Which grievance was most central to the revolutionary movement led by Emiliano Zapata?
AThe return of village lands taken by large estates
BIndependence from Spain
CEnding French rule in Mexico
DThe right of the Catholic Church to own land
Zapata led peasants in the state of Morelos, where sugar estates had taken village land. His Plan of Ayala (1911) demanded that land be returned to the villages.
Question 2 True / False
The Constitution of 1917 declared that land and subsoil resources such as oil belonged originally to the Mexican nation.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: True
Article 27 gave the nation original ownership of land and minerals, which allowed land reform and later the nationalization of oil in 1938. Article 123 set out labor rights such as an eight-hour workday.
Question 3 Short Answer
Why did many Mexicans oppose the rule of Porfirio Díaz by 1910?
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: Díaz had held power for decades without free elections. His policies favored large landowners and foreign investors, while many villagers lost their land and workers faced low pay and harsh conditions.
Economic growth under Díaz, including railways and mining, benefited a small elite and foreign companies. Political exclusion and rural dispossession together fed the revolt.
Question 4 Multiple Choice
Which president carried out the largest land redistribution and nationalized Mexico's oil industry?
APorfirio Díaz
BFrancisco Madero
CVenustiano Carranza
DLázaro Cárdenas
Cárdenas, president from 1934 to 1940, distributed large amounts of land to communal farms called ejidos and took over foreign oil companies in 1938.