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Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos describes himself as the Spokesperson for the Zapatista Army Of National Liberation (EZLN) but, since he is so prominent a figure, he is considered by many to be one of its main leaders. According to the Mexican government, Marcos' name is Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente. Guillén studied high school at Instituto Cultural Tampico, a Jesuit school in Tampico , Tamaulipas , where he presumably became acquainted with Liberation Theology . He later moved to Mexico City where he graduated from the Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM), then received a masters' degree in philosophy at the National Autonomous University Of Mexico (UNAM) and began work as a professor at the UAM. After that he left to begin his revolutionary activity. While Marcos has always denied being Rafael Guillén, Guillén's family are unaware of what happened to him and they refuse to say if they think Marcos and Rafael are the same person or not. During the Great March to Mexico City in 2001 , Marcos visited the UAM and during his speech he made clear that he had at least been there before. Like many of his generation, he was radicalised by the Events Of 1968 and became a militant in a Maoist organisation. However, the encounter with the outlook of the Indigenous Peasant s of Chiapas transformed the Zapatistas' ideology, and Marcos has embraced an approach to social revolution that has been described by some as Post-modernist ; others argue that his philosophies and actions are more closely related to the revisionist Marxist ideals of Antonio Gramsci that were popular in Mexico during his time at university. When asked about his first days in Chiapas in the documentary ''A Place Called Chiapas'', Marcos said: ''Imagine a person who comes from an urban culture. One of the world’s biggest cities, with a university education, accustomed to city life. It’s like landing on another planet. The language, the surroundings are new. You’re seen as an alien from outer space. Everything tells you: “Leave. This is a mistake. You don’t belong in this place.” And it’s said in a foreign tongue. But they let you know, the people, the way they act; the weather, the way it rains; the sunshine; the earth, the way it turns to mud; the diseases; the insects; homsickness. You’re being told. “You don’t belong here.” If that’s not a nightmare, what is?'' Also in this documentary by Nettie Wild, one is allowed to listen to the powerful rhetoric of the Zapatistas. This is conducted in Spanish, not the native Mayan tongues, however the message is just as effective. In an interview with Subcommadante Marcos, the spokesperson of the Zapastistas, his aura is mythical and mysterious. With only his eyes and pipe being visible he addresses the film maker:"It is our day, Day Of The Dead ". Marcos reveals the Zapatista belief that he is a deadman and so are the Zapatistas, ''In the mountains of Chiapas death, was a part of daily life. It was as common as rain or sunshine. People here coexist with death, death of their own, especially the little ones. Paradoxically, death begins to shed its tragic cloak, Death becomes a daily fact. It loses it sacredness. You see it as someone you sit down with at the table, like an old aquaintance. You don't lose you fear of death, but you become familiar with it. It becomes you equal. Death, which is so close, so near, so possible, is less terrifying for us than for others. So, going out and fighting and perhaps meeting death is not as terrible as it seems. For us, at least. In fact, what surprises and amazes us is life itself. The hope of a better life. Going out to fight and to die finding out you're not dead, but alive. And, unintentionally, you realize you are walking on the edge of the border between death and life. You're walking on the edge of the border between them.'' The Mayans speak of Marcos as "the man with pale skin {Link without Title} came to Chiapas twelve years ago". A mayan woman and matriarch featured in the documentary says of him, ''We don't see his face like we see ours. Ours we see clearly, but his stays covered. We can't see him. Whatever the poor eats, he eats. When he's here, is he going to eat better food? What we eat, he eats. We eat vegetables, he does too. We don't believe he's from the city. We can't believe it.'' The Mexican government has speculated that Marcos is a professor of Philosophy and communications. Marcos response to everything, government speculation and study, supporters, civilians that the Zapatista movement is more about ideas than bullets. In an interview he says to reporters about their struggle and faceless opponent, ''The only way to get their attention is to kill or be killed. If you ask us what's going to happen in the near future, we have no fucking idea. Sorry for using the word ' Idea ' We are ready to go to war or move on to peace'' ]] Much of his teachings and direct quotes can be found in many Rage Against The Machine songs. Rage's lead singer Zack De La Rocha has been heavily influenced by Marcos and has spread the teachings to many Americans. In the DVD "Battle Of Mexico City" Rage lays out the battle of the Zapatista Army in the scope of America and its politics. Much of his writings – articles, poems, speeches and letters – have been compiled into a book: '' Our Word Is Our Weapon ''. In 2005 he wrote a novel called '' Muertos Incómodos '' (''Awkward Dead''), in conjunction with crime writer Paco Ignacio Taibo II . On January 1 , 2006 he began a Tour Of All 31 Mexican States as his particular contribution to the year's democratic presidential elections, which he has stated neither he nor the Zapatistas will participate in. He is personally travelling on a black motorbike, presumably in remembrance of Che Guevara . During the tour, he also has changed his name to Subdelegate Zero. Mascot Subcommander Marcos travels with an animal mascot, a deformed Rooster he calls "the penguin." According to a New York Times article published on January 6, 2006, Marcos uses the animal as a symbol of the various disenfranchised people he champions. The rooster derives its name from its penguin-like feet; their unusual shape makes it difficult for him to stand correctly. Marcos uses his mascot both for comic relief and as a symbol. From the New York Times article: ''Marcos brought guffaws from the crowd as he described his rooster's attempts to find love in the barnyard, which always ended in Penguin falling over before he could mate.'' This particular story was told to convince people to accept same-sex relationships, which are typically frowned upon in the Hispanic world. External links
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