In 1968, the Tlatelolco massacre left a distinct mark on Monsiváis. His critics maintained that Monsiváis' life was filled with social movements interweaved with real life politics and entertainment figures as he wrote about that "1968 army massacre" whose death toll varied from 25 to 350 depending on the sources. Monsiváis became an early defender of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. In 1994, he supported the Zapatistas's Chiapas revolt on behalf of Mexico's indigenous peoples. Monsiváis along with Portuguese writer Jose Saramago visited rebel camps in Chiapas.