Religion in Mexico

Mexico is a conglomeration of people, values, beliefs, and cultural elements.
One
way of understanding culture in Mexico is through defining the religion in the country
and analyzing how religion affects the society. In Mexico, there is one major religion:
Roman Catholicism. Roman Catholicism dominates 88% of the individuals who identify
with a certain religion, making it by far the most prevalent religion throughout the
country. Roman Catholicism is not the only religion in Mexico Pentecostal, Evangelical
Christians, and Jehovahs Witnesses make up 8.3% of people combined, while another
7.4% of people identify with an unspecified religion or do not practice any religion at all.
Because Roman Catholicism overwhelmingly defines religion in Mexico, it will be the
religion focused on in the remainder of this essay.
Roman Catholicism (most commonly referred to as just Catholicism) has its roots
in, obviously, Ancient Rome, and has since grown to be the largest branch of Christianity
in the world. Catholicism began during the reign of the Roman Empire, but was heavily
persecuted for many centuries due to totalitarian rule. Throughout the first through third
century, Catholicism went from being persecuted, to being accepted hesitantly, to finally
becoming the religion of the land in the Roman Empire. After the downfall of the Roman
Empire, Western Christianity sought to preserve Catholicism by spreading it to other
parts of Europe. Through the works of missionaries, quickly spread throughout many
parts in Europe, including Spain, Gaul, England, Poland, Hungary, and Russia. Although
Catholicism was continually threatened by the emerging religion of Islam, it reached
Mexico during the Spanish Conquest. During this time, conquistadors from Spain
traveled to the New World Mexico bringing their culture, goods, and religion with
them. From here, Catholicism quickly dominated the land as individuals began to adapt
to the advancing country, driven by the Catholic Churchs desire to evangelize and
convert the indigenous populations in Mexico to Catholicism. This period is known as the
spiritual conquest, and occurs alongside the physical conquest of Mexico.
Catholicism in Mexico has become embedded into many aspects of society and
has undoubtedly shaped the economic, political, cultural, and social standings in Mexico.
Catholicism has most prominently shaped the social development in Mexico by
determining what is deemed as socially acceptable in the country. Catholicism is rooted
in conservative and traditional values, a standpoint that is changing extremely slowly as
the world, and Catholic Church, are challenged with new, progressive ideas. In Mexico,
many aspects of society remain extremely traditional, following the traditional ideas of
Catholicism. For example, it is socially acceptable in Mexico to be involved in a
heterosexual partnership and marriage, while homosexual partnerships are sought against
and often cause individuals to be ostracized and isolated by other community members.
Traditional gender roles are usually followed in Mexico, especially in older generations.
Families tend to be large, in congruence with Catholicisms idea to reproduce multiple
children in the name of God. Among many other examples, social norms in Mexico tend
to be heavily influenced by the presence of the Catholic Church. This being said, as the
Catholic Church becomes more lenient and progressive in their ideas, the social
development in Mexico progresses as well.
Catholicism has a host of holy and sacred places that represent the religion.
Because of Mexicos overwhelming Catholic population, there are an abundance of holy
places throughout the country. One example of this is the Basilica of Our Lady of
Guadalupe, which is located in the countrys capital, Mexico City. This shrine is the
shrine that hosts the most visitors of any Catholic shrine worldwide, exemplifying its
importance to the Catholic faith. Another sacred space that celebrates Catholicism in
Mexico is the Metropolitan Cathedral, the largest and oldest Cathedral in Mexico and all
of Latin America, located also in Mexico City. A final cathedral in Mexico that is visited
often for its holiness is the Puebla Cathedral, built in 1535. Its Renaissance and Baroque
architecture separate it from more modern Catholic Cathedrals, and its size as the second
largest in all of Mexico make it a experience for both individuals who identify as Catholic
and those who do not. In Mexico, there are an abundance of sacred spaces both in
rural and metropolitan areas, spreading throughout all of northern, central, and southern
Mexico.
For many years, there has been obvious conflict between the Mexican government
and the Catholic Church. Most notably is in the creation of the Constitution of 1917,
which further separated the Church from the State and accentuated anti-clerical notions
against the Church. Overall, the Constitution aimed at reducing the Churchs influence
and power in Mexico, in relation to the countrys politics, economy, and social
development. This created obvious tensions in the country, some of which turned violent.
The Church abhorred the States decision to regulate the clergy and the influence of
Catholicism in the nation, while the State aimed to separate the government from the
church and any other religion fully. These tensions labeled as the Cristero Rebellion
came somewhat to an end in 1929, when a meeting between the U.S. Ambassador to
Mexico, Calles, and the Mexican Catholic officials occurred. This meeting ended with an
unchanged Constitution but a reaffirmed idea of religious freedom in Mexico, following
the premise that anticlerical elements in the Constitution would not be as heavily
enforced. Since then, religion has remained a prominent aspect of government in Mexico,
with the Catholic Church often publicly supporting certain candidates and government
officials while opposing others. The Church and State continue to meet in an attempt to
regularly address and alter the relationship between them to promote continued harmony
and agreeance nationwide that supports both religious freedom and separation of church
and state.
Overall, religion is and will always be a significant part of Mexico life and culture
because of its prevalence in the country. Catholicism, as the dominating religion in
Mexico, helps define many social and cultural elements in the country and guide the
decisions and lives of citizens nationwide. For this reason, it is especially important for
relations between the government (state) and the dominating religion (Church) to remain
amicable, in order to protect the freedoms and rights of Mexican citizens.
Bibliography:
1. Religion in Mexico. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2015, from
http://www.religionfacts.com/mexico
2. Roman Catholicism. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2015, from
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Roman-Catholicism
3. Sacred Destinations. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2015, from http://www.sacreddestinations.com/mexico/sacred-sites
4. The Mexican Government Versus the Catholic Church. (2012, April 8). Retrieved
October 21, 2015, from http://catholicexchange.com/the-mexican-governmentversus-the-catholic-church
5. The Role of the Catholic Church in Mexico's Political Development. (n.d.). Retrieved
October 21, 2015, from
http://www.politicsandreligionjournal.com/images/pdf_files/srpski/godina6_broj1
/peralta.pdf

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Mexico is a conglomeration of people, values, beliefs, and cultural elements.

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