Caracol I: Mother of the Caracoles, Sea of Our Dreams

La Realidad

Introduction

Eloísa (Former Member of the Junta de Buen Gobierno. MAREZ San Pedro Michoacán)

In our zone we as compañeras did not participate, our compañeras from earlier on did not have that idea that we as women can participate, we had the thought that we women were only good for the home or for taking care of the children, making food. Maybe it is from the same ignorance that there is in capitalism that it was what we had in our heads, but also we as women felt the fear of not being able to do things outside of the home and nor did we have that space on the part of the compañeras, we did not have that freedom to participate, to talk, as if it was thought that men were more than us.

When we were under the rule of our fathers they did not give us that freedom to go out well the machismo that was lived before was great. Maybe is was not because the compañeros wanted it to be like this, but because they had the idea that capitalism itself or the system itself put in our heads. Also the idea that the compañero is not used to doing jobs within the home, taking care of the children, washing the clothes, making the food, is what makes it difficult for the compañera to be able to leave to do her work, because for the compañero it seems difficult to take care of the children so that his compañera may leave.

Before, the compañeras lived under the rule of their fathers and since we have respect for our fathers, they said if their daughters could do the work or not, the women did not go where they wanted to do the work. If our fathers tell us, “you will not go,” sometimes we respect them, because we have in our heads that we should respect our fathers. There are times in which our fathers do not let us leave, they think that upon being taken from our houses we are not going to go to the work that corresponds to us, but we are going to do other things and then get involved in problems, the fathers think that they are going to have to fix our various problems that we have as women. Sometimes that also is the idea of our fathers or of the husbands of the compañeras who already have a partner.

But then, when our organization came, we began to see the various work areas that we have as an organization of the EZLN and we compañeras began to perform various jobs. In the beginning it was difficult for us, it was not easy, since we have in our heads that we as women cannot it was difficult for us to begin as compañeras.

In our zone in the beginning it began with the association of municipalities, since that time one compañera participated, there that compañera was representing, almost the majority was compañeros, but that compañera was confronting the work that belonged to her and that compañera is the same one who was a member of our Junta de Buen Gobierno, she was the first woman from our zone who occupied that position, she participated and was there for the same time that the compañeros were there in that period of the Junta de Buen Gobierno, she finished her work. Maybe the compañera felt alone but there were more of us compañeras who still did not have the courage to participate, maybe because we felt that we did not have the ability as compañeras or because we did not have that courage to participate, to talk, to decide, to state opinions, that is what seems difficult for us as compañeras.

In other periods of our Junta there were already more of us compañeras who worked there. But also there are compañeras who they choose for a position and are there, but being in the work sometimes it seems difficult and they think that they are not going to be able, they feel unable to do that work, that is why on some occasions they leave the work thrown-out and go. It also occurs that we name young compañeras, but we were discussing a little that putting young women in the work sometimes as young people they do not make themselves responsible in our work. Sometimes being within the work the compañeras get married, if the compañera goes off with a compa sometimes he gives her the freedom for her to continue with her work and continue participating, but sometimes many of our compañeras have gone off with those who are not compañeros, they go off with the priistas or with other organizations and then they leave the work thrown-out, even if the compañera is already advanced, even if she already has that participation as a compañera.

That happens because as compañeras from the beginning we have not had any smaller position in our town, smaller ones, like being a representative of compañeras or directing collective work of compañeras within the town. So when they name us in the various higher bodies of government, like the municipality, the Junta de Buen Gobierno, it is difficult for us to perform that work because from our town we have not grasped that practice of participating. When they name us to a larger body to control a municipality or our zone, it is difficult for us to perform that type of work as women, sometimes from lack of ability or from not knowing how to read, write, that makes us unable to do the work well.

We have seen compañeras who have that desire to learn, to work within the various areas of government, those compañeras have taken their work forward. Although there are compañeras who do not know how to read, do not know how to write, but if the compañeras are willing to work the work does go forward. We have realized that the compañeras who enter into the work with low abilities once within the work we go along catching the rhythm of how to do the work within the office.

We say that there is not a book where we are guided on how to make autonomy in our government, there is not a book which directs us, we go along learning with the work. What is difficult for us as compañeras is learning to talk, to decide, to state opinions, and to propose new things so that they may take us on a new path. But we are not without the participation of the compañeras, in the various work areas in our zone, as well as in the various levels of government and in other areas like health and education, compañeras are participating per se. We already have compañeras in all the areas, although not at 100% but we have compañeras in the various areas.

We see that it is thanks to our organization of the EZLN, which has taken us along this new path, that we are at this moment participating as compañeras. Our organization made us as compañeras wake up, made our eyes wake up regarding where we were, that it was not good how we felt incapable of doing that work, that yes we can as compañeras. This made us as women begin to perform positions, we have seen that in no organization of the political parties nor in a religion has this step been taken like the one that we carry here in our organization.

It is like this that we have participated as compañeras, we already have compañeras in the various work areas, but that depends a great deal on each compañera because we do not all have the same ability to learn quickly in the work. There are some of us for whom it is difficult to learn in the work and some who grasp more quickly how to do the work. There are many of us compañeras for whom it is difficult to begin in a job, it is difficult for us to grasp new paths as compañeras, since we are not used to it, it is difficult for us to learn, but that now depends a great deal on each compañera and it depends on the interest which each compañera has to do the work.

Questions

What did you do so that the compañeras participate in autonomous government, who motivates the participation of the compañeras in that zone?

From our zone, from our Junta de Buen Gobierno, from our autonomous councils, municipal assemblies of compañeras and compañeros have been convened, zone assemblies have been convened and there compañeros and compañeras have participated; from there it begins, from our authorities which are representing us like the Junta de Buen Gobierno or municipal authorities, from there the local authorities are told to promote in their towns, going to the meetings of the municipality, of the zone, and we tell the compañeros, upon arriving to the town, to give space to the compañeras who are already authorities so that they first may begin to inform on what could be learned, what could be heard in the assembly, for it to motivate the rest of the compañeras to participate. But that begins from our local authorities of the various areas that we have there.

Sometimes it happens that we are already in the position but we do not state an opinion. Do those female commissioner, agent authorities participate as it should be?

There are some towns in which the compañeras do now participate together with the compañeros. Also in the towns meetings are done, sometimes they are exclusively meetings of compañeras, just us compañeras get together to organize collective work within the town, the compañeras promote the collective work, but also there are assemblies in which we meet together with the compañeros. Also within the town the compañeras now state opinions, but not 100% of the compañeras have that ability to participate, to state opinions, being together with the compañeros we go along learning and listening to what the compañeros propose, their opinions, so when it is our turn to participate we also take ideas from the compañeros.

Do the compañeras also state opinions when you resolve problems?

There are some towns in which the compañeras have defined some issues, where we have low participation a bit is in the autonomous councils, there are compañeras who still do not state opinions. As well in our Junta de Buen Gobierno there are compañeras who have given solution to the problems, we compañeras who sometimes have been responsible for leading a team within the Junta de Buen Gobierno have now arrived there. If an issue to resolve comes, for example from the justice area, not only the one who carries the justice area resolves it, the one who heads the team within the Junta de Buen Gobierno is the one who directs how to resolve it or how to give solution to that problem, but the rest participate. But yes there now are compañeras who can decide on those problems and can give them solution.

With all sincerity, could you tell us how you are doing in the whole zone, in the towns where there are compañeras who are commissioners and agents. Are they now a majority? In those communities where there are compañeras who are authorities do they resolve what happens in a community or is it that it is still being learned?

We have the representation of the compañeras now in the majority of the towns. The issue of defining our issues as authorities alone we still do not have in all the towns, we are clear in saying that it has not been done in all the towns, it is done together with the compañero authorities. When we have a problem we convene meetings of authorities among compañeros and compañeras, so that it is supported among all and so that in this way we may learn from what the compas do.

Is that a plan of yours there in the whole zone?

Yes, that has been said as a zone, that the compañeras who still do not know how to resolve be supported with the compañeros, and we have also said that as compañeros, that where the compañeras cannot resolve an issue also for that the compañero authorities are there, so that they support them.

What difficulties have you had at the time of naming the compañeras in the towns and how do you resolve that difficulty? For example if the compañera does not accept for some reason?

That in itself has happened to us in the naming of authorities, sometimes when we name the compañeras they say that they are not going to be able, for certain reasons sometimes the compañera does not accept doing the work, but we solve it with the rest of the compañeras who are in the town. There are compañeras who even if they do not know, we do not know how to read or write, speak, state opinions, but there are compañeras who do decide because they have seen other compañeras who participate, so they decide to take the work within the town. But yes it has happened to us that there are compañeras who have rejected the work and that is why the compañeras who already participate within the town have been told to motivate the compañeras who do not participate.

