The Mennonites in Mexico are the components of a religious current that arrived in the country at the beginning of the 20th century from Canada and the United States. The origin of this movement is located in 1525, as part of the Protestant Reformation. Their first leader was Menno Simons, from whom they received the name.
This current is framed within the Anabaptists, who maintained that baptism in children was not valid, since it was only possible to enter Christianity in a conscious way. For this reason, one of its distinctive signs in the christening in adulthood. The other great sign of identity of Mennonites is pacifism.
Persecutor in Western Europe, Mennonites settled in Russia for a few decades. The passage of laws that contradicted their beliefs caused many to emigrate to Canada. In 1921, faced with the Canadian government's claim that they perform military service, among other things, they negotiated with the Álvaro Obregón government to move to Mexico..
The first Mennonites arrived in Mexico in March 1922. Their first destination was Chihuahua, where the most important communities are still located. Over time, other groups settled in Zacatecas, Durango, and other parts of the Mexican Republic..
The Mennonites are a current within Anabaptist Christianity that appeared in 1525 in Switzerland. This religious group followed the teachings of Menno Simons, a former Catholic clergyman who assumed the leadership of the pacifist Anabaptists during the Protestant Reformation..
Due to the persecution they were subjected to, the Mennonites had to settle in Eastern Europe, specifically in Prussia. Later they emigrated to Russia thanks to an invitation from Empress Catherine the Great.
A series of laws that harmed this community caused many to move to Canada in the late 19th century. However, the then ruling British Crown pressured them to abandon their German dialect and to do military service..
Faced with pressure, the Mennonites began in 1921 a series of negotiations with the Mexican government headed by Álvaro Obregón to move to Mexico. His requests were to maintain his religious freedom, educational and the use of German..
Obregón accepted these conditions and the Mennonites visited several states to find land to settle. Finally, they settled on Chihuahua, where they bought land at a rate of $ 8.25 per acre..
The first train bound for their new lands left the Canadian town of Manitoba on March 1, 1922. Later, another five trains were joined, carrying about 10,000 people. His final destination was San Antonio de los Arenales, the current Ciudad Cuauhtémoc in the state of Chihuahua..
Mennonites brought their own horses, carts, farm animals, seeds, and farm implements.
The arrival of Mennonites from Canada and the US continued until 1927. In addition to Chihuahua, they also settled in Durango and Guanajuato.
In 1948 a new group of Mennonites arrived in Mexico. On this occasion, their number was much smaller and they came from the Soviet Union.
Mennonites have suffered serious problems in recent decades due to attacks by criminal gangs, several major droughts and clashes with producers in the country.
Given this, they have considered accepting the invitation issued by the Republic of Tatarstan, one of those that makes up Russia, to settle in its territory..
The only major obstacle that has prevented, until now, from accepting the offer is the demand by Tatarstan that they fulfill military service, something prohibited by the pacifism of this religious current..
The first 10,000 Mennonites to arrive in Mexico during the 1920s were located in Chihuahua, Durango, and Guanajuato.
At present, the number of members of this current has increased to 100,000. Of them, 90,000 continue to reside in Chihuahua, while the rest are distributed between Durango, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas, Campeche, Tamaulipas, Quintana Roo, Sonora, Sinaloa, Baja California, Tabasco, Yucatán and Oaxaca.
The first Mexican state to receive Mennonites was Chihuahua. There they founded their first two colonies, named Manitoba and Swift Current, both in Cuauhtémoc..
Today, this mother colony is still the largest and most developed in the country. The contribution of Mennonites to the economy of the area reaches 82% of GDP.
The Mennonites of Chihuahua were divided over time into two main currents: the Conservatives, who add up to 80%, and the Liberals.
The main difference between the two groups is their relationship with technology. Thus, while conservatives refuse to use it, liberals have no problem using advances such as the internet.
Another of the states in which the Mennonites notably settled was Zacatecas. In their communities they have maintained their own language, coming from German, and many do not even speak Spanish.
The Mennonites in this area have enjoyed great economic prosperity. Without mixing with the rest of the population, they are governed by a very rigid political and religious hierarchy. Thus, at the head is a political leader and, behind this figure, the local leaders of each community appear..
With the same power as the political chief, there is a religious authority, supported by ministers of his Church..
Durango was the second state in which the Mennonites settled in Mexico. There are the so-called Mennonite Fields, made up of the communities created by the emigrants who arrived in 1924..
Although Mennonites are politically full-fledged Mexicans, in many respects they have remained aloof from the rest of the country's population. It was only from the 1980s onwards that there was a certain openness, especially in the more liberal communities.
In that same decade, some of its most important communities agreed to use cars and electricity, something that made their economy improve..
Despite this, other communities continue to reject the use of these advances, including electricity. These groups intend to maintain the same kind of life that the first Mennonites who arrived in Mexico led.
Typical Mennonite homes are organized in a peculiar way. At the entrance of the house is the kitchen, a room that is considered the center of the complex.
In addition, there is a large room that acts as a living room, dining room and workplace for women..
The proceeds of their work are destined to improve the prosperity of the entire community. The distribution that they carry out of their crops and other goods is intended to ensure that no one is in need. In addition, the accumulation of wealth is prohibited and surpluses must be used to increase production..
All members of the community are obliged to work on their land. In the case of children who attend school, their absence is compensated with a fee paid by their family.
Farming is the main economic activity of the Mennonites. They are also known for their excellent dairy products, especially cheese..
Other economic activities are the manufacture of furniture, the manufacture of machinery for agricultural work and the possession of small businesses..
The women wear dresses of a single color to go to mass, while work stops they wear a flowered one. Currently, the dress must cover up to below the knees, although previously they were even longer.
Women who remain single put a white scarf on their head. The married, meanwhile, change it for a black one. This last color is also that of the wedding dresses.
The men use a garment called overalls to work, which they began to wear during their stay in Canada..
The agreement that the Mennonites reached with the Obregón government included the right to maintain an education differentiated from the official one..
In schools they learn the plautdietsch, a dialect of German that they have been using since they lived in Prussia.
In education, there are differences between conservatives and liberals. The former divide teaching into four stages: learning to read; the catechism; the new Testament; and the Bible. Likewise, they also learn rudiments of mathematics and grammar, although not science.
Children from conservative families only study until they are 14 years old. Afterwards, they work for the community or at home.
Among liberals, however, education is much broader. Their schools are within the SEP (Secretariat of Public Education) until the baccalaureate stage. In addition, many young people continue to study at university, almost always careers related to commerce..
Although there are some differences, Mennonites generally have the same beliefs as other Anabaptists and Protestants..
His own characteristics include his radical pacifism and his following of the figure of Jesus Christ as a moral guide for his behavior..
Each community is religiously governed by a preacher, who answers to an ecclesiastical authority similar to a bishop..
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