Alejandra De La Torre 3°a

Cristero War
The Cristero War was a conflict that lasted around 3 years in Mexico, everything started
because when Plutarco Elias Calles become the president and put a lot of religious reforms, so
in Jun 14th,1926 he put the law for reforming the penal code known as “Ley Calles” that
basically was about limit and control Catholic worship in the nation.
Then a lot of catholic people were really upset because they were prohibited of the
participation of the clergy in politics, deprived the churches of the right to own real estate, and
prevented public worship outside the temples.
The first battle was in August 3 rd, 1926, it was called shooting of “Santuario de nuestra Señora
de Guadalupe” and everything was because of the custom that they had of taking your hat
after entering to the church, for me it is really dumb that was a shooting of this because a lot of
innocent people got killed.
An important battle that the Cristeros wo, was the Battle of San Julian in Jalisco, Victoriano
Ramirez alias “El Catorce” and Miguel Hernandez two of the important leaders of the Cristeros
won that battle but also they got a lot of mistakes, one of those was when the Father Jose
Reyes Vega raised against the train in “La Barca” because his brother got killed and he set fire
and 51 civilians were killed.
Then after a lot of battles and Emilio Portes Gil become the president but Calles called himself
Jefe Maximo and the Maximato begin, Portes Gil announced that the church could renew its
rites, if they respected the law. So, in June 21 st,1929 the government and the church signed
the pact “Arreglos” and that is how the Cristero War ended basically.
In my opinion I'm kind of the church side but I really understand both sides, imagine that
someday the government prohibits your beliefs, and you have to stop them because they want
all the power and nobody could rule besides them, obviously people will start a fight, you are
taking their freedom to practice their religion, I can relate that with what is happening with the
world right now, they are raising their voice they are fighting for their rights, and their freedom,
it is the same, obviously in those days they really raised in arms but for them, they were
fighting for what’s for them it’s right, but also I understand the other part of having all the power
because ever since the church has a lot of power and voice so imagine those days with a
really catholic country, they wanted everything. Honestly, I feel like from the beginning they
could just agree what they said at the end, it is not more feasible just to have an agreement in
both sides? And save us all the innocent people deaths?
The whole world would be different if we respect others in many ways as possible but this is
our history, our world, the only thing we can do is to start making this a better place to live.