In the document “Chiapas, Land of Hope and Sorrow,” Jose Saramago, a Nobel Prize winning writer from Portugal, tells the story of the land of Chiapas that the EZLN inhabit. The author visited this land and wrote this article in response to what he saw while in the Mexican state. He starts off the piece by comparing the EZLN to the idea of being “Persians,” which means that the indigenous members of the group are not like the descendants of the conquistadors. The EZLN was a revolution that fought for the traditional rights of these people and against the liberalization of the economic order of the Mexico. Because of the view of the Mexican government that classifies indigenous people as “Persians,” the homeland of natives in Chiapas became a place where members of this segment of the population could go to find a sense of community. In this region, however, open support of the EZLN was considered a crime in Mexico. Saramago vividly describes the horrendous living conditions of the people living in this region. Violence is rampant and small amounts food and clean water is available for this population. Even though there is a sense of great despair found in this area, there is a sense of victory in spirt of the EZLN members.
