New Mexican Martyrs

The Vatican recently announced that thirteen more of the Mexican martyrs from the persecutions of the Church in the 1920s have had their martyrdom officially recognized and will be Beatified. Here are thumbnail sketches to introduce you to nine of them. You can read more about these heroes of the Faith, and see more photos of them, in Ann’s books Faces of Holiness II and Young Faces of Holiness.

Historical Background: The government of Mexico under the dictatorship of Plutarco Elias Calles (1924-1928) was anti-clerical and Calles himself aimed to eradicate the Catholic Church from the country. In 1925 he attempted to establish a national church, kicked foreign clergy out of the country and closed and confiscated the property of church schools and other charitable works. In 1926 the onerous “Ley Calles” was passed with 33 articles against the church. After consulting with Pope Pius XI, the bishops closed the churches and suspended the public cult in protest. A petition containing over two million signatures was ignored and the Catholics could stand no more. Numbers of the faithful took up arms to defend their religious liberty. With poor munitions and virtually no military experience; their main weapon was the belief that God was with them. The Cristero Rebellion officially began New Year's Day 1927, beginning in Jalisco, and spreading rapidly to Nayarit, Colima, Michoacan and Zacatecas. The Rebellion ended not in the field but at the bargaining table and with a strong assist from international diplomacy. Calles' successor, Alvaro Obregón, was assassinated two weeks after his election, and Emilio Portes Gil was named interim president. Portes Gil was more flexible in his policy toward the Church than Calles, and an agreement, known as the arreglos [“arrangements”] was reached on June 21, 1929. On June 27, for the first time in almost three years, church bells pealed joyously. Although short-lived and not completely successful in its aims, the Cristiada made a mark on Mexican history and its battle cry “Viva Cristo Rey” still resounds today in the lives and heroism of its glorious martyrs and saints.




Jose Sanchez del Rio – Boy Soldier
1913 - 1928

Bravery when facing death is not a trait reserved for adults. From the time of the earliest Christians, the church has numbered youthful martyrs among the ranks of the saints. Close to our own time, the boy soldier Jose Sanchez del Rio fought and died bravely in his battle for Christ the King.

Jose was born March 28, 1913, in Villa de Sahuayo, Michoacan. He began school in his hometown of Sahuayo, and later attended school in Guadalajara. 

Jose’s older brothers joined the Cristeros. Jose, only thirteen years old, wanted to follow their footsteps, but because of his young age, the General would not allow him to join the fight. Jose begged to be allowed to be a young soldier for Christ the King. His mother, of course, objected, saying that he might be killed. “Mama, do not let me lose the opportunity to gain Heaven so easily and so soon,” he replied. 

At last he was accepted as the flagbearer of the troops. Well liked by all the soldiers, he was nicknamed “Tarcisio” after St. Tarcisus, the young martyr of the Eucharist.

In a fierce battle on February 5, 1928, the General’s horse was shot. Like a true veteran, Jose leapt off his own horse saying, “My General, take my horse and save yourself. If they kill me, I won’t be missed, but you would!” Then the young soldier crawled to a strategic position and began shooting until he used his last cartridge. He was captured and taken to his home town of Sahuayo, and put in the sacristy of the church as his jail. 

In order to terrorize him, the soldiers made him watch the hanging of one of the other captured Cristeros. Jose encouraged the man, saying “Lazaro, you will be in Heaven before me. Prepare a place for me. Tell Christ the King I shall be with him soon.” 

Daily, Jose recited the rosary and sang songs of faith. From prison, he wrote a beautiful letter to his mother telling her that he was resigned to the Will of God. Jose’s father attempted to ransom his son, but was unable to raise the money in time.

As he was taken to the town cemetery to be executed, he continuously cried out “Viva Cristo Rey!” His last message for his parents was,“Tell them I will see them in Heaven. Long Live Christ the King!” 

Anacleto Gonzalez Flores and Companions - Eight Lay Martyrs of the Cristiada
Martyred 1927

Anacleto Gonzalez Flores was born in Tepatilan, Jalisco, on July 13, 1888. He was a natural leader from childhood. At 17, he determined to use his gift of oratory to serve God and his country and began to gather the local youth to teach them catechism.

Although he studied at the seminary, he realized his vocation was not to the priesthood and took up the study of law.

Anacleto was involved in much social and religious activity. He became an enthusiastic member of the ACJM (Catholic Association of Young Mexicans), taught catechism, and as a member of the conferences of St. Vincent de Paul he visit3d the poor, sick and prisoners. In addition to his almost superhuman activities and studies, Analeto cultivated a deep interior life. He was a daily communicant, dedicated time each morning to prayer and was a third order Franciscan. 

