This piece originally appeared in La Guillotina Magazine , and was circulated on the Internet. Our thanks to Peter Rosset who translated, edited, and submitted this piece to us. Amid the rhythmic clanging of colonial bells and a rain of ticker tape, the ghost of Don Quixote cuts through the crowd, walking on stilts. The Emiliano Zapata Special Unit advances through the crowd, bringing catharsis to those present. An ancient dark- skinned glance can be seen in their orderly, multicolored columns, forcing the multitude to recognize their own mestizo faces in the unending struggles of their peoples.
Tears pour every cheek, product of the sheer emotion of the moment.
The plaza, symbolic heart of Mexico, was filled with tens of thousands of Mexicans in one of the largest demonstrations in memory. It was been a dazzling and bewildering day, beginning with a long wait at Chapultepec park. There the long body of marchers was formed, like a serpent with a glorious plumage of picket signs and banners of every type. Marcos, que rico es Marcos . . . The sidewalks were packed along the route of the endless serpent of humanity, the Zapatista column at it's head.