This article analyses Adalberto Tejeda's agrarian experiment
in the state
of Veracruz, Mexico, during the years 1928–32. This experiment was
unique in
two respects. First, disregarding the central government's policy,
which sought
to end agrarian distribution completely, it parcelled out land to the peasants
on
an unprecedented scale; secondly, it proved, contrary to the prevailing
wisdom
of the time, that agrarian reform implemented through the full range of
channels
offered by the 1917 federal constitution could serve as a tool of social
justice and
equality, and hence as a central factor in the advancement of social welfare
and
democracy in Mexico. This article seeks to show that the failure of the
Veracruz
experiment offers an explanation – perhaps a cardinal explanation
– for the
perceived failure of Mexican agrarian reform in general.