Forests in dispute. The extraction of wood and firewood in the forests near Guadalajara at the end of the viceroyalty

Abstract

This research addresses the conflicts between indigenous towns and haciendas that arose due to the extraction of wood, charcoal, and firewood from the forests near the city of Guadalajara, on the eve of the Mexican Independence. The article aims to demonstrate, through a historical case study, how forests – once considered resources for common benefit – gradually became privatized and acquired a new legal status in line with the individualistic mentality that was becoming dominant in the Spanish possessions in America.