Forestry management systems affect soil properties, but few it is known about the response in bioindicators related to these changes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of bioindicators to sense the litter and soil (0-5 cm and 5-10 cm) state of two different Cedrela odorata forestry management systems; a monoculture (with no fertilization nor irrigation) and a coculture (with fertilization and irrigation) with Citrus latifolia. The soil bioindicators measured were those associated with total microbial activity: the enzyme activity of acetylesterase (FDA), acid phosphatase (AcPh), alkaline phosphatase (AlkPh), laccase, and the estimation of the potential net rate of carbon mineralization (PNRCM). Our results indicate that soil enzyme activities (FDA and phosphatases) were sensitive to different management systems in the litter; both activities increase with organic matter. Enzymatic activity was higher in litter of coculture (FDA = 0.063 ± 0.007 U.g-1DW; AcPh = 0.8 ± 0. 08 U.g-1DW; AlkPh = 0.18 ± 0. 003 U.g-1DW) than in litter of monoculture (FDA = 0.037 ± 0. 006 U.g-1DW; AcPh = 0.24 ± 0. 03 U.g-1DW; AlkPh = 0. 059 ± 0. 005 U.g-1DW). There were no significant differences in soil enzyme activity between forestry management, however, differences in total nitrogen amount, organic matter content, and micronutrients were found. This indicates that changes in microbial activity, due to the management system, are occurring mainly in the litter than in the soil. We conclude that the use of these bioindicators (with exception of laccase) is suitable for litter and soil diagnosis in forestall plantations in the tropic