SALVADOR BORREGO E.

PUZZLING
NEIGHBORS
A HISTORICAL GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING
MODERN MEXICO

Published by
Salvador Borrego E.
Apartado Postal 61-088
M4xico 6, D.F.
C.P. 06600

SPANISH TITLE: PUEBLOS CAUTIVOS

C o p y r i g h t b y t h e A u t h o r . 1 9 8 7 All
rights reserved.
1st Spanish Edition, April 1987
1st English Language Edition, Dece mber 1987
Translator's note: Where the author has quoted, in
Spanish, words or text originally expressed in English, such
quotations have been retranslated back into English, for
w h i c h r e a s o n t h e q u o t a t i o n s w h i c h a p p e a r i n t h i s b o o k may
not coincide precisely with the original English words o r t e x t.
E v e r y e f f o r t h a s b e e n m a d e t o p r e s e r v e t h e e x a c t sense.

PROLOGUE
History is not chance. It is not a series of fortuitous
events.
Each of its stages is created by individual men.
History is not an entity with an existence of its own,
alien to humanity. It is not a series of unavoidable and
inexplicable events.
History is the work of human action. It is a result of
the actions of men who decide, or who accommodate, or of
men who are ingenous, and others who allow themselves to b e
swept up by the current of alien wills. History is the work
o f t h o s e w h o s t r u g g l e t o c r e a t e r e a l i t i e s a n d t h e struggle
of those who oppose them, and of those who prefer t o r e m a i n
b e t w e e n l i g h t a n d s h a d o w . I t i s h u m a n interaction.
History is created by men, and nothing occurs
without sufficient cause. Even that which appears to be
chance has its cause. If Napoleon expected victory at
Waterloo with the arrival of Marshal Grouchy, and if his
defeat was caused because the Prussian general Blucher
arrived earlier to save Wellington, this was not an
a c c id e n ta l e v e n t . B l u c h e r , wh o wa s 7 3 y e a r s o ld a n d i l l, wa s
m o r e c o u ra g eo u s an d a c tiv e th a n G r o u c hy .
If in the decisive battle of Tecoac, General Manuel
Gonzalez arrived to reinforce Porfirio Diaz before General
Alonso could help General Alatorre, this also did not occur b y
c h a n c e . G o n z a l e z h a d m o v e d m o r e s k i l l f u l l y t h a n h i s r iv a l.
If in the grand battle of Kursk the Soviets placed
their cannons in the form of a funnel aimed directly on the
route of penetration that was to be followed by the German
tanks, this was not by chance nor by guesswork. The
Soviets had in their hands the German plan of attack.
It is customary to ascribe to chance the subtle
s u c c e s s i o n o f e v e n t s w h o s e c a u s e s i t h a s n o t b e e n p o s s i b l e . to
establish, but nevertheless the causes exist.
If at present there are so many nations who live
under forms which are alien to their true essences, and
who march like captives along alien roads, this is not the
work of chance. There exist forces which compel the m to
th i s , a l th o u g h w e d o n o t h a v e th e p r im a r y p r o o f s .

I t c o u l d b e s a i d t h a t " L a b o r a t o r y H i s t o r y" o p e r a t e s
exclusively on the basis of pri mar y documents; however,
many clues ar e not t o be f ound t her e, j ust as i n a l abor at ory
examination, many filterable viruses can elude our
o bser vat i on , an d t h ese act i ve el e me nt s mu st be det ect ed by
other means.
I mention this because the great success of the books
wr i t t en by Sal vador Bor r ego, i s at tr i but abl e t o t he f act t hat
they identify the genealogical tree of the great historical
events.
This is why P u z z l i n g N e i g h b o r s . takes as it s st arti ng
point the Reformation and the Counter -Reformation; not
b e c a us e w h a t i s h ap pe n i n g t o d a y w a s t h en d e t er mi n e d , b u t
because t here, i n the 16t h Cent ur y, a f or ce wit h a hist or y of
thousands of years, adopted new religious forms, new
economic policies and a new political strategy to give a
new and vi gorous i mpul se t o it s str uggl e, and t hi s i nfl uence
comes down to our own days, and operates powerfully on
the
first
power of the world,
with
unavoidable
r epercussi ons on t he hi stor y of Mexico.
Javier Martinez Mena. Gomez
Palacio, Durango.

