Subcomandante Marcos was born in the state of Michoacán in the winter of 1963 and spent much of his youth in the countryside where his father worked in agriculture. He attended several primary and secondary schools in Mexico and took part in the administration of the Zapatista movement between 1981 and 1983. The events that occurred during that period resulted in his capture by state security forces and four years of imprisonment. In 1988 he was released, and after a period of wandering throughout Mexico, immigrated to San Cristóbal de las Casas in 1994
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He is one of the founders of the EZLN (Zapatista Army for National Liberation) and is considered one of its most important figures. From 1995 to 2000 he served as its spokesperson and was selected as Subcomandante Acéntaro (Subcomandante of the North). The EZLN, also known as "The Other Campaign," is a social uprising that began with the uprising against NAFTA in 1994.
It has since become an international symbol for Mexico's indigenous peoples' struggle for cultural autonomy and self-determination within a Mexican republic committed to democracy and social justice.