Married in 1922, Anacleto said “The family is the true unifier, energetic and vigorous, in which rests all the good of society.” 

In 1924, Anacleto organized the Union Popular, in order to revive the flagging spirits of the Catholics. He was named its chief and Luis Padilla was elected secretary. They founded the periodical Gladium as the official voice of the movement. In one of the first editions they wrote: “We are in the vespers of an infamous problem...the country is a jail for the Catholic Church. In order to be logical, a Revolution must gain the entire soul of a nation. They will have to open a jail for each home, and they don’t have enough handcuffs or hangmen to bind up the hands and cut off the heads of the martyrs. We are not worried about defending our material interests, because these come and go; but our spiritual interests, these we will defend because they are necessary to obtain our salvation.”

The Union rapidly gained strength throughout the diocese of Guadalajara with the blessing and approval of Archbishop Orozco y Jimenez, while the Holy See awarded Anacleto with the cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice.

The National League for the Defense of Religious Liberty was formed in Mexico City in May of 1925. It favored recourse to arms, against the pacifist doctrine of the Union Popular. Anacleto was not in agreement with armed battle and insisted that only by means of moral strength could they gain their aims. 

After the sacrilege on August 3, 1926 in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Guadalajara, the cry of rebellion resonated throughout the State of Jalisco. August 15 in Zacatecas, Father Luis Batis and three members of the ACJM -Manuel Morales, Salvador Lara and David Roldan, determined supporters of religious liberty. were murdered. (The stories of these four brave men and the others of the 25 Mexican martyr saints are told in Faces of Holiness vol. 1) In October, Jalisco rose up in arms.

Anacleto was between a rock and a hard place. Until this moment he had advocated passive, non-violent resistance. But now, he could not in conscience, accept a government that used its strength to squash his brothers who were armed only because of their idealism. He made up his mind to fight during the last days of December 1926, basing his decision on the legitimacy of the defense, and the notification to the Holy See. He announced to his fellow Union Popular members, “This remains clear: the Union Popular was not made to be an instrument of civil war. Today, however, without doubt we are driven to the mountain.” His die was cast and he launched himself into the active insurgence. Anacleto was named the civil chief of the resistance. In January of 1927 the guerrilla war began in all of Jalisco. From his various hiding places, Anacleto studied the major strategies, wrote and sent bulletins, and gave fiery speeches. 

In order to crush the rebellion, General Jesus Maria Ferreira planned to capture the chiefs of the Union Popular and the ACJM, and set the time for this as the morning of April 1, 1927.

Anacleto was captured in the home of the Vargas Gonzalez, along with the two Vargas brothers. Luis Padilla was also captured. Anacleto was tortured by being hung by his thumbs until his fingers were dislocated, and the bottom of his feet were slashed. He steadfastly refused to give his captors any information.

General Ferrerira improvised a summary court and condemned the prisoners to death, falsely accusing them of an assassination. On the first Friday of April 1927, they were taken out to be shot. 

A short while afterwards, an attorney arrived with an amparo, or stay of execution. He was too late. The four bodies were thrown out on the patio of the Colorado Jail.

That night, the bodies of the martyrs were waked in their homes and hundreds of friends, relatives and admirers venerated them. The following day, thousands defied the presence of the police and accompanied the bodies to the cemetery of Mezquitan, reciting prayers and singing to Christ the King and the Virgin of Guadalupe. The mourners risked their lives to make public their admiration.





Jorge and Ramon Vargas Gonzalez

Jorge and Ramon were born in Ahualuco de Mercado, Jalisco. Jorge was born September 28, 1899 and Ramon was born January 22, 1905.

After their university studies, Jorge began working at the Hydroelectric company while Ramon pursued the study of medicine. The brothers both became active members of the ACJM. After work Jorge, dressed in overalls and riding his bicycle, accompanied Father Lino Aguirre on the rounds of his hidden ministry to help insure his safety. 

During the persecution, the Vargas family gave refuge to a number of priests and seminarians. Anacleto was staying with them in Marcy of 1927.

The afternoon of March 31, 1927, Ramon told a school friend that he had a premonition that he should not go home that evening. Although the friend suggested that he could sleep at the hospital, Ramon went home late and went to sleep.

At five in the morning, the secret police scaled the walls and completely surrounded the house, shouting “Open the door in the name of the law.” Calling out that she was getting her key, Mrs. Vargas went to warn her sons. Florentino went to the door and asked to see their orders. “Here it is,” said one of the policemen, showing his pistol. Immediately the house was flooded with secret police.