CHAPTER 1
The Synthesis
of Enormous Forces
Luther personified diverse
currents which up to his time
had remained
dispersed.
With the exception of a very small circle of
" i n i t i a t e s " , a l l E u r o p e w a s s u r p r i s e d b y t h e e x p l o s i o n o f th e
Protestant Reformation in 1517, set off and headed by
Luther. A gigantic echo reverberated inte rnationally, and
in that struggle were implicated kings, princes,
intellectuals, artisans, farmers, and whole nations.
The "Protestants", who were at first called
Evangelists, spoke out against the riches of the Catholic
Church, against the worldly life of many of its members,
a g a in s t r e l ig i o u s in d i f f e r e n c e , a g a i n s t t h e V a t i c a n , e t c . , a n d
to this uproar was added the motivation of many who were
anxious to confiscate ecclesiastic properties.
The spark that Luther used was the protest over the
s a le o f in d u lg e n c e s f o r th e c o n s tr u c t io n o f th e Ch u r c h o f S t.
Peter at Rome.
The fire of the Reformation spread with unexpected
rapidity and threatened to consume everything. It seemed
as if the Catholic Church was to be reduced to a weak
m in o r ity .
J u s t a s ic e b e r g s s h o w o n ly a s m a ll p a r t o f th e ir m a s s
above the surface, Luther was only the tip of an iceberg.
Be lo w h im la y a v a s t f o r c e th a t h a d b e e n a c t in g in d is p e r s e d
condition during many centuries. The French historian
Jean Lombard is one of those who has made this clea r, for he
s a y s , " th e R e f o r m a t i o n d o e s n o t r e s u l t f r o m t h e a c t i o n o f o n e
ma n, no r fr om th e e ff e c t o f one d oc tr in e ; it do e s n o t carry
with it anything original. In destroying Catholicism, t h e
universal character of the Church, in provoking a
rupture with Rom e, the Reformation separates Christianity
f r o m i t s u n i v e r s a l c o n t r i b u t i o n s . . . i t r e d u c e s i t s o l e ly t o t h e
Hebrew sources of the Old Testament.

"This new synthesis, carried forward by very old

her etical curr ents , is not the wor k of s ome personalities , no
matter how forceful they might be, but of societies and
groups, and of shadowy forces slowly formed, which
centered their aims in convergent and continuous fashion
agains t the common en emy: the Chur ch."(1)
He adds that numerous sects spread their influences
within the councils of the secret societies until one of
these, the Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, was able to
effect
the s y n t h e s is of these
forces
and to
act
simultaneously in the political and in the religious
spheres. This Brotherhood was the co -ordinator, and the
s pir it which moved the R ef ormation.
Luther's movement took its nourishment or impulse
from several sects, among which were the following:.
The GNOSTICS. This sect enjoyed its per iod of greatest
popularity in the 3rd Century, and held that it possessed
"absolute knowledge". Some of its groups called themselves
Gnostic Christians, many of them where incorporated later
into Manichaeism.
T h e M A NI C H A E I A NS . M a n i c h a e u s , w h o w a s b o r n i n
Babylon, called himself the last and greatest of the
prophets. He held that man is the work of Satan, who
furnished man with a portion of the spirit that he had
s t o l e n f r o m G o d . T h e M a n c h a e i a n s w h e r e r ig o r o u s l y a s c e t i c (
mortification of the senses) and they where fanatic rivals of
t h e C a t h o l i c C h u r c h . A t o n e t im e e v e n St . A u g u s t in e w a s
attracted to them.
T h e C A T H AR S . A n o th e r b r a n c h o f th e M an i c h a e i a n s ,
with the variant that they considered themselves "purer".
They extended through France, Germany, England and
Italy.
The ALBIGENSIANS. The first site from which they
expanded was the French city of Albi, in the 12th and 13th
Centuries. They were opposed to the ecclesiastic hierarchy
and to the s acr aments .
T h e L O L L AR D S . T h ey o r i g i n a t e d in th e 1 6t h C e n t ur y
in Holland. They said that they were the most fervent
followers of the New T estament, against the Church.
(1) Quien Inspir6 La Reforma? Jean Lombard Coeurderoy.
Madrid, 1979.

