Who are the Zapatistas?

(You might be asking- who are the Zapatistas? Basically the Zapatistas are indigenous Maya who have been screwed over for 500 years by a series of conquerors/governments/companies, and who decided to organize and fight for their rights. In the resource-rich state of Chiapas, the indigenous population there has suffered massive inequality and poverty- in one documentary we watched in Oventic called "Zapatistas: Cronica de una Rebellion" (or Zapatistas: Chronicle of a Rebellion)we learned that in recent years 1/2 of the indigenous of Chiapas didn't have access to clean drinking water, the majority of children didn't finish school and many didn't even have access to schools, and that there is widespread disease, hunger and mal-nutrition.

Why they rose up is best described in their own words:

"We have nothing to lose, absolutely nothing, no decent roof over our heads, no land, no work, poor health, no food, no education, no right to freely and democratically choose our leaders, no independence from foreign interests, and no justice for ourselves or our children. But we say enough is enough! We are the descendants of those who truly built this nation, we are the millions of dispossessed, and we call upon all of our brethren to join our crusade, the only option to avoid dying of starvation!"

- Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) Declaration of the Lácandon Jungle, 1993

Here is a short description of the movement from the website "Archaelog", the website also has an interesting explanation of the Mayan symbols (like the snail) that are incorporated into the Zapatista movement.
http://traumwerk.stanford.edu/archaeolog/2007/08/caracol_de_la_resistencia_zapa_1.html
"The Zapatista movement began officially in eastern Chiapas, Mexico in 1983. The movement derived its name from Emiliano Zapata, a hero of the Mexican Revolution. The Zapatistas are often characterized as the first post-modern revolution, perhaps unjustifiably so, and have abstained from violence since a cease fire was brokered in 1994 (Johnston 2000). The movement is most often associated with anti-globalization, anti-neo liberalism, and indigenous rights. Zapatistas gained much attention by vociferously opposing the NAFTA free trade agreement in the early 1994 (Rich 1997). The outside world recognizes Zaptista rebels by their black ski masks (pasamontanas) and red bandanas (pallacates). ")