Comandante Ramona was the nom de guerre of an officer of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation

Zapatista Army of National Liberation

The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a revolutionary leftist group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico....

 (EZLN), a revolutionary

Revolutionary

A revolutionary is a person who either actively participates in, or advocates revolution. Also, when used as an adjective, the term revolutionary refers to something that has a major, sudden impact on society or on some aspect of human endeavor.-Definition:...

 indigenous

Indigenous peoples of Mexico

Mexico, in the second article of its Constitution, is defined as a "pluricultural" nation in recognition of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute it, and in which the indigenous peoples are the original foundation...

 autonomist organization based in the southern Mexican

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 state

States of Mexico

The United Mexican States is a federal republic formed by 32 federal entities .According to the Constitution of 1917, the states of the federation are free and sovereign. Each state has their own congress and constitution, while the Federal District has only limited autonomy with a local Congress...

 of Chiapas

Chiapas

Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...

. She was perhaps the most famous female Zapatista figure for her role early in the uprising. A member of the Zapatista leading council, the CCRI (Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee

Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee

The Clandestine Revolutionary Indigenous Committee - General Command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation , sometimes simplified as CCRI, is the joint command of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation ....

), she served as a symbol of equality and dignity for indigenous and impoverished women.

"Ramona", a Mayan

Maya peoples

The Maya people constitute a diverse range of the Native American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. The overarching term "Maya" is a collective designation to include the peoples of the region who share some degree of cultural and linguistic heritage; however, the term...

 woman, took control of the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas

San Cristóbal de las Casas

San Cristóbal de las Casas also known as it's native Tsotsil name, Jovel is a city and municipality located in the Central Highlands region of the Mexican state of Chiapas...

, the former capital of Chiapas, during the January 1, 1994 Zapatista uprising. Ramona began a long fight with cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

 the same year; in 1995, she received a kidney transplant, which extended her life for over a decade.

In 1996, she broke through a government encirclement when she traveled to the capital to help found the National Indigenous Congress.

Her last public appearance was at a preparation meeting — a plenary session for "The Other Campaign" — in Caracol de La Garrucha in the municipality of Francisco Gómez on September 16, 2005. After her death, Subcomandante Marcos

Subcomandante Marcos

Subcomandante Marcos is the spokesperson for the Zapatista Army of National Liberation , a Mexican rebel movement. In January 1994, he led an army of Mayan farmers into the eastern parts of the Mexican state of Chiapas protesting against the Mexican government's treatment of indigenous...

 suspended The Other Campaign

The Other Campaign

The Other Campaign is a political program by the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, as a new approach in its sixteen year-long struggle for the recognition and protection of indigenous rights and autonomy in Mexico. This program began in January 2006, and sent Subcomandante Marcos, the main...

activities for several days in order to be present at Ramona's funeral service.