Because of the position of his room, Ramon could have escaped. In jail, when asked why he had not fled, Ramon replied, “I told myself, my mother and my brothers are prisoners, am I to run away?”

At the jail, Anacleto and the brothers Vargas encountered Luis Padilla who had also been taken prisoner that morning. All five were put in the same room for an interrogation. Anacleto accepted the responsibility of his own actions but would not tell any information about the Cristeros. 

In answer to his silence, Anacleto was horribly tortured. The questioning and beatings continued with the others but following Anacleto’s heroic example they remained steadfast and silent. 

Taken out to be shot, the four recited the act of contrition in a loud voice, and a hail of bullets ended their final cry of Viva Cristo Rey. 

At the wake, a relative in the house began to cry loudly. Calmly, Dona Elvira quieted her saying, “You know that our mission as mothers is to raise our children to heaven.”





Luis Padilla Gomez

Luis Padilla Gómez, was born in Guadalajara on December 9,1899. Luis was a natural writer, and his writings show his love and devotion to the Sacred Heart and the Virgin Mary.

After his studies, Luis returned home and dedicated himself to an apostolate as a catechist and of social action. He passed hours daily praying before the Blessed Sacrament. 

Luis had been a member of the ACJM since it was founded in Guadalajara, and was the secretary of the Union Popular. When the religious persecution broke out again in 1926, Luis worked diligently with his companions in the ACJM to make a financial boycott effective, and he worked closely with Anacleto in the activities of the League. 

On the morning of April 1, 1927, Luis was apprehended by the secret police at his home. He was beaten and insulted before being sentenced to execution. He wanted to go to confession, but Anacleto told him, “No, brother, now is not the hour to confess, but to request pardon and to pardon our enemies. God is a Father and not a judge, the one that gives you hope. Your own blood will purify you.”.

The four stood with their arms in the form of a cross. Immediately, the brothers Vargas, Jorge and Ramon, were shot. Luis knelt down and engrossed in prayer received the bullets that opened the doors of Heaven to him.





Ezequiel Huerta Gutierrez

Ezequiel was born January 7, 1876 in Magdalena. As a boy, he was idealistic, pleasant, generous and very sociable. Ezequiel had a beautiful tenor voice and in school he studied music,singing, and classic opera. He formed a large chorus and the group sang in the religious festivals in the churches of Guadalajara. Although he could have had a career with an Italian opera company, Ezequiel said that his voice was dedicated to the service of God. 

Ezequiel married in 1904. The happy couple had ten children. Ezequiel was a dedicated family man, loving, generous and affectionate with his wife and children. In 1914, the family consecrated their home to the Sacred Heart. In 1925, Ezequiel was professed as a third order Franciscan. In 1926, when the temples were closed because of the religious persecution, Ezequiel was left without work and he became the custodian of the temple of San Felipe Neri. 

April 2, police arrived at his home, telling Ezequiel that he had been denounced as having Cristero priests hidden in his house. Roughly, the police began to search the house. Although they found nothing incriminating, they took him to headquarters. As the agents left with Ezequiel and Juan Bernal, a young friend of the family who later gave testimony about the final hours of the Huerta brothers, his wife called, “Don’t worry, Ezequiel, if you don’t return to see us in this life we will see you in Heaven.”

The agents added insult to injury and in addition to taking the breadwinner of this loving family, they also took all the food from the home.

Ezequiel was questioned about the whereabouts of his two priest brothers, about his two oldest sons and the Cristero movement. Ezequiel didn’t open his mouth, so he was beaten until the blood began to run down in his face. 

“We are going to hang your brother Salvador by the thumbs and you, if you don’t talk, we will hang you by your hind legs,” furiously cried one of his captors. For his answer, Ezequiel began to sing with all the strength of his soul “My Christ lives, my King lives.” Other bestial beatings and slaps interrupted his song until he couldn’t make another sound. Two men carried him to the jail and dropped him in the room with Bernal.

Shocked at his appearance, Bernal asked him what had happened.

Painfully, in a low voice, the tortured one was able to say, “Nothing much. Listen, when they carry my body to my house tell Maria that in the purse under my belt I have a hundred pesos of gold; it is all that I have to give her.”

On the morning of April 3 the two brothers were carried to the cemetery of Mezquitan and shot. 





Salvador Huerta Gutierrez

Salvador Huerta was born March 18, 1880 in Magdalena, Jalisco. As a child he was serious, yet cheerful, obedient and loving. After school, he went to work as a mechanic. Later, he worked as an explosives technician in the mines of Zacatecas and then in Aguascalientes repairing trains. He married in 1907. His marriage was happy and the couple had twelve children.

