Subcommander Marcos

Subcommander Marcos made his debut on the world stage on January 1, 1994, the day the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect. At dawn, from a town hall balcony he announced that the Zapatista Army of National Liberation had seized several towns in the Mexican state of Chiapas in rebellion against the government; by sunset Marcos was on his way to becoming the most famous guerrilla leader since Che Guevara. Subsequently, through a succession of interviews, communiqués, and public spectacles, the Subcommander emerged as a charismatic spokesperson for the indigenous Zapatista uprising and a rallying figure in the international anti-globalization movement. In this, the first English-language biography of Subcommander Marcos, Nick Henck describes the thought, leadership, and personality of this charismatic rebel spokesperson. He traces Marcos's development from his provincial middle-class upbringing, through his academic career and immersion into the clandestine world of guerrillas, until his final emergence as the iconic masked rebel par excellence. He also reflects on what motivated an urbane university professor to reject a life of comfort in Mexico City in favour of one of hardship as a rural guerrilla in the mountainous jungles of Chiapas, and examines the process whereby Marcos became an effective conduit through which impoverished indigenous Mexicans could communicate with the world. Henck fully explores Marcos's astute use of the media, while at the same time emphasizing that just as important as the rebel leader's media savvy is the flexibility of his thought. He shows how Marcos's speeches and extensive writings demonstrate not only the Subcommander's erudition but also his rejection of Marxist dogmatism. Finally, Henck contextualizes Marcos, locating him firmly within the Latin American guerrilla tradition.