Chiapas is a state in southeast Mexico which has been relatively uninfluenced by the Spanish culture in what was the heartland of the Mayan Civilization.

The indigenous people believe they have been ignored by the Mexican government and do not receive proper education, health care or most importantly respect. The indigenous people with the leadership of Subcomandante Marcos began the Zapatista movement which was named after the legendary revolutionist Emiliano Zapata. Spurred by the NAFTA agreement, an armed revolution began on January 1, 1994 against the Mexican government to demand their human rights.

This handsome multilingual masked crusader, who the Mexican government believes to be Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente, has been the spokesman for the movement for the past decade. Rafael studied at Jesuit schools and received his masters in Philosophy from the prestigious National Autonomous University of Mexico.

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 Guillén are the same person or not.

3/4 cup Coffee Beans, ground
2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
6 cup Water
1 cup Milk
1/3 cup Chocolate Syrup
2 tbls. light Brown Sugar
1 tsp. pure Vanilla Extract
Garnish: Whipped Cream and Ground Cinnamon

Place coffee and cinnamon in filter basket of coffee maker. Add water to coffee maker and brew as directed. In a saucepan, blend milk, chocolate syrup and sugar. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Combine milk mixture and brewed coffee. Stir in vanilla. Garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon. May be served hot or cold. For iced coffee pour mixture over glass filled with ice. Makes 6 cups.

The name of Chiapas (chee-AH-pahs) is taken from the ancient city of Chiapan, which in Náhuatl means the place where the chia (a kind of sage) grows.

Human presence in Chiapas dates as far back as 600 A.D. and was part of the heartland of the Maya civilization.

It has an area of 73,724 square kilometers (28,465 sq. miles). It is slightly smaller than the US state of South Carolina.

Chiapas had a total population of 3,920,892 in 2000.

About 25% of the population speaks one of the Mayan indigenous languages.

53% of the population, or 2.1 million people, are Roman Catholic; 12%, or 457,736 people, are Protestant. There are also 173,772 Seventh-Day Adventists, 82,646 Jehovah's Witnesses

Coffee is the most valuable agricultural product; about 60% of Mexico's total coffee output comes from Chiapas.

An estimated two-thirds of houses have dirt floors and about one-third of all homes, mostly in rural areas, do not have electricity.

Chiapas is home to the ancient Maya ruins of Palenque, Yaxchilan, Bonampak, Chinkultic, and Tonina.

Chiapas suffers from the highest rate of malnutrition in Mexico, estimated to affect over 40% of the population.

To help the children of Chiapas see Christian Children's Fund and World Vision links at right.