The VALDENSIANS. This was a sect created by Peter of

V al do, i n t h e Fr e nc h ci t y of L yon d ur i n g t h e 12t h Cent ur y.
They considered that religion should base itself, and
emphasize, poverty and the poor; they opposed the Mass
and they extended from France into Switzerland and Poland.
In 1532, they came over in great numbers to the
Reformation.
The CABALISTS. These propagated by word of mouth
t he Jewi sh tradit ion that clai ms t o possess t he hi dden secret
of the Old Testament. Through anagrams, t ranspositions and
combinati ons of l etter s or Hebrew wor ds, t hey " deciphered"
t h e t e xt s o f S c r i pt u r e . F r ee m a s o nr y de f i ne s t h e C a ba l a a s
"the mystic or theosophical philosophy of the Jews... it is
intimately related with the symbolic science of
Freemasonry... It is employed a great deal in the high
d egr ees , and wh ol e ri t ual s h ave be en co nst i t ut e d und er i t s
principles, for which reason it deserves a place in any
general treatise on Freemasonry" (2)
The cabalists and their Brotherhood of the
Rosicrucians connected the diverse sects, which were
d i s t i n c t f r o m t h e m , a n d g a v e t h e m a c o m m o n d e n o m i n a t o r in
their hostility or hatred to Catholicism.
Many historians repeat that Luther made a visit to
the Vatican and was disgusted by the luxury and
i mmo r al i t y w hi c h he s aw t h er e. It i s al so a f act t h at he wa s
indignant over the sale of indulgences, but this was not
w h a t w a s f u n d a m en t al i n h i s p r o cl a m at i o n o f r ef o r m at i o n ,
for he did not call for morality, but rather established a
whole different religion that would displace Catholicism. He
denied dogmas and traditions. He was not - as it was claimed -a
reformer of the conduct of the Papal Court.
The Spanish historian Orestes Ferrara examined
numer ous docu ment s of t he 16t h Cent ur y, and he st at es t hat
false converts, accepted within the Vatican, s uch as Dr.
B o net d e L at i s a nd Bi s ho p P edr o de Ar and a, ci r cu l at e d an d
supported much of the literature, hostile to the Vatican,
which circulated in Europe.(3)
(2) Encyclopedia of Freemasonry. Albert Gallatin Mackey,
33rd Degree. San Antonio, Tx. 1925.
(3) El Papa Borgia, Alejandro VI. Orestes Ferrara.
Madrid, 1943.
9

But even if this activity promoted an exaggerated

appreciation of conditions, it is an admitted fact that at the
Papal Court there was licentious life under Pope Innoc ent
VIII, (1484-1492), and more under his successor Alexander
VI, (1492-1503). Under the next Pope, Julius II, (1503 -1513),
things were somewhat improved, but much license came
back into the Papal Court under Leo X, (1513 -1521). Then
Adrian VI tried to moralize prelates and officials, but he
onl y lived 20 months and was not able to complete his work.
But quite apart from such immoral behaviour which
caused a grave loss of prestige, what was decisive was the
existence of an ancient movement against the dogma tic and
traditional bases of the Church. The Cabalist John Reuchlin,
famous author of a Hebrew grammar, aided in the
publication of pamphlets against the Vatican, with the help o f
theologist George Trismegistus and of Henry Cornelius
Agrippa von Nottesheim, author of The Occult Philosophy.
Reuchlin and his associates formed various secret groups in
Paris, Germany, Italy and London, dating from 1510. The
Masonic branch of the Rosicrucians co-ordinated the
various sects, on the one hand, with the Cabalists on the
other. Later they invited Luther to participate in the
c a m p a i g n " a g a i n s t t h e m e r c a n t i l e a n d r a p a c i o u s R o m e o f the
Popes".
Luther was selected not as a theologian, but as a fiery
orator, and he started by talking of "reforming" the
Church, but he rapidly passed on to the creation of another
church in 1525. He changed the Mass, the Communion, the
hierarchy, confession, the cathechism etc.
It was all prepared beforehand so that Luther's
rebellion should have a continental response from groups
which everywhere followed his lead.
As time went by, many people of good faith affiliated
themselves to the diverse Protestant branches, attracted by
charitable and, humanistic aspects. It must be understood
that these persons are not necessarily c onnected with the
o c cu l t i s t g r o u p s o f t h e C a b a la .

10

Religion, Economy, Politics.

Three motives were taken
up under one single
a s p e ct , t h a t o f r e l ig i o u s
'reform.

