Red Shirts (Mexico)
Encyclopedia
The Red Shirts were a paramilitary organization, existing in the 1930s, founded by the virulently anti-Catholic, atheist and anticlerical Governor of Tabasco
, Mexico, Tomás Garrido Canabal
during his second term. As part of their attempt to destroy the Church, they systematically destroyed church buildings. The group, created to carry out the governor's orders, takes its name from its uniform of red shirts, blacks pants, and black and red military caps and it consisted of men aged 15 to 30 .
Apart from religion, the Red Shirts also attacked other things they considered to be detrimental to progress, most notably alcohol
. They have been described as fascist by some authors.
The Red Shirts have been described as "shock troops of indoctrination for the intense campaign against 'God and religion.'" The Red Shirts were also used to attack and suppress the Cristeros, an uprising which rebelled against the persecution of Catholics. In 1934 Garrido was named secretary of Agriculture by the new president Lázaro Cárdenas
, hoping to contain the Red Shirts that way. However Garrido took the Red Shirts with him to Mexico City at the National Autonomous University of Mexico
to intervene in student politics.
On December 30, 1934, the Red Shirts opened fired on Catholics as they were leaving Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church in Coyoacán
, killing five and wounding many others. Garrido sent the murderers a case of Champagne in jail and declared that they were under his protection. Garrido was fired and exiled shortly after. Not much later the Red Shirts were disbanded.
The Red Shirt regime in Tabasco is the setting for Graham Greene
's 1940 novel The Power and the Glory
.
Governor of Tabasco
List of governors of the Mexican state of Tabasco* Víctor Manuel Barceló served as a governor temporarily when Roberto Madrazo requested license-Source:*...
, Mexico, Tomás Garrido Canabal
Tomás Garrido Canabal
Tomás Garrido Canabal , was a Mexican politician and revolutionary. Garrido Canabal served as dictator and governor of the state of Tabasco from 1920 to 1924 and again from 1931 to 1934, and was particularly noted for his anti-Catholic persecution...
during his second term. As part of their attempt to destroy the Church, they systematically destroyed church buildings. The group, created to carry out the governor's orders, takes its name from its uniform of red shirts, blacks pants, and black and red military caps and it consisted of men aged 15 to 30 .
Apart from religion, the Red Shirts also attacked other things they considered to be detrimental to progress, most notably alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
. They have been described as fascist by some authors.
The Red Shirts have been described as "shock troops of indoctrination for the intense campaign against 'God and religion.'" The Red Shirts were also used to attack and suppress the Cristeros, an uprising which rebelled against the persecution of Catholics. In 1934 Garrido was named secretary of Agriculture by the new president Lázaro Cárdenas
Lázaro Cárdenas
Lázaro Cárdenas del Río was President of Mexico from 1934 to 1940.-Early life:Lázaro Cárdenas was born on May 21, 1895 in a lower-middle class family in the village of Jiquilpan, Michoacán. He supported his family from age 16 after the death of his father...
, hoping to contain the Red Shirts that way. However Garrido took the Red Shirts with him to Mexico City at the National Autonomous University of Mexico
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a university in Mexico. UNAM was founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to the Roman Catholic-sponsored Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (National Autonomous...
to intervene in student politics.
On December 30, 1934, the Red Shirts opened fired on Catholics as they were leaving Mass at the Immaculate Conception Church in Coyoacán
Coyoacán
Coyoacán refers to one of the sixteen boroughs of the Federal District of Mexico City as well as the former village which is now the borough’s “historic center.” The name comes from Nahuatl and most likely means “place of coyotes,” when the Aztecs named a pre-Hispanic village on the southern shore...
, killing five and wounding many others. Garrido sent the murderers a case of Champagne in jail and declared that they were under his protection. Garrido was fired and exiled shortly after. Not much later the Red Shirts were disbanded.
The Red Shirt regime in Tabasco is the setting for Graham Greene
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
's 1940 novel The Power and the Glory
The Power and the Glory
The Power and the Glory is a novel by British author Graham Greene. The title is an allusion to the doxology often added to the end of the Lord's Prayer: "For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, now and forever , amen." This novel has also been published in the US under the name The...
.