Dissident Women Chapter 3

Some of the main points in this reading talks about the women's role at the end of the twentieth century for the Chiapas. Women participated in marches and demonstrations, occupied land, and lent their support in keeping with the guidelines set by their groups and organizations. It is interesting to me though because once the land invasion, and the march had passed women went back to their daily chores, and it was the men who dominated the political sphere. During the end of this century there was a lot of crisis and deep change to the Chiapas. The women who participated in the movements were able to widen their networks with men and women from different places and with different languages and life styles, and they participated in a variety of actions. After ten year of the Chiapas going through violent land disputes, demands, anger, and bitterness among landowners, peasants, and agricultural workers it was time for something to change. In 1983 the Chiapas formed a march that included 600 representatives. All of the participants were members of the CIOAC (Independent Organization of Agricultural Workers and Peasants). The march was 27 days long and made national headlines. During the march photographs were taken of bare feet, rubber boots, and broken sandals. A majority of the people participating were many indigenous peoples and poor women. This march was just one of many social movements the Chiapas went through to get changes in the political identities.