Mother of reputed Zapatista guerrilla leader dies at 70; heart attack suspected

Mother of reputed Zapatista rebel dies at 70

MEXICO CITY — The mother of the man Mexico’s government has identified as Zapatista rebel leader Subcomandante Marcos has died at Mexico City’s airport.

Airport spokesman Jose Luis Hernandez says 70-year-old Socorro Vicente Gonzalez died Monday of an apparent heart attack while waiting for a flight to her home state of Tamaulipas.

Mexico’s federal government has identified Marcos as former university instructor Rafael Sebastian Guillen Vicente. But Marcos, who appears in public with a ski mask covering his face, has never confirm it is him.

Marcos led the Zapatistas in an armed uprising in 1994 in southern Chiapas state. After initially battling them, the government turned to offers of negotiations and aid, which have gradually eroded rebel support.