Pilar Jacqueline Farr L&S Arts & Humanities
Las Hijuelas: Examining early 19th-c. Indigenous histories of Mexico
In 1856, the Lerdo Law took effect in Mexico, signifying a future in which liberalism would be the preeminent political philosophy to govern Mexico. Most historians of Mexican history point to this era (La Reforma) and its landmark Law (Ley Lerdo) as the first instance of land reform in the Republic. The Law privatized lands owned by corporations and not individuals, which meant that Church lands and Indigenous lands were the primary victims of the Lerdo Law. The Hijeulas project that I would pursue contests the idea that land reforms of this nature in Mexico did not exist prior to La Reforma and the Ley Lerdo. In fact, nearly 30-40 years before the Lerdo Law, state governments such as Michoacan legislated land reforms to allow and encourage the privatization of indigenous communal lands. These records document the struggles of the indigenous Purepécha people against infringement on their property by neighboring haciendas or other parties and reveal the reasons why some indigenous communities chose to sell their land, while others fought for their right to keep it, with the help of lawyers who rarely had indigenous backgrounds themselves.
Message To Sponsor
Dear the Fruewirth Fund, thank you so much for funding my research! It was an amazing experience to be able to travel to another country and city that is important to my objective, as I would have never uncovered information or gained a personal understanding of the historical setting/context for my project. This was my first time conducting archival research, and it made me realize that I genuinely enjoyed the process and I got to meet a lot of cool people that supported my process, and were also very happy that my University has taken interest in their hometown and history. Your fund and the SURF experience has made me want to continue researching and exploring after I finish undergrad.