EXCHANGE WITH THE CNI

ZAPATISTA ARMY FOR NATIONAL LIBERATION
MEXICO

May 29, 2014.

To the National Indigenous Congress and the Indigenous Peoples in Mexico

To the Sixth:

Compañeras and compañeros:

Zapatista greetings to all of you. We want to inform you here of the plans for the exchange between the Zapatista people and the indigenous peoples of the National Indigenous Congress (CNI):

FIRST: THE COMPAÑER@S OF THE CNI WHO ARE INVITED TO THIS FIRST ROUND OF EXCHANGE ARE THE SAME ONES WHO WERE ALREADY PLANNING TO COME FOR THE DATES THAT WERE POSTPONED.

SECOND: THE NEW DATES AND LOCATION FOR THE EXCHANGE ARE:

Place: The caracol of La Realidad.

Arrival: Saturday and Sunday, August 2 and 3, 2014. This way you can travel carefully and without rushing to arrive safely in La Realidad.

Exchange: from Monday, August 4, to Friday, August 8.

Resolutions and agreements from the exchange: Saturday, August 9.

Return: Sunday, August 10.

THIRD: THE EXCHANGE IS ONLY BETWEEN THE ZAPATISTA PEOPLE AND THE NATIONAL INDIGENOUS CONGRESS. NO ONE ELSE WILL BE ALLOWED IN, NOT EVEN THE INDEPENDENT PRESS OR COMPAS FROM THE SIXTH.

FOURTH: THE SESSION ON RESOLUTIONS AND AGREEMENTS FROM THE EXCHANGE IS OPEN TO COMPAS FROM THE SIXTH AND THE INDEPENDENT PRESS.

FIFTH: THE ZAPATISTA COMMUNITIES WILL TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING WITH RESPECT TO HOUSING AND FOOD FOR OUR INVITEES TO THE EXCHANGE, THE COMPAÑERAS AND COMPAÑEROS OF THE CNI.

WE ARE WORKING VERY HARD RIGHT NOW TO HAVE EVERYTHING READY, SO THAT OUR COMPAS FROM THE NATIONAL INDIGENOUS CONGRESS WILL BE PROTECTED FROM THE RAIN AND THE SUN, AND SO THAT WE CAN OFFER THEM THE BEST MEALS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE.

SIXTH: WE CALL ON ALL OF THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SIXTH TO HELP SUPPORT OUR INVITEES WITH THEIR TRANSPORT COSTS. THE MAJORITY OF THEM COME FROM VERY FAR AWAY AND ARE PAYING THEIR OWN WAY.

IN ALMOST ALL OF THE PLACES WHERE THESE COMPAÑEROS AND COMPAÑERAS OF THE CNI LIVE AND STRUGGLE, THERE ARE ALSO COMPAS OF THE SIXTH WHO WE ARE CERTAIN WILL LOOK FOR A WAY TO OBTAIN RESOURCES SO THAT THE INVITEES CAN TRAVEL WELL.

AS INDIGENOUS PEOPLES WE ARE GUARDIANS OF THE EARTH. THE EARTH DOES NOT PAY US IN EXCHANGE FOR OUR CARE AND OUR TENDERNESS, NOR DOES IT PROVIDE GOVERNMENT POSTS, NOR IS IT NEWS, NOR DOES IT VOTE, NOR DOES IT GIVE PRIZES. THE ONLY THING THAT THE EARTH GIVES IS LIFE.

SEVENTH: WITH GREAT PAIN, WE LEARNED THAT A COMPAÑERO FROM THE NATIONAL INDIGENOUS CONGRESS, WHO CAME TO LA REALIDAD TO EMBRACE OUR PAIN AND OUR REBELLION, DIED IN AN ACCIDENT ON THE WAY HOME.

THE NAME OF THIS DECEASED COMPAÑERO IS DAVID RUIZ GARCÍA, FROM THE ÑHAÑÚ INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, FROM THE COMMUNITY OF SAN FRANSCISO XOCHICUATLA, MUNICIPALITY OF LERMA, STATE OF MEXICO, MEXICO.

WE SEND A BIG COMPAÑERO’S EMBRACE TO HIS FAMILY, HIS COMMUNITY, AND HIS COMPAÑERAS AND COMPAÑEROS IN STRUGGLE IN THE CNI.

THIS COMPAÑERO DAVID DID NOT DIE WHILE ON SOME VACATION TRIP, BUT BECAUSE HE WAS FULFILLING HIS DUTY ON THE MISSION GIVEN TO HIM BY THE COMPAÑERAS AND COMPAÑEROS OF HIS COMMUNITY AND OF THE NATIONAL INDIGENOUS CONGRESS. THIS MISSION WAS TO ACCOMPANY US AS ZAPATISTAS IN OUR HOMAGE TO OUR COMPA GALEANO.

THAT IS WHY WE HAVE DECIDED TO HONOR THE MEMORY OF THIS COMPAÑERO BY GIVING THE FIRST EXCHANGE BETWEEN THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF MEXICO AND THE ZAPATISTA PEOPLE HIS NAME.

THUS THIS EXCHANGE WILL BE CALLED:

EXCHANGE BETWEEN THE NATIONAL INDIGENOUS CONGRESS AND THE ZAPATISTA PEOPLES “COMPAÑERO DAVID RUIZ GARCIA”

THIS IS OUR SMALL HOMAGE TO EMBRACE THIS COMPAÑERO AND TO BEGIN AGAIN OUR WALK WITH THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF OUR COUNTRY, MEXICO.

That’s all compañeras and compañeros.

From the mountains of the Mexican Southeast.

For the Revolutionary Indigenous Clandestine Committee – General Command of the
Zapatista Army for National Liberation.

Subcomandante Insurgente Moisés.
In La Realidad Zapatista.
Mexico, May 2014
In the twentieth year of the war against oblivion.