ABSTRACT
The Lerdo Law had a significant impact on indigenous community land. The law called for a radical reconfiguration of property rights and ultimately of the relationship between church and state, the impact of which was debated for decades afterward. This chapter presents excerpts from both the law itself and the decree issued by the Ministry of Finance at the time of its enactment. The law was one initiative in a broad effort to eliminate colonial structures of government and to put corporate real estate into circulation in the national economy. Readers might consider how the law and the decree argued for the Liberal cause. The Revolution of Ayutla secured Santa Anna’s final resignation from office and instituted a core group of Liberals in Mexico’s federal government. They ushered in the Era of Reform, a crucial moment in Mexico’s modern history.
