The ejido communities in Mexico were the product of the state as part of the settlement of a bloody peasant-led revolution at the beginning of the century. The reforms of 1992 devolved to the communities control over the management of common property resources (CPR) and delivery of local public goods, giving them control over the appropriation or preservation of the commons. This chapter examines how communities adjusted their behaviour from state-led to community-led cooperation, and how they took advantage of opportunities offered by the reforms to appropriate CPR as individual tenures, and incorporate new members with decision making rights.
Keywords: Ejido communities, Mexico, reform, common property resources