W h i l e L u t he r w a s w i n n i n g t h o u s an d s o f f o l l o w er s i n
Bohemia, Germany, Scandinavia, Italy and Spain, Calvin
appeared on the scene and established a dictatorship in
Geneva, fr om wher e Cal vi ni sm spr ead i nt o Fr ance, England,
Scotland, the Netherlands and then even to Hungary and
Poland.
Both Luther and Calvin had in their favor the
o p e r at i o n s o f a n i n t e r n a t i o n al or ga n i za t i o n w h i c h p r o vi de d a
r esoundi ng echo t o t hei r pr eachi ng.
The historian Jastrow, among others, says that the
r e gi me e s t ab l i s h ed by C a l vi n i n G e ne va i n 15 3 6 , d i sp l a ye d
" f or ms of t er r i bl e seve r i t y.. . Fr o m t he r e C al vi ni s m r e ach ed
France, England, Scotland and the Netherlands and
e x t e nd e d t o w a r d t h e e a s t t o P ol a n d a nd H u n ga r y. It d i d n o t
tolerate Catholic bishops, priests, or governors".(4)
Calvin gave to Protest antism its most i mplacable for m in
the period between 1536 and 1564.
His doctrine spoke of "predestination", according to
which t he el ect of the Lor d are desti ned to sal vati on and the
r e st t o et er nal d a mnat i on. T ho se wh o ar e " t h e el ect " can b e
d i s t i n gu i s h e d b e c a u s e " w e a l t h i s t h e t a n gi b l e a n d p a l p a b l e
sign of the blessing of the Lord". ( In thi s there was much
"occult knowledge" of Cabalistic origin).
It was in this way that the new religion had a
terrible discriminatory meaning and an economic goal.
Consequently, in the C alvinistic synod of 1552, Catholic
teaching with regard to the "just price" and usury was
abolished, and t hus the way was cleared so t hat "t he el ect of
the Lord" could resort to astute dealings, which should
identify them, through the accumulation of riche s and
power , as t hose who were " predesti ned" . T his was "Mani fest

(4) Universal History. J. Jastrow

11

Destiny", the old Jewish idea that the Messiah grants to his
o wn the domi nion of the world.
To construct this particular theology, they relied on t he
Old Testament, interpreted by Hebrew scholars and
Cabalists. Fo r "the elect", the tr aditio nal mo r al co nstraints are
not valid. They turned to Leviticus 25:43 -45: " Thou shalt n o t
rule (thy brother) with rigour... (but) the children of t h e
strangers...shall be your bondmen for ever", and
Deuteronomy 23:20: "Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon
u s u r y ; b u t u n t o t h y b r o t h e r t h o u s h a l l n o t l e n d u p o n usury".
Consequently, this particular type of Protestan tism
a d v a n ce d si m u l t a ne ou s l y f r o m t h e r el i gi ou s s ph e r e, t o t h e
political and economic sphere. If "predestination" is divine
will, then, from predestination one can derive the right to
hegemony over everything else. And of course action
against Catholicism is justified, since it is an obstacle to
such a doctrine.
The historian Lombard says that for radical
Protestantism the City of God as offered by St. Augustine,
ceased to have validity, and it took the road of a new form of
society dominated by money, the city of Gold. He adds that
a c c o r d i n g t o W i l l i a m G u y C a r r , a u t h o r o f Pa w ns i n t he G am e
(pg. 20), the B'nai B'rith of Paris acclaimed Calvin in 1936 as a
Jew whose real name was Cauin or Cohen.
Calvinistic Protestantism, when it passed over into
England, moderated its form somewhat, but not its essence n o r
its goals. Since its followers were people of strict
customs, very pious, they were given the name also of
"Puritans".
The elite of Protestantism (with its constituent
elements of religion, economics and politics) found very
fertile ground in England, taking advantage of the
development of machines and of industry. The famous
sociologist Max Weber states that modern Capitalism has its
origin in "the Protestant ethic", although it would be more
exact to call modern Capitalism "super -capitalism."(5)

(5) General Economic History, Economics and Society.

M ax W eb e r, 1 8 6 4 - 1 9 2 0

12

The Counter-Reformation
The peace of Westphalia was
not the end of the long
struggle between the two
powerful forces.

Lutheranism and Calvinism advanced with such .

strength that it seemed they would dominate all Europe with
their movement for reform, which was tempting in the
religious and very strong in the economic and political
spheres. But in the meantime, almost without a plan and
providentially, the Counter -Refor mation appeared on the
scene.
A Spanish soldier, Ifiigo Lopez de Recalde , was
seriously wounded at the siege of Pamplona in 1512; though
his legs were fractured and though he suffered two
operations, he overcame his pain and decided to take up
arms again for the recovery of the Holy Sepulchre at
Jerusalem. However, when he perceived the inroads of
Protestantism, he formed the Company of Jesus, with
military discipline. He made his new order a religious
militia. Lopez de Recalde, known today as St. Ignatius of
Loyola, together with the theologians Laynez and
Salmeron, directed the renovation of Catholicism until it
r e ach ed t he Co unci l o f T r ent , 1 545 -1 5 63 , whi ch def i ned or
clarified many points of Catholicism.
Due to an accident in the royal successions, a
member of the House of Austria became Emperor of
Ger many and Spai n, that is to say Char les I of Spai n ( and V o f
Germany). At nineteen years of age he took up the
sceptre over his vast empire and reached Spain without
havi n g yet l ear ned Spani sh. He i mmedi at el y suppor t ed wi t h
t h e s w o r d t h e s t r u g g l e o f t h e C o u n t e r - R e f o r ma t i o n w h i c h
the Company of Jesus had initiated in the religious sphere.
The historian J.P. Oliveir a Martins says that what
ma d e Char l es V a n emi n ent f i gur e i n hi st o r y i s t hat he was
t h e h e a d o f a h e r o i c a n d C a t h o l i c S p a i n a n d n o t o n l y j u s t one
more German emperor.
"Surrounded by his statesmen and captains, and
relying on the invincible peninsular infan try, arbiter of the
treasures of the Indies, when he crossed Europe from

