Before the Second Mexican Revolution (which began in 1910), most of the land in Mexico was owned by a small elite consisting of wealthy Mexican landowners and foreigners. Large estates called haciendas dominated the countryside, controlled by these elites, while small holders, indigenous communities, and peasants owned very little productive land. The Catholic Church also held significant land holdings prior to reforms. During the colonial period and after independence, land was concentrated in the hands of these wealthy elites and foreign investors, with indigenous communal lands and small farmers marginalized or dispossessed. This concentration of land ownership contributed to widespread social inequality and was a major cause of unrest leading to the revolution. The hacienda system was feudal-like, with peasants working under exploitative conditions and little chance of owning land themselves
. In summary:
- Wealthy Mexican elites and foreign investors owned the majority of land.
- The Catholic Church held large land holdings before liberal reforms.
- Indigenous communities and small farmers had limited land, often communal or subsistence plots.
- The hacienda system dominated, concentrating land and power in few hands.
- This unequal land ownership was a key factor leading to the Mexican Revolution and subsequent land reforms
