José de León Toral
José de León Toral | |
---|---|
Executed | |
Conviction(s) | Murder |
Criminal penalty | Death |
José de León Toral (December 23, 1900 – February 9, 1929) was a Mexican
Early life
León Toral was born in
Background
During the Calles administration, religious persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico greatly expanded in 1926 under the Calles Law, which provided for the execution of priests and other individuals who violated provisions of the 1917 Constitution. Wearing clerical garb in public outside church buildings was punishable by a fine of 500 pesos, then approximately US$250. A priest who criticized the government could be imprisoned for five years with no right to trial by jury.[10]
Some states enacted even more oppressive measures. Chihuahua enacted a law permitting only a single priest to serve all of the state's Catholics.[11] To help enforce the law, Calles seized church property; expelled all foreign priests; and closed the monasteries, convents, and religious schools.[12]
Obregón had been more lenient to Catholics during his time in office, but the Cristeros and almost everyone else believed that Calles was merely his
Assassination
On 17 