13

one end to the other, speaking to each nation in its tongue,

fighting against Francis of France and the Protestants of
Germany, and against Suleiman, the com mander of the
Turks who were invading Austria, Charles V was the
authentic defender of the Christian world... almost as much a
mo narch in the spiritual as in the te mpor al ". (6)
The wave of a Catholicism of renewed faith spread
from one end to the other of Europe. The work of Charles V, o n
who se do minio ns " the sun ne ver se t" , wa s co ntinued with
gr e a t e r c o nc e n t r a t i o n b y h i s s uc c e s s o r P h i l i p I I , t he most
po wer ful e mperor of his a ge.
Philip II, who ruled between 1555 and 1598, waged wa r
against the French, the T urks (the Battle of Lepanto), the
English (who defeated his Invincible Armada in 1588), a n d
particularly
against
the
rulers
who
upheld
Protestantism.
Hungary and Poland, who had a great number of
Protestants, were reclaimed for Catholicism. In France,
where Calvinism had begun to dominate, a Catholic party
regained thousands of minds, and in Switzerland several
cantons were recuperated.
The struggle of the Counter-Reformation did not
conclude until 1648 with the Peace of Westphalia which
brought to an end the bloody Thirty Years' War. Many
regions of Germany had been almost depopulated. People
where fighting over the carcasses of dead horses for food.
The historian Hendrick Van Loon says that of 18 million
inhabitants in Central Europe, only 4 million survived.
Another historian, Andre Maurois, says that the population o f
Germany was reduced to one third after the battles
between kingdo ms, duchies, principalities, and counties. It
was a religious-political-economic struggle which was
e s p e c i a l l y b l o o d y. ( 7 )
D u r i n g t h e C o u n t e r - R e f o r ma t i o n t h e r e wa s a g r e a t 'p o s i t i v e
r e a c t i o n i n f a v o r o f t h e C h u r c h . E c c l e s i a s t i c discipline was
re-established, education was encouraged,

(6 ) Historia de l a Civil izaciOn l berica. J.P. Oliveira Martins.

(7) His tory o f Germ an y. And r e Maur o is
(original name, E mile Herzog).

14

the number of missions increased and important points of

doctrine where defined.
In t he pol i t i cal spher e, t he Count er -Ref or ma t i on was
also victorious in parts of Germany, Austria and Poland.
Naturally, the Peace of Westphalia was really rather a
ki nd of ar mi stice, f or it did not mean the disappearance of t h e
t w o gr e a t f o r ce s w hi c h h ad c o me i n t o c o n f l i ct w i t h t he
Refor mation and the Count er -Refor mation. T he s truggle
wo u l d c o n t i n u e , a p p l y i n g d i f f e r e n t m e t h o d s a n d u n d e r
different aspects.

In England, Protestantism declared that Spain was

"the natural enemy".

The Endorsement to Mexico

The "elite", with a
moderate strategy,
participated eminently in
the creation of the great Power
of North America.

When it established the principle of the free

e x a m i n a t i o n o f S c r i p t u r e , P r o t e s t a n t i s m f a v o r e d t h e b i r t h of
numer ous br anches o r sect s, and some o f t hem ha ve kept
t hemsel ves st r i ct l y i n t he r eli gi ous spher e. T h i s s h o u l d b e
kept clearly in mind to avoid confusion or f alse
judgements. On the other hand, an "elite" retained its

expansi ve soci al pri nci pl es, t hat i s t o say: t o consi der it self as
" t he c h o se n o f t he L o r d " , as a ga i n st t h ose " n o t ch o s en " , and
predestined to damnation.
From this derived, for the "elite", a kind of special
legality of all combinations which might increase its
political and economic power as a "visible sign of
p r e d e s t i n a t i o n " . T h e va n gu a r d o f t h i s e l i t e b e ga n t o a r r i ve
from across the Atlantic, on the northeastern coasts of the
colonies of North America. In 1620, a group of Calvinist
"Puritans" arrived in Massachussetts Bay and founded the
c o l o n y o f N e w P l ym o u t h , f r o m w h e r e t hey e x p a n d e d i nt o a
vast territory.

