The Sixth Sun: Mayan Uprising in Chiapas (1995)

On New Year's Day 1994, Mayan Indians in southern Mexico launched an armed rebellion against the government, seizing control of eight towns in Chiapas. This event exposed deep inequalities within the country, revealing a stark contrast to the image of national prosperity. The rebels, calling themselves the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), demanded land rights, better public services, and autonomy for indigenous communities – specifically, the right to own and farm land collectively. This documentary features interviews with EZLN members, including Subcommandante Marcos, and chronicles the conflict between impoverished farmers and powerful landowners and government forces in Chiapas, Mexico's poorest state. The film explores the human cost of rapid global economic integration, questioning whether the destruction of long-standing cultures is an acceptable price for progress.