ABSTRACT
Local consumers and merchants also benefit because vendors from as far away as Acapulco, Mexico City, and the Gulf Coast states bring necessities and other items that were previously unavailable or prohibitively priced. A combination of corruption, stolen elections, and the privatization of state-owned enterprises has eroded the cooptive capacity of the ruling party, thereby opening up political space for new actors. As the crisis deepens and the land reforms take hold, new forms of peasant resistance and political activism are appearing. When the reforms to Article 27 of the Constitution were announced in 1992, it was certain that another round of reforms would bring new problems for campesinos. While some campesinos in the periphery may benefit from the new markets and higher prices, it is reasonable to assume they also will feel the effects of higher food prices and the other aspects of structural adjustment being experienced elsewhere.
