Zapaturismo in San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico: marketplace capitalism meets revolutionary tourism
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Date
2008-09-11T21:26:44Z
Authors
Berg, Ginna
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Abstract
The EZLN (Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional) resistance in Chiapas, Mexico remade the image of San Cristobal, from a quaint tourist destination, to a location of adventure and social revolution. The Zapatista, and their ideas of Zapatismo, according to some North American social activists, was a keystone movement facing off against the pressures of neo-liberal capitalism. One of the most notable contributions has been the stimulation of an overwhelming rise in international solidarity actors to the area. These factors along with a proximity to popular Maya archaeological sites, a high population of Indigenous Maya, and pivotal Spanish history reflected in colonial architecture, combine to lure international tourists to the area. My intention for this project is to examine the confluence of tourist and host as they together set a tourist market based on many things, but in particular on the ongoing Zapatista revolution and how this social movement has become an invitation to perform as activists and humanitarians, as well as tourists.
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Keywords
Zapaturismo, Zapatista, Chiapas, tourism, politics, international