Mennonitism in Mexico
Encyclopedia
There are 80,000 to 90,000 Mennonites living in Mexico
. They live in several areas, particularly in the states of Campeche
, Sonora
, Chihuahua, Zacatecas
and Durango
and their settlements were first established in the 1920s.
. Approximately 6,000 of the most conservative Mennonites eventually left Manitoba and Saskatchewan for Mexico. The first train left Plum Coulee, Manitoba on March 1, 1922. Many Mennonites immigrants settled in Northern Mexico from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Canada.
Between 1922 and 1925 some 3,200 members of the Reinlaender Gemeinde in Manitoba and 1,200 from the Swift Current area left Canada to settle in Northern Mexico on approximately 230,000 acres of land in the Bustillos Valley near present day Cuauhtémoc
in Northern Mexico. The Manitoba and Swift Current area groups settled the Manitoba and Swift Colonies in Chihuahua State, while about 950 Mennonites from the Hague-Osler settlement in Saskatchewan settled on 35,000 acres in Durango State.
and English
and living side by side with Tarahumara
Indians in the hill country of the state. About 50,000 Mennonites reside near the city of Cuauhtémoc
in Chihuahua.
In Durango
, there are 32 Mennonite communities (30 in the Municipality of Nuevo Ideal
and 2 and the Municipality of Santiago Papasquiaro
). Mennonites in Durango number more than 7,000 most of them living in Nuevo Ideal. Nuevo Ideal's lies around 124 kilometers, north of Durango City. Once in Nuevo Ideal, it becomes central transit point where the main roads that communicate Northwest and Northeast Durango separate (the road going northwest to Tepehuanes
is paved while the one going to Escobedo, Durango towards the northeast, is a dirt road). Mennonites benefit from this transit point since many travelers and truck drivers stop in Nuevo Ideal in search of Menonita Cheese.
The largest denomination as of 2006 is Altkolonier Mennonitengemeinde with 17,200 members. Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference has 97 members, Kleingemeinde in Mexiko has 2,150 members, Reinländer-Gemeinde has 1,350 members & Sommerfelder Mennonitengemeinde has 2,043 members.
Since the start of the Mexican Drug War
, many Mennonite colonies in Chihuahua have suffered the impact of the drug-related violence. The location of the colonies and the economic success of the Mennonites are the reasons why the community has been affected. The economic achievements have attracted the attention of organized criminal gangs, putting Mennonites at risk of armed robbery, kidnap and extortion. A small number of Mennonites have left the settlements and immigrated to other Mennonite settlements in Belize
and Paraguay
to escape the violence. Thousands have moved and settled in more secure Mexican states like Campeche
, or moved to South America, in countries like Argentina
and Bolivia
There are accusations within the Mennonites that there are some Mennonites involved in the drug trade., the accusations were never proved.
During 2007, the colony of Salamanca (a Mennonite settlement with a population of 800 spread over 2,000 hectares in the state of Quintana Roo
) was completely destroyed due to the landfall of Hurricane Dean
. As of 2008, Salamanca had a population of 862.
.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. They live in several areas, particularly in the states of Campeche
Campeche
Campeche is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in Southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the states of Yucatán to the north east, Quintana Roo to the east, and Tabasco to the south west...
, Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, Chihuahua, Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
and Durango
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
and their settlements were first established in the 1920s.
History
In the period leading up to and during World War I, provincial governments in Manitoba and Saskatchewan passed laws requiring public schools to fly the Union Jack, required compulsory attendance, and forcibly created public schools in areas of Mennonite settlement. In response the more conservative Mennonites sent out delegates to a number of countries to seek out a new land for settlement. They finally settled in a tract of land in Northern Mexico after negotiating certain privileges with then Mexican President Álvaro ObregónÁlvaro Obregón
General Álvaro Obregón Salido was the President of Mexico from 1920 to 1924. He was assassinated in 1928, shortly after winning election to another presidential term....
. Approximately 6,000 of the most conservative Mennonites eventually left Manitoba and Saskatchewan for Mexico. The first train left Plum Coulee, Manitoba on March 1, 1922. Many Mennonites immigrants settled in Northern Mexico from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Canada.
Between 1922 and 1925 some 3,200 members of the Reinlaender Gemeinde in Manitoba and 1,200 from the Swift Current area left Canada to settle in Northern Mexico on approximately 230,000 acres of land in the Bustillos Valley near present day Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc was the Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan from 1520 to 1521...
in Northern Mexico. The Manitoba and Swift Current area groups settled the Manitoba and Swift Colonies in Chihuahua State, while about 950 Mennonites from the Hague-Osler settlement in Saskatchewan settled on 35,000 acres in Durango State.
Settlements
Using modern methods by Mexican standards, the Mennonites established farms, machine shops and motorized vehicles for transporting produce (although automobiles were forbidden for common use). Canadian oats, beans and corn were the main produce. Forty settlements were established. The villages followed Mennonite architectural styles existent in Russia and Canada and the names were based on former names in Canada such as Rosenort, Steinbach and Schönwiese. Four Colonies were initially established:the Swift Current Colony, the larger Manitoba Colony and a smaller Santa Clara settlement in the Cuauhtemoc area. The fourth was the Durango Colony near Nuevo Ideal. The Colonies were based on former Mennonite social structures in terms of education and similar prayer houses and unsalaried ministers. Conservative dress and traditional roles for women were the norm.Present
In Chihuahua, Mennonites continue their lifestyle with several reforms, such as the use of automobiles, although most use horse and buggy. They coexist, learning SpanishSpanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and living side by side with Tarahumara
Tarahumara
The Rarámuri or Tarahumara are a Native American people of northwestern Mexico who are renowned for their long-distance running ability...
