Marcos was at one point, a new type of guerrilla leader, one that belnded into the indigenous world in southeast Mexico. Working with the consensus of the people, he followed a principle locally referred to as “ruling while obeying”. Decisions then came from the people. “They told me to start the war”. he explained in an interview. Maecos also called himself a “subcommander” in order to diminish his importance, and wore a ski mask to prevent developing a personality cult. After the year 2000, however, Marcos saw much if his international fame evaporate. His saliency and popularity in Mexico remained high, and he never wavered from his democratic ideals. So how could he lose so much influende in an ‘increasingly democratic nation’ like Mexico? This study also includes the largely unexamined links of Marcos with Nicaragua during the 1980s, and the challanges he faced with the development of Mexico’s ‘democracy’ after 1994.