Just before dawn on New Year's Day 1994, armed Mayan Indians declared war on the government. They seized eight towns in Chiapas and set in motion events that ripped away a facade of prosperity and stability to reveal 'the other Mexico'. They demanded land, public services and Indian autonomy- the right to communally own and farm. They called themselves the Zapatista Army National Liberation (EZLN). This documentary features in-depth interviews with Subcommandante Marcos and Samuel Ruiz, Bishop of San Cristobal de las Casas, an outspoken practitioner of Liberation Theology. We meet other actors in the conflict: peasants on the estates they have occupied, angry ranchers forced from their land, church activists, conservative Catholics, government officials, and the notorious 'guardias blancas', the private army of the landowners. THE SIXTH SUN raises questions on what should be judged expendable in the era of global economic integration.
Type: DocumentaryLength: 56 minutes
Year: 1996
Audio Language: Spanish
Subtitles: English
Themes: Mexico
Director(s): Sual Landau
