The Zapatistas live by the ethic of Mandar Obedeciendo, “rule-by-obeying” that organizes the Zapatista body by responding to ancestral practices of the communities’ Mayan descendants with 7 principles: to serve others, not serve oneself; to represent, not supplant; to construct, not destroy; to obey, not command; to propose, not impose; to convince, not defeat; to work from below, not to seek to rise.