15

Samuel Oppenheim says that the first organized

gr o u p o f J e w i s h i m m i gr a n t s, u n d er t h e l ea d e r s h i p of A s s er
Levy, arrived in 1654, in what is today New York. (8)
Another historian of the same origin, Dr. Rudolf
Glanz, says as early as the first half of the 18th century,
Hebrew groups had already established their superior
influence. "The first three presidents of Harvard College
w e r e f a mo u s J e w i s h s c h o l a r s . D u r i n g mo r e t h a n 1 5 0 ye a r s ,
the opening ceremonies of that college were in fact a
Hebrew prayer... The same situation prevailed at Yale and at
King's College, now the Univeristy of Columbia". (9)
Such i mmi gr ants, with br oad exper ience in pol iti cal
and religious struggles, brought over to North America
their well-prepared leaders to form esoteric Masonic
B r ot her hoo ds . In t hat vast a nd we al t h y t er r i t or y, f r e e f r o m
any coercive force, they rose speedily in finance. Haym
Solomon, Robert Morr is, t he Cohens and the Mi ns lent t heir
economic support to George Washington 's war and then
obtained a license to open a "Bank of the United States"
(with eight branches), and privileges which made it
possible to engage in ingenious speculations.
P r e s i d e n t J e f f e r s o n n a me d A l b e r t G a l l a t i n , r e c e n t l y
ar r i ved f r om Gene va, as Secr et ar y of t he T r easur y, and t hi s
was again a blessing for the "elite".
Economi c i nfl uence , easil y fl owed over int o politi cal
influence, for it subsidized electoral campaigns so that
cer t ai n candi dat es coul d r each posi ti ons in t he Congr ess, i n
the Supreme Court or in the Governorships.
The three pre -fabricated crises of 1837, 1869 and 1874
r u i n e d m i l l i o n s o f c i t i ze n s , b u t t h e y e n r i c h e d , f a b u l o u s l y,
hundreds of fami lies of "t he chosen" .
The concessions to build railroads were granted to
J a y G o u l d , D a n i e l Dr e w , J a me s F i s k, C o r n e l i u s V a n de r bi l t
and others. There were huge speculations.
The wealthy family of eight brothers Seligman
furnished funds for Lincoln's struggle during the Civil
War, and was able to obtain a bank charter. The bank
(8) History of the Jews in America. Samuel Oppenheim,

New York.
( 9) T resc ie n tos A n os de V id a y Ac ti v id ad e s J u di as e n l os
EE.UU. Dr. Rudolf Glanz.Tribuna Israelita. Mexico,Junio 1954.

16

s p e e di l y l e nt i t s a s si s t a nc e t o t h e p r es i den t i a l c a mp a i gn o f
G r a n t , a n e m i n e n t M a s o n , a n d t h e e l d e r o f t h e S e l i g m a n s was
named Secretary of the Treasury.
At this ti me, 1875, there wer e already 10,000 Lodges
operating in the United States, among which the most
influential was the Independent Order of the Sons of the
Covenant (the B'nai B'rith which was made up almost
exclusively of "the chosen").
The "trusts" flourished. John D. Rockefeller in oil;
Daniel and Simon Guggenheim in copper; Mellon in
aluminum, etc.
John Pierpont Morgan created the steel trust and
t h e n he s et u p o ne of t h e mo s t po w e r f u l b a n ki n g h o u s e s i n
the world. Abraham Kuhn, already immensly wealthy,
associated successively with Solomon Loeb, Jacob Schiff and
P a u l W ar b u r g, an d hi s ba n ki n g h o u s e c o nt r ol l e d mo r e t h an
30% of the US banking system.
Emile Herzog, also known as Andre Maurois of the
French Academy of Sciences, called many of these
magnat es "pirates of fi nance" . He says t hat wit h the support of
legislators who owed them favors, they could lower costs,
increase prices and obtain enormous profits from stock
e x c h a n ge m a n e u ve r s w i t h e a r n i n gs o f u p t o 8 0 0 % i n r a p i d
transactions.
"The conquerors of the 19th Century" he adds,
"showed very few s cruples, and accumulated superhuman
fortunes through inhuman means; they tr eated the masses
who served them as mere cannon -fodder. It is an era of
great indi viduals, monstrously egotistic and mar velousl y
efficient... the system of indirect elections made it easier, to a
c e r t a i n e x t e n t , t h a t t h o s e w h o h a d e n t e r e d t h e c l u b o f r ich
men shoul d sl i p i nt o t he Senat e, and o ver t hese, publ i c
o pi ni on was i nca pabl e o f exer t i n g a n y i nf l u enc e" . ( 10) But
all this was very natural according to their own ethic of
"the chosen of the Lord", though it should be said that in
the New World they did not present those impopular
characteristics of exalted violence which had been
displayed in Geneva. On the contrary they took on
d e mo c r a t i c f o r m s , a n d ma n y s u p e r m a gn a t e s h u s h e d u p t h e
( 10) H i s t o r y o f t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s . Andr e Ma ur oi s
17