Difficulties with the Participation of Women in the Work

Nabil (Member of the Autonomous Council. MAREZ Tierra y Libertad)

Within the work that we have been realizing, in accordance with the passage of time, we were encountering difficulties which did not allow us to realize the work in the struggle. In some towns there was not or there is not the moral support that some or many of us, as women who have recently been participating or taking a position, need much more if we feel incapable of exercising the work that we are responsible for. Another difficulty is perhaps the fear of making a mistake in the work that we are responsible for performing, or the fear that the compañeros will make fun of our participation, when of course we all begin from below. That perhaps there was not that courage to confront or to give solution to a problem, even if it is the smallest thing that happens in our work which we are exercising in the struggle. Perhaps because there was that will or that performance to develop our ability as women. Having a large number of children, also that provoked us as women not dedicating a little more time to our work that corresponds to us in the Zapatista struggle. This difficulty was made large when in the family the compañero did not take the responsibility of caring for the children in the moment which the compañera left and went to realize the work.

Marisol (Former Member of the Junta de Buen Gobierno. MAREZ San Pedro de Michoacán)

The fourth difficulty that we encountered as compañeras and which has been confronted a great deal in us is the problem of studies, not knowing how to read and write. Maybe it is because we did not have someone to teach us, especially the compañeras who where already grown-up in ’94, when it began. Sometimes the position is given to that compañera and the first thing that she says to us is “I do not how to read or write.” Maybe it is correct because before ’94 there was not education for our parents.

But even with that problem there are those of us compañeras who are making the effort to participate. In the towns there are compañeras who do not know how to read or write but yes they get up the courage to take the position in the company of another compañera who does know, as they say her secretary, for her to write down and the compañera what little she is able to capture in her mind with that helps the one who wrote.

We have compañeras in the Council who also are like this, they are now participating and do not know how to read, but with the other compañera, or with the rest of the compas, she is supported and there is her participation. We cannot say that they are not doing the work because even if they do not fix the problems they alone participate in other work, for example, in our caracol, the female and male councilmembers take turns in the center, the compañeros arrive there, take turns on the radio, in other work which is needed in the center. The compañeras are participating.

Also in the Junta we have a compañera who not much, but yes the compañera is now advanced, she does not know how to read or write. We are still in the period of the Junta when it is her turn to enter, we pay attention to her, show her what we do, go along teaching her what little she is going to be able to learn, she even began to write her name alone.

She alone endeavors wanting to learn, because she said that she saw letters, saw books, and said that she wanted to know what it said there. So we told her, with other compañeras, “this is how you are going to do it, compañera, this is what it says.” It is an experience that the compañera is learning in the work, she already has her spirits up with the help of the other compañeras, or in what we cannot teach her there is a compa there. We now tell the compa or the compañera:

“Ask your question to the compa,” and that’s what the compañera does.

Right now that compañera when we want to make a copy with the copy machine, says: “Are you going to make the copy.”

“Yes, compañera.”

“Ah, I am going to start the motor.”

And before in her house that compañera did not know how to start a motor, did not know how to fill a motor with gas, that compañera right now knows how to do it, since she says now that she is going to leave, that she began from nothing. I think that we can, the problem is for us to endeavor. Maybe on one hand it is very necessary to know how to read and write, but to have the courage to do the work we can exercise our work as women. Now that compañera is going to know many things, for her they are many things different from what was being done in her house, what she went to learn she did not know before in her house.

There is a town where the new authorities were named, the team that left already fulfilled their three years, in the team which left there are several compañeras and one of them does not know how to read and write but she is going to come to participate when it is time for her topic. She says that is not going to be difficult for her because she is learning and is supported by her children who know how to read and her husband, by their notes that they gave her, there what she is going to say is being recorded, because she is also living it in the town. It is like this how we are taking this step in the town. We are also seeing that we are not downhearted because we are rising up among some and others.

Another one of the difficulties that we confront sometimes is with the fathers, because sometimes the fathers lack trust in a woman, in that she is not going to do the work. Sometimes the husbands do not give us a chance to do the work, but with the talks and since it is always being demanded that there are compañeras in the work, well then they too go along understanding that it is necessary for compañeras to be doing the work.

That mistrust has to stop. How do we do it? In the zone assemblies, with the Junta and the CCRI too, it is always being demanded that there be participation of compañeras and that has to go as a task, when the compañeros or compañeras arrive to the town they tell us that we have to name compañeras for the areas or work where women are not participating.

For example, if there is a town where the compañeras are named, among men and women the female workers are named, but if the compañeras always say no, that they are not going to be able, then we look for another method so that they accept the position. We have made a meeting of pure compañeras, in one of them it happened that nobody wanted to take the position, we were looking for compañeras for the three areas and other positions, so we said it should be by list, how many women we are among girls and married women, we saw how many we are and it was named by list. There it was seen that sometimes forcing ourselves amongst us works, because when we named a midwife she said:

“I am not going to be able as a midwife, better I’ll be a healer.”

When we named her as a healer she said: “I am not going to be a healer, better an authority.”

When we told her, well, right now you are not going to pass but your turn is going to come later on. What did the compañera say?

“I want to be commission of the authority or commission of the person in-charge.”

Why did it happen like this? Because we ourselves are forcing ourselves to see that we do have to take a position. What goes along happening there is that among us we have to force ourselves a little, they are going to name us involuntarily, those of us who are volunteers are few.

We also sometimes have low spirits, we do not want to take positions because we know that maybe it is going to be alone. If they name me I know that I am going to go in the Junta but I feel alone because my town is not going to go with me and who knows if there are compañeras there. Sometimes there are towns which to resolve that coordinate it, they name two compañeras in a community and then the two go to do the work. But the two do not always have to leave, there are times that one of them stays, but since they were already guiding that compañerita because in the beginning she went with the other, she now has the spirits to stay alone.

It has happened on two occasions in the Junta which they named the compañeras by group, two compañeras are going to pass in the shift of one, the two always go to each shift, but one of them got married, right now the compañera continues participating, why? Because she already saw that within the team there is trust, among compañeros and compañeras they get trust upon being there in the work.

That is the other method that we have sought. There are also other towns that have been organized to accompany the compañeras who they name, for example if a compañera is named for the Council or the Junta, she is going to go to work but sometimes has to walk half an hour, one hour, two hours. How is she going to get there? The father, the mother, or the family are going to get tired, so the compañeras take turns to go leave her at her transportation or they go get her when the compañera is going to arrive; they go to drop her off, they give her company so that the compañera will go to do the work and not lose spirits.

The other difficulty that we the compañeras always have is with the various languages that are spoken in the zone. Sometimes there are compañeras who say that they do not understand when it is not their language, but always through the other compañera they have to translate what is being said. That is what is done, it is sought who is going to translate, because that is what they say sometimes, that they do not understand Spanish, but it is sought who translates it. Like this is how we are living the difficulties in our zone.

Questions

What is done when the compañeras reject the work due to the difficulties which are mentioned? What do you do so that the compañera is found?

To resolve the difficulties various things have been done, for example in the number of children that they have as compañeras, in the 47 points of prevention that we have in health we have a family planning point. It has been explained to the compañeros and compañeras that it does not mean that they are not going to have children, but that within the couple they plan how many children they can take care of, as much the compañero as the compañera, so that she can go out to perform the work that corresponds to her as a compañera and the compañero can attend to the children who remain within the home. Also the compañeros have understood that as women we have that right and that space to participate, there are compañeros who remain inside the house to take care of their children and they give the compañera that opportunity or that space so that she can go out to do the work.

As compañeras in the fear of being mistaken, or in the moral support to the compañeras, in that it has been said as a zone, as municipalities, that the compañeros should also encourage us within the town when the authorities are going to be named. Sometimes the compañera says:

“No, it’s that I won’t be able. I don’t know how to write, I don’t know how to read. It’s that it is difficult for me to speak. What if it is not really how I am going to say?”

There we say to the compañeras and to the other compañeras who already participate, instead of them brining in that idea that the compañera is not going to be able, that they should encourage them, raise up for that compañera the moral that yes she can do the work, encourage her, say to her:

“It’s that upon entering, perhaps per se you are going to do the work that corresponds to you? You are going to enter in order to learn. Begin there four, five months, you are going to grasp how to do the work, it is how you are going to go along participating.

That has been said as a zone, as a municipality, and within the towns, that they too should support us as compañeros and encourage us to participate. There are some of us compañeras who feel that we are not going to be able to participate or we are not going to be able to do the work, but within our zone there are compañeros who encourage us and tell us:

“Yes, compañera, you are going to be able, you are going to be able to do the work.”

Like this the compañeros begin to encourage us, it is how they as compañeros raise the moral for us, that yes we can as women.

