36 

 deceased husbands). If an ejidatario ceases to live on a plot or to work it, other residents are free to 



use that site without obtaining permission from any local official or the previous user. 



The creation of ejidos resulted in a mechanism that allows residents to manage their timber 

 resources and distribute among themselves the profits from any contracts with outside business people. 

 While timber contracts are based on tree inventories conducted by government foresters and approved 

 by the Ministry of Agriculture (Secretaria de Agricultura y Recursos Hidraulicos, SARH), ejido 

 residents conduct tree replanting programs and are free to negotiate prices with potential buyers (M. 

 Carre6n Mundo, pers. comm.). 



Ejido X-Hazil y Anexos is governed by three officials; mayor (comisariado), 

 secretary/treasurer (secretario), and enforcement officer (inspector). These officials handle the formal 

 affairs of the ejido and are selected by villagers at elections every 5 years. None of these officials can 

 be re-elected. An additional official, the village delegate (sub-delegado), handles local legal matters 

 (e.g., the issuance of birth and death certificates) and is selected by state government officials located 

 in the town of Felipe Carrillo Puerto. Other local individuals supervise work projects on the ejido, 

 such as the collection of chicle and the extraction of timber. These officials also are elected by 

 ejidatarios and an effort is made to rotate these positions among qualified candidates as the coordinators 

 organize work crews, oversee projects, and receive a small salary. 



An important aspect of the ejido system is that nonresidents are not allowed to exploit ejido 

 resources, such as timber or game, without the permission of ejido residents. Permission depends upon 

 a majority decision and is rarely given. In this way ejido residents maintain control over their local 

 resources. 



Ejido X-Hazil y Anexos was created by a decree from the state governor in 1941 and enlarged 

 by presidential decree in 1942 (Dachary and Amaiz Bume, 1983). Over the years, areas have been 

 added or removed from the ejido to accommodate the formation of new ejidos. The present size of the 

 ejido is 55,295 ha (Dachary and Amaiz Bume, 1989). 



