Institutions, Inequalities, and the Impact of Agrarian Reform on Rural Mexican Communities

In 1992, Mexico revised its agrarian code ending the redistribution of land and allowing the privatization of Mexico's ejidos. This article examines the potential impacts of these changes through a comparison of two communities, one ejido, the other private property — a comparison that mirrors the changes introduced in the new agrarian reform. I document how the communities' foundation under these two different institutions profoundly shaped the historical and contemporary structure of landholdings and community relations. The ejido community was characterized by greater equality and community solidarity, and fewer social problems. The private property community had extreme inequalities, community relations divided by class interests, and newly-developed social problems. These differences, I argue, presage impending changes in agrarian communities throughout rural Mexico.