LAND, FOREST, AND PUEBLOS IN THE MESETA PURÉPECHA, 1869-1911 (original) (raw)

This chapter studies a number of land and social changes occurring during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the meseta purépecha, a highland region of the state of Michoacán, Mexico. It examines, in particular, the land regime of a group of local indigenous communities. It pays special attention to how environmental conditions-a peculiar combination of forested mountains and flat terrains, annual patterns of rain, volcanic soils, and an imbalanced distribution of water sourcescontributed to shape the material life of these communities. It analyzes the events and compelling influences behind the reformation of old agrarian practices and land tenure systems. It argues that an unprecedented combination of political changes, land and fiscal policies, population growth, and commercial expansion resulted in one of the major transformations in the history of the region and its communities.