scandal of their speculations through donations to

universities and other altruistic foundations. But they
retained their essence.
(When exa mined in its mo st ge neral aspects, the age of

t h e R ef o r m at i o n w as e s s e nt i a l l y , a n o ve l po w e r - pl a y by t h e
Cabalists. Although they did not obtain everything they
wished, due to the Counter -Reformation, from there on the y
used Calvinism and the proliferation .of Masonic lodges to
gain political and economic influence, and later, in the last
c e n t u r y, t h e y c r e a t e d M a r x i s m a s a n o t he r n e w i n s t r u me n t of
conquest).
Now it is clear that the " elite", which has been active
since the birth of the United States, brought with it from
Europe an implacable enmity against Spain and against the
Catholic religion; and since on this continent Mexico
represented both of these entities, Mexico became the
object of an action which has always operated in the
decisive moments of our history.

18

CHAPTER 2
National Memory
The past explains
the present, and the future is
built on the present.

T o s up pos e t hat t he hi st or y of M exi c o i s e xcl u si vel y

the record of our own strengths and of our own mistakes,
would be as much as to suppose that we are an island in
outer space, sovereign and lonely, impervious to all
e xt er nal i nf l u ence . On t he ot her ha nd, t o see ou r hi st or y as a n
interaction of forces, where the external force is
f r e qu e nt l y t h e mo r e po w e r f ul , . ma y s e e m d i s a gr e ea b l e , b ut it
is more realistic.
Such an examination helps us to understand better
several national events and to clarify the limits of our
acti on and of our r esponsibilit y.
It is a vital function of histor y to enter int o the most
p r of o un d c aus es of i t s ha ppe ni n g, an d t o at t ai n t hi s i t mu st
overt hr ow f all aci es or pseudo -histor ic dogmas.
N ot wi t hst a ndi n g t hat hi st or y i s on l y t he pa st , on t he
past we explain the present and the future has its
foundations upon the present. T he inf lue nce tof the p as t
conti nues to ac t one way or ano ther. A nati on wit h a
deformed history is a nation with a sick memory. As
Fernandez Campo says, "Amnesia, when it paralyzes the
me mo r y o f a pe r so n , e ve n t h o u gh t he me m o r y i s o nl y w h a t i s
p a s t , m o d i f i e s h i s p r e s e n t a n d h i s f u t u r e . I n t h e s a m e way,
t o wi t hdr aw and al t er t he essent i al par t s of t he hi st or y of a
nati on i s not onl y a vai n f icti on of "t hat which was" but a l s o a
d e c i s i v e i n f l u e n c e o n t h a t w h i c h i s , a n d o n t h a t which will
be". (1)
With this in mind, with the object of understanding
t h at o ur ch equ er ed hi st or y has n ot d epe nde d ex cl usi vel y on
ourselves, let us review several outstanding events in the
last 177 years of the life of Mexico.
(1) Identidad Nacional. Felix Fernandez Campo, 1987.

19

We Wer e Told: "N o Em pir e!"

Mexico was born as an
empire, the i nhe ri tan ce of
t h e A z te c e m p i r e a n d of the
Spanish empire.
For very natural reasons Spain could not retain
indefinitely its , vast colonies in the New World, but the
process of independence was also pushed forward by the
i n t e r n a t i o n a l e n e mi e s o f S p a i n a s a n a c t o f v e n g e a n c e a n d in
the pursuit of booty.
Well-read historians such as Mr. Richard E. Chism
and the Mexican Antonio Gibaja y Patron furnish us with
much data on the foreign agents who visited the New Spain
and other Spanish colonies at the beginning of the past
century to promote independence, and who came from the
United States, from England and from France. Luis de Onis,
plenipotentiary minister of Spain in North America also
reported these activities to the Crown. Specifically, Mr.
Chism says that there was contact with Don Miguel Hidalgo ,
the father of Mexican independence, since 1806. Of course
such agents were not working out of altruism but with the
object of booty for their cause. (2)
We do not doubt the good intentions of Hidalgo, but o f
course, he lacked political experience and was not a
military leader. The strange idea took hold in his good fa ith
that he should oppose what was Indian to what was Spanish.
This gave rise to a hatred incapable of distinguishing
between "Gachupines", as pure Spaniards were called, and
"Criollos" or "Mestizos", those of mixed Spanish and Indian
descent. This was the cause of tremendous massacres in
Guanajuato, Valladolid, and Guadalajara when independence
began in 1810, and this blind hatred also gave rise to the
destruction of aqueducts, large haciendas, mills, mines and
shops.
Hidalgo was able to bring together some 80,000
Indians. He soon lost control, and his insurrection
(2) A Contribution to the Masonic History of Mexico.
Richard E. Chism.

