The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...
(LDS Church) has had a presence in Mexico since 1874. As of 2020, the country of Mexico has the largest body of LDS Church
members
Member may refer to:
* Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon
* Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set
* In object-oriented programming, a member of a class
** Field (computer science), entries in ...
outside of the United States, with the church reporting 1,481,530 members in Mexico at the end of the year. In the 2010 Mexican census, 314,932 individuals identified themselves most closely to the LDS Church.
History
Early missionary efforts
The first
missionaries from the LDS Church to Mexico were called during the late summer and early fall of 1875, shortly after
Daniel W. Jones and Meliton Gonzalez Trejo had begun to translate portions of the
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude d ...
into
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
.
This initial scouting mission consisted of a handful of men who journeyed through Arizona to the Mexican state of Chihuahua, lasting ten months.
These first missionaries did not perform any baptisms;
church president Brigham Young
Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...
had instructed them to merely observe the conditions of the country in order to determine if their preaching would be effective.
In 1876, Young sent six missionaries to Mexico and instructed them to contact and preach to the
Yaqui
The Yaqui, Hiaki, or Yoeme, are a Native American people of the southwest, who speak a Uto-Aztecan language. Their homelands include the RÃo Yaqui valley in Sonora, Mexico, and the area below the Gila River in Arizona, Southwestern United Sta ...
in Northern Mexico. This group consisted of Helaman Pratt, Meliton Gonzalez Trejo, Louis Garff, George Terry, James Z. Stewart, and his brother Isaac.
A few of these missionaries found success in
Hermosillo
Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''SantÃsima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city located in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo municipality, the ...
, and Jose Epifanio Jesus was baptized on May 20, 1877, becoming the first official member of the church in Mexico. Jose Severo Rodriguez, Maria de la Cruz Pasos, Cruz Parra, and Jose Vicente Parra were all baptized a few days later on May 24.
Following the death of Brigham Young in 1877, missionary efforts in Mexico were halted, until in 1879 when missionaries were again sent to
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
.
The first person baptized by missionaries in Mexico City was Dr.
Plotino Rhodakanaty
Plotino Constantino Rhodakanaty ( el, Πλωτίνος Ροδοκανάτης) was a Greek and Mexican socialist and anarchist, as well as a prominent early member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) in Mexico. He is k ...
, a prominent Mexican anarchist and socialist figure. Rhodakanaty had come across a Mormon doctrinal tract in 1875 which so impressed him that he wrote a letter to the First Presidency, requesting that additional materials and missionaries be sent to him in Mexico City.
By the end of 1879, sixteen converts had been baptized and joined the church in Mexico City, in large part due to the influence of Dr. Rhodakanaty.
In 1880,
Desideria Quintanar de Yáñez became the first woman in Mexico City to join the church.
Missionary work in central Mexico continued until 1889, when all missionaries were withdrawn due to the strong opposition to foreign ministers following
La Reforma
''La Reforma'' ( en, The Reform), refers to a pivotal set of laws, including a new constitution, that were enacted in Mexico during the 1850s after the Plan of Ayutla overthrew the dictatorship of Santa Anna. They were intended as modernizing m ...
.
Re-establishment of the church
In 1901, the Mexican
Mission
Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to:
Organised activities Religion
*Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity
*Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...
of the church was re-established, with
Ammon M. Tenney serving as its
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
. This period of the church in Mexico was characterized by the calling of missionaries with highly developed Spanish language skills, the increasing indigenous leadership of branches, and the constant effort to reclaim members that had fallen away during the church's absence.
In 1910,
Rey L. Pratt became president of the mission, but was forced to leave Mexico City in the fall of 1913 due to rising safety concerns due to the
Mexican Revolution. Before his departure, Pratt was able to leave most of the
branches
A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term ''twig'' usually r ...
in Central Mexico under the leadership of local members.
