Abstract

QUINONES MARTINEZ, Cynthia Teresa. Political Economy of El Mezquital in the Context of Durango’s Agrarian and Economic Transformations during the Porfiriato. Estud. hist. mod. contemp. Mex [online]. 2022, n.64, pp.69-102.  Epub Mar 31, 2023. ISSN 0185-2620.  https://doi.org/10.22201/iih.24485004e.2022.64.77726.

The present work exposes the specific economic development of El Mezquital district, south Durango, Mexico, compared to the rest of the state districts at the end of the Porfiriato. An overview of the land property structure, agriculture, livestock and demography according to occupational categories is presented. The governmental efforts to create an imaginary of El Mezquital as a territory full of forest and mineral wealth, as well as inhospitable physical and social geography, are emphasized. Inhospitability discouraged exploration and economic investment in the district, while keeping safe Tepehuano common property during the peak period of land sale and purchase. Until now, Durango’s historiography has focused the big economic centers of the state, so relegating El Mezquital precisely because of its lower economic importance. This article argues the importance of knowing and understanding the social, economic and geographical traits that conditioned the economy of this district at the end of the nineteenth century. Official reports by several government agents and press notes count for most of the primary sources here used.

Keywords : Durango; El Mezquital; economy; Tepehuanos; Porfiriato.