Reforma, La

Reforma, La

(1854–76) Liberal political and social revolution in Mexico under the principal leadership of Benito Juárez. It began with the removal of the dictator Antonio Santa Anna and went on to abolish special privileges of the church and the military, confiscate church lands, suppress monasteries, institute civil marriage, establish a liberal federalist constitution, and place the army under civilian control. Confiscated church property was to be allocated to the landless, but this policy proved to be La Reforma's outstanding failure; in fact, the number and wealth of large landholders increased. La Reforma came to a close when Porfirio Díaz seized power in 1876.