You said that the courage to confront problems is lacking, speaking from the local, municipal government, what are the problems that women have not been able to confront? What have you done to resolve that?

In that difficulty we refer to that fact that as women, within our work we have compañeras, be it the Junta de Buen Gobierno, municipal councilwomen, local authorities, health promoters, education promoters, etcetera, those of us who have confronted various problems in our walk, due to x problem that we confront as compañeras, but there are those of us compañeras who have that courage to say, “what happened to me, why did I lose spirit from my work? There are compañeros and compañeras who help us to resolve our problem and we continue forward with our work.

But there are compañeras who feel bad, that is we already heard something about us that they are saying or we see something bad that we ran into in the path and we lose spirit, we do not have that courage as compañeras to say, “What is it that happened to me? Why did I lose spirit? Those compañeras leave their work without knowing why they left their work thrown-out. We refer to that when we say that we do not have the courage to confront problems within the work that we have.

When speaking at the Junta de Buen Gobierno level, that in some cases you have confronted and resolved justice problems, at any time have you come across a serious problem and how was it resolved?

Yes we have fixed problems, unfortunately we were responsible with another compañera. When we passed as members of the Junta de Buen Gobierno we did come across a problem which at the beginning was being difficult for us to solve. It took us two days to solve that problem because we did not have that ability to begin to resolve it, but we did give solution to the problem although it took a while, it took us two days solving it. There were other cases that we came across, when there are compañeras who accompany us and have that idea on how to do it, on how to give it solution, we support each other among compañeras, but sometimes we come across a group of compañeras where only one is giving an opinion and the rest do not give an opinion on how to do it, so we ask for support from the compañeros who are within reach in those moments, who give us a hand in supporting us to find the solution.

Sometimes we are responsible for a difficult case, for example we were responsible for a case of attackers who they brought to us there tied up, bound those attackers, and they said that yes they attacked and that they are fuckers, and in that moment there were no more compañeras to give us an idea how to give solution to that type of problem. But being there within the Junta we began to see how to do it, we did not have an idea on how to give it solution, so we sought a compañero who was within reach so that he would support us with giving us an idea on how to do it. We were able to solve that problem with the compañero’s support and in other types of problems, when there are us compañeras who do respond in giving an opinion in order to resolve, we have been able to solve the problems.

You as compañeras who have already passed through as members of the Autonomous Council, of the Junta de Buen Gobierno, what have you done so that knowledge, idea, experience that you have of participating in those government bodies, is not lost? Has your experience been taken advantage of or gone to waste?

Up to now the plain truth we have not organized as compañeras to transmit those experiences and ideas to the rest of the compañeras. We have not had that reach to share experience with the other compañeras, but they are already giving classes with the rest of the authorities, here we go along learning, maybe when we return we’ll involve ourselves there to give an example to the other compañeras.

How many compañeras are there as commissioners and agents in the whole zone?

Almost the majority of the towns have compañeras participating but we do not have an exact statistic, but in the Council there has not been much participation of the women compañeras, it began to be promoted more when there was the law on participation with the Zapatista towns. We began to promote the participation of women at the local level, in the towns, municipalities, from that time, I do not remember the year when there was the encounter of the Zapatista peoples with the peoples of the world, it is where the participation of women began to be participated at the zone level, but it has not been fully achieved.

One question, maybe the question is stupid but I am going to ask it. There in your various levels of autonomous government, have you not confronted problems with the compañeras, what we call “affair problems”? And if you have confronted them how you have resolved them.

Yes cases like that have been fixed. A case came to us, almost when the two of us entered, we made an organization as a Junta and they left the two of us heading a team and a problem came to us of a compañera who went to complain to us because her husband was mistreating her. It is unbelievable and it was very awful for us, the compañera said “I want separation from my husband,” but that ex-compa already had another wife. We were seeing how that problem is. We called the children of the first wife and of the second and there we began to see the arrangement, that is why it became a bit long for us. We viewed him as a huge fucker, because we thought that he only beat her, but no, that sickly old man hung the compañera up by her feet upside-down and he beat her there, the same together with two more of their children, and we had to see that arrangement.

How did we give it solution? The compañera asked for separation, so we did it dividing up the goods of the man. The goods passed to the first wife with the children because the man was offending, but we did not leave him at zero because the second wife also already had an older son, so we left a part for the other son, but not for the man. We divided up all his goods, it is how we gave it solution, we gave her right to that compañera who went to complain to us.

What happens when the compañeras, as members of autonomous government, come to have a problem with a compañero from their same team? That in some places has been one of the causes which impedes the participation of the compañeras.

That in itself I think happens anywhere. On one occasion it happened in our zone, what was done there, as we saw that it was not so serious, it was called to their attention. And in another case a compañero wanted to not show respect to the compañera, we punished the compa among ourselves, he remained away from his work the time of the punishment. He paid his punishment in the zone but outside of the office, he was not an authority for those days, and of course, it got his attention. He wanted to complete his work and he had to go back to retake it after his punishment. It is what has been done among us.

As a Junta, did you leave those problems up in the air just like that or was there an initiative about what to do if those problems are presented in the future?

It was given solution among us, but there was no other initiative, it was just made known to the zone, we have not planned something more about that. There are rules for the Junta but that point is not there.

Is it that it should not be in the rules?

It was not put in the rules because we thought among us that it was not going to happen, we entered as a team and with trust among all, we thought that we are compañeros and it was not thought if some day that is going to happen. We have to reinforce that rule more, now put that in and think about the problems which can happen, so that the day which they happen we already have something for resolving.

Do those problems not cause loss-of-spirit for the future of the compañeras’ participation?

Sometimes yes because at the time which they hear it, our fathers or husbands say, “no, well that is what your are going to do,” and they do not want the compañeras to participate. But of course once again we raise up participation with the very spirit of the compañeras, the one to whom it is passed continues forward and has to do her work. That problem was passed to the assembly for it to be aware and now in this way the compas are going to be cognizant that everything has to be published at the moment which it happens. Yes it is seen that it is a difficulty but because of what was seen until now it has remained like that, we are always ahead.

Has there been a town which does not have a female commissioner, agent?

Due to what has been promoted they all have one per se, although there are little towns of one or two families the compañeras per se who participate. Where they are small, if they do not have a female commissioner they have an agent, it always has to have its female commissioner too, it is covered. And there are regions in which there is a family in the little towns, they have meet to name a female commissioner or their authority, because sometimes there is that there are two or three families and from there the health promoter has to come out, the education promoter, the authority, the local person in-charge, so they meet and there they name one who is going to carry the work.

How do you do it in the towns which are far away, where there are one or two compañeros?

Those have to meet where they see closest, that is what is said to them, that where they find closest is where they are going to meet, if the compa is just alone per se, he is responsible. In the zone we have an agreement that from 10 families and up one compañera and one compañero authority is obligatory. If it is a smaller family, the family is going to determine if it names a compañero or a compañera.

We have the example that per se the compañeras do the work, because there are compañeras and compañeros who are from a family in small towns or families of 10, and those compañeras go to the meeting of the municipality or the zone, the compañero no longer goes. In the municipality and zone the work which has to be realized as a zone takes place and at the end we as authorities become aware of the work that is realized in that town, so they make it known to us that the compañera is going to do her work.

As Zapatista compañeras who organized, what is it that you feel and how do you see yourselves in the face of other sisters who are not organized?

The difference when we are already organized it is seen well that any work can be done. The work can be done when we the compañeras are already organized and when the compañeras are not organized they are each one on her path, there is not a work. When we are organized we then see the difference in which we live, we are seeing the difference that there is with those who are not organized, it is not the same. That is why we as Zapatistas, as Zapatista women, feel good because we have been able to pass all the difficulties that show up for us in the family, in the communities, and the other problems that go along showing up, for example them beating us, raping us, or coming drunk and killing us from so many blows, there is no longer that in our families.

Thanks to this participation we have been able to give ourselves the courage to confront that, we are going to say to our compañeros that it is not just for them to treat us like that. But with them, the compañeras who are not organized, it is not like that; with them those mistreatments continue, they do not have the word to say that no longer, “we no longer want it,” there drug addiction continues, alcoholism continues, rape continues, we even hear that there is prostitution. That is already arriving to the communities and with us in the organization it is not like that, that is why we feel good because we already have that courage, we already have that idea that we can say enough is enough.

Do the support base compañeras also pass on to be vigilance commission in the Caracol?

No, because an agreement still has not been made in the zone, they have not passed through. The participation of the compañeras in the vigilance commission, in the towns, does not exist due to lack of promotion. But a vigilance began, or support for vigilance in the towns, on behalf of the compañeros from the resistance nucleus, there participation of the compañeras does exist.

You talked about how in the health area they are promoting family planning, how do the support base compañeras and compañeros take it? Because it appears that sometimes it is viewed poorly, on the one hand from what the church puts in us, we want to know if there have been misunderstandings or problems about family planning.

