Cristero War: Encyclopedia II - Cristero War - Escalation of violence

Cristero War - Escalation of violence

In Guadalajara, Jalisco, on August 3, 1926, some 400 armed Catholics shut themselves up in the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in that city. They were involved in a shootout with federal troops from there, and surrendered only when they ran out of ammunition. According to U.S. consular sources, this battle resulted in 18 dead and 40 injured.

The following day, in Sahuayo, Michoacán, 240 government soldiers stormed the parish church. The parish priest and his vicar were killed in the ensuing violence. On August 14, government agents staged a purge of the Chalchihuites, Zacatecas, chapter of the Association of Catholic Youth and executed their spiritual advisor, Father Luis Bátiz Sainz.

From here actions begin to move very rapidly. A band of ranchers under the leadership of Pedro Quintanar, upon hearing that Father Bátiz had been killed, seized the local treasury and declared themselves in rebellion. At the height of their rebellion, they held a region including the entire northern part of Jalisco.

Another uprising was led by the mayor of Pénjamo, Guanajuato, Luis Navarro Origel, beginning on September 28. His men were defeated by federal troops in the open land around the town, but retreated into the mountains, where they continued as guerrillas. This was followed by an uprising in Durango led by Trinidad Mora on September 29 and an October 4 rebellion in southern Guanajuato, led by former general Rodolfo Gallegos. Both of these rebel leaders were forced to adopt guerrilla tactics, as they were no match for the federal troops on open ground.

Meanwhile, the rebels in Jalisco (particularly the region northeast of Guadalajara) quietly began gathering forces. This region became the main focal point of the rebellion lead by 27-year-old René Capistran Garza, leader of the Mexican Association of Catholic Youth. The rebellion began on January 1, 1927.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Escalation of violence", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki