After the confrontation between the Mexican army and the EZLN, the people of Mexico took to the streets, stating that the causes of the uprising were just but expressing themselves in favor of peace and a resolution through dialogue.

[3] The appearance of the CNI was connected to the failure of the state of Mexico to implement the San Andrés Accords and a call by the EZLN to participate in a nationwide forum to find a common answer to questions of human rights and indigenous culture.

[citation needed] Complete declaration (in Spanish) see: I Congreso Nacional Indígena After the decision to create the CNI in January 1996, the first National Indigenous Congress in Mexico City was convened from October 8– 12 of the same year.

As proposals were briefly outlined "Move towards a new Constitution that, with the effective participation of everyone, will include an inclusive and plural project ... [and] ... intensify the struggle for the satisfaction of our pending demands.

In the final declaration, proclaimed on October 12, they denounced the exclusion and subjugation that they have suffered, as original peoples, for centuries and that has intensified with globalized neoliberalism.

They supported and reaffirmed their participation in the National Consultation for the Recognition of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the End of the War of Extermination that was held on March 21, 1999, simultaneously in various parts of Mexico and the world.

They expressed their support for the March for Indigenous Dignity, which led a Zapatista delegation to Mexico City to speak to the Congress of the Union.

Part of the speech given by Comandanta Esther in the Legislative Palace of San Lazaro, March 28, 2001, included the following statement: So here I am, an indigenous woman, in this gallery that is a symbol.

In addition, this congress ratified the total repudiation of the attacks of the State on the residents of San Salvador Atenco, as well as the proposals to strengthen the mechanisms of communication and solidarity of the CNI.

"[8] Complete declaration (in Spanish) see: V Congreso Nacional Indígena From the IV CNI, 10 years passed without a national meeting until 2016 when, in the context of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the CNI, the V National Indigenous Congress was convened from 9 to 14 October at the premises of the Indigenous Training Center Integral (CIDECI- UNITIERRA) in the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.

[12] Among the resolutions issued at the assembly was the appointment of María de Jesús Patricio Martínez as the spokeswoman and indigenous representative as an independent candidacy for the presidential contest of Mexico in 2018.