In that we have not run into problems with the compañeras, it is something that has worked through the female health promoters in our towns, where there are not female promoters there are the male health promoters. A talk is given to the compañeras, to the compañeros, on this topic and until now we have not run into problems, it has not happened that the compañeras or the compas do not understand it or understand it in another form.

From the beginning it has been communicated clearly to the compañeros and compañeras, it was explained that they are not being prohibited from having children, but really they are being told to plan, that is why it called planning, for them to understand as compañeros that it is not like what the government does, but rather it is planning within the family. We have done that for them to understand as compañeras and compañeros.

How are you doing with the Revolutionary Women’s Law, has it been fulfilled or what is missing?

With regard to the Revolutionary Women’s Law, we have to be clear in that we have not met as compañeras to analyze about what we still need to fulfill from the revolutionary law. But in those times that we were working to come to present ourselves here, we realized that we do need to work more on what is the Revolutionary Women’s Law, because there are points that we are doing even if it is at minimum, but there are points where we have not achieved completion.

So within the talk that we have as compañeras, we force ourselves to say that after all this that is being done we have to convene assemblies of municipal authorities, together with the local compañeras from the towns and supported with the regional representatives from our zone, to begin to see what we are missing and other tasks which were left for us as compañeras.

In this work that we are beginning to do we realized that there are many things as compañeras that we still need to do, that is why we left it in another time, when we return to our zone to begin to promote the work that remained pending.

Caracol II: Resistance and Rebellion For Humanity

Oventik

Introduction

Guadalupe (Education Promoter. Monterrey Region)

We know that from the beginning women had a very important role in society, in the towns, in the tribes. Women did not live as we live now, they were respected, they were the most important for conservation in the family. They were respected because they give life just as now we respect mother earth who gives us life. In that time women had a very important role but over the course of history, with the arrival of private property, that was changing.

Women upon the arrival of private property were given as gifts, it passed to another level and what we call “patriarchy” arrived, with the plunder of women’s rights, with the plunder of the earth, it was with the arrival of private property that men began to command. We know that with this arrival of private property three great evils took place, which are the exploitation of all, men and women, but of women more, as women we also are exploited by this neoliberal system. We also know that with this came the oppression of men against women for being women and also we as women in this time suffered discrimination from being indigenous. So we have those three great evils, there are others but right now we are not talking about that.

We within the organization, with so much lack of rights as women, we saw it necessary to struggle for the equality of rights between men and women, it was like this how our Revolutionary Women’s Law was put forth. We know that we here in Zona Altos maybe we have not had great advances, they have been small advances, they are slow but we go along advancing. We have advanced with various levels, in the various areas in the various places where we are responsible for working. Before coming here we analyzed among men and women how we are in each one of the points in the Revolutionary Women’s Law, because it is very important in this analysis for not only women to participate, the men too need to participate, to listen to what we think, what we say.

We are talking about a revolutionary struggle and we do not make a revolutionary struggle with only men nor only with women, it is the task of all, it is the people’s task and as the people there are boys, girls, men, women, young people, adults, and elderly. We all have a place in this struggle and that is why we must participate in this analysis and in the tasks that we have pending.

Participation of Women in the Junta de Buen Gobierno

Leticia (Former Member of the Junta de Buen Gobierno)

When the Junta de Buen Gobierno was formed, in 2003, there were 14 members of the Junta who were pure compañeros, compañeras did not come who represented any one of the municipalities which were already formed. The first municipality that had women within its autonomous council was Magdalena de la Paz, but they were not integrated from the beginning of the work in the first Junta, it was in January 2005 when two compañeras began to participate. The rest of the autonomous municipalities did not have women in the positions, it took time for them to name compañeras for the Junta. So the need was seen for the other municipalities to name compañeras, like this the compañeras were integrated in various times, little by little the municipalities were naming them.

Since the compañeras began to have participation as members of the Junta realizing the tasks as members of the Junta has cost them much work, for example, speaking with the national and international visitors, attending to and resolving the problems which come from the various municipalities and regions in the zone. To resolve this problem it is necessary to help among all, compañeros and compañeras, as members of the Junta. It has been seen as a team in the Junta and there has been respect, the decision is made among all, solving problems together is sought, taking out proposals of agreement among men and women.

Something that we the compañeras feel is fear of not knowing how to do the work due to how difficult it is, because it is a commitment where they do not only come to sit down, more still when there is not general knowledge of the various work and lack of expression in the second language, but as our struggle demands so, it must be fulfilled. Since there were not very many women as members of the Junta it was very difficult for us when the work was being done, because as compañeras we are not used to realizing an activity together with the compañeros outside of our town. When it is worked in the Junta it is different from working in the municipality because the Council is there and the other compañeros and compañeras who realize the activities, but in the Junta the activities are realized equally among all.

The compañeras of the Junta fulfill various commissions, like education and health commissions, on various levels, and when there are meetings of each commission they go to the Junta where they must go. When there are problems in the areas they analyze among all, they take out proposals among men and women. It has been seen that there are compañeras and compañeras who come across a problem or who no longer want to continue with their commitment and then do not finish their position, this is the same for men and women. It has been seen that sometimes the compañeras have more spirit and will to fulfill their period in this commitment.

The daily work of the Junta includes many activities, such as the recording of the activities which are realized, the preparation of projects, keeping the record and management of resources, learning to use computers, learning how to send and receive email, how to make reports, learning to orient and encourage the towns in a direct manner and also recording messages to transmit on the community radios, analyzing and reflecting on the problems and needs which come up in the towns. We have participated in some encounters with other organizations. These tasks are very important for our peoples and as women we are lacking a great deal to learn. To organize ourselves in the Junta there are coordinators but this does not mean that he or she is in charge of realizing the activities all alone, but rather this is to promote the realization of the work. When we receive the position they give us an explanation on how to do the work.

It has been seen that sometimes there are towns which choose their authorities for the Junta very young and with little experience, and when they confront big problems, although they do not now what to do or they feel that they do not know what to do, they seek the manner to help with resolving it. Sometimes even if they are already of age but they do not have that experience of how to resolve problems, if there is not a practice for resolving problems in their towns, in spite of it being difficult to learn, they seek the way. The towns now know that they cannot name very young people because they must name and choose compañeras who are older and with some experience.

One problem that there is in our towns is that the young women are more chosen and the married women are not, because the family does not allow them. There are times that as women we hide our problems and we do not say them because we have fear of being left, beaten, that is why we hide them. Even some compañeras still do not understand our freedom to take a position and we still discuss in order to take a commitment. The way how it has been resolved is that although the compañeras enter into the position without the ability to resolve the problems, once in the work they go along learning to do it little by little, in this way they give their word to the public and also their speeches. It is always important for them to have the experience to resolve problems from the community, in the region or municipality, so that then when they arrive to the Junta they have a bit of experience, this is to avoid the previously mentioned difficulties.

Participation of Women in the Autonomous Municipalities

Silvia (Member of the Junta de Buen Gobierno. MAREZ Magdalena de la Paz)

In the autonomous municipalities the compañeras also are taken into account, they are named by the whole municipality to carry out their position. The position that they carry out is of prefects, there also have been substitutes for the Council and also presidents of the Autonomous Council. If for some reason some compañera leaves the position the same community from where she came must replace for the compañera to finish the period and she cannot be replaced with a compañero well it must be covered the same with a compañera.

Some municipalities, depending on their plan, in each period they choose from 4 to 8 compañeras. When those compañeras are chosen per se they already know that two of the compañeras from each municipality are named for the Junta and others to cover their turn in the offices of the various autonomous municipalities which are in the Caracol. When the compañeras finish their shift in the Caracol there are moments in which they go to the municipality if it is necessary, like this they have participation and opinion in the various issues. This work arises, depending on each municipality.

In some municipalities there is little participation of compañeras in the autonomous councils and we how that in other periods we’ll be able to integrate more compañeras. In the work of the compañeras in the municipalities many times the problem that we have encountered is the same, it is the fear of not being able to govern, of not knowing how to work. The compañeras are worried a great deal about being able to carry their positions well, but there is nothing more besides overcoming it with practice, like this they have gone on learning little by little with their participation.

With attendance to the meetings, there are times that they call them in the communities and the compañeras go, and if the compañeras are asked in the moment about their view they give their word, they make the effort, they give orientation and form part of the commissions in the various areas. As part of the work the compañeras also participate in reviewing the reports about the projects. As women learning more to resolve the problems that there are in our towns is still lacking, above all family problems, thefts, how to apply justice, among others. Making more meetings to resolve among all, there we are going to learn more.