Salvador opened a workshop to repair cars and soon became known as the best mechanic in Guadalajara. He was called the “Magician of Cars” and was well respected for his work. His children say that Salvador taught them piety more with his example than with his words. Confession, communion, spiritual exercises, visits to church and prayers were taught by his own actions. 

On April 2, 1927, Salvador was at work when the secret police came and demanded he come to the police department to fix the chief’s car. Salvador asked them to bring the car to him where he had his tools at his shop. They insisted he go there so, without losing his habitual serenity he got his tools and walked to the commissariat.

Salvador was taken to the office of the chief who questioned him about his two priest brothers, the hiding place of the archbishop, and about the Cristero movement. His only response was silence. He was tortured and finally thrown in jail with his brother Ezequiel. While he was being questioned, the agents went to his house and searched through everything. They found some rosaries and religious articles and a revolver that his son had left there, imprinted with the Cristero emblem.

That night, the brothers were taken to the cemetery of Mezquitan and stood against the wall to be shot.

Turing to his brother, Ezequiel said, “We pardon them, right?” He began to sing and his beautiful voice was stilled by the sound of the bullets. Then talking a candle in his hand, Salvador held it in front of himself, telling his executioners, “I put this light on my chest so you won’t fail to hit my heart. I am ready to die for Christ.” The shots covered his final words. 

Divine Providence cared splendidly for the numerous orphans left by the Huerta brothers. Many people came to visit the two families bringing congratulations for the two martyrs and also bringing material aid for the families. After the Cristero war, the Jesuits and the Salesians allowed the children to study at their colleges and the children carried out careers in medicine, engineering, music and vocations to the priesthood and to religious life.



Luis Magana Servin

Luis was born August 24, 1902. He was a well behaved child both at home and in school. Although of a tranquil nature, he enjoyed the playthings of childhood. Baseball was his favorite sport. Luis had a fair complexion and beautiful eyes. When a painter of Arandas began to paint a picture of the Virgin of Refuge, he noticed Luis among the children of the catechism classes and painted the Christ child with the eyes of Luis. The picture still hangs today in the church at Arandas.

In the afternoons after school, Luis helped his father with his work in a tannery., and became his “right hand man,” helping with enthusiasm and cheerfulness

As a young man, Luis became interested in social questions and studied the encyclical Rerum Novarum by Pope Leo XIII which had been published in 1891. He joined the Association of Saint Mary of Guadalupe, a group that united worker artisans. He put social justice into practice in humane treatment and kindness with his workers. For Luis there was no distinction between poor and rich; he treated all as if they were the same. Luis followed the counsel of Mons. Jose Mora y del Rio, bishop of Mexico City, “Treat your workers with love and they will never leave you.”

Luis loved his church, his parish, and his priests. From a young age he had been a member of the ACJM, and was one of the founders of the group in Arandas.

From Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, Luis gained his strength and enthusiasm for the defense of the church. For him, God came first and then everything else. Luis was active in his parish and helped the pastor in many ways. In spite of his activity for the church, Luis did not ignore his work or his family. 

Louis married in 1926. From the beginning, the marriage was a happy one. Their first child, Gilberto, was born in April of 1927. Five months after his death, Elvira gave birth to Luis’s daughter whom she named Luisa in memory of him.

Arandas, primarily a rural area, was peaceful during the years from 1910 to 1917, but during the Cristero conflict the town was one of the strong points of resistance to the government. From January of 1927 the priests went into hiding, exercising a secret ministry and going about in disguise. Many of the men joined in the fighting and the old, women and children served as messengers and provisions to the Cristeros. Luis Magana was a pacifist and didn’t enlist , but he helped spiritually and materially as did most of the Catholics of the area.

In early 1928, the government of Jalisco demanded that the municipal president of Los Altos provide a list of all who were suspected of aiding the Cristeros. Luis’s name appeared on this list. 

On the morning of February 9, 1928, federal soldiers came to the Magana home to arrest Luis. Not finding him at home, they took his younger brother Delfino, telling his father that if Luis didn’t turn himself in that day, they would shoot their prisoner.

When Luis returned home for lunch, he found his wife and parents in tears. They told him what had happened and with his usual serenity he told them, “Be calm, I will speak with General Martinez to find out what is going on and I promise you to bring Delfino here”

Luis bathed, shaved, and dressed in a new suit. He ate lunch tranquilly with his family. On finishing, he knelt in front of his parents and asked their blessing. Then he hugged them all, kissed his little son, and left.

Luis made his way to the military office which had been established in the church and asked for General Martinez. He was immediately arrested and conducted under escort to the hotel where the general was staying. On entering the room, the general demanded, “Who are you?”

