ABSTRACT
In a recent article I argued that the future of the ejido and its possible defense by different local groups in small villages of rural Mexico may go far beyond ejidatarios' considerations about the profitability of agricultural production. I maintained that the future of the ejido may also depend on its political importance for both landed and landless villagers of rural hamlets in order to spearhead and organize other struggles—for example, for the maintenance or redefinition of collective identities, for the enactment of public works and social assistance programs, and for the opening of new arenas for political participation (Zendejas forthcoming).
