MEXICO: Families Refusing to Join Traditional Religious Ceremonies

Twenty-five Protestant families have had their water and electricity supplies disconnected and have effectively been put under house arrest in Mexico because of their refusal to participate in traditionalist Catholic religious ceremonies.

Traditionalist Catholic village authorities are demanding that the families, who belong to the local Mount Tabor Evangelical Church, contribute financially to religious festivals, and have said they will not permit the families to reconnect their services or receive visitors until they pay 500 pesos each. The village authorities are justifying their actions as in line with the Law of Uses and Customs, which gives indigenous populations autonomy to exercise traditional forms of justice and to protect their culture.

The situation follows an escalation of discriminatory behavior towards the group of Protestant Christians in La Trinitaria Municipality in Chiapas state, beginning in 2010, when the local village assembly blocked their access to firewood and refused them permission to attend or participate in village assembly meetings.