Campesinos, or country people, prevalent in the center and the south of Mexico, earned their sparse livings from the land. The classic peasantry of Mexico, however, provided Mexico with a large mass of native workers, allowing Mexico to fully express its antiforeign sentiments. Many people worked in the agricultural sector of the Mexican economy and lived on haciendas where they experienced serfdom in all but name.
The impoverished masses of Mexico were under the influence of two powers, the church and the military. The church, which was still wealthy after the Wars of Independence, closely allied itself with the upper class of Mexico. Profits were generated from its widespread banking operation and loans to large landowners. However, the masses experiencing hardship received little benefit from the immensely wealthy church and eventually opposed this part of the political scene in