The land grant of San Miguel del Vado illustrates what significant issue regarding community land?

The land grant of San Miguel del Vado is a significant example of how the U.S. courts failed to recognize community land rights as established under Spanish and Mexican land grant laws. When the United States acquired New Mexico, the legal framework governing land grants changed, leading to conflicts over ownership and rights. This transition often left communities vulnerable, as the courts did not honor pre-existing land claims or the communal nature of the land grants. Instead, many community land grants, including San Miguel del Vado, faced challenges that jeopardized their status, demonstrating the struggles of maintaining communal land against the backdrop of new legal systems that prioritized individual land ownership.

In this context, the choices indicating lawyers’ efforts to preserve land size, management by the Santa Fe Ring, or citizens selling land for profit do not capture the essence of the community land issue portrayed by San Miguel del Vado. The core problem remained with the lack of recognition and legal support for community-held lands, emphasizing the difficulties communities faced during this critical period in New Mexico's history.