Background on Chiapas

There are a lot of resources, and teachers can be selective based on time and interest as to which readings, videos and activities to focus on. Additionally, some teachers may prefer to bring this unit at the end of a series of units on the Spanish Conquest and Mexican Revolution.

Read with the class: Overview: On New Year’s Eve, 1993, the Mexican state of Chiapas was thrust upon the international scene as the Zapatista guerrilla army seized control of the colonial city of San Cristobal de las Casas and 5 towns in the surrounding Chiapas highlands...

Questions:

1. How might this conflict affect or relate to you?

2. How might it relate to the legacy of the Spanish Conquest? (Students will be better able to answer this question at the end of the unit, but its important to get them to start thinking in this way?)