This case study of the "ranchero" region of Sierra Alta de Hidalgo offers a new perspective on the rancheros and their role in the Mexican Revolution and its aftermath. Focusing on the economic and political history of the municipio of Pisaflores over the past hundred years, the author demonstrates that the rancheros were not subsistence family farmers, as they have been described by other scholars, but commercial farmers, a local elite employing wage laborers. Illustrations: black-and-white photographs, figures and tables. Includes bibliography and index.