The rebel leader Subcom andante Marcos was given a rousing welcome late on Thursday when his "Zapatour" reached the outskirts of Mexico City, after tracing the route taken 87 years ago by legendary revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata.
Some 15,000 people thronged the central square of Milpa Alta, just outside the capital, when Marcos and 24 Zapatista commanders rolled into town, as their 3,000 km drive neared conclusion.
Many fans who had waited hours to see the masked, pipesmoking rebel, roared "Marcos, Marcos" as their idol stepped out of the bus in which he was travelling. To the disappointment of his supporters, Marcos spoke for only a few minutes, to mark International Women's Day.
The insurgents and hundreds of followers set off from Chiapas on March 24 and planned to conclude the march at a massive rally in Mexico City's central Zocalo square tomorrow.
The tour of 12 Mexican states is aimed at promoting an indigenous rights bill currently before Congress. Passage of the law is one of the conditions set by the rebels for a resumption of peace talks with the government after a five-year stalemate.
There was some progress on Thursday in another rebel demand for the release of some 100 prisoners, when Chiapas Governor Mr Pablo Salazar announced that 19 political prisoners had been set free.
The latest releases bring to 77 the total number of Zapatista sympathisers freed since December.
Thursday's stage of the "Zapatour" followed the route Zapata took in 1914 to the capital for talks with then president Eulalio Gutierrez at the height of the Mexican Revolution.
In the morning, Marcos, who led a January 1994 uprising of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) in Chiapas, paid tribute to Zapata in Anenecuilco, the revolutionary leader's birthplace.
"Our General Zapata taught us not to struggle for power because power rots the blood and clouds the mind," said Marcos, who portrays himself as a leader of the 11 million Mexican Indians, even though he is among the few non-indigenous Zapatistas.
Among supporters who turned up to see Marcos was Mr Diego Zapata, one of the general's octogenarian sons, and Ms Emilia Espejo, his adopted daughter.
"The sons of Zapata support the EZLN," said Diego Zapata, even though some of his brothers have harshly criticised the insurgent movement. Marcos claims inspiration from Zapata in his battle for land and rights, but there is little more to link the two movements.
The Zapatistas' weapons have become largely symbolic since about 150 people, most of them rebels, died in the first 12 days of 1994. The Mexican Revolution, on the other hand, left about two million dead. The Zapatistas rely largely on their popularity in Mexico and abroad to pressure the government to adopt reforms in favour of indigenous people.
That popularity is largely fuelled by the near-mythical figure of Marcos, who invariably appears in public wearing his trademark black ski-mask, a cartridge belt and military fatigues - though he left his weapons behind when he started the march.
In Mexico City the Zapatistas will lobby politicians to pass a bill that recognises the political rights of indigenous people.