Faith, science, and homeland: Cultural wars and catholic schools in Puebla (1870–1900)

Abstract

This article analyzes the proposal of Catholic education designed by the clergy and laity of the city of Puebla, in Mexico, between 1870 and 1900, as attested in hemerographic sources. The purpose of this analysis is to comprehend the regional conflicts and debates around youth education during the ‘Porfiriato’ by emphasizing the confessional perspective. The work focuses both on the founding of schools and on Catholic discourses about basic and normal education in order to delve into the cultural wars between the faithful and liberals in Mexico during the second half of the 19th century. I argue that, between 1870 and 1900, the clergy, the religious orders and, to a lesser extent, the laity of Puebla promoted a proposal for Catholic education as a response to the secular education promoted by the liberal regime. I conclude that Puebla’s Catholic Church developed a project of educational, social, and ecclesial renewal that promoted a formation of the youth that sought to combine scientific advances with a solid religious formation and a Mexican patriotic identity.