Creation of Political lnfrastructure for Radical Agrarian Reform: Adalberto Tejeda and Municipal Power in Veracruz, 1928-1932

This paper is about the struggle for municipal dominion in the state of Veracruz in 1928-1932. The need for such dominion became a sine qua non condition and derived directly from the agrarianism of state Governor Adalberto Tejeda, who thereby at­tempted to create an irreversible socioeconomic reality. Such a condition had five main causes: the nature of Tejeda's agrarian­ism, based on the state's initiative and the municipalities' execu­tive powers; the complex geopolitical structure of Veracruz, due to which Jalapa depended on municipal actions in order to ex­ert its control; the opposition of businessmen and industrialists, as well as of potential supporters within the urban workers' movement, all well-known in regional centers: Tejeda's idea that direct and constant struggle (between the State and conservative municipalities) was vitally necessary in shaping a popular revolu­tionary awareness; and the powerful role attributed to municipal authorities in the alternate ultra-federate model (or "trilogy") that Tejeda proposed for Mexico. For these and other reasons, Tejeda devoted the four years of his government to a hard­ fought struggle for municipal dominion, which triumphed in 1931. This victory got Tejeda very close to the socioeconomic goal he had established at the onset of his government, and its influence is still felt today