
Background
- By 1910, Mexico appeared stable and prosperous under Porfirio Díaz, who had ruled almost continuously since 1876.
- Beneath the surface, however, the Porfiriato had created deep divisions. Modernization and foreign investment enriched a small elite while displacing peasants, marginalizing Indigenous communities, and alienating the middle class.
- Díaz’s refusal to allow political change turned discontent into open rebellion.
Social Causes
- Landlessness and Rural Inequality
- By 1910, over 90% of rural families owned no land. The Ley de Deslinde (1894) allowed private companies and elites to seize “vacant” lands, destroying communal (ejido) systems.
- Indigenous Displacement
- Indigenous peoples lost ancestral territories and were forced into debt peonage on haciendas or mines, creating resentment that fueled the revolution.
- Urban Labor Strain
- Industrialization brought harsh working conditions in factories and mines, often under foreign ownership, with long hours and minimal pay.
- Social Mobility Blocked
- A small elite monopolized wealth and opportunity; education and reform did not reach the rural poor, widening class divisions.
- Peasant Radicalization
- Figures like Emiliano Zapata mobilized rural communities under slogans such as “Tierra y Libertad” (“Land and Liberty”), demanding restitution of land and justice.

Ejido
Traditional communal land used by Indigenous and peasant communities, dismantled under Díaz’s privatization policies.
Land and Labor Conflict in Morelos
- The state of Morelos, dominated by sugar haciendas, exemplified rural inequality.
- Peasants displaced by expanding plantations joined Zapata’s movement, seeking land reform and autonomy.
- Zapata’s Plan de Ayala (1911) called for expropriation of haciendas and redistribution of land to those who worked it.
- The Morelos uprising revealed the revolution’s grassroots social dimension, not merely a political rebellion but a struggle for survival and dignity.
Economic Causes
- Foreign Economic Dominance
- By 1910, over 40% of Mexico’s economy (especially mining, oil, and railroads) was foreign-owned, mainly by the U.S., Britain, and France.
- Uneven Modernization
- Industrialization and rail expansion benefited elites and foreign investors but bypassed rural Mexico.
- Falling Real Wages
- Inflation and exploitation reduced living standards for workers even as national production soared.


