The Spanish invasion brought a prominent Catholic presence to Mexico, still very present particularly in land south of the Rio Grande (Oaxaca), heavily impacting both religion and politics. According to the 2000 census, still 74% of Oaxaca’s population (2.6 million people) are Roman Catholic, while only about 234,150 people were Protestant, 37,504 Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1,199 Jews, and 150,000 people reported no religion (Oaxaca, Nations Encyclopedia). This shows the lasting influence Spain had on the history of religion in Mexico.
In 1528, Spanish Dominican friars settled in Antequerea and formally established the Bishopric of Oaxaca in 1535, bringing even more Catholic priests to the area (Schmal). Even though there is a strong devotion to Catholicism, Oaxacans show their Mexican heritage through traditional forms of expressing their religion. A prime example of this is when the Spanish attempted to change the festival Guelaguestza (one of Oaxaca’s greatest festivals) into the feast of the Virgin of Carmel by giving them the same dates (officially celebrated on the two Mondays following July 16th). This Spanish attempt failed however, as the celebration retains many of its pre-Hispanic customs with great displays of music and dancing (About Oaxaca).
These missionaries persisted in their work of destroying indigenous pagan religions specifically in Oaxaca, but also in Mexico as a whole, until their independence in 1821. Mexico (not only Oaxaca) responded to their previous religious oppression by Spain with a new constitution that preached religious tolerance and freedom, however also created anti-church laws so that while these Catholic churches stayed open, religious orders were suppressed, religious vows were declared illegal, and nuns and priests could not wear their attire in public. While the nations intention was to create religious freedom, these laws actually denied the almost 100% catholic population to practice their beliefs. It wasn’t until 1940, with the presidential election of the devout catholic, Laxxaro Cardenas, that these laws were changed, however issues with the Vatican persisted unto the 1990s. Finally, today people truly have religious freedom (The Catholic Church in Mexico: Triumphs and Traumas).
Bibliography:
"About Oaxaca." Oaxaca Mexico All About Oaxaca RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2015. <http://allaboutoaxaca.com/about-oaxaca/>.
Schmal, John P. "The Indigenous People of Oaxaca." : Mexico Travel. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2015. <http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/371-the-indigenous-people-of-oaxaca>.
"Oaxaca." Nations Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2015. <http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/mexico/Michoac-n-Zacatecas/Oaxaca.html>.
"The Catholic Church in Mexico: Triumphs and Traumas." : Mexico History. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2015. <http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/668-the-catholic-church-in-mexico-triumphs-and-traumas>
Very interesting history of Catholicism in Mexico, Gemma - I never knew that Mexico had such strict anti-church laws for a significant period of time! You make a good point too about how the prominence of Catholicism in Mexico speaks to the strong Spanish influence in the country. It's interesting to see how these Catholic beliefs mixed with indigenous beliefs to create some unique customs and festivals, like Dia de los Muertos.
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