what are these 6 cracks?

The history of the Zapatista movement (EZLN) is written through its **Declarations of the Lacandon Jungle** (*Declaraciones de la Selva Lacandona*). Released between 1993 and 2005, these six manifestos chart a profound evolution: transforming from an armed indigenous peasant uprising into a sophisticated, non-violent, international movement for horizontal autonomy.

Differentiating the six declarations requires tracking how the EZLN's **strategy, audience, and ultimate goals** shifted over twelve years.

## The Six Declarations: A Breakdown

### 1. The First Declaration (December 1993 / January 1994)

* **The Focus:** An absolute Declaration of War.

* **The Core Message:** Timing their uprising with the start of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the EZLN invoked Article 39 of the Mexican Constitution to declare the government illegitimate. They demanded "work, land, housing, food, health care, education, independence, freedom, democracy, justice, and peace."

* **Military Order:** It explicitly ordered Zapatista troops to advance to the capital, defeat the federal army, and call for the unconditional surrender of government headquarters.

### 2. The Second Declaration (June 1994)

* **The Focus:** Shifting from weapons to civil society.

* **The Core Message:** Following a brief 12-day war and a subsequent ceasefire pushed for by massive peaceful protests, the EZLN realized they had deep support from everyday citizens.

* **Democratic Proposal:** They proposed a "National Dialogue" and called on Mexican **civil society** to organize a National Democratic Convention to peacefully reshape the country, moving away from direct military confrontation.

### 3. The Third Declaration (January 1995)

* **The Focus:** Broadening the political front.

* **The Core Message:** Recognizing that the indigenous struggle could not exist in a vacuum, the EZLN proposed the creation of a broad **National Liberation Movement** (*Movimiento para la Liberación Nacional*).

* **Unifying the Opposition:** They sought to unite all leftist factions, indigenous groups, workers, and peasants into a single, cohesive political opposition to confront the ruling party (the PRI) and its neoliberal economic agenda.

### 4. The Fourth Declaration (January 1996)

* **The Focus:** Inside-the-system political pressure and indigenous dignity.

* **The Core Message:** Written during negotiations that led to the *San Andrés Accords* (which promised indigenous autonomy), this text focuses heavily on cultural survival, dignity, and self-determination.

* **A Non-Electoral Front:** It called for the creation of the *Frente Zapatista de Liberación Nacional* (FZLN)—a political, non-military front intended to organize people *without* participating in regular political parties or running for office.

### 5. The Fifth Declaration (July 1998)

* **The Focus:** Bypassing the government entirely.

* **The Core Message:** The Mexican government broke its promises and refused to constitutionalize the San Andrés Accords. In response, the Zapatistas declared that they were done waiting for official recognition.

* **The National Plebiscite:** They organized a massive *Consulta Nacional* (National Consultation), bypassing the political class to speak directly to the Mexican public, asking them to vote on whether indigenous rights should be legally recognized.

### 6. The Sixth Declaration (June 2005)

* **The Focus:** The "Other Campaign" and global solidarity (*La Sexta*).

* **The Core Message:** The longest and most influential declaration. The EZLN announced they were separating their military wing from their political wing to embark on **The Other Campaign** (*La Otra Campaña*)—a tour across Mexico to listen to and build solidarity with the exploited "from below and to the left," completely outside the electoral system.

* **Internationalism:** It expanded their vision globally, identifying capitalism as a planet-wide enemy and expressing explicit solidarity with anti-globalization movements and left-wing struggles worldwide.

## How to Differentiate Them at a Glance

To quickly distinguish the path the Zapatistas took, you can trace the shifting **tactics** and **target audiences** across the timeline:

|---|---|---|---|