For instance, if a normal person had the foresight to what land there would be worth in the future, would they have been able to claim a copious amount of it for the benefit of future generations of there family?
When the first US settlers came to California, it was Mexican territory and land title was under Mexican law. The coastal areas had been settled for a long time.
As a follow-up, did Mexico have the equivalent of the US Homestead Act for it's less settled areas?