An interesting piece in the IRC Americas website - a just-translated article from 2004 that details some of the experiences of the Zapatista resistance movement in developing their caracoles. The grassroots movement is still operating, although with somewhat less media coverage as of late. This piece, translated for the 15-year anniversary of the movement, details some of the health, educational, economic, and governing projects that had been started at that point, and offers an interesting glimpse of the movement as it unfolds on the ground. Some excerpts from the article: This place, now called "Madre de los caracoles del mar de nuestros sueños" (the literal translation from Spanish is "Mother of the Sea Snails of our Dreams") is famous in the world of resistance because in 1996 one of the founding acts of the anti-globalization struggle took place here—the First Continental Encounter for Humanity and Against Neoliberalism. Most recently, the biggest achievement in health has been the inauguration of an operating room....Health is one of the areas where the most progress has been made here in Zapatista territory. This jungle area on the Guatemalan border is not without its problems, both internal and external, but preventive medicine campaigns are multiplying....There is a new building nearly ready in La Realidad. It is an herbalist lab and center for preserving foods, and it forms part of a health project that is the pride of this zone. The project has meant the empowerment of more than 300 women herbalists, bone healers, and midwives.
The site has another interesting article on the misuse of U.S. taxpayer money that is being sent to Mexico under the rubric of the War on Drugs.
Also, check out this unique organization: Schools for Chiapas.
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