Towns, Reforms, and Gaps in Southern Mexico: Oaxaca, 1856-1867

This work reveals the government of Oaxaca's stance regarding the federal reform that sought to dissolve the communal property of civil corporations between 1856 and 1857. By studying the prevailing political, economic, and social context in the state, the author shows how liberal governors --repeatedly-- pronounced themselves in favor off dissolving and privatizing this type of property. However, governors were oblivious to the general conditions that favored the initiative, and --paradoxically-- promoted actions opposed to the reform. The most compelling evidence was that the Political Constitution of the State of Oaxaca (1857) --directly opposed to the Lerdo Act (1856) and the Federal Constitution (1857)-- allowed municipal governments and agencies to continue owning and managing properties under an old-regime corporate model