| State |
Entry |
Exit |
Combat Forces |
Population |
Losses |
| Mexico |
1927 |
1929 |
100000 |
21000000 |
25000 |
| Rebels |
1927 |
1929 |
50000 |
2000000 |
10000 |
A major crisis developed, however, between the government and the Roman
Catholic Church. In 1926 the archbishop of Mexico City, José Mora y del Río,
made public his view that Roman Catholics could not follow the religious
provisions of the constitution of 1917. In defiance of the declaration by the
archbishop, Calles decided to implement fully several of the constitutional
provisions: religious processions were prohibited; the church's educational
establishments, convents, and monasteries were closed; foreign priests and nuns
were deported; and priests were required to register with the government before
receiving permission to perform their religious duties. The church reacted by
going on strike on July 31, 1926, and during the three years that followed, no
sacraments were administered. Bloody revolts broke out in the states of
Michoacán, Puebla, Oaxaca, Zacatecas, Jalisco, and Nayarit. To the call of "Viva
Cristo Rey" (Long live Christ the King), bands of militant Roman Catholics,
known as Cristeros, attacked government officials and facilities and burned
public schools. The government responded with overwhelming force, using the army
and its own partisan bands of Red Shirts to fight the Cristeros. The fighting
was vicious, with both sides engaging in indiscriminate acts of terrorism
against civilians and widespread destruction of property. By 1929 the revolt had
been largely contained, and the Cristeros were compelled to lay down their arms
and accept most of the government's terms.
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