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Evolution and Collapse of Ejidos in Mexico—To What Extent Is Communal Land Used for Urban Development?

Author

Listed:
  • Melissa Schumacher

    (Department of Architecture, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Cholula 72810, Mexico)

  • Pamela Durán-Díaz

    (Associate Professorship of Land Management, Technische Universität München, 80333 Munich, Germany)

  • Anne Kristiina Kurjenoja

    (Department of Architecture, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Cholula 72810, Mexico)

  • Eduardo Gutiérrez-Juárez

    (Department of Architecture, Universidad de las Américas Puebla, Cholula 72810, Mexico)

  • David A. González-Rivas

    (Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noreste CONACYT, La Paz Baja California Sur 23205, Mexico)

Abstract

The ejido system, based on communal land in Mexico, was transformed to private ownership due to neoliberal trends in the 1990s. Based on the theory of stakeholders being agents of change, this study aimed to describe the land policies that changed the ejido system into private development to show how land tenure change is shaping urban growth. To demonstrate this, municipalities of San Andrés Cholula and Santa Clara Ocoyucan were selected as case studies. Within this context, we evaluated how much ejido land is being urbanized due to real estate market forces and what type of urbanization model has been created. These two areas represent different development scales with different stakeholders—San Andrés Cholula, where ejidos were expropriated as part of a regional urban development plan and Santa Clara Ocoyucan, where ejidos and rural land were reached by private developers without local planning. To analyze both municipalities, historical satellite images from Google Earth were used with GRASS GIS 7.4 (Bonn, Germany) and corrected with QGIS 2.18 (Boston, MA, US). We found that privatization of ejidos fragmented and segregated the rural world for the construction of massive gated communities as an effect of a disturbing land tenure change that has occurred over the last 30 years. Hence, this research questions the roles of local authorities in permitting land use changes with no regulations or local planning. The resulting urbanization model is a private sector development that isolates rural communities in their own territories, for which we provide recommendations.

Suggested Citation

  • Melissa Schumacher & Pamela Durán-Díaz & Anne Kristiina Kurjenoja & Eduardo Gutiérrez-Juárez & David A. González-Rivas, 2019. "Evolution and Collapse of Ejidos in Mexico—To What Extent Is Communal Land Used for Urban Development?," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-21, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:8:y:2019:i:10:p:146-:d:274048
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Gareth A. Jones & Peter M. Ward, 1998. "Privatizing the commons: reforming the ejido and urban development in Mexico," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(1), pages 76-93, March.
    2. Louise Cord & Quentin Wodon, 2001. "Do Agricultural Programs in Mexico Alleviate Poverty? Evidence from the Ejido Sector," Latin American Journal of Economics-formerly Cuadernos de Economía, Instituto de Economía. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile., vol. 38(114), pages 239-256.
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    Cited by:

    1. Leonardo Barleta & Mateo Carrillo & Zephyr Frank & Erik Steiner, 2020. "Ejidos, Urbanization, and the Production of Inequality in Formerly Agricultural Lands, Guadalajara, Mexico, 1975–2020," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-21, December.
    2. Pamela Durán-Díaz & Adriana Armenta-Ramírez & Anne Kristiina Kurjenoja & Melissa Schumacher, 2020. "Community Development through the Empowerment of Indigenous Women in Cuetzalan Del Progreso, Mexico," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-25, May.
    3. Yaopeng Sun & Zhongfa Zhou & Denghong Huang & Quan Chen & Min Fang, 2022. "The Spatial and Temporal Evolution Pattern and Transformation of Urban–Rural Construction Land in Karst Mountainous Areas: Qixingguan District of Guizhou, Southwest China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-18, October.
    4. Andrew Allan & Ali Soltani & Mohammad Hamed Abdi & Melika Zarei, 2022. "Driving Forces behind Land Use and Land Cover Change: A Systematic and Bibliometric Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-20, August.
    5. Victor Hugo Flores-Armillas & Xavier López-Medellín & Raúl García Barrios & Ian MacGregor-Fors & David Valenzuela-Galván, 2020. "Landscape Features Associated with Damage to Maize ( Zea mays ) Fields in Central México: A Comparison of Wind and Wildlife Damage," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-15, October.
    6. Juan Von Thaden & Gilberto Binnqüist-Cervantes & Octavio Pérez-Maqueo & Debora Lithgow, 2022. "Half-Century of Forest Change in a Neotropical Peri-Urban Landscape: Drivers and Trends," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-14, April.
    7. Eduardo Gutiérrez Juárez & Anne Kristiina Kurjenoja & Melissa Schumacher & María Guizar Villalvazo & Edwin Gonzalez Meza & Pamela Durán-Díaz, 2022. "Neoliberal Urban Development vs. Rural Communities: Land Management Challenges in San Andrés Cholula, Mexico," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-15, July.
    8. Gregory J. Scott & Enrique Vigo, 2023. "Growth, innovation, and policy for chicken in Latin America 1961–2019," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 41(1), January.
    9. Díaz Baca, Manuel Francisco & Moreno Lerma, Leonardo & Triana Ángel, Natalia & Burkart, Stefan, 2024. "The relationships between land tenure, cattle production, and climate change – A systematic literature review," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    10. Melissa Schumacher & María Guizar Villalvazo & Anne Kristiina Kurjenoja & Pamela Durán-Díaz, 2022. "The Writ of Amparo and Indigenous Consultation as Instruments to Enforce Inclusive Land Management in San Andrés Cholula, Mexico," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-21, December.
    11. Johan Colding & Åsa Gren & Stephan Barthel, 2020. "The Incremental Demise of Urban Green Spaces," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-11, May.

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