Lázaro Cárdenas

Lázaro Cárdenas remains Mexico’s most consequential 20th-century president, having nationalized the petroleum industry in 1938 to create PEMEX—a move that established resource sovereignty as a national economic doctrine for 80 years. He also distributed 44 million hectares of land to indigenous and rural communities under the ejido system, more than any previous president. This land reform outperforms #10 Octavio Paz's cultural contributions in tangible, material impact on rural Mexico. The March 18 anniversary of the oil nationalization is celebrated as the Day of National Dignity, commemorating a decision that increased state revenues by 25% within a decade.