During the Mexican Revolution, tensions rose with regards to foreign religions, as did anti-American sentiments. In 1915, two members of the church in San Marcos,
Hidalgo
Hidalgo may refer to:
People
* Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility
* Hidalgo (surname)
Places
Mexico
* Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico
* Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila
* Hidalgo, Nuevo Leà ...
named
Rafael Monroy
__NOTOC__
Rafael Monroy Mera (October 21, 1878 – July 15, 1915) was an early member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico, in Mexico. He served as president of t ...
and Vicente Morales were killed by the
Liberation Army of the South
The Liberation Army of the South ( es, Ejército Libertador del Sur, ELS) was a guerrilla force led for most of its existence by Emiliano Zapata that took part in the Mexican Revolution from 1911 to 1920. During that time, the Zapatistas foug ...
(Zapatistas) for refusing to renounce their faith and for their association with foreigners.
The two were taken and interrogated by a group of Zapatista soldiers, who had initially demanded food and other supplies from the Monroy family store. Monroy was asked by the soldiers to show his weapons, to which he responded by holding up the copies of the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...
and
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude d ...
he carried in his pocket and saying, "These are the only weapons I carry." After the store was searched and no weapons or ammunition were found, Monroy and Morales, an employee of the family, were both taken prisoner by the soldiers and later executed by
firing squad
Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are ...
.
Pratt remained as mission president until his death, also working to establish missionary work among the Spanish-speaking populations in the
Southwestern United States.
In 1926, the Mexican government deported all foreign clerics from the country, including Mormon missionaries from North America. This lasted until 1934, when foreign missionary efforts were able to resume. During this hiatus, Mexican members of the church were able to coordinate with one another and preserve the church doctrine and practices.
In 1936, a group of church members known as the
Third Convention—who had been influenced by the spirit of the
Mexican Revolution—called for a native-born Mexican to serve as president of the church's mission in Mexico. The tactics of this group led to the excommunication of its leaders.
In 1946, church president
George Albert Smith
George Albert Smith Sr. (April 4, 1870 – April 4, 1951) was an American religious leader who served as the eighth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Early life
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territor ...
visited Mexico and was able to establish a reconciliation with most of the members of the Third Convention, and the vast majority of this group were brought back into the church.
In 1956, the Mexican Mission was divided for the first time with the organization of the Northern Mexican Mission. From this time forward, the church focused on strengthening the structure of the church in order for
stakes to be organized.
1960 to present
Church membership began to expand rapidly during the late 1960s, reaching 100,000 members by 1972. As membership increased, church leaders began making regular visits to church members in Mexico. In 1972,
church president Harold B. Lee spoke to members at a Mexico City area conference, along with his counselors, several Apostles, and other leaders.
In early 1977, church president
Spencer W. Kimball spoke to a large number of church members at area conferences in both Mexico City and Monterrey, with nearly 25,000 members attending the conference in Mexico City. During his visit, Kimball also met with
Mexican President
The president of Mexico ( es, link=no, Presidente de México), officially the president of the United Mexican States ( es, link=no, Presidente de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the C ...
Jose Lopez Portillo at the
national palace Buildings called National Palace include:
* National Palace (Dominican Republic), in Santo Domingo
*National Palace (El Salvador), in San Salvador
*National Palace (Ethiopia), in Addis Ababa; also known as the Jubilee Palace
* National Palace (Guate ...
in Mexico City.
The first Spanish-speaking stake in the church was organized in Mexico City in 1961. In 1966,
Agricol Lozano became the first Mexican-born member of the church to serve as a
stake president
A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregations in certain denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. The name "stake" derives from the Book of Isaiah: "enlarge the place of thy tent; stretch forth the curtains of thine ha ...
. In 1970, the Monterrey Stake (now the Monterrey Mexico Mitras Stake) was organized with Guillermo G. Garza as its president. This was the first stake organized in Mexico outside of the
Mormon colonies and the Mexico City area.
On December 2, 1983, the
Mexico City Temple and Visitors’ Center were dedicated by
Gordon B. Hinckley, marking the first temple in Mexico.
