On January 1, 1994, the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) seized towns in Chiapas, Mexico, protesting NAFTA and indigenous marginalization. Led by Subcomandante Marcos, it highlighted indigenous rights and neoliberalism's impacts. The uprising led to negotiations and global attention to Maya communities.

It inspired indigenous and activist poetry in Latin America, with Marcos's communiques blending poetry and politics. It influenced contemporary poets on resistance, identity, and globalization.