Subcomandante Marcos is the anonymous spokesman for the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in Chiapas, Mexico. He supports the army, which is composed mainly of indigenous Maya, and campaigns against globalization and for the autonomy of the native population. Marcos has written 21 books and announced a two-part plan called “The Other Campaign” to seek supporters and call for a new national constitution emphasizing equality.
Subcomandante Marcos, also known as Insurgente Marcos and Delegado Cero, is the anonymous spokesman for the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, based in Chiapas, Mexico. His name is believed to be an acronym referring to some of the first places where the army began its battle. He has clarified on several occasions that he is not the leader of the Zapatistas, but rather a supporter. The army, composed mainly of indigenous Maya, also counts on the support of white rural workers and sympathizers who understand the plight of the locals.
Subcomandante Marcos has never revealed his true identity, but the Mexican government believes his real name is Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente. Guillén was an active member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party while teaching Philosophy at the Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM) in Mexico City, which would go along with Marcos’s discourse that “the Zapatista movement is more a matter of ideas than of bullets”.
The Zapatistas believe in nonviolent protest and make active use of peace marches and the Internet to share their message. They oppose globalization and fight for the autonomy of the native population of Mexico. Subcomandante Marcos also campaigned extensively against the World Trade Organization and US-imposed economic sanctions on world markets.
Since 1996, Subcomandante Marcos has written 21 books, some of which have been printed in numerous editions and translated into several languages. La Historia de los Colores / The History of Colors, a bilingual edition of one of his most famous books, is actually a retelling of an ancient Mayan fairy tale for children about tolerance and solidarity. Subcomandante Marcos is also an avid correspondent, having written more than 250 stories and essays directed to newspapers and magazines or used as press releases.
In 2005, Subcomandante Marcos announced a two-part plan called “The Other Campaign.” While the plan’s creation coincided with Mexico’s presidential election the following year, the Zapatistas’ goal is not to back any particular candidate. Instead, they are calling for a new national constitution that emphasizes equality and guarantees that public resources will not be sold to private powers. Since the beginning of “The Other Campaign,” Subcomandante Marcos has traveled Mexico seeking supporters as he grappled with poverty and oppression.
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