Rebel Youth and Zapatista Autonomous Education

Abstract

The Lacandón rain forest of Chiapas, Mexico, has been progressively colonized by Maya peasant families since the middle of the twentieth century. Recently, the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (Zapatista Army of National Liberation—EZLN) unilaterally implemented indigenous rights policies, and young women and men have been taking part in the autonomous local political structures—particularly the schools— through a community-based process in which teachers or “autonomous education promoters” are supervised and maintained by the community. The active participation and engagement of young indigenous people in autonomous education implies a new type of instruction in accordance with communal political traditions and collective priorities. With the help of other international youth groups, Zapatista educators are trying to contribute to a new society in which ethno-political differences are recognized and respected.