“They are afraid of our rebellion, that is why we organize.”

When we talk of the EZLN (Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, or Zapatista Army of National Liberation), we think of armed combatants, masked and unafraid. Among the many faces behind these masks is an icon of women’s armed resistance: Comandante Ramona. Comandante Ramona was an indigenous Tzotzil woman from the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. She was a comander general of the EZLN and pioneer of the Zapatista Women’s Revolutionary law. Because of her particular life circumstances, Comandante Ramona found herself within two struggles: the first being the struggle for land and territory, in a time and place where poverty and racism created a life of hunger, illness, and high mortality rates. The second being a gender struggle, as this same insurgence that was meant to liberate the communities of Chiapas was simultaneously restricting the rights of women. Not only did the Comandante defend her community in armed combat, but she was also determined to transform it into one of equity and opportunity for all.

When we talk of the EZLN (Zapatista Army of National Liberation), we think of armed combatants, masked and unafraid. Among the many faces behind these masks is an icon of women’s armed resistance: Comandante Ramona. Comandante Ramona was an indigenous Tzotzil woman from the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. She was a commander general of the EZLN and a pioneer of the Zapatista Women’s Revolutionary law. She dedicated her life to defending her community by joining the insurgence. In fact, her involvement was said to have marked the first EZLN uprising — one that came before the internationally-known 1994 revolt — the uprising of the Zapatista women.

Because of her particular life circumstances, Comandante Ramona found herself within two struggles: the first being the struggle for land and territory, in a time and place where poverty and racism created a life of hunger, illness, and high mortality rates. The second being a gender struggle, as this same insurgence that was meant to liberate the communities of Chiapas was simultaneously restricting the rights of women. Not only did the Comandante defend her community in armed combat, but she was also determined to transform it into one of equity and opportunity for all.

Before the uprising of the Zapatista women, the dominating force of men and the government made life incredibly difficult. “We were already dead, we did not count for anything,” recounted Comandanta Ramona. While men were engaging in battle, women were told that their role was to cook and care for the children, even though there was often a severe lack of food and many were plagued by illness. As the Comandanta explained, “the majority die giving birth, leaving many children orphaned.” Still, their cries for help went unanswered as the system of machismo, a long-held tradition that grants men superiority, was deeply rooted even in their revolutionary position. Situations of domestic violence and sexual assault were still commonplace, and women often found themselves with no one to talk to but their aggressors and their children. Calling on the government for help, however, proved just as hopeless. While some women around the world and other parts of Mexico were granted rights through the law, the government constantly betrayed Indigenous people and put Indigenous women through violence. The Comandanta declared “We women came to understand that it was important to participate to change the situation. There is no other way to find justice.” // “Las mujeres llegamos a entender que es importante participar para cambiar esta situacion. No hay otra forma de buscar justicia.” 

She explains “there’s no where to go, there are no hospitals or doctors. There is no education for women, or food, especially for children.” She adds that in the case of women, “the majority die giving birth, leaving many children orphaned.” The words of the Comandanta echo the frustrations of many women living in indigenous communities in Chiapas of the 90’s. While some women around the world and other parts of Mexico were granted rights through the law, indigenous women in this region often found themselves skeptical of the government, which had proven time and time again to betray indigenous people and put indigenous women through violence. Comandanta Ramona’s participation in the EZLN stemmed from a need for justice, fighting to see her people liberated. Yet neither the government nor the men of the EZLN were providing the same support to the women. The men, while determined to defend their territories and their people, still upheld a system of machismo, replicating the post-Mexican revolution icon of an arm-wielding and domineering man. Because of their exposure to violence, negligence, and assault, women like Comandante Ramona decided to unite and fight for themselves. The Comandanta declared “Las mujeres llegamos a entender que es importante participar para cambiar esta situacion. No hay otra forma de buscar justicia.”

Comandanta Ramona knew that joining the Zapatistas provided an alternative to a life of complete subjugation. She and other Zapatista women traveled throughout communities in Chiapas and held dialogues about the struggles of indigenous women. They listened to each other’s needs and worked together to build consciousness, helping women understand that another world was possible. Their fight for rights included the right to join the Zapatista militia. The women found that if they were going to defend themselves from a violent government and a community ruled by machismo, taking up arms was crucial. Thanks to the work of Comandanta Ramona and the discussions she had with her community, the Zapatista Women’s Revolutionary Law was born, which encouraged women to join while establishing transformation within the insurgence.

As published by the EZLN in The Mexican Awakener [El Despertador Mexicano], issued on January 1 1994 in conjunction with the uprising. In their just fight for the liberation of our people, the EZLN incorporates women in the revolutionary struggle regardless of their race, creed, color or political affiliation, requiring only that they meet the demands of the exploited people and that they commit to the laws and regulations of the revolution. As well as, taking account of the situation of the woman worker in Mexico, the revolution incorporates their just demands of equality and justice in the following Women’s Revolutionary Law.

First–Women, regardless of their race, creed, color or political affiliation, have the right to participate in the revolutionary struggle in any way that their desire and capacitydetermine.
Second–Women have the right to work and receive a just salary.
Third–Women have the right to decide the number of children they have and care for.
Fourth–Women have the right to participate in the matters of the community and have charge if they are free and democratically elected.
Fifth–Women and their children have the right to Primary Attention in their health and nutrition.
Sixth–Women have the right to education.
Seventh–Women have the right to choose their partner and are not obliged to enter into marriage.
Eighth–Women have the right to be free of violence from both relatives and strangers. Rape and attempted rape will be severely punished.
Ninth–Women will be able to occupy positions of leadership in the organization and hold military ranks in the revolutionary armed forces.
Tenth–Women will have all the rights and obligations which the revolutionary laws and regulations give.