“My General, I am Luis Magana, whom you are looking for,” he said without a tremble, looking the general in the face. “The one you have detained is my brother and he hasn’t done anything. Now that you have me, turn him loose.”

General Martinez saw before him a valiant man, dressed for a fiesta, calm and serene as if he were going to be given an award. Rising from his seat, he said, “Well, young man, we are going to see if in truth you are as valiant as you seem.” Then he ordered, “Let the other go and shoot this one immediately in the patio of the church.”

It was nearly four in the afternoon and the streets were almost deserted. The firing squad of eight soldiers left with Luis and with Pancho Muerte who had also been arrested. Crossing the town plaza, the group entered the atrium of the church. Luis refused the traditional blindfold and asked to speak. Two witnesses in nearby hiding places have given solemn testimony as to what happened. Luis said, “I am neither a Cristero or a rebel, but if you accuse me of being a Christian, that I am. Soldiers that are going to shoot me, I want to tell you that from this moment I pardon you and I promise you that on arriving in the presence of God you are the first ones I will intercede for. Viva Cristo Rey, Viva Santa Maria de Guadalupe.”

The sounds of the bullets carried throughout the still town on this sad afternoon. At their home, the Magana family could hear the sounds, knowing in their hearts that it was their own martyr who was executed. 





Miguel Gomez Loza

Miguel Gomez Loza was born in Paredones, a suburb of Tepatitlan, Jalisco, August 11, 1888. From childhood Miguel had a strong love of God and a great devotion to the Virgin. 

At 26 he entered the University of Morelos, but his school work didn’t take away from his social work. He created cooperatives and a study circle for the workers. He became a member of the ACJM in 1915 and in 1917 founded various circles of workers. In 1919 he established a national congress of Catholic workers called the Catholic Confederation of Work to unify industry workers, commercial employees and agricultural laborers. 

His spiritual director, Father Vicente Maria Camacho, said that Miguel was jailed no less than fifty eight times for organizing protests against the government. He was often beaten and several times at the point of being shot for his faith. He told Father Camacho, “It doesn’t get me excited.” While in jail, he remained serene and composed, leading his fellow prisoners in prayer and singing. In 1922, he married and his friends jokingly told him that the first thing he should buy his wife was a lunch kit so she could bring him food in jail.

He moved to Arrandas and opened an office as an attorney. Soon he was known and appreciated throughout the town for his honesty, his interest, and his religiosity. 

In 1924 Miguel became one of the leading organizers of the Union Popular in Guadalajara. The Union protested the arbitrary actions of the government and attempted to unite the Catholics. Pope Pius XI acting according to the petition of the Archbishop of Guadalajara presented the cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice to three of the most outstanding Catholic defenders of Mexican Catholicism: Anacleto Gonzalez Flores, Miguel Gomez Loza and Maximino Reyes.

In June of 1925 there were massive arrests of student protesters. Miguel worked hard in their defense, soliciting and obtaining amparos from the federal authorities. He was jailed in February of 1926, released in April and re-arrested by agents of the secret police. Again, friends obtained his release.

In protest of the Calles laws against the church, the Union Popular declared an economic boycott. Miguel, treasurer of the Union, campaigned strongly in favor of the boycott and sent the youth of Catholic Action to spread the word in all the towns of Jalisco. In July, the churches were closed. 

After a visit to his home town, Miguel returned to find that the Union Popular had accepted to enter the conflict and he was assigned as the civil chief of the zone of Los Altos de Jalisco. He accepted his new obligation and from that time he traveled from one Cristero camp to the other, wherever he was needed. From his places of hiding, he maintained contact with Anacleto who was in Guadalajara coordinating the strategies of the Cristeros in arms. He did not take arms himself; rather, his mission was one of animating the combatants. He solicited the ecclesiastical authorities to provide chaplains to give spiritual assistance to the troops.

After the death of Anacleto and some others on April 1, 1927, Miguel was named as the civil chief and governor of Jalisco.

By March of 1928, Miguel was established on a ranch near Atotonilco called El Lindero. His hiding place was discovered and on the 21st a contingent of federales was posted at the rancho where Miguel was with his faithful secretary Dionisio Vazquez, where he was discovered and shot.


In addition to the above, the following other Mexican martyrs will be beatified:

Father José Trinidad Rangel Montaño, of the Diocese of Leon; Spanish-born Father Andrés Solá Molist, Claretian missionary; and layman and celibate Leonardo Pérez Larios. All three were killed "out of hatred for the faith" on April 25, 1927, in Rancho de San Joaquin. Also, Father Darío Acosta Zurita of the Diocese of Veracruz, killed in Veracruz on July 25, 1931, three months after his ordination.