The Americas

Massacre in Mexico

The authorities knew the Chiapas killing was on its way. More may follow

|

FOUR years ago this week, an armed band of masked Indians sprang out of the jungles of Chiapas in southern Mexico to launch the Zapatist uprising. Some 145 lives were lost, on one side or the other, during attacks on army outposts and police stations. The world, and even Mexico's rulers, took notice: Chiapas's downtrodden indigenous masses wanted justice. Partly as a result, the long-ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) allowed a fair vote for Congress last July, which its opponents won. But how much has Chiapas changed?

This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline "Massacre in Mexico"

South Korea’s new start

From the January 3rd 1998 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from The Americas

Why Mexico’s largest-ever election matters

The results will determine the political environment in which Mexico’s next president operates

Huge floods in Brazil’s south are a harbinger of disasters to come

Climate change is making weather events more extreme in the region


Luis Abinader is poised for a thumping re-election win

Voters rate the management of economy and his fight against corruption