Arturo Lona Reyes

[2] Reyes became famous for wearing a white shirt, blue jeans and huaraches and a large wooden cross on his chest.

His teachings and beliefs were based on those espoused in the Second Vatican Council of 1962 and included seeking a "popular church", able to assist the poor and facilitate social justice.

To benefit local producers he established two agricultural co-operatives—one exporting organic coffee to Europe and another to sell sesame—with profits shared equally between members.

These accusations stemmed from Lona Reyes' support of the Coalition of Workers, Peasants, and Students of the Isthmus (COCEI), which the government believed directly influenced the group's rapid growth.

[7] For instance, in May 1979, Lona Reyes was asked by families of COECEI members taken prisoner to assist in securing their release, something the government did not look favorably upon.

[12] He was cremated the same day as his death and his ashes placed in a glass cabinet in front of the main altar of Tehuantepec Cathedral until his funeral on 3 November.