20

degenerated into pillage and desertion. Finally, his

uprising ended in total failure at the battle of Calderon,
January 17, 1811, having begun only four months earlier.
It is a fact recognized by many that the cause of the
failure was that he b ased independence o n racial struggle.
Many sympathizers of the movement for independence
a b s t a i n e d f r o m f o l l o w i n g h i m w h e n t h e y s a w t h e a b s u r d i t y of
his tactic.
It seems that Hidalgo had fallen into the trap of such a
strategy under so mebody's advice, and this was the reason t h a t
i n d e p e n d e n c e w a s d e l a y e d 1 0 y e a r s , a n d t h a t t h e r e we r e
losses of 1,000 million pesos, that is to say, 40 times the a nnua l
budget of that time, which wa s 25 million pesos.
It was a different story when General A gustin de
Iturbide proclaimed a Plan of Independence in Iguala on
Febuary 24, 1821. This plan defined the Mexican nationality a s
originating in the combination of two races: the
aboriginal Indians and the Spanish. According to this
generous and realistic definition, all the inhabitants of
Mexico had equal rights, whether they were Indians, of
mixed blood; or Spaniards. This plan also specified "the
supremacy of the Catholic religion".
This independence, which Iturbide achieved in only 18
mo nths-with the help of Guerrero -was based on an idea of
harmony and unity.
Iturbide gave to the political institutions of the
country the form of an empire, .a system which
corresponded with the inheri tance of the Aztec empire and of
t h e S p a n i s h e m p i r e . T h e . M e x i c a n C o n g r e s s a p p r o v e d t h i s on May
20, 1822.
Ho wever, the United States withhel d the recognition
of the government of Iturbide and sent Joel Roberts
Poinsett to Mexico. Joel Roberts Poinsett was a
g r e a t - grandson of the Jewish Calvinists Pierre Poinsett and
Sarah Fouchereau, who in 1685 had emigrated from France to
t h e United States.
Joel Roberts Poinsett had contacts with the Scottish
Rite Lodges which had been at work here since the final days
of t he Spa nish r ule, and besides he bro ught " li ght s" for the
York Rite. In Mexico City he had an interview with Iturbide
a n d s u g g e s t e d t o h i m t h a t h e a d o p t a c o n s t i t u t i o n a l syste m
similar to that of the United States.

21

This proposal carried a great deal of deep meaning

because the Mexican Empire could prolong itself
indefinitely and come to be the political head of a great part
of Lat in A mer ic a, w her e on t h e ot h er h an d a r e p u bl ic an
and federal system, through the change of government
ev er y f o ur y ear s, ga v e t o int er n at i o na l Fr e e ma s onr y t h e
opportunity of supporting the group which it chose, and in
this manner it could increase its infiltration. However,
Iturbide replied courteously, t hat Mexico was different
from the United States, and he rejected the proposal.
In the presence of some officials of Iturbide such as
Juan Francisco Ascarate, Poinsett let slip an insinuation
t hat t h er e mi ght b e a r e c og nit i o n if Me x ic o ce d e d t o t h e
United States its northern territories, which, he said, were
really more of a burden than an advantage to us. Ascarate
coldly replied that Mexico would not cede one inch of
territory.(3)
Iturbide was a career officer, a good organizer and
comm ander of t r oop s, but in t he cr isis of t he bir t h of an
empire and in the face of f or eign pr essure, he lacked the
political wisdom to skirt serious dangers.
To begin with, he believed in the free play of the
electoral forces as an integrator of a Congress, and had not
formed a team who would be loyal to him. The secret lodges
infiltrated and acted within this power vacuum. The
Masonic lodges were unknown to the immense majority of
the new directing class of the nation. The Scottish and York
Rites united for a brief period; they provoked disorders and
overthrew Iturbide, only ten months
after his coronation.
Just as Poinsett had suggested, the Venerable
Freemason Miguel Ramos Arizpe, took the U.S. Constitution
as his blueprint, and upon it he drew up the Mexican
Constitution of 1824, and the country adopted the new name of
United Mexican States.

(3) Early Diplomatic Relations Between the U.S. and Mexico.

W.R. Manning.

22