The indigenous Tojolabal people of southern Chiapas established an autonomous regional government in the late 1980s, derived from the Tojolabal Supreme Council (created earlier by the Federal Government) & from the National Peasant Convention (Confederacion Nacional Campesina, or CNC). The article documents the history of this little-studied group, its response to the agricultural crisis of the 1970s, its interactions with regional & national political organizations, & its recent experience of autonomy, citing earlier studies & interviews with community members. The Tojolabal government has become a model of indigenous autonomy & identity, & other indigenous groups in Chiapas might do well to follow their example, despite ongoing intracommunity conflicts over issues such as religion, politics, & land. 28 References. J. R. Callahan