Participation of the Compañeras in Other Positions

Silvia (Member of the Junta de Buen Gobierno. MAREZ Magdalena de la Paz)

In our autonomous communities we women have not been named to participate in the position as agents or as autonomous commissioners. What is seen in some communities is that although they are not the very presidents of the autonomous commissary, but they have been named as members of the commissary in some autonomous municipalities. To be a commissioner she has to know how to resolve a land problem, see well who is right and the idea must be had on how t o solve it, it is necessary to have a little bit of studies and like this obtain the experience and practice.

It is seen that there are problems when a compañera does not have studies and does not know how to resolve land problems, how to measure the land, how to do sketches, how to orient herself in the cardinal directions, and does not know how to resolve land problems, but earlier on our ancestors did per se know how to measure by rods, by armlengths, or with other measurements and they could orient themselves with the sun to make their sketches, like this they resolved land problems.

Participation of Women in the Various Work Areas

Verónica (Former Member of the Junta de Buen Gobierno. MAREZ San Andrés Sakamchen de los Pobres)

In the various areas some compañeras have been integrated who are making the effort to participate in the work and areas that we have in this zone, because it is seen that it is very important for there to be participation of women. In the health area there are compañeras who are participating as general coordinators in the zone, also there are coordinators in each one of the micro-clinics that there are in the various municipalities. In each community compañeras have participated who are doing their work in the health area and when it is their shift the compañeras are fulfilling, they are taking their positions and there the compañeras are participating.

Three compañeras’ workshops were formed: midwives, healers, herbalists. This work began more than one year ago, it is there where the compañeras are participating, there they are realizing their activities. When it is their turn to come to receive their trainings, the compañeras come to receive the training, because it is the instruction of the command and the very situation which demands us to be receiving the training in these areas; there they plan their workshops and how they are going to learn about these areas. In these areas they have already had a bit of advance but they have had difficulties, some times it happens that the number of compañeras is decreased, sometimes they do not come I think from lack of conscience or of understanding that it is very important. But many of the compañeras are making an effort in these areas. When the compañeras come to receive the training, they are accompanied by the compañeros and compañeras of the CCRI, also from the regional representatives and the members of the Junta.

In the area of education the compañeras are also performing their positions as general coordinators in the zone and also secondary school coordinators, secondary school promoters, or trainers in the zone, subcoordinators of primary school promoters, language center promoters; these compañeras cover their positions from Monday do Friday, in that area they are fulfilling their work. They also realize activities that they do collectively with the compañeros when they have a work coordinator in the zone, there they are helping, when they make their plans about education nobody says that they do not know, that only men know, that only women know, nobody says this, everyone knows how to do something.

The agroecology area we are lacking participation in the general coordinator of the zone, because not a single compañera has been integrated into the general coordination. Where we see that there are coordinator compañeras is only in one center of the eight centers in this zone, also there are some promoters in some groups, there are three compañeras who are the development committee. In the work of center coordinators they are propelling the work to concentrate information on the center, they promote the training of the promoters, how to keep the work, shift spending, materials, and tools records.

In the communication area there is work in the community radios, there almost half of the personnel who is participating in each station are compañeras, also there are coordinators of this area. The women have their participation in the radios as hosts, they do editing and recording, the realize interviews, reports, or programs in the internet centers. There is a coordination but there are not compañeras in this position, there are compañeras only as the promoters who realize the work in the editing, in the use of the video camera. There are compañeras who are participating in each group or in each community, the compañeras are participating in the communication radios in each group.

Also there are other areas where women are participating, like in the commercialization area, where there are two women’s cooperatives. One is “Por la dignidad” and the other is “Mujeres de la resistencia,” in these cooperatives almost pure compañeras are participating. In these cooperatives that the compañeras have they are organizing to make directives or name representatives in the communities, when they go out to sell they are the compañeras themselves who go out to sell their work.

We see that there is a little bit of advance with our participation in these various tasks that we have, of course we do know that the participation of the compañeras is very much lacking, but in all the work areas the compañeras are making all their effort to work, to perform their position. Sometimes we do not have a good idea to do or how to carry the work, sometimes we are also lacking the conscience to fulfill these commitments, we are lacking that, but if they give us the political or moral support, on behalf of the compañeros, there we are going to be able to do the work a little.

Questions

Is the language center with the intention that you who speak Tzotzil or Tzeltal share that language or are they the languages of other brothers and sisters who come from other countries?

The language center is not giving courses with the Zapatista compañeros, but rather is a school or center where the international compañeros can come, from other continents, there is the place where they can learn, be it Spanish or in Tzotzil, because in this zone Tzotzil is more spoken and a little bit of Tzeltal. Those compañeras who come, be it from the United States, be it from Europe or from wherever, can attend that school and it is there where the languages are shared a little, but we still only have one.

Have there not been people who have cared about recovering the language of our regions?

In order to recover, so that these languages like we have here in the zone are not lost, work is being done in education, for example, in the secondary school we have an area which is called Tzotzil, it is there where it is being learned how it is spoken, how it is written, because many times we do not even know so much as the history of how it came, where it came to, so there it is given and it is applied so that the language that we have is not lost.

Of the cooperatives that you have as compañeras, where did you get the fund to start and if only the compañeras administer it or is it in conjunction supported with the compañeros?

The cooperative began on its own in each community. When that cooperative began it began with pure compañeras but in the own effort of each community, it is not a support from the Junta de Buen Gobierno.

Exercise of the Revolutionary Women’s Law

Yolanda (Education Promoter. MAREZ Magdalena de la Paz)

As is known per se, this women’s law was made justly due to the situation that the compañeras lived, this is why the law began, because early on they suffered too much. We now have this law written, we have it in the five caracoles. This problem that we have is not only the compañeras’ problem, it includes the compañeros too, because when a position is given to a compañera sometimes the compañeros do not let their wife or their daughter go out, it now depends, there are times that they do not give her the right, the freedom, that is why the problem includes men too.

This does not mean that it is only the men’s fault, the problem includes the compañeras too. It is everyone’s problem because there are times that although the man gives the right to his wife, but there are times that the compañera herself does not want to, she says, “I can’t,” or for various reasons does not participate. One is because sometimes the women have many children, there are times that it is a problem too, where we cannot perform a position, it does not leave us free. There are many reasons for why it is still discussed upon taking a position. As we say, it is everyone’s fault, not only the women’s or the men’s, this problem is everyone’s, so this law was justly made, and to come here, in our zone we analyze a little how we are doing point by point, we are going to say a little up to where we as women have been able to fulfill that law.

First. Women, without regard for their race, religion, color, or political affiliation, have the right to participate in the revolutionary struggle in the place and rank which their will and ability determine.

We say very clearly that the straight truth we have not totally fulfilled, we have fulfilled it a little bit, it has not been fulfilled 100%, but yes we have tried to fulfill, the compañeras are now taking positions in education, in health, the compañeras are now taking a position, as zone coordinators they already have a position, their area depends on them.

But we see that it is very important for us to study well what the law is because if we do not really understand what it tells us, we analyze a little in our zone that it could be that it arises the same as the history which has happened, that woman she is the giver of live so then latter it changed, if we misunderstand this law that we have as Zapatistas it could happen again.

When this law was made it is not because women want to command, it is not because women want to leave their husbands, their compañeros dominated, our law does not mean this. That is why it is necessary to study this law very well, because we do not want to make a construction to follow the same history that we have seen, that the compañeros who are machistas command, and if we misinterpret this it is going to happen the same, the compañeras command and the poor little compañeros, there they remain thrown-out too, but we do not want that.

What is wanted is something like a construction of humanity, it is what we are trying to change, another world is what is wanted. What we are doing is the struggle of everything, men and women, because it is not a struggle of women nor is it a struggle of men. When wishing to talk about a revolution it’s that they go together, it goes for all among men and women, the struggle is made like this.

It cannot be that the compañeros say, “we are struggling here, we are making the revolution, and only the compañeros are performing all the positions and the compañeras there in the house, that is not a struggle for all. What is wanted is for it to be for all, among men and women, that is what is wanted. But we say clearly in this first point of the law, that we are carrying little by little, still a bit dizzy because the straight truth, as compañeras, still it seems very difficult for us to take a position, any position.

The revolutionary law is being applied in the secondary school, there the law is studied, then when the compañeros and compañeras leave they are going to know how the women’s law is, that she has her right but also has her obligation. Not only just right and right, without her obligation it is not just, it must have her right and obligation, women also have to do something.

Second. Women have the right to work and receive a just wage.

In the case of this point we still have not achieved it in this zone, I think that in all the five caracoles, still this is not being fulfilled because we have still not been able to achieve that there be a wage within the organization, there is not. This point is still not being fulfilled, unless there are compañeras who go out to another town, there we do know well how the situation is, when one goes out to the city we already know how it is, it is not necessary for us to tell, each one of us already knows it.

Third. Women have the right to decide the number of children that they can have and care for.

