In southern Mexico in 2003 the army was removed from the majority of areas in Chiapas and the indigenous people began to rule over their own land via an organization called Juntas de Buen Gobierno or Councils of Good Government (JBG’s). These are systems of rule organized by the people despite legislation or approval from the government. The name translates as Councils of Good Government and is the Zapatistas attempt to establish the fact that it is possible for people to construct their own form of government, as well as being a stance against a government that they see as corrupt and evil. But, these groups have yet to catch significant attention from the public, and have still existed without any government aid. In many cases the indigenous people have been warned against the problems that accompany government aid, and the problems that are produced by becoming reliant on the Mexican government. Government aid is often seen as an attempt to infiltrate the people’s home in order to manipulate and control areas that receive aid. Most indigenous people refuse it when offered in fear of the corruption of the Mexican government.

Over the past year (2004) Subcomandante Marcos has sent a series of communiqués across the globe in order to report on the Juntas de Buen Gobierno (or the Councils of Good Government), and the reflection of what the status of the Zapatistas is in relation to the world. The title Councils of Good Government is named in direct opposition to the Mexican (Bad) Government that these councils are set to counteract. The Juntas are considered governments within government, and act autonomously. There are a series of them across southern Mexico, each one acting according to Zapatista guidelines, but securing their own independent decisions and standards. The Juntas are not necessarily only accommodating of Zapatistas, but also of their supporters and allies.

The Councils of Good Government (or JBG’s) also apply a rotation method of those who serve on the council. Each citizen within the jurisdiction of the JBG is required to serve on the council for two weeks, and then a new council is put into power. It is set up this way in order to secure that no political figures can become corrupt, or under the influence of outside forces. It also accommodates the needs, interests and concerns of each member within the area that the JBG covers. Outside organizations, such as the Mexican government, finds it difficult and annoying to deal with these councils, claiming that the groups change too quickly to maintain any knowledge of what is in progress. But, this is one of the points of requiring participation from all of the members of the Junta in order to get everyone involved in government, as well as thwarting political manipulation from outside the Councils. The Councils have succeeded in creating a system of law and punishment. All matters that are seen as threatening and against the rules that the JBG’s have set up are brought in front of the council-and community. These councils also serve in judicial contexts order to attempt to extract the truth about what really happened, as well as distribute punishments. The JBG’s have also taken a serious stance against the trafficking of drugs and people. Various policing groups monitor the traveling of suspicious people and vehicles in order to prevent these things from occurring. The offenders are usually warned the first time, then punished if they repeat the offense, or turned over to the appropriate authorities if they are not Zapatistas. The people being smuggled are often deceived into thinking that they are going to be delivered to the United States, but often are abandoned to die by the smugglers. When these smugglers are caught the victims are taken care of by the JBG’s, as well as given the money and goods that were being carried by the smuggler. The smuggler is then warned initially, but caught again face punishment if they are Zapatista, or are turned over to the authorities if they are not. Any drugs confiscated are destroyed, and the same system of punishment is applied. The Juntas of Buen Gobierno are functioning as autonomous government inside the Mexican government, while facing some conflict with the Mexican Government over control and land, but overall succeeding in progressing towards implementing Zapatista Ideology.

The government in Mexico has shown its overall inability to monitor all aspects across the nation due to a weakening in the state. In 2004 the success in Chiapas was thwarted by a Zapatista organizer, Eduardo Vazquez Alvaro, killed in northern Chiapas. He was a leader of La Voz de Cerro Hueco a group that supported the Zapatistas. He was shot three times, and had his fingers chopped off, before being crushed under a large truck. This reflects the reason why so many Mexican citizens try and maintain a distance from the government in Mexico, because their power remains unchecked on various levels. Acts like this illustrate how the government in Mexico is either promoting violence towards these indigenous groups, or is simply failing in monitoring its military.