Erasto Urbina García and the history of Chiapas: agrar reforms, indígena unions and hitmen
The name Erasto Urbina Garcia is closely associated with San Cristóbal and the history of the indigenous movement in Chiapas.
It is a story of exploitation and brutality, but also of culture, political commitment, courage and gunmen.
At the same time it’s a testimony of how important it is to learn languages in a world where the richness of languages might provide a strong local identity, but at the same time can constitute a tower of Babel when it comes to uniting people and achieve political goals.
Lean back and let his daughter Rosa Isabel Urbina Zepeda tell the story of her father's life in the following 5 videos.
Vídeo I: El vio que su mamá murió
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In the first video his daughter Rosa Isabel tells about the violent events of her father's childhood that shaped him as a human being and formed the basis of his political commitment.
Vocabulario al capítulo I
- Sustantivos
carretera f
compromiso m
costumbre f
crueldad f
derecho humano m
enfermedad f
explotación f
finca f
harinero m
mestizo
patrón m
piel f
razón f
salario m
trigo m -
zapatero m
zapato m
zopilote m
Verbos
abusar
comprar >< vender
conquistar
descomponerse
educar
embarazar
enojarse
enterrar
huir
liberar
morir /ue
oponerse -
organizar
pagar
parar
platicar
regalar
sugerir /ie
tirar
violar
Adjetivos y otros
cafetalero
común
consciente
político
prohibido
Vídeo II: Hay pocos hombres tan valientes como tú
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Rosa Isabel tells about how courageous people formed the first indigenous unions in Latin America, about secret meetings with life at stake and of the praise of president Lázaro Cárdenas.
Vídeo III: Llegaron 40 pistoleros
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Erasto Urbina is working at implementing Lázaro Cárdenas land reforms but the work is facing strong opposition amongst the land owners in Chiapas and many wish Erasto Urbina García dead.
In this video Rosa Isabel tells about how her father escaped from 40 gunmen with the help of his Indigenous comrades.
Vocabulario a los capítulos II y III
- Sustantivos
Ocotero m
bala f
brazo m
caballo m
cajón m
chamarra f
diputado m
escondite m
extranjero
fuego m
guardia m
horno m
jinete m
oreja f -
pistolero m
protección f
puntería f
reparto agrario m
resina f
sindicato m
trabajador m
Verbos
contratar
cortar
crear
cuidar
darse cuenta
detectar
empujar -
entender /ie
esconder
felicitar
huir
intentar
mandar
montar a caballo
prender
rodear
salvar
adjetivos y otros
desorejado adj
permitido >< prohibido
valiente adj
Vídeo IV: Quienes entendieron, que levanten sus sombreros
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In this video, Rosa Isabel talks about the challenges of communication in the indígenous movement at the time having no common language.
However, it’s also a story of how indigenous governance works in practice when twenty thousand indígenas come to an agreement on building the roads around San Cristóbal de Las Casas together.
Furthermore, we hear about how close it came to a duel on horseback.
Vídeo V: Si me voy, sí toman mi vida
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Erasto Urbina survived many attempts on his life but refused to flee.
Eventually, though, his opponents got to him: hear how it happened in this video.
Vocabulario a los capítulos IV y V
- Sustantivos
bala f
bat para béisbol m
carretera f
decisión f
fisura f
fogata f
fogón m
lengua f
líder m
mano de obra f
milpa f
problema m
reparto agrario m
sueldo m
tierra f -
título de propiedad m
Verbos
aventar
bloquear
cosechar
cumplir
defender /ie
detener
entregar
generar
golpear
levantar
localizar
mandar
obstaculizar
platicar -
recuperar
resolver /ue
sembrar /ie
Adjetivos y otros
aparentemente
desanimado
diariamente
diferente
disperso
envenenado
por consenso
precioso
recto
valiente