Cristero War — widespread struggle in many central-western Mexican states from 1926 to 1929
The Cristero War was a major armed conflict between the Mexican government and Catholic rebels over anticlerical laws, ending with negotiated concessions in 1929.
Key Facts
- Start date
- 3 August 1926
- End date
- 21 June 1929
- Duration
- Approximately 3 years
- Triggering law
- Calles Law (enforcing Article 130 of 1917 Constitution)
- Region affected
- Central and western Mexico
- Negotiator
- U.S. Ambassador Dwight Morrow
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Mexican President Plutarco Elías Calles issued a decree strictly enforcing the anticlerical Article 130 of the 1917 Constitution, enacting the Calles Law to curtail Catholic Church power and suppress religious practice, which provoked intense opposition among devout rural and urban Catholics.
Beginning on 3 August 1926, Catholic rebels known as Cristeros launched a widespread armed uprising across central and western Mexico. The rural insurgency received tacit support from the Church hierarchy and urban Catholic networks, while the Mexican Army was aided by the United States government.
American Ambassador Dwight Morrow brokered negotiations between the Calles government and the Catholic Church, leading to limited government concessions. The Church withdrew support for the Cristero fighters, ending the conflict by 21 June 1929. The war is regarded as the last major peasant uprising in Mexico following the Mexican Revolution.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Plutarco Elías Calles, Dwight Morrow (mediator).
Side B
1 belligerent