution s-:rs jc.l ItL(]I-AIA,1INC]'f I]E LANt) ()-f 386 lJAIt l ltr\ ANI) EI{o 367 l.rtrcltxvncrsrvho u'ere cxcltttled ll'onr politi- bv thc lt,tttrrdtdos,larsc of Mcxico \\.:ls to rrain ot.ganizrrtionalirrclepetidcncc thrrn tlle statc tiurirrq tlrc /)orfirirrltr. Tlic;t lbrrttccl a broatl arrcl trtrlikelv c,tl p.,,1111' lncl atrtononrv 1l'orrrother political oruanizations. \x/c no\\. tlun to ()\\'n allirncc ri'ith thcir peolrs. snt:rll firlnrels. tatrchcrs:rrrcl utbltr a bncf oritliilc of our conccptualiz:rtion of this cltrcst. nriclcilercl.rsscs. In central Mcxic-o. bv contrrst, thc nrltin soci;rl ritt u-as benvcen tlle expropri.rtccl incliqenotrs cottrnrtttritics arrtl th. ' ll tc p L,I i t i cal - t rI t rr ntl t I rL: Lt 11, 6f' cI ns s r rr t a t i ttr t ltarcrtdados.Spccifrc.rlll'. in the st:rte of Morekrs. irtdiccnous pe:rs- -fit 'fhe ants hlcl bcen org;rnizcci to opposc the Por/ii-i,rtosince r9ofl. beibrc centlal clr.re\tionkrr thc t]rcorv of political-clrrsslorrn.rti6u sr:,ly rlolther n lr,rrtttd,tltt Frarcisco I. M:rclcxr hacj cvcn cailccl f<rr thc be phrascclas lirlioivs: h.* ca, s.b.rrlinate srr)rp\, c.'r'r.rrirics or (\X,bnr:rck revolutir.rr's flrst slrot r 9rr9). Unlike the broad rlhance clrsses[reconrc hegcnronic or donrrrr.llrt,or :rt lcast eain tlre rbilitr, in thc n()rth. \\'lliclr ri'as lctl L't.;lrart'rtd,tdrt-i. the Molclos 1.g.15x11111 to pr.rsirfbI st;rtc rntclvcntions in thcir f:rr.,our.u,[ilc reprlpirrr] i1- r.r:urrccltlrcil leaclcr'frorri arnong their ou'rr conrnrunitr': Enriliano dcpcncicnr? l)oliric;rl-classfirrrrr.rtiorr nrav Lre tlcflrierj,rs tlrc process Zrrp.rt,r.Strictlv spc:rkirrg.Z;rp1111 \v:ls tlot a pc:lsant since he ertrnecl thror-rghri'hich clirect pn)tlut.clr ;rrr.'l,,tho' crploitetl :urrl,,oro;,i,."r,"..l lris lir,clilrootl fionr urrr-king on:r h:rcicnrla u;rgcs.