As well as political and social models, the Porfirian elites adopted the code of conduct and values ​​in vogue in Europe. According to this scheme, the actions of the individual should originate from rational dictates, instead of obeying needs, instincts and emotions. Thus, for a human being to be considered a "civilized" person, he had to be moderate in his habits (including actions such as speaking, dressing or eating), control the expression of his feelings and, above all, regulate his behavior. impulses and act calmly.

During the years that followed the discovery of America, the conquerors acquired absolute power over the new lands. The Spanish monarchs found it difficult to enforce their authority in such distant possessions. To achieve this they had to undertake a long battle against local powers; Its main weapon was the legal body, made up of measures that limited the territorial and temporal extension of the encomiendas, in addition to restricting the encomenderos' access to indigenous work and tribute.