We see still that it is not being fulfilled much, we are fulfilling it a little, there are some families who already decide how many they can take care of, how many they can have. In these points we are advancing a little, a little is still lacking, there are women who have a ton of children still. But there are now some families who are understanding what the consequence is afterward, when the family is not taken care of, when the family has many children, the consequences are then able to be understood.

We have not given many meetings especially for the compañeras, but this conscience is achieved through politics, studying the law a little, there a little bit of conscience is acquired. They themselves are going to understand, women and men, what happens upon having many children. Here in the zone we do not have much land, so if we have many children where are those compañeritos going to go to live afterward. It is there where a little bit of conscience is required, it is through the politics that the regional representatives give us, the local representatives give us in each town, it still has not been achieved for the Junta, those from the CCRI to organize that work, we still have not done it like that.

Fourth. Women have the right to participate in community matters and have a position if they are chosen freely and democratically.

Here we can say that it is already being fulfilled a little bit, because when a compañera comes out named within the town or the region, we have seen that they do accept their position. Although with great difficulty but there they go with their work, there are times that it is difficult for us to say that yes we are going to take the position, there are times that it is really difficult for us due to the bad custom that we have lived since more than 500 years ago, this is why it is very difficult for us when changing this situation. But we see the difference now, well thanks to the struggle they make us perform a position and what we think is that little be little we are going to go changing the situation and the reality as we lived it now as compañeras and compañeros. That we now are more or less carrying out, this is already being fulfilled a little bit in all the towns.

Guadalupe (Education Promoter. Monterrey Region)

Fifth. Women and their children have the right to primary care in their health and nutrition.

In this point it is important for the couple to have a good agreement because only like this in the family can they give the right to the children and to the women. Above all the women who are feeding or who are awaiting their baby, it is important for them to be fed well, not that sometimes the women at the end are those who eat if food is left over or if not, well no. In the analysis that was done in the zone we saw that it is already being carried out a little bit in practice, that it is still not being fulfilled in its totality, it is part of the tasks still.

Sixth. Women have the right to education.

In this point something is being fulfilled but there are still some problems in the minority of the communities or families. It still comes to pass that the fathers do not give permission to their daughters, also at times the compañeras do not take their right, above all in the case of the young women who now can demand more, sometimes they do not take their right. In the case of the girls, when they are in their community, more is fulfilled because they attend the autonomous primary schools, the EPRAZ.

In the case of secondary school we see that for the young women it is a little more difficult because they have to travel to the Caracol, the secondary school is there. It is more difficult because they come from very far- away places and sometimes the fathers do not give them permission to stay there for multiple days while the classes last. Also it has been seen that some compañeras who are arriving to the school, to the secondary school above all, sometimes get married and leave their studies, sometimes some compañeros have the agreement for them to continue, but other times they do not come to a good agreement and the compañera leaves affected and the struggle leaves affected when they stop studying.

There was also a process with regard to the right to education which has to do with the formation of the adult compañeras. One time a plan was made so that the adult compañeras could be made literate and it was done, but maybe due to a lack of conscience it was not given follow-up, it was stopped because the compañeras no longer attended, now it is important for that which was begun to be retaken because the compañeras also have the right to prepare themselves, to have studies to be able to carry out their work and their commitments.

Seventh. Women have the right to choose their partner and to not be obligated by force to enter into marriage.

It is known that before the decision was not made by the women if they wanted to get married or who they wanted to get married to, they did not have a voice, their word was not taken into account, nothing, it was a bad custom. The compañeras where exchanged for booze, for animals, for money, and even though they were girls, maybe even 10 years-old, they married them obligatorily with whom the fathers decided. This a few years ago began to change, now the majority of the fathers ask their daughters if they want to get married or who they want to get married to, that is why we say that it has advanced in this point. Although still sometimes, it happens very little but it still happens, they get married at 13 or 14 years-old, and we say that it still is not their moment well it is necessary for the compañera to advance in her study, still it is the time of her preparation.

We see that with the change of life in the organization now it happens that many young men, many young women, are concentrated in various tasks, in various areas, and we cannot avoid them meeting each other, talking, spending time together. It is good if they talk but if it is then going to be for a relationship it is said here for them to have their parents’ permission and for them not to take up the bad customs of the cities where the couple just like that gets together without respect for their fathers, for their mothers, or that they go off with someone who is already married, that is seen poorly here in the zone, I think that in the whole organization.

Eighth. No woman will be beaten or physically mistreated by family members or by strangers. The crimes of attempted rape or rape will be punished severely.

This point here in the zone we say that it has not been completely fulfilled because physical violence is not the only thing that takes place, there are other types of mistreatment. Sometimes there are physical blows and there are times that there are not physical blows but we find that these problems of mistreatment still happen to and affect any one of our work levels. We say that sometimes there have been rape attempts, but not by the compañeros, but rather because the compañeras cannot go around alone and have to go accompanied because sometimes on the road there are rape attempts, here in the zone what has been known is that those who do that are not compas, we have found that these rape attempts and even rapes have taken place by the party- members.

We also see that in this point it has changed because the compañeros now respect the compañeras, although there is a minority which still does not give good respect to the compañeras. Sometimes it has happened, when there has been mistreatment and the compañera complains, it comes to be known, it has been punished even with a week of jail, it has been necessary to advise so that the compañero learns to respect the compañeras and like this it has been corrected.

Ninth. Women will be able to occupy positions of leadership in the organization and have military ranks in the revolutionary armed forces.

This point we say that it is being carried out because there are compañeras integrated in all the leadership positions. There are local, regional representatives, committee members, in all the positions and also there are compañeras occupying various military ranks. The compañeras have taken their right depending on their will and their ability.

Tenth. Women will have all the rights and obligations which the revolutionary laws and regulations indicate.

Here in our zone we have made the effort to fulfill our rights and obligations as our revolutionary law that we women have says, although we still are missing a great deal, we do not say that it is completely fulfilled or that we have already advanced so much, we are lacking, these 10 points have served for us to improve our participation in any place where we are, in various realms and for the men to respect us a little more.

Just as the tenth point of our law says that we women have all the rights and obligations but we realize that still there are many points that are not well specified, that are not well clarified in our revolutionary law, in the points that we already have known. That is why as a zone we saw that it is necessary to know and be familiar with what has been proposed in the year 1996, this did not come out as a proposal of the Junta but it was born from this zone and it is the proposal for the expansion of our Revolutionary Women’s Law.

Proposal for the Expansion of the Revolutionary Women’s Law

Claudia (Member of the Autonomous Council. MAREZ Magdalena de la Paz)

Women have the right to be respected within family life and within the community. Women have the same right as men within the community and the municipality. Women have the right to express their feelings because as women by nature we have our own feelings and we are more sensitive. Married women have the right to use family planning methods, be it artificial or natural, that they decide or wish, in mutual agreement with their husband. Women have the right to participate in meetings and decision-making together with men, to discuss and make plans without anyone impeding them or criticizing them. They have the right to train themselves, to have spaces and mechanisms to be heard in the community and municipal assemblies, and to have positions in all the cultural and social fields. Women have the right to prepare themselves in all levels which are necessary for their political, economic, social, and cultural development. The Revolutionary Women’s Law strictly prohibits the planting and consumption of drugs, marijuana, poppy, cocaine, etcetera, in our towns because we women are those who most suffer the consequences. The sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages is strictly prohibited in our towns and communities, because we are the ones who suffer blows, mistreatment, poverty, and misery as a consequence of this vice. Women and their children will have equal right as men to nutrition, clothing, the spending and management of the family’s economic resource. Women have the right to rest when they really need it, be it because they feel tired or sick, or because they wish to realize other activities that they need to. Women have the right to verbally defend themselves when they are offended or attacked with words by their family or outside persons. Women have the right to defend themselves when they are attacked or assaulted physically by family members or outside persons, and they have the right to punish the aggressors according to the rules and statutes of the organization. The ability and the work of women will have the same value as the work of men, that is why there must not be difference in the just wage nor in the price of their products. Women have the right to demand that the bad customs which affect their physical and emotional health be changed. Those who discriminate, make fun of, or abuse women will be punished. Married men and married women, whatever their ceremony has been, remain prohibited by the Revolutionary Women’s Law from abandoning their wife or husband without reason or foundation, to get together with another woman or with another man when there has not been a formal divorce. It remains prohibited by the Revolutionary Women’s Law for a man to have two wives, because in this way the wife’s feelings are hurt, her right is violated, her dignity as a wife and as a women are hurt. The Revolutionary Women’s Law retakes and considers valid the indigenous society norm that it is prohibited and is undue for a member of the community to have romantic relations outside of the norms of the community and of the town. It is to say, that it is not permitted for men and women to have relations if they are not married, because that brings as a consequence the destruction of the family and bad example before society. No woman will be able to receive mistreatment, insult, or blows by her husband only for not having male children. Women have the right to hold, to inherit, and to work the land. Women have the right to receive credit, to promote and direct productive projects. When separations take place in marriages the land and all the family’s goods must be divided up in equal parts among the husband and the wife and among the children. Women have the right to punish men who sell and drink alcoholic beverages and any other type of drugs. Women have the right to diversion and to go out to get to know other places in the state, in the country, and in the world. Women have the right to be supported by their husbands when they go to do work for the organization. When a woman goes to meetings, the man must care for and feed the children, and attend to the home. Women have the right to handle all development plans. Women have the right to organize themselves in culture, as in poetry, songs, theater, dance, celebrations, etcetera. Indigenous women have the right for their different ways of being to be recognized. Widows, single mothers, and alone mothers have the right to be respected, considered, recognized as a family and supported by the community when they need it. Women have the right to be informed of everything that is done in the community and receive all types of information to expand their knowledge more. Women have the right to demand that prostitution be eradicated in the communities. Women have the right to receive technical advice so that they may be able to realize their work better. Women have the right to be respected by their husbands, to be allowed to participate in the various activities and be allowed to leave the community to do their work with the rest of the women. Women have the right to be respected in their traditional, cultural practices and customs, languages, and have the right to use their traditional clothing.