Church education in Mexico
A movement began in the mid-20th century which focused on the organization of a church school system in Mexico. The movement was initiated by Claudio Bowsan, the president of the Mexican Mission at the time. Bowsan bought property in
Churhbusco, Mexico City and established a committee—composed of
Marion G. Romney,
Joseph T. Bentley, and Bowsan himself—to establish schools in Mexico. With the help and approval of the
First Presidency
Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...
of the church, a private high school was founded on the land purchased by Bowsan in 1964 known as the
Centro Escolar Benemérito de las Américas (commonly known as the "Benemérito").
At its founding, the school had 125 students and contained primary, secondary, and preparatory-level classes. It eventually became a large preparatory school, accommodating day students as well as boarding students. At its peak, there were more than 2,100 students in attendance. It was closed at the end of the 2012-2013 school year, and its campus was converted into a
missionary training center.
Another church-established school in Mexico is the
Academia Juárez
Academia Juárez, previously known as Juarez Stake Academy, is the oldest private high school owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and is located in Colonia Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Academia Juárez opened on S ...
, which was first established as the Juárez Stake Academy in September 1897 with 291 students. Located within the church's
Colonia Juárez in Chihuahua, the school was similar to academies found in the Utah territory, and provided English-language instruction intended for "an Anglo population".
The school was not closed when other academies were closed in the 1920s and 1930s, likely because public school education in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution was inadequate.
Settlers from Utah Territory remained isolated and aloof from native Mexicans, celebrating American holidays and teaching in English.
Moises de la Pena, a Mexican academic, declared that the school was an "illegal privilege" in 1950.
The school is still in operation, with 418 students as of the 2012-2013 school year, and approximately 80% of the students are members of the church. The school now utilizes a unique dual-language program beginning in kindergarten and continuing through high school.
Mormon colonies
In 1885, a group of
Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...
from the
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
and
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, AlÄ á¹£onak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
territories fleeing the U.S. federal government's prosecution of
Mormon polygamists settled in the Mexican state of
Chihuahua. These Latter-day Saints eventually
founded the settlements of
Colonia Juárez and
Colonia Dublán, along with four others in Chihuahua and two in the state of
Sonora.
Most of the remaining Mormon colonists in the north of Mexico left the country in 1912 due to rising violence, but many were able to return in later years. In 1959, the church established a network of schools outside of Colonia Juárez.
The Academia Juárez is located within the Colonia Juárez in Chihuahua.
Missions
The
Benemérito de las Americas school in Mexico City was permanently closed at the end of the 2012–2013 term, and its campus became the new home of the Mexico City
Missionary Training Center (MTC), opening on June 26, 2013. This greatly expanded the capacity of the Mexico City MTC, which is now second in size only to the missionary training center in
Provo, Utah. The old training center campus near the
Mexico City Mexico Temple
The Mexico City Mexico Temple (formerly the Mexico City Temple) is the 28th constructed and 26th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
It is located in the north-eastern part of the Mexican capital, Mexi ...
could only accommodate 125 missionaries at a time, while the new 90-acre campus can handle over 1,000.
The following is a list of missions in Mexico:
* Formerly the Mexico Leon Mission, renamed in July 2013.
[New mission presidents by area for 2013](_blank)
/ref>
* Announced in July 2013.
Temples
The Mexico City Mexico Temple
The Mexico City Mexico Temple (formerly the Mexico City Temple) is the 28th constructed and 26th operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
It is located in the north-eastern part of the Mexican capital, Mexi ...
was the first LDS Church temple
A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
in Mexico; it was dedicated in 1983 and rededicated after renovation in 2008. From 1999 to 2002, an additional 11 temples were dedicated in Mexico. This comes after June 29, 1993, when the Mexican government formally registered the LDS Church, allowing it to own property.[LDS Newsroom (Statistical Information)](_blank)
/ref> As of 2021, there are 13 temples in Mexico, with an additional ten announced or under construction.
20th century
21st century
Under Construction
Announced
Significant members from Mexico
* Margarito Bautista, a genealogical
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...
missionary from San Miguel de Atlautla, Mexico State
The State of Mexico ( es, Estado de México; ), officially just Mexico ( es, México), is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Commonly known as Edomex (from ) to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is ...
and the first branch president
A branch president is a leader of a "branch" congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
The calling of branch president is very similar to the calling of bishop, except that instead of presiding over a ward, th ...
of the Temporary Lamanite
The Lamanites () are one of the four ancient peoples (along with the Jaredites, the Mulekites, and the Nephites) described as having settled in the ancient Americas in the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement. The Lamani ...
