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In the heart of Jalisco, where the rugged landscapes of Los Altos meet the fervor of Mexico’s Catholic soul, a man named Anacleto González Flores rose to become one of the most inspiring figures of the Cristero War. Known as El Maestro, or the Teacher, Anacleto was not a soldier wielding a rifle, but a layman armed with words, faith, and an unyielding commitment to religious freedom. His life, marked by intellectual brilliance, spiritual devotion, and ultimate martyrdom, offers a window into a turbulent chapter of Mexican history when the Catholic Church faced fierce persecution from the Mexican government. Anacleto’s story is a testament to the power of conviction in the face of oppression, a narrative that resonates with Mexico’s enduring spiritual heritage.
Born on July 13, 1888, in Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco, José Anacleto González Flores came from humble roots. The second of twelve children born to Valentín González Sánchez, a weaver of rebozos, and María Flores Navarro, Anacleto grew up in a family struggling with poverty. His father, reportedly an alcoholic with little regard for the Church, often forbade his wife from attending Mass. Yet María, a woman of deep faith, quietly instilled Catholic values in her children, teaching them prayers and catechism whenever her husband was away. Anacleto, baptized the day after his birth in the parish of San Francisco, absorbed these lessons with a keen mind and a growing love for his faith. A local priest recognized his intellectual promise and recommended him for the minor seminary, setting the stage for a remarkable journey.
Anacleto entered the Conciliar Seminary of San Juan de los Lagos in 1908 and later the Seminary of Guadalajara, where he earned the nickname “Profesor Cleto” for his academic brilliance and ability to substitute for professors. However, after discerning that the priesthood was not his calling, he left the seminary to pursue a different path. In 1921, at the age of 33, he earned a law degree from the Escuela Libre de Leyes in Guadalajara, excelling despite his late start. Anacleto’s legal career was defined by service to the poor; he often represented workers and indigent clients pro bono, sometimes dipping into his own modest funds to help them. In 1922, he married María Concepción Guerrero, and the couple had two children. A third is mentioned in some sources, but two is more consistently documented. His life was one of balance: a devoted family man, a lawyer for the downtrodden, and a fervent Catholic who attended daily Mass and joined the Third Order of St. Francis for spiritual discipline.
To understand Anacleto’s significance, we must step back to the 1920s, a time when Mexico was gripped by one of the bloodiest religious conflicts in its history. The Mexican Revolution which lasted from 1910 to 1920, had reshaped the nation, culminating in the 1917 Constitution, which imposed severe anti-clerical restrictions. Articles 3, 5, 24, and 130 of this constitution banned religious education, prohibited religious orders, restricted public worship, and stripped clergy of basic civil rights. While enforcement varied, the election of President Plutarco Elías Calles in 1924 unleashed a ferocious campaign to suppress Catholicism. Calles, a staunch anti-clerical, sought to secularize Mexico, viewing the Church as a rival to state power. His 1926 “Calles Law” mandated strict enforcement of these constitutional measures, closing churches, exiling bishops, and requiring priests to register with the government. British author Graham Greene later described this as the “fiercest persecution of religion anywhere since the reign of Elizabeth.”
Catholics responded to the Mexican government with both peaceful and armed resistance. In 1925, the National League for the Defense of Religious Liberty was formed, uniting groups like the Catholic Association of Mexican Youth (also known as the ACJM), the Knights of Columbus, and others. By 1926, after peaceful measures like economic boycotts failed, Catholics in western Mexico—particularly Jalisco—took up arms in what scholars would later call the Cristero War (1926–1929), crying “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” or “Long Live Christ the King!” and “¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!” or “Long Live the Virgin of Guadalupe.” Historians estimate that the Cristero conflict left possibly over 100,000 dead, including priests, nuns, and laypeople, as Calles’ government cracked down mercilessly.
Anacleto González Flores emerged as a moral and intellectual leader in this maelstrom. Inspired by figures like Gandhi, Daniel O’Connell, and Pope Leo the Thirteenth’s social teachings, he initially championed nonviolent resistance. In 1916, he became a driving force in the ACJM in Jalisco, organizing study circles in sociology, philosophy, and literature to foster a Christian social order. He founded the Popular Union, or UP, a Catholic civic organization, and the newspaper Gladium which is the Latin word for “sword”, symbolizing his readiness for spiritual martyrdom. His writings in Gladium and La Palabra, a magazine he launched to counter anti-clericalism, condemned the government’s actions while rallying Catholics to defend their faith. In 1925, the Vatican honored him with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice cross for his service to the Church.
