The Cristero War

This week on The Hard Country, Joshua Treviño and Ariana Guajardo mark the centennial of La Cristiada, the Cristero War, which erupted in Mexico in August 1926 when traditional, practicing Catholics rose up against a government determined to strip the Church from public life.

Josh and Ariana trace the roots of Mexico's church-state conflict from independence in the 1820s through the Reform Wars, the French intervention under Emperor Maximilian, the Mexican Revolution, and the 1917 Constitution, up to the 1926 Ley Calles, the decree that banned religious orders, criminalized clerical dress, and pushed the country's Catholic majority to armed rebellion.

They also explore the competing origin myths of modern Mexico, the Aztec centered narrative promoted by today's Morena government versus the mestizo, Guadalupan synthesis of Spanish and indigenous cultures, and tie it to current events, including a recent essay describing the Church as an obstacle to the state and comments from President López Obrador's sons on Fidel Castro's 100th birthday.

Creators and Guests

Host

Ariana Guajardo

Ariana Guajardo is a videographer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation with a passion for video editing and graphic animation. Ariana was originally born in Austin, but spent most of her life in the Rio Grande Valley.

Host

Joshua Treviño

Joshua S. Treviño is the Chief of Intelligence and Research at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, in which role he explores pathways for future Foundation action and develops forecasts for Texas and the nation. Prior to his service as CIO, he was vice president of strategy at the Illinois Policy Institute in Chicago and a United States Army officer.

What is The Hard Country?

Joshua Treviño and Ariana Guajardo of the Texas Public Policy Foundation discuss U.S.-Mexico relations, border security, and some Texas history.