All for Catholicism and Family: The De la Torre Family During The Cristero Movement 1900-1980

Abstract

My thesis focuses on the De la Torre family, an extraordinary family, who participated inthe Cristero War in the Sonora Arizona border region. The Cristero War (1926-1929) was a conflict between the Mexican government and the Catholic Church in Mexico. The family was frustrated with the Mexican government’s enforcement of anti-clerical laws in the Constitution of 1917, the deportation of Catholic clergy, and shutting churches down. They were involved in Cristero organizations such as the Asociación Católica de la Juventud (ACJM) and the Liga Nacional de la Libertad Religiosa. The De la Torre family part took in, rallied, and took part a Cristero combat group in hopes to restore celebrating Catholicism in Mexico. The thesis argues that Catholic parents like the De la Torre parents nurtured the value of martyrdom in their children. When those children became adults, they were willing to risk their lives for the Catholic faith. This study expands the narrative of the Cristero War by including the family perspective in the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands. The thesis spans three chapters, each focusing on one member of the De la Torre family. The first chapter focuses on the eldest daughter, Maria de la Torre, and argues that women like Maria were representatives for their families in the Catholic communities. Her martyrdom shows her sacrifice of social life by never marrying or having children. The second chapter centers on Alfonso de la Torre and how he highlighted Catholic masculinity. His martyrdom falls within the traditional view of giving up one’s life for the Catholic faith. The last chapter analyzes Ignacio de la Torre’s life and highlights the relationship between the Church and state. His martyrdom reflects traditional martyrdom and a loss of personal autonomy to fulfill the Church’s needs. The thesis relies on oral histories, family correspondence, family portraits, and political cartoons to narrate how Catholic families endured during the Cristero War.