Indigenous Peoples and Democracy in Latin America

On January 1, 1994, the most indigenous Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) launched a revolt in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, protesting centuries of discrimination, violence, appalling living conditions and diminishing economic prospects. This single event catapulted to the consciousness of the international community the frustration and growing militance of indigenous peoples throughout Latin America. This book, commissioned by the Inter-American Dialogue, a policy institution in Washington DC, shows how the systematic isolation of indigenous communities from the political system has intensified the degree of ethnic conflict in Latin America. Furthermore, it argues that this exclusion has slowed down the pace of democratic consolidation in the region. This volume provides the reader with a general overview of the development of a hemisphere-wide indigenous movement, from the early seventies, through the wave of democratization in Latin America in the 1980s, and including the intense activity surrounding the quincentennary of the arrival of Europeans in the Americas.
It also presents eight country case studies - Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru - to dispel the myth that all indigenous communities are akin. Particular attention is afforded the role of international actors - non-governmental organizations, the environmental movement, multilateral development banks - and the development of a body of law protecting the rights of indigenous peoples.