The Impact of the Hacienda System on Mexico

The Impact of the Hacienda System on Colonial Mexico

The hacienda system that had threshed in colonial Mexico brought a significant impact on the future of the land. The story brings, with sharp contrast, the origin of the problems Mexico is facing. The “New Spaniard” as it is significantly known, is described by the author, from the topography to the effects on the economy. From the medieval time, Mexicans are, for a large part of the country, known to be nomads meaning that no land was private as it was communally owned. The author digs to the hacienda to check the cause of a lot of privatization of so many land and the formerly nomad land became estates for the Spaniards.

Topography and Climate of Mexico

From the topographical point of view, Mexico was divided into different climatic regions. Ironically, Mexico has a lot of ranges and plateaus that essentially would more of arable than being used for livestock. The plateaus, for instance, are unbearable since the only vegetation that thaws in such areas are shrubs which however promoted their nomad ways. To the other sides of the ranges, reasonably habitable and permit growth of arable crops which were majorly maize and beans. To the west-northwest, there is considerable moisture which allows for the growth of lush pasture. Few live due to the harsh weather conditions. This place is empirically not arable for many varieties of crop and thus was used for livestock roaming. Lack of access roads and market also never favored the economic policies. Due to revolution, banana, coconuts and coffee plantation now thrives. The land of Mexico is vast, covered with different physical features and are of different climatic conditions (Chevalier and Eustis 150). These common characteristics which exist in different parts of the world were, however, a determining factor of the degree of spread of the Spaniards over the country Mexico.

The Effects of Spanish Invasion on Indigenous Mexicans

The indigenous Mexicans had inferior implements that only allowed them to employ poor methods of farming. Besides, they had limited breeds of livestock that leftmost part of the land fallow and underutilized. This, therefore, brought in the invasion of the Spaniards to utilize the remaining area. The indigenous as a result lost their property and became squatters on their property to the invading Spaniards. They provided cheap labor. This labor was forced, and the white settlers hired them for musters. The Indians were forcefully converted to Christians, their treasures regarding valuable ores were exploited without any benefit to the natives (Chevalier and Eustis 238). The home guards became the rule for them.

The Oppressive Social Structure

In drawing his conclusion, the author sharply exudes the rigid Marxist rules to be the cause of every social relationship. He attributes it to the reason of many revolts that broke out due to the oppression; the heavy taxation levied upon them that were further from being ideological. The contrast, used mostly in this book, explicitly elaborates the different classes that existed. Constant warfare emerged among the beneficiaries of the regime from the clergy to nobles. These group benefitted from the oppression of the government which was widely employed to maximize the taxation scheme.

Revolt against Injustices

The Marxist scheme did not please the Mexican, and that brought revolts against these such injustices. For example, the Indians were entitled to grants to improve their livestock, favorable acquisition of title deeds to the indigenous farmers which in all went against their expectations.

The Estate Farms and Colonialist Spain

The regime brought by colonialist Spain is giving evidence on the why and how the estate farms came into existence. Through forced labors, reducing the indigenous to squatters on their land made the Spaniards superior and thus allotted for themselves significant portions of land.

Factors Affecting the Distribution of the Colonialists

Generally, land and the topography of Mexico was considered as the significant factor affecting the distribution of the colonialist. However, this was not the case when other factors which included society, the original occupants, their occupation, climate, economic policies, and access roads were considered. Religion became a factor too. The monks that traveled first to inhabited Mexico termed it a calm, quiet serenity and aimed at converting the Indians to Christianity. The partition, however, became futile in most of the communities due to constant revolts that raked both teams (Chevalier and Eustis 277). However, the Spaniards conquered them due to the superior soldiers and implements they had against the inferior.

The Economic Contrast in Mexico

Economic contrast, also trying to explain existential Mexico, came handy when different regions had different products with disparate economic impact. It explains why the growth of Mexico was not uniform. Other areas had valuable ores of silver, gold, to the extremes of the other regions had only livestock reared in free-range thus few colonialist settled in the latter. It was to mean that there was no equivalent export product than the silver and other mined minerals.

Conclusion

The book conspicuously explains the cause and effect of some existing features that the author traces back their routes from precolonial regimes. In every real phenomenon, there must be an injustice associated with it. The themes range from colonialism, oppression, economic power, partitioning, distribution of the colonialist and the factors involved, revolts, the Marxist regime and so on.

Works cited

 Francois Chevalier, Alvin Eustis. Land and Society in Colonial Mexico: The Great Hacienda. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1963.