Indians in the hill country of the state. About 50,000 Mennonites reside near the city of Cuauhtémoc
Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua
Ciudad Cuauhtémoc is a city located in the west-central part of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It serves as the seat of the municipality of Cuauhtémoc....
in Chihuahua.
In Durango
Durango
Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...
, there are 32 Mennonite communities (30 in the Municipality of Nuevo Ideal
Nuevo Ideal
Nuevo Ideal is a city and seat of the municipality of Nuevo Ideal, in the state of Durango, north-western Mexico....
and 2 and the Municipality of Santiago Papasquiaro
Santiago Papasquiaro
Santiago Papasquiaro is a town of 47,360 people located in a valley in west-central Durango, Mexico. It is the fourth-largest community in the state in population, and is the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. It is home of a military base of the 71st Infantry Battalion. The town...
). Mennonites in Durango number more than 7,000 most of them living in Nuevo Ideal. Nuevo Ideal's lies around 124 kilometers, north of Durango City. Once in Nuevo Ideal, it becomes central transit point where the main roads that communicate Northwest and Northeast Durango separate (the road going northwest to Tepehuanes
Tepehuanes
Tepehuanes is both a town and a municipality in the Mexican state of Durango. It is located in the North West of Durango at 25°12'"-26°25'"N 105°23'"-106°40'"W , at an elevation of about 1,830 meters...
is paved while the one going to Escobedo, Durango towards the northeast, is a dirt road). Mennonites benefit from this transit point since many travelers and truck drivers stop in Nuevo Ideal in search of Menonita Cheese.
The largest denomination as of 2006 is Altkolonier Mennonitengemeinde with 17,200 members. Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference has 97 members, Kleingemeinde in Mexiko has 2,150 members, Reinländer-Gemeinde has 1,350 members & Sommerfelder Mennonitengemeinde has 2,043 members.
Since the start of the Mexican Drug War
Mexican Drug War
The Mexican Drug War is an ongoing armed conflict taking place among rival drug cartels who fight each other for regional control, and Mexican government forces who seek to combat drug trafficking. However, the government's principal goal has been to put down the drug-related violence that was...
, many Mennonite colonies in Chihuahua have suffered the impact of the drug-related violence. The location of the colonies and the economic success of the Mennonites are the reasons why the community has been affected. The economic achievements have attracted the attention of organized criminal gangs, putting Mennonites at risk of armed robbery, kidnap and extortion. A small number of Mennonites have left the settlements and immigrated to other Mennonite settlements in Belize
Mennonites in Belize
As of 2008, there are close to 10,000 conservative Prussian Mennonites living in Belize. In addition to this there are another 2,000 mostly Kriol and Mestizo Belizeans who have converted to Mennonitism. Mennonites living in Belize are among the most traditional and conservative amongst all the...
and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
to escape the violence. Thousands have moved and settled in more secure Mexican states like Campeche
Campeche
Campeche is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in Southeast Mexico, it is bordered by the states of Yucatán to the north east, Quintana Roo to the east, and Tabasco to the south west...
, or moved to South America, in countries like Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
There are accusations within the Mennonites that there are some Mennonites involved in the drug trade., the accusations were never proved.
During 2007, the colony of Salamanca (a Mennonite settlement with a population of 800 spread over 2,000 hectares in the state of Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
) was completely destroyed due to the landfall of Hurricane Dean
Hurricane Dean
The name Dean was used for five tropical cyclones in the Northern Atlantic Ocean:*1983's Tropical Storm Dean, which struck the coast of Virginia, causing minor erosion and flooding...
. As of 2008, Salamanca had a population of 862.
Film
The Mexican Mennonite community was the setting for the 2007 film Stellet Licht by acclaimed Mexican director Carlos ReygadasCarlos Reygadas
Carlos Reygadas is a Mexican filmmaker known for his three films Batalla en el Cielo, Japón and Silent Light . After Batalla en el Cielo, he was known for his raw depiction of sex in his films and the use of old or ugly-seeming characters...
.
See also
- Mennonites in NetherlandsMennonite Church in the NetherlandsThe Mennonite Church in the Netherlands, or Algemene Doopsgezinde Sociëteit, is a body of Mennonite Christians in the Netherlands.The Mennonites are named for Menno Simons , a Dutch Roman Catholic priest from the Province of Friesland who converted to Anabaptism around 1536...
- Mennonites in ParaguayMennonites in ParaguayAs of 2010, there are 80,000 to 60,000 conservative Russian Mennonites living in Paraguay. In addition to this there are a number of native Paraguayans who have converted to Mennonitism. Mennonites contribute heavily to the agricultural and dairy output of Paraguay. Ethnic Mennonites in Paraguay...
- Mennonites in FranceMennonites in FranceThe Mennonites in France are religious descendents of the Anabaptist movement. Anabaptists first appeared in the east of France during the early years of the Protestant Reformation. Strasbourg was a haven for all kinds of religious dissidents during this period...
- Mennonites in BelizeMennonites in BelizeAs of 2008, there are close to 10,000 conservative Prussian Mennonites living in Belize. In addition to this there are another 2,000 mostly Kriol and Mestizo Belizeans who have converted to Mennonitism. Mennonites living in Belize are among the most traditional and conservative amongst all the...
- Mennonites in BoliviaMennonites in BoliviaAs of 2010, there are close to 60,000 conservative Russian Mennonites living in Bolivia. In addition to this there are a number of native Bolivians who have converted to Mennonitism...
External links
- Mexico at Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia OnlineGlobal Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia OnlineThe Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online is an online encyclopedia of topics relating to Mennonites and Anabaptism. The mission of the project is to provide free, reliable, English-language information on anabaptist-related topics....
- Protective Retreat: Mexico's Mennonites Consider a New Migration - The World and I