Search Help

How does this work?
There are many ways to search the collections of the Freedom Archives. Below is a brief guide that will help you conduct effective searches. Note, anytime you search for anything in the Freedom Archives, the first results that appear will be our digitized items. Information for items that have yet to be scanned or yet to be digitized can still be viewed, but only by clicking on the show link that will display the hidden (non-digitized) items. If you are interested in accessing these non-digitized materials, please email info@freedomarchives.org.
Exploring the Collections without the Search Bar
Under the heading Browse By Collection, you’ll notice most of the Freedom Archives’ major collections. These collections have an image as well as a short description of what you’ll find in that collection. Click on that image to instantly explore that specific collection.
Basic Searching
You can always type what you’re looking for into the search bar. Certain searches may generate hundreds of results, so sometimes it will help to use quotation marks to help narrow down your results. For instance, searching for the phrase Black Liberation will generate all of our holdings that contain the words Black and Liberation, while searching for “Black Liberation” (in quotation marks) will only generate our records that have those two words next to each other.
Advanced Searching
The Freedom Archives search site also understands Boolean search logic. Click on this link for a brief tutorial on how to use Boolean search logic. Our search function also understands “fuzzy searches.” Fuzzy searches utilize the (*) and will find matches even when users misspell words or enter in only partial words for the search. For example, searching for liber* will produce results for liberation/liberate/liberates/etc.
Keyword Searches
You’ll notice that under the heading KEYWORDS, there are a number of words, phrases or names that describe content. Sometimes these are also called “tags.” Clicking on these words is essentially the same as conducting a basic search.

Search Results

Massacre Rally Massacre Rally
Date: 1/11/1998Call Number: CV 118Format: CassetteProducers: Chuy VarelaProgram: Noticiero AhoraCollection: Chuy Varela Collection
Rally on 24th and Mission in San Francisco commemorating indigenous people massacared in Acteal, Chiapas.
Zapatista Zapatista
Date: 1/1/1998Call Number: V 538Format: VHSProducers: Big NoiseCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
With exclusive access and interviews with Subcomandante Marcos, Noam Chomsky and others, Zapatista is the definitive look at the Zapatista uprising, its historical roots and its lessons for the present and the future. January 1, 1994. The day the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) comes into effect. A few minutes after midnight in Southeastern Mexico,several thousand Mayan soldiers take over half the state of Chiapas, declaring a war against the global corporate power they say rules Mexico. They call themselves the Zapatista National Liberation Army(EZLN). Zapatista is the definitive look at the uprising in Chiapas. It is the story of a Mayan peasant rebellion armed with sticks and their word against a first world military. It is the story of a global movement that has fought 175,000 federal troops to a standstill and transformed Mexican and international political culture forever. FeaturingInterviews with: Subcomandante Marcos, Noam Chomsky, Comandante Tacho,David and Zebedeo, Mayor Insurgente Ana Maria, Javier Elorriaga, Zachde la Rocha.
La Familia Indigena La Familia Indigena
Date: 1/1/1998Call Number: V 545Format: VHSProducers: Chiapas Media ProjectProgram: La Familia IndigenaCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Examines the role of men and women in the Indigenous community of Ejido Morelia. They discuss their individual and collective work.
The Bad Harvest The Bad Harvest
Date: 1/1/1998Call Number: V 546Format: VHSProducers: Chiapas Media ProjectProgram: The Bad HarvestCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
Documents severe food shortages in 1998. A six-month drought followed by heavy rains and flooding destroyed 50% of the corn crops and 80% of the bean crops. This natural disaster occurs at the same time as constant harassment by 60,000 troops.
The Sacred Land The Sacred Land
Date: 1/1/1998Call Number: V 547Format: VHSProducers: Chiapas Media ProjectProgram: The Sacred LandCollection: Videos in many formats – both camera originals as well as reference materials
The Sacred Land describes what life was like on plantations before the Zapatista uprising in 1994. Decribes the slavery-like conditions in which people worked for the rancheros. Community members reflect on how life has changed since 1994 and express their hopes and dreams for their collective future.