The Coalition of Workers, Peasants, and Students of the Isthmus () (COCEI) is a Mexican

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

political organization in Juchitán,

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

. Founded in 1973/1974, it supports

agrarian reform Land reform (also known as agrarian reform) involves the changing of laws, regulations, or customs regarding land ownership, land use, and land transfers. The reforms may be initiated by governments, by interested groups, or by revolution. Lan ...

, and workers rights. In 1981 it won municipal elections, after which it formed the first socialist city council in Mexico.

Foundation

The COCEI was initially composed of Indigenous Zapotec farmers and supported by portions of the local Juchitán society who were not in agreement with the government of the time. The COCEI was known for "organizing a discontented population" and linked to theories of democratic emergence and popular defense movements. Among the group's original goals, was securing changes to the electoral process in the

Isthmus An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...

region, making them more transparent, seeking agrarian reform, and engaging in union movements for wage increases. The group's rapid expansion was noted as being due to its ability to diversify its goals and ideas and, through incorporating new sectors. In 1976, the COCEI won the election for the Communal Lands Commission.

Municipal elections

In 1981, the COCEI won the municipal election in a coalition with the

Unified Socialist Party of Mexico The Unified Socialist Party of Mexico (, PSUM) was a socialist political party in Mexico. It later became the Mexican Socialist Party () in 1988. History The PSUM was founded in November 1981 by the merger of four socialist parties: *The Mexican ...

(PSUM) and founded the Popular City Council with the goal of "rescuing Zapotec culture" and achieving urban development with autonomy. The Popular City Council, and the COCEI electoral win, constituted the first socialist city council in Mexico; COCEI member Leopoldo de Gyves became mayor of Juchitán. The COCEI made the Zapotec people the focus of the election, advertising in their language and promoting

Indigenous culture There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

. The ruling

Institutional Revolutionary Party The Institutional Revolutionary Party (, , PRI) is a List of political parties in Mexico, political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 as the National Revolutionary Party (, PNR), then as the Party of the Mexican Revolution (, PRM) and fin ...

() (PRI) feared that the COCEI demands would create a "state within a state" through their actions. The Oaxaca state government began subordinating the Popular City Council, expropriating the functions of the city council to higher chambers of government. Rumors began to leak of the Popular City Council being linked to

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

n and

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

n guerrilla fighters, a smear campaign began on TV, radio and news outlets,

aldermen An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking membe ...

were murdered and the army took up presence at the local city offices and municipal palace. The Popular City Council however continued on with their social programs, starting literacy campaigns in

shanty town A shanty town, squatter area, squatter settlement, or squatter camp is a settlement of improvised buildings known as shanties or shacks, typically made of materials such as mud and wood, or from cheap building materials such as corrugated iron s ...

s, coordinating with the Independent University of Guerrero to found the preparatory school and the Popular Teacher Training College of the Isthmus, and to begin the Popular City Council Radio, which aired without the permission of the government. Municipal officials repaired streets, built and refurbished local health centers, created a public library and rebuilt city hall. On August 3, 1983, the ruling PRI government called an extraordinary session of the federal

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...

, removing all municipal powers, officially removing recognition of the COCEI. In response on August 6, a referendum was called by approximately 30,000 people from Juchitán. The result of the referendum was to continue to maintain the Popular City Council through self funding, despite the government's attempts to dissolve the COCEI's control. On December 13, federal police officers and army soldiers evacuated the municipal palace, arresting 250 people. In response, thousands of people rallied at the city center, met by army units from Oaxaca and neighboring

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

, 150 additional prisoners were taken, effectively dissolving the COCEI government. With incoming

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Carlos Salinas de Gortari Carlos Salinas de Gortari (; born 3 April 1948) is a Mexicans, Mexican economist, historían and former politician who served as the 60th president of Mexico from 1988 to 1994. Considered the frontman of Mexican Neoliberalism by formulating, p ...

(1988-1994) came a shift in dealing with opposition groups. In 1989, the ''convertación'' social project was launched. The project offered economic and political support for opposition groups in exchange for a cessation of

militancy The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Lat ...

, and a public acknowledgment of coexistence with the Salinas government. The COCEI accepted and from 1986 to 1989, the COCEI participated in a coalition city government alongside the ruling PRI party. In 1989 the COCEI again won the Juchitán municipal elections, ruling until 1992. In 2007 the COCEI again won the municipal election, this time in a coalition with the Labor Party.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coalition Of Workers, Peasants, And Students Of The Isthmus 1973 establishments in Mexico Political organizations based in Mexico Politics of Oaxaca Organizations established in 1973 Socialist parties in Mexico Indigenous rights organizations in Mexico Zapotec civilization