Freemasonry in Mexico
The history of Freemasonry in Mexico can be traced to at least 1806 when the first Masonic lodge was formally established in the nation.
[1] Freemasonry arrived in colonial Mexico during the second half of the 18th century, brought by French immigrants who settled in the capital.
It is probable, though no written evidence exists, that there were itinerant lodges in the Spanish army in New Spain.
Freemasons may even have been able to participate in the first autonomist movements, then for independence, conveying the ideas of enlightenment in the late 18th century.
Some historians, both Freemasons and non-Freemasons, including Leon Zeldis Mendel and José Antonio Ferrer Benimeli have emphasized that Freemasonry in Latin America had built its own mythology, well away from what history records.
Between the late 18th and early 19th century, their operative structure was very similar, as is indicated by the historian Virginia Guedea.
With the arrival of the Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States Joel Roberts Poinsett, the young Mexican Freemasonry was divided into two political movements, without really being defined.
Poinsett promotes the creation of the Lodge of York Rite, close to the interests of the United States.
Meanwhile, conservative Freemasons of the Scottish Lodge of the young Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, headed by the last viceroy doctor from Barcelona, Manuel Codorniu, manifested their opposition to the realization of the interventionist theory Manifest Destiny in the newspaper "El Sol".
Thus, it is very likely that these Itinerant Lodges of the French Rite, due to their status as being perceived as invaders, left no influences of ritual.
During the nineteenth century Freemasonry was being heralded as a means of removing the influences of the Catholic Church.
Several of the men who were masons had expressed a desire to free women from the church's grasp through education, and they approached Laureana Wright de Kleinhans to help spread freemasonry.
Though she was totally committed to the education of women, she ultimately rejected the organization because they refused to acknowledge the equality of men and women and in fact had an initiation oath which declared "never admit to their ranks a blind man, a madman, or a woman".
[7] According to historian Karen Racine, Freemasons in the presidency of Mexico included: Guadalupe Victoria, Valentín Gómez Farías, Antonio López de Santa Anna, Benito Juárez, Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada, Porfirio Díaz, Francisco I. Madero, Venustiano Carranza, Plutarco Elías Calles, Lázaro Cárdenas, Emilio Portes Gil, Pascual Ortiz Rubio, Abelardo L. Rodríguez, Miguel Alemán Valdés[8] and Adolfo Lopez Mateos.
The Sovereign Grand Commander of this body is IPH Jorge Alejandro Aviles Reyes.
In Mexico the Regular York Rite bodies with international recognition are the Royal Arch Chapters, the Councils of Cryptic Masons and The Grand Commanderies of the Knights Templar.
As a result, the General Grand Chapter Royal Arch Masons International only supports and acknowledges two Royal Arch Grand Chapters in Mexico: *The Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Unified of Mexico (Gran Capítulo de Masones del Real Arco Unificado de México) (Disuelto en 2022).
25 *The Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of the United States of Mexico (Gran Capítulo de Masones del Real Arco de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos) Located in the city of Guadalajara, state of Jalisco, and presided (2014–16) by: M.E.C.
It has 18 lodges spread across the states of Nuevo León, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Jalisco, San Luis Potosí, Morelos, Veracruz, and Mexico City.
Having been duly organized, "Grand Lodge Valle de México" began to exercise its functions by issuing Dispensations and Charters throughout the country, thus beginning its legitimate career.
Between 1910 and 1911, an internal crisis caused a small group of Lodges to break away and decide to go their own way under the name of "La Gran Logia Valle de México.