The 10 points of the Revolutionary Women’s Law were made before 1994, we analyze them in our zone how we are doing with the fulfillment of this law, we saw the advance where we have reached in practicing the revolutionary law, but a great deal is still lacking, so our great work that we have as men and women is to now practice what we are lacking, the women’s law that we have, per se still we have not achieved fulfilling everything.

Another Compañera

These 33 points were a proposal which came out since 1996, various points were expanded, but it has not been confirmed if they will remain like this. From these points it is understood that there are some which can in themselves be taken to practice but for others it is still lacking, when we made them we based ourselves on how things were in those years, it was different, things were something else when we made this, it may be that now it has changed a bit but yes there are things which are still lacking.

When this expansion was proposed there was not a Junta, there were no autonomous councils, but it is our work as women, as the CCRI of that zone and we saw that the expansion of the law is lacking, that is why these 33 points were made.

But how was this done? We proposed it in an assembly of the five zones, we convened it, representatives of the five Aguascalientes came, I think that they still were not Aguascalientes in that time. The women came, we presented the proposal, we told them to carry it, to go to the towns, to discuss, analyze, remove, expand everything that the women from other zones want, other zones sent responses, some were in agreement, others no, that is why this amplification is not in force, it has not been approved by the five zones, that is also why it is not being used here in Zona Altos. It simply remained in the air, there is not a concrete response, it was not approved or it could be that we no longer moved it afterward.

As a Junta, as autonomous governments, not many things have been made to promote the participation of women, as a committee, some women from the CCRI, we have not been able to do much either but since we integrated ourselves in this work, since ’95 when we integrated ourselves, we have some work with the compañeras.

We have done meetings and have formed representatives of women but everything has not been achieved as it should be, in the beginning the women did enter but within a few months it no longer existed. Why? Well they have many reasons it appears, but pure excuses sometimes, other times it happens that we name pure girls and they get married, even if it is with a compa, and they leave their commitment thrown-out and no longer continue, then the town no longer names again. It is said to the towns that they must name another representative, or a local representative, that they must name the relief for the one who left their commitment, but the community says:

“No, it’ll stay just like that,” the women themselves say. “If this girl, this compañera, could not do it, what are we going to be able to do? Better to not,” is the response that the women have given, although there have been attempts to form persons in-charge or representative of women in various regions.

We also as the CCRI have gone out to the regions to gather the support base women, we have done it two times no more, go out to the communities, but as if there was no response here in the zone. Why did it happen in this way? Speaking in politics there are no more compañeras, there has been but they leave their commitment, the ones we have are few.

Speaking of the participation of women in autonomous government and in the Junta de Buen Gobierno we are going to say what is real, we cannot lie that here we the women are advancing a great deal, that there are many authorities, here there are not even female agents, nor commissioners, we do not know if there are in a municipality, it could be that there are but we do not know it. Why? Who knows, we do not see where the problem is, so as women who are in the CCRI we ourselves have said, “where is the problem? Why can’t the compañeras be raised up? And to date we have not found a response.

One problem that there is in the municipalities is that, for example, if a compañera comes to be a council-member, or representative, or Junta de Buen Gobierno, what happens is that she encounters a problem, sometimes that which we call “affair problems” occur. That affair problem which is said, is a problem of the man and the woman. If a compañera makes that mistake sometimes the compañera cannot endure, when she is already involved in that problem she cannot endure, she leaves her work thrown-out and then the people, her father or brother, whoever it may be, say that she can no longer continue because she made that mistake.

We ask ourselves why. Why can women not continue their work when they make that mistake and why do the compas, even if they get involved in a problem of that type, continue their work? Why is there that difference? Who knows, once again we have not found an answer, but with the town it is the problem which they see as very great when that happens. It has happened in some municipalities, above all in the Junta de Buen Gobierno, this problem has happened and the people say:

“No longer, I am not going to send my wife, I am no longer going to send my daughter because there she is going to encounter that problem,” it is said that no.

That is the mistake, it is like that per se, even if it is explained well but the people, the town, as they are not able to understand that and it is the problem that there is here in Los Altos de Chiapas. There has been a Junta de Buen Gobierno which left its work thrown-out due to committing that failure and it has not been possible to name again because now nobody wants to accept the position due to that same problem. One makes the mistake and we all pay, that is it.

But per se here in Zona Los Altos there is no motivation, there is no interest, it appears, in the compañeras themselves, in the compañeros also. We cannot deny that the compañeros have supported us morally, but not all, sometimes it does not matter who it is, from head to toe, there has not been that moral support. We have known it since we have begun to work like this as women, that we have tried to do some work with the compañeros, but what we have found in the compañeros of the various positions, it does not matter who it is, but we find that instead of helping us as if our work has no value, they even say:

“It’s that it is women’s work, it is a thing for women,” say the compañeros.

What do we think about that? As women we feel bad, I do not know how to say it but we have felt in our own flesh how it is. We hope that it has not happened in other zones, if it has not happened then what a good thing, it is what our compañeros here in Los Altos need to know, if it has not happened in other caracoles, what a good thing, it is an example because here that has happened, it does not matter who it is. That is why a woman, we say it clearly once again, although she comes to be Junta de Buen Gobierno, comes to be a member of the Autonomous Council, comes to be a local or regional person in-charge, CCRI, but at the time to do the work, the time to resolve a problem, the time to make an opinion, to decide, truly we the women here in Los Altos battle a great deal.

“What do you say?” say the compas, sometimes they ask us and nothing, we do not speak at all.

“Why?” I do not know why, but at times, for example a problem which we are going to resolve, we do not say because simply if we say as if we fuck things up more. Some compas even say, “It is not good what that compañera said, it is not like that.” It is there where that has been stuck into our head, I cannot find the way to say how to explain it but it is what there is here, I am going to say, it is the moment to say what is real, what is true, nor can we make things up.

Here many things are lacking, but yes we have done something in politics. Over several years we see that there were not women’s representatives, there were not local persons in-charge, there were not regional representatives, so we ask ourselves what to do as women. What happened to us just like that, we are going to invent something, we thought about doing a March 8th meeting, convening the women but asking them to name their persons in-charge. We proposed it in the command, because always anything that we do we propose it, we said to the command if we can do a celebration on March 8th and they did support us, they told us to do the celebration but not only that, but also the compañeras from other caracoles had to come. Our idea was that in Zona Altos the women name their persons in-charge of each group, we did achieve that a little, because there were regions that did not even have a local person in-charge, we did achieve it, but once again it is dropping.

The women who have come to have a position as Junta de Buen Gobierno, as a member of the Autonomous Council, are named among men and women, they make an assembly, the women are not apart, but rather the Autonomous Councilmember who goes to look for their relief convenes men and women, young women, young men, they choose together their authority, not the women apart, but it is still lacking, even if it is explained to the compañeras as if sometimes they do not understand.

The three health areas which were made, a healers area was made, herbalists, and midwives, is of pure compañeras; that is not our initiative but rather a proposal of the General Command, and we liked it because we saw that it is a space which can be opened to women for them to be able to participate. That is why we like that idea which they proposed to us, but we said clearly from the beginning that if the compañeros do not support us, if they continue saying as they have said, that work is not going to be able to get done.

We said that, even some leaders know that it was like that, that we said what there was. It has now been more than a year since those were formed, and we have now seen the difference a bit, we have no longer heard from the compañeros, “that is a women’s thing, we are not going to support.” No, it is now a little different, but there are many things, speaking of the compañeras’ participation, yes there are many things which are still lacking, we have the Revolutionary Women’s Law, but not only is it written there, our work that we have to do is begin to practice what we have still not reached.

