FROM OLMECS TO ZAPATISTAS - A ONCE AND FUTURE HISTORY OF SOULS

Mesoamerican beliefs and practices centered around the concept of an a nimal soul or co-essence have roots that can be traced back to the epi -Olmec art of pre-Classic times, and they remain a vital force today. These beliefs and practices require individuals and communities to def ine intimate aspects of their identities in terms of distant others. T he Zapatista movement is simultaneously a present rebellion centering on agrarian issues and a pan-Mayan cultural uprising focusing on ethni c identity, and in this letter aspect it bears the marks of the Mesoam erican construction of self and other.