Full Description:
The Hacienda System was the economic backbone of rural Mexico. These vast estates controlled the best agricultural land and water resources, often expanding by swallowing up neighboring villages. The workers, or peones, lived on the estate and were paid in scrip valid only at the company store (tienda de raya).
Critical Perspective:
Structurally, the hacienda was an engine of inequality. It was not just an economic unit but a total institution of social control, where the landlord acted as judge, jury, and jailer. The revolution was, at its core, a class war against this institution, aiming to break the monopoly on land that kept the rural population in a state of semi-slavery.