Questions

In the meetings that you do as municipalities or a zone, do the compañeras participate? How do you do it, if there are no female authority agents or commissioners, how is it that the information arrives?

Speaking of the organization it’s that the work here is something different. In our zone there are the local and regional men representatives, they meet, we give the information that there is to them and they take it to their region. The regional representatives gather their local persons in-charge, there is a little bit of men and women, they give the information to them and the local representatives take it to their towns, they take it to each town. But for the most part, we say it straight and clear, the ones who come to take the information are compañeros.

In the revolutionary law it says that the compañeras have the right to choose their compañero, what happens when a compañera falls in love with a compa and they go off fleeing? Do the people have a law about this?

In our law it says that we can choose our partner, we are talking about the girls, the young women. What we said in the expansion that cannot be is when they want to go off with a man or a woman who is married, but also there is not a law because in each community it is decided what to do if that happens, it is the responsibility of the autonomous judge and of the agents, men still because there are no women agents, it is their responsibility to resolve those cases because it is a social problem.

In the revolutionary law expansion, as well as in the first 10 points, nothing appears, maybe because in this zone it is not seen, but in our zone there is a certain custom that has changed, it is no longer like before that the woman was forced to get married to the one who the father wants, that has almost disappeared there.

But there is a problem because in the moment in which the girl gets married to the guy, they guy’s father has to prepare himself with a certain quantity of money because the girl’s father, out of custom or I don’t know why, has to charge. There are towns that charge 2 thousand, there are towns which charge 5 thousand, 10 thousand pesos and we have come to know that in some towns up to 15 thousand pesos.

We consider that as a problem, because then there women are taken as a commodity or as an object, but it does not appear in the expansion of the revolutionary law. How do you feel as women with that arrangement?

Here in Los Altos that also happens because when a girl who gets married the guy has to prepare I don’t know how much money, but sometimes the fathers exaggerate, as the girls now have the right to choose their partner they pass over again, it is no longer how it should be and they leave fleeing, they say that one worse, she costs them more. That is a problem here also but it also has not been resolved what is going to be done, we have still not arrived, the judges also have not arrived to this.

Difficulties with the Participation of Women in the Work

We have encountered various difficulties when we name the compañeras for a position, there are various reasons for which the women do not want to accept the position. In the communities, when we choose a compañera to be responsible in any area sometimes they do not want to accept.

“No, I don’t want to,” she says.

“But why?” we ask them.

“It’s that I don’t know how to read,” they say, they do not say it straight, they look for a pure pretext.

But that is not the problem, what we have seen is that if a woman is married she knows that there is no way to leave her child, it could be that it gives her pain to leave her husband because she knows that he does not know how to care for the animal, does not know how to cook his food, does not know how to make his tortilla, does not know many things. The woman knows that, I don’t know if it gives her pain, but one knows that they are not going to leave it, we have seen that there are men and women in a community and when it is said that there has to be compañeras in-charge, for them to name them, sometimes we see that the women as if they want to but the men say:

“No, it’s enough for it to be pure men, we’ll still leave the compañeras,” there are compañeras who like that.

“But it cannot remain like this, it’s that it is necessary for the compañeras to participate,” it is explained fully.

At the end a compañera leaves named, we say that said compañera is going to be a local representative, and she before saying anything only looks at her husband and the compa now has changed his face. She looks at her husband like this and then says, “no, it’s that I don’t know how to read,” but she is looking at her husband, it is because they do not let her, sometimes she accepts but as if she just remains like this. We have seen other cases when pure women come, for example, if the women’s cooperatives make their assembly, they name their leadership and the compañeras’ husband is not there.

“Well, it’s that you have to name the leadership. Who’s it going to be?” we ask.

“That compañera,” they say.

“You are going to be an authority or director,” they say to the compañera. “

But I don’t know what my husband is going to say. I don’t know what it is that he is going to say. It’s my husband, well he is the one who is going to say if I’m going to do it or not.”

Finally as if the compañeras force her to do the work, finally she accepts. That compañera returns, I think that she is going to get there to inform her husband that she encountered a position.

“No, you are not going to do it,” says the compa.

“Well, whatever you say because you are my husband,” says the compañera.

As if the woman due to being a woman is zero. But not always, other times the woman says, “I am going to do it.” It’s that there are two things, the woman still defends herself, but others no.

“No, you are not going to do it,” says the compa.

“No, it’s that yes I am going to do it. I am going to see up to where I can do it,” says the compañera who defends herself.

“No, it’s that you are not going to leave. If you leave think about it,” he says, “because if not, I’ll look for another woman.”

“Well, what’s there to do,” she says and the compañera comes. “I am not going to be an authority, I am not going to be a director, because my husband won’t let me.”

That happens, I am not making a lie, since the woman does not want to be substituted by another woman because her husband has money, treats her well, I don’t know why so many things and she does not want to leave her husband, so she no longer accepts the position. Although sometimes there are also cases where the compa does let her, but as he sees that his wife leaves, they leave him all alone in the house with the children, with the animal, everything that there is and he sees that he can’t, they begin to have problems, the compa begins to say that he does not want it like this, that better for her to leave the commitment.

What is the true problem? One part is from the compañeros but the other part is from the women, because there have been cases also, when a compa’s wife comes out named, he does support her but she does not want to.

“I don’t want to, I am not going to do it,” says the woman.

“Do it,” says the compa. “Do it, there we are going to know how to help us.”

“No, it’s that I don’t want to be.”

Sometimes the woman herself does not want to, it is because she has in her head that she cannot, that she cannot walk alone. That is why there are various problems that we see which have impeded the participation of the compañeras, we see that what the law speaks of but there are still things that we have not come to how the participation of the compañeras should be. Here in Los Altos the participation is still little but there we are, little but it is what there is.

We say thanks to the organization where we are which has given that space where the woman can take a very important role, only we must work more. Speaking of Los Altos there is no support, no so much from our autonomous governments, from our Junta de Buen Gobierno, rather it is that there is not that motivation from the local representatives, from the regional representatives, from others, there is still not. We have not coordinated, we have not met, we have not decided what can be done. That is why sometimes in the assembly we say, “But until when is the participation of women going to be seen? How are we going to do it? What are we going to do so that it is made reality as our law says? Who is going to move it?” Nobody has answered me, nor have I myself found an answer, nor with our compañeras that we here, who knows who’ll come to answer that.

It is the problem that there is in Los Altos, as if motivation is lacking a great deal, but we hope that in this encounter which is being done we realize how in other caracoles it is seen that there is motivation, as much from the autonomous governments as from the Junta de Buen Gobierno, there is coordination. We hope that we take that example, for us it is an example what they talked about that is being done in other zones.

Caracol III: Resistance Toward A New Dawn

La Garrucha

Introduction

Andrea (Health Coordinator. MAREZ Francisco Gómez)

Before ’94 the compañeras had suffered a great deal, there were humiliations, mistreatments, rapes, but that did not matter to the government, its work is just to destroy us as women, it does not care if it is that there is a woman who got sick or you ask for help or aid, it does not care about that, but we as women now we can no longer leave ourselves be, we have to continue forward. In those times there was suffering, there were many humiliations from what the evil government did and also the ranchers, they did not take women into account.

The ranchers had the compañeros like servants, the compañeras got up very early to work and the poor women kept working together with the men, there was a great deal of slavery, now we no longer want that, so it’s that our participation as compañeras then appeared. In that time there was no participation, they had us like blind people, unable to speak. What we want right now is for our autonomy to function, we want ourselves as women to now participate, to no longer leave ourselves behind, we will continue forward so that the evil government sees that we no longer let ourselves be exploited like it did with our ancestors.

In the year 1994 it was known that there was our women’s law, a good thing that there was the law, that we have now participated. Since that year political actions have gone out where it has been seen that the compañeras have already gone out, for example in the National Consultation the women too went out, they participated, I also presented myself in that time, I was 14 years-old and presented the National Consultation, I did not know how to participate nor speak, but I did do as much as I could. The women struggled, they already demonstrated, the government realized that the women no longer let themselves be, they continued. Now we want our autonomy to function, we have our rights as women, what we are going to do now is construct, make the work, it is now our obligation to continue forward.

We who now are present know who it was that made that revolutionary law, it was someone who struggled for that and someone who defended for us. Who was it who struggled for us the compañeras? Comandanta Ramona, she was the one who made that effort for us. She did not know how to read or write, nor speak in Spanish. And why did we as compañeras not make that effort? That compañera who made the effort is an example, she now is the example that we are going to continue further forward to make more work, to demonstrate what it is that we know in our organization.

Participation 