EARLY MASONRY IN MEXICO (1806-1828) Lillian Estelle FisherFor years Masonry was a powerful factor in shaping the destinies of the young Mexican nation, but it is difficult to determine whether the results were good or bad. On account of the intense rivalry between the Scottish ite and !or"ist Orders acts of violence were fre#uently committed and the country was thrown into disorder. $lth ough the secret societies had some advanced ideas and, no doubt, meant well, they did not have experience in self%government. &heir methods caused hostility and they could not be the true guides of the nation to lead it into democracy. 'hen Masonry obtained a hold on Spain it was only a #uestion of time until it permeated the $merican colonies. (opes condemned it for denying th e existence of )od, for declaring that the soul died with the body, and for spreading heresies. $t first they blamed the *ews for scattering its seeds abroad. +ings feared it because Masons had a tendency to obey no authority but their grand master. Lodges, nevertheless, existed from an early date in Salamanca and in -/r. /omingo 0apata of the 1niversity of Salamanca was suspected of being an adherent of Masonry. Masonic writers maintained that by 22 there were more than two hundred lodges in Spain and that they all belonged to the great lodge in London. 3t was not until 245 that Masonry in Spain became independent of England and after that it was under French domination. For a time $randa, the famous minister of 6harles 333, was the director of the organi7ations in Spain. 1 $t the end of the eighteenth century popular Masonry made war on aristocratic Masonry and the latter declined. &he popular variety was connected with the French lodges, which wor"ed for the French cause in Spain, and 8apoleon made use of them for his purposes. Even before he entered Spain he had a v anguard of more than twenty thousand French sympathi7ers recruited from all social classes. Many French Masons accompanied his invading armies and established new lodges in the con#uered towns, but the few independent lodges, not un der French influence, did all they could to retard the arms of the invader. 2 3n 45- Masonry was introduced into Mexico and the first lodge was established by Enri#ue Mu9i. Meetings were held in the street of Las atas, at house number :, where the councilman Manuel Luyando lived. $ number of influential people belonged to the organi7ation; among them were <idalgo and $llende, and it was thought that =i ceroy 3turrigaray wor"ed with the Masons. &here were Masons in the ayuntamiento,or municipal council, of Mexico 6ity and, when it heard of the abdication of the royal family in Spain, it too" such an active part in Mexican affairs that the Europeans suspected it of promoting designs for independence. 'hen 3turrigaray was imprisoned the Masonic lodge was denounced by a certain 6abo Franco who lived in the same street where it was located. 3t then met in different places but most fre#uently at the country home of Se9or Luyando in the town of San *acinto. &he Masons too" part in <idalgo>s revolution and were not spo"en of again until 4?, 3 for they lived in isolated places and concealed themselves on account of fear of the 3n#uisition. &he basic idea of the society%%the brotherhood of man%% and the indifference of some of its members to theological beliefs caused the church to oppose it. 4