Branch (later Lucero Ward) in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
, Utah.
*Rafael Monroy
__NOTOC__
Rafael Monroy Mera (October 21, 1878 – July 15, 1915) was an early member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico, in Mexico. He served as president of t ...
, who became a martyr of the church in 1915.
*Benjamin de Hoyos, a General Authority Seventy from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.
* Agricol Lozano, the first Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
stake president in Mexico and a president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
of the Mexico City Mexico Temple from Tula, Hidalgo
Hidalgo may refer to:
People
* Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility
* Hidalgo (surname)
Places
Mexico
* Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico
* Hidalgo, Coahuila, a town in the north Mexican state of Coahuila
* Hidalgo, Nuevo Leà ...
.
*Carl B. Pratt, a General Authority Seventy born in Monterrey, Mexico.
* Octaviano Tenorio, a General Authority Seventy from Tilapan, Veracruz.
See also
* Mexicans of American descent
* Mormon colonies in Mexico
The Mormon colonies in Mexico are settlements located near the Sierra Madre mountains in northern Mexico which were established by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) beginning in 1885. The colonists came to ...
* Mormon Corridor
* Religion in Mexico
The Catholic branch of Christianity is the dominant religion in Mexico, representing 78% of the total population as of 2020. In recent decades the share of Catholics has been declining, due to the growth of other Christian denominations – ...
*
References
Further reading
*Bridgemon, Rondal R. "Mennonites and Mormons in Northern Chihuahua, Mexico." Journal of the Southwest 54.1 (2012): 71–77.
*Dormady, Jason H., and Jared M. Tamez, eds. ''Just South of Zion: The Mormons in Mexico and Its Borderlands''. University of New Mexico Press, 2015.
*Hardy, B. Carmon. "The trek south: How the Mormons went to Mexico." The Southwestern Historical Quarterly 73.1 (1969): 1-16.
*Hardy, B. Carmon. "Cultural" Encystment" as a Cause of the Mormon Exodus from Mexico in 1912." Pacific Historical Review 34.4 (1965): 439-454.
*Janzen, Rebecca. ''Liminal Sovereignty: Mennonites and Mormons in Mexican Culture''. SUNY Press, 2018.
*Knowlton, David Clark. "How many members are there really? Two censuses and the meaning of LDS membership in Chile and Mexico." Dialogue: A journal of Mormon thought 38.2 (2005): 53.
*Naylor, Thomas H. "The Mormons Colonize Sonora: Early Trials at Colonia Oaxaca." Arizona and the West 20.4 (1978): 325–342.
*Sally Johnson Odekirk
"Mexico Unfurled: From Struggle to Strength"
'' Liahona'', January 2014
*''2009 Deseret Morning News Church Almanac'' (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Morning News
The ''Deseret News'' () is the oldest continuously operating publication in the American west. Its multi-platform products feature journalism and commentary across the fields of politics, culture, family life, faith, sports, and entertainment. Th ...
, 2008) pp. 413–419
* F. LaMond Tullis. ''Mormons in Mexico: The Dynamics of Faith and Culture''. (Provo: Museo de Historia del Mormonismo en Mexico A. C., 1997)
* F. LaMond Tullis. "Mexico" in Arnold K. Garr, et al., ed. ''The Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History''. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Deseret Book () is an American publishing company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that also operates a chain of bookstores throughout the western United States. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), the ...
, 2000) pp. 741–743.
*Tullis, LaMond. "Tzotzil-Speaking Mormon Maya in Chiapas, Mexico." Journal of Mormon History 43.2 (2017): 189–216.
*.
*.
External links
Newsroom (Mexico)
- Facts and Statistics
LDS Newsroom (Mexico)
- News and Information
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Official Site for Mexico (Español)
ComeUntoChrist.org
Latter-day Saints Visitor site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mexico, The
Harold B. Lee Library-related Americana articles