In 1877, why was the size of the Maxwell Land Grant considered problematic?

The Maxwell Land Grant was significant in New Mexico's history due to its size, which raised legal and territorial issues during the transition from Spanish and Mexican land laws to U.S. laws. Under Spanish law, prior to the Territorial period, land grants were limited to a specific maximum acreage. The legal framework set a precedent that could not accommodate the immense size of the Maxwell Land Grant, which encompassed over 1.7 million acres. This discrepancy between the grant's size and the legal limits established under earlier laws created confusion and disputes over land rights, making the large size problematic. Granting such a vast expanse of land was contradictory to established regulations, which directly contributed to the challenges faced in resolving the status of land grants in New Mexico during that era.