Anacleto’s leadership was not militaristic but intellectual and spiritual. He taught catechism, visited prisoners, and gave speeches that electrified audiences. His 1917 book Essays-Discourses, 1920’s The Religious Question in Jalisco, and posthumously published works like You Will be King printed in 1938 and The Plebiscite of the Martyrs released in 1930 showcased his eloquence and vision for a Catholic Mexico. He wrote, “The country is a jail for the Catholic Church…. We are not worried about defending our material interests because these come and go; but our spiritual interests, these we will defend because they are necessary to obtain our salvation.” His words galvanized Catholics, particularly in Jalisco, which was the heart of the Cristero movement.
When churches were closed in 1914 under local orders, Anacleto organized economic boycotts that forced the state to repeal anti-clerical decrees by 1919. However, the situation worsened in 1926 when President Calles intensified persecution, including the murder of four ACJM members. Anacleto, moved by this violence, joined the National League for the Defense of Religious Freedom, merging his Popular Union with it. Though he personally opposed armed conflict, he supported the Cristeros by raising funds, providing food and clothing, and writing bulletins from hiding places as guerrilla warfare spread in 1927. His role as a nonviolent strategist made him a prime target for the government, which saw him as the moral backbone of the resistance in Jalisco.
By March 1927, Anacleto’s life was precarious. Constantly on the move to evade capture, he was unable to see his family, living in hiding to continue his work. On March 31, he sought refuge in the home of the Vargas González family in Guadalajara. That night, he penned his final editorial for Gladium, urging Catholics to bear “strong testimony” to their faith: “Tomorrow will be too late, because tomorrow the lips of the brave will open to curse the weak, the cowardly, and the apathetic.” Hours later, on April 1, 1927, police led by agent Atanasio Jarero raided the Vargas González house. Anacleto, dressed in a worker’s overalls, hid under a table and destroyed incriminating documents. Unarmed, he was arrested along with the Vargas González brothers—Jorge, Ramón, and Florentino—and Luis Padilla Gómez.
Taken to the Colorado barracks, Anacleto endured brutal torture. The authorities sought information on the whereabouts of Archbishop Francisco Orozco y Jiménez and other Cristero leaders, but Anacleto refused to betray them. Framed for the murder of an American, Edgar Wilkens and Anacleto was sentenced to death. This charge was later disproved by Wilkens’ widow, who protested to Washington, D.C. On April 1, 1927, Anacleto was executed by firing squad alongside the Vargas brothers and Padilla Gómez. His final words echoed those of Ecuadorian President Gabriel García Moreno: “Hear Americas for the second time: I die but God does not! Viva Cristo Rey!” His martyrdom, at age 38, cemented his legacy as a hero of faith.
The people of Guadalajara defied authorities to honor Anacleto’s body, soaking handkerchiefs in his blood and cutting pieces of his clothing as relics. His wife, María, showed their eldest son his father’s body, urging him to promise to defend the faith if called to do so. Anacleto’s remains were later placed in a chapel in the Santuario de Guadalupe in Guadalajara in 2006, a testament to his enduring veneration.
Anacleto González Flores was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on November 20, 2005, in a ceremony at Estadio Jalisco, alongside twelve other Cristero martyrs. In 2019, Pope Francis declared him the patron of the Mexican laity, recognizing his role as a model of lay Catholic leadership. His feast day, April 1, is a day of reflection for Catholics worldwide. His life inspired the 2012 film “For Greater Glory”, in Spanish, “Cristiada,” where handsome Mexican telenovela star Eduardo Verástegui portrayed Anacleto, bringing his story to a global audience alongside stars like Andy Garcia and Eva Longoria.
Anacleto’s legacy endures in Mexico’s Catholic identity. His writings, which reached up to 100,000 readers through Gladium, continue to inspire, and his relics are venerated in places like San Antonio, Texas, where the archdiocese commemorated his 137th birth anniversary in 2025. His story reminds us of the cost of religious freedom and the power of nonviolent resistance. As Antonio Gómez Robledo wrote, Anacleto was, “an idol of the people and a lord of multitudes,” yet a solitary figure whose “quixotic transcendence” set him apart.
Anacleto González Flores is more than a historical figure; he is a symbol of Mexico’s spiritual resilience. In a nation where faith and culture are deeply intertwined, his life reflects the struggle to preserve both against overwhelming odds. His story challenges us to consider: What would we sacrifice for our beliefs? As Mexico navigates its modern complexities, Anacleto’s cry of “¡Viva Cristo Rey!” echoes as a call to courage, faith, and justice. His journey from a humble weaver’s son to a beatified martyr is a powerful chapter in Mexico’s profoundly human saga.
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