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Urban Indians Call for Autonomy
"We have been Zapatistas in Milpa Alta for some time," said Agustin Martinez, sitting below a photograph of the legendary peasant leader Emiliano Zapata. "It's not just Chiapas, not just little outbreaks in different places. We are everywhere."

Twelve indigenous communities in Mexico City are demanding that the government recognize them as autonomous municipalities, which can elect their own representatives and use their lands and other resources according to custom.

"We have been arguing with the city government that they must recognize us as owners of communal land," said Silverio Arroyos, who represents the community of San Pedro Actopan in Milpa Alta. "We're the ones in charge here."
�Pablo Garibian/Reuters 10.05.03

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