Women with kitchen knives attacked soldiers guarding Mexico's most important Marian temple.
The episode begins by questioning where the Cristero War truly started, noting the Mexican clergy was divided, with bishops in places like Chihuahua threatening excommunication for taking arms. Professor Mendoza describes the violent outbreak on July 31, 1926, when women defended the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City with kitchen knives, injuring soldiers. Similar events occurred in Guadalajara, where women and children stopped cars demanding passwords like 'Viva Cristo Rey'. He explains that these early uprisings were isolated and not organized by the clergy. The professor introduces secular organizations like the National League for the Defense of Religious Liberty and the Union of Mexican Catholics, formed by laypeople to defend religious freedom. He highlights Anacleto González Flores, a lay theologian and lawyer who opposed the 1917 Constitution and was later brutally tortured and executed by authorities. The episode clarifies the professor's approach to history, avoiding religious miracles and focusing on factual events. It details the hiring of General Gorostieta, a retired Huertista general, to organize Cristero forces despite his lack of strong faith. The Battle of San Julián in March 1927 is described as a turning point, where about 500 Cristeros, though poorly armed, defeated federal forces by trapping them between two groups, with only one federal survivor escaping disguised as a woman. This victory ignited the war across Jalisco, Nayarit, Zacatecas, and other states. The professor notes the increasing cruelty, with both sides committing atrocities, such as priests shouting 'Viva Satán' and the government's harsh reprisals. He mentions future topics like Father Pro and the assassination of Álvaro Obregón. The episode concludes with a discussion of recent events, including an arson attack on Puebla Cathedral and the archaeological discovery of Tomb 10 in Huitzo, Oaxaca.
