Subcommander Marcos

Nick Henck is Visiting Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law at Keio University in Tokyo.

“In this encyclopedic biography, Nick Henck draws on almost everything ever published on Subcommander Marcos. The result is an analysis that first highlights Marcos’s intellectual and political formation prior to his entering the Lacandon jungle in late 1983, and then illuminates the Subcommander’s unique cultural and political flexibility, which ultimately served to let the EZLN be directed by the priorities of the indigenous communities of Chiapas. As Henck points out, this flexibility is what distinguished Marcos from other twentieth-century guerrilla leaders; it was pivotal in permitting the EZLN to play a central role in the democratization of Mexico after seventy years of one-party rule. This is a valuable reference book for all those interested in a detailed account of the rise of Subcommander Marcos and the EZLN in Chiapas.”-Lynn Stephen, author of Transborder Lives: Indigenous Oaxacans in Mexico, California, and Oregon “Nick Henck’s meticulous research and careful rendering of the myths and facts behind Subcommander Marcos’s life and rise to prominence as a guerrilla leader and media darling is a major accomplishment in biography. This intriguing and insightful portrait of the man and his times will interest anyone seeking a greater understanding of recent Mexican politics.”-Roderic Ai Camp, author of Politics in Mexico: The Democratic Consolidation “This formidable study is one of those rare books that one might deem necessary as well as likely to remain of lasting importance. Engagingly penned, supplied with useful maps, photographs, a frontspiece explaining the acronyms used, as well as a ‘cast of main characters,’ this book sheds significant light not merely on Marcos but on recent Mexican and Latin American history, and contributes to studies on globalization, social justice, indigenous studies, and the history of Marxism in the region. It is a must read for students of Mexican history and modern Latin American history.” - Mark Anderson (Labour/Le Travail) “In this first English-language biography of Marcos, Nick Henck makes a noteworthy contribution to the extensive literature on the Zapatistas. His research and firsthand knowledge about the movement position Henck well for the task. . . . Henck’s story is easy to follow and well suited for a student audience.” - Glen David Kuecker (Hispanic American Historical Review) “Nick Henck’s biography of the enigmatic Subcomandante Marcos is a major undertaking and the first of its kind in English. . . . Subcomandante Marcos, the most charismatic revolutionary since Che Guevara, is in many ways the perfect subject for a biography. . . . [T]his is an exhaustive, well-written biography. . . .” - Stephen E. Lewis (Latin American Perspectives)

• Illustrations xiAcknowledgments xiiAbbreviations and Acronyms xvCast of Main Characters xixIntroduction 1Part I: Rafael 1. Birth and Family 132. School Years 203. High School College 234. UNAM 295. The Gradate 42Part II: Marcos the Guerilla 6. Chiapas 577. Guerilla Inception 658. The Wilderness Years 769. First Contact 8210. Promotion and Expansion 8811. A Jungle Wedding 10712. An Election, Exponential Growth, and a Rift 11213. Bust and Boom 12414. Fallout 12915. From the People’s Guerilla to a Guerilla People 13316. Indigenous Indignation 14317. An Internal Coup and the Road to War 163Part III: Marcos the Star Spokesman 18. The Uprising 19519. “Waging a Masterful Media War” 21320. A Cease-Fire 22121. The Cult of Marcos 22622. Peace Talks 24723. Courting Civil Society 25324. The Elections and Their Aftermath 26225. Marcos Unmasked and Rafael Revealed 27826. Nationalizing and Internationalizing the Struggle 30127. A March and a Massacre 31528. Speedy Gonzalez Breaks the Silence 32129. A Consulta, a Story, and a Strike 33030. A Change of Government 33631. The Zapatour 34232. Marcos Today 353Conclusion 361Notes 369Glossary 467Works Cited 469Index 487