Abstract

LOPEZ MENENDEZ, Marisol. Abandoned martyrs: Catholic militancy, memory and forgetfulness in Mexico. Soc. relig. [online]. 2017, vol.27, n.48, pp.97-129. ISSN 1853-7081.

The paper studies the stories of three Mexican catholic characters -Luis Segura Vilchis, Jose de Leon Toral and Maria de la Luz Camacho-, These lay persons died in Mexico City in 1927, 1929 and 1934 respectively and were revered as martyrs by Catholics in the country. Their demises happened in the context of the bloody clash between Church and State known as Cristero War (1927-1929). The paper underlines martyrdom as a social and historically contingent phenomenon and aims at understanding remembrance patterns and public memorialization processes in their linkages to martyrial narratives. The paper uses historical methods to emphasize the links among martyrdom, memory and forgetfulness in a context of rapid social change.

Keywords : Martyrdom; Catholicism; Mexico; Twentieth Century; Memory.