This text is the result of a reflection about the phenomena of the expropriation of the Indian lands impelled by the liberal governments, defenders of federalist thesis, in the republics of Mexico and Nueva Granada or Colombia, during the decades of 1850 and 1870. From a wide perspective, this article seeks to analyze comparatively the expropriation process of the Indian lands in some regions of these two countries, trying to rebound the similarities and differences experienced in the designing and the execution of legislations. The alterations suffered from the original plans can reveal the difficulties that characterized the implementation of those policies and the complexity of the results achieved. Keywords: communitary lands, Indian communities, resguardos, expropriation process, liberal reforms.