ZINCANTAN HAS BEEN CHARACTERIZED BY BOTH SOCIAL AND LEGAL CHANGES IN THE PAST 40 YEARS, AS A RESULT OF THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS TO INTERGRATE INDIAN GROUPS INTO THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC LIFE OF THE NATION. IN 1960, POLITICAL CRISIS IN ZINCANTAN BROUGHT THE AREA IN CONTACT WITH LADINO, OR NON-INDIAN, LEGAL SYSTEMS. THIS EXPOSURE HAS FOSTERED THE PROLIFERATION OF LAWYERS WHO ACT AS MEDIATORS WITHIN AND WITHOUT THE COMMUNITY, AND WHO HAVE MADE LADINO INSTITUTIONS MORE ACCESSIBLE TO ZINCANTAN LITIGANTS. THE POPULATION'S ACCESS TO BOTH TRADITIONAL LOCAL JUSTICE, WHICH DEPENDS ON MEDIATION BY ELDERS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, AND THE NATIONAL LAW HAS RESULTED IN AN UNSTABLE JUSTICE SYSTEM. THE GROWTH OF THIS NEW CLASS OF LAWYERS HAS SLOWED, SUGGESTING THE LIMITS RESULTING FROM COMMUNITY RESENTMENT AND FROM CHANGING NATIONAL INDIAN POLICIES, AS WELL AS THE INSTABILITY OF LAWYER STATUS AND INFLUENCE. THE LAWYERS' ADAPTABILITY TO CHANGING CONDITIONS WILL DETERMINE THEIR OWN FUTURE AS WELL AS THE FUTURE NATURE OF COMMUNITY LAW AND POLITICS DURING CONDITIONS OF RAPID SOCIAL CHANGE. FOOTNOTES, TABLES ON CASELOADS, AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (CFW)