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Shifting cultivation is considered to be a key cause of deforestation in the tropics as agriculturalists transform the rain forest into cropland and later allow for its regeneration through fallowing. Forest fallows strongly influence the ecological and economic potential of shifting cultivation, yet, secondary forest management among shifting cultivators remains poorly understood. This study focuses on secondary forest management among peasant households in a land-abundant ejido, near the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve of Mexico. Data were gathered through in-depth household interviews and field visits with 44 households, accounting for more than 450 fields. Striking differences were found in fallowing practices in Nuevo Becal. The holding of secondary forest is related to access to male labour, wealth in land-assets, household age, and the holding of pasture. Fallow length at the plot level is associated with household age, land holding size and the manner in which land is acquired. Fallow periods tend to be longer for cycles begun from primary forest and appear to have become longer over time. This study demonstrates the importance of the microdynamics that influence differential land use decisions among households under apparently similar environmental and macroeconomic conditions.