A bobbing sea of flag-waving Mexican peasants jammed into the main plaza in Oaxaca last week to witness one of the rituals of contemporary Latin America. President Lopez Mateos announced that his government had just expropriated 267,000 acres belonging to the U.S.-owned Real Estate Co. of Mexico. The land would be added to 807,000 acres of government property, and divided among peasant farmers.
Of all Latin American nations, Mexico has waved the magic wand of land reform longest. Before the 1910 revolution, 97% of Mexico's farm land was held by 836 owners....
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