The proposed airport plan would relocate 4,375 families and convert of farmland . Peasants from these areas resisted relocation and formed the Community Front in Defense of Land in 2002 . The protests turned violent as protesters took hostages and state forces had to negotiate their release , while Fox announced no change in plans had been considered . After the federal government 's failure to negotiate with the farmers , plans for the new airport had to be abandoned . The protesters , many of whom wore black ski masks made famous by rebels in Chiapas became instant heroes to poor farmers nationwide . while journalists , like Sergio Sarmiento called this issue " the biggest failure " of Fox 's tenure and declared : This is in spite of the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre . Jorge Montaño , a former Mexican ambassador to the United States considered Fox was " naive " to think farmers would easily give up their lands and that his government should have taken more time negotiating with the farmers instead of simply sending out engineers to measure runways and calculate flight paths . Montaño also declared that the compensation these farmers were offered were the minimum allowed under the law ( 3,000 pesos an acre , roughly 275 US dollars ) before raising the offer to 21,000 pesos an acre ( 1,900 US dollars )
Tlatelolco massacre
Tlatelolco massacre
Presidency of Vicente Fox