Last of the Latitundios

In arid Sonora state, just south of the U.S. border, Mexico's Agriculture Minister Gilberto Flores Munoz stood in the hot sun one day last week, read aloud a decree that expropriated a huge chunk of U.S. -owned property -- the 400,000-acre Cananea Ranch. As thousands of peasants, swirling on the dry. sandy earth, shouted "Sonora for the Sonorans!". he raised the Mexican flag over the last of the great Mexican latifundios (big estates) and took it from the family of Texan William C. Greene, which had owned it for 58 years. The Sonora Legislature declared a legal holiday and congratulatory wires flooded the desk of President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines. Exulted Mexico City's Universal: "Cananea is at last freed."

In expropriating Cananea, President Ruiz Cortines was only doing what every Mexican has expected of every Mexican president since 1911, when illiterate Revolutionary Emiliano Zapata cried "Land and Liberty!" In the first 18 years of the program six Presidents handed over 17 1/2 million acres to landless peasants. Land Reformer Lazaro Cardenas (1934-40) parceled out 45 million acres; Avila Camacho (1940-46). 13 million acres; Miguel Aleman (1946-52). 10 million. In all, 93 million acres, nearly 20% of Mexico's total area, were handed over to 2,000,000 landless peons, who organized themselves into ejidos (agricultural cooperatives). But Ruiz Cortines, whose term expires in December, had accounted for only 7,500,000.

Cactus-grey Cananea Ranch escaped land reform until last week because it is unlit for farming; arid most of the year, it is used for grazing at the ratio of ten acres per head of cattle. Reformer Cardenas himself said it should never be divided, and even President Ruiz Cortines did not plan to expropriate. He negotiated first to buy the ranch for $2,160,000. But when hassles among the Greene heirs threatened to delay the closing for years, the President dispatched the Agriculture Minister with an expropriation decree and ended the matter with a few legalisms.

The U.S. owners will get the previously agreed price. And despite all the excitement, the waiting peasants themselves will probably get none of the land. Since it is unsuitable for small farms the ranch will likely be kept intact and operated by a cattlemen's cooperative.

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