Mexican law on surveying public and vacant lands under Díaz

Background. The Porfiriato is the term given to the period when General Porfirio Díaz ruled Mexico, first as a president within a constitutional framework and later, after 1884, under an authoritarian military dictatorship. Within this period, laws passed during 1883–1894 gave fewer and fewer people large amounts of land, which was taken away from people by bribing local judges to declare it vacant or unoccupied (terrenos baldíos).

Legislative Mechanisms. Legislation enacted during the 1883–1894 period enabled the acquisition of large amounts of land by fewer people. The process involved declaring lands as 'terrenos baldíos' (vacant or unoccupied), often by bribing local judges, which resulted in the dispossession of existing occupants. This mechanism allowed for the concentration of land ownership among a small elite.

Political Context. Díaz's establishment of the Paz Porfiriana became one of his principal achievements and the main justification for successive re-elections after 1884. Starting with his second term (1884–1888), following the interregnum of President González, the regime has been characterized as a dictatorship, with no opponents of Díaz elected to Congress and Díaz staying in office through undemocratic elections. The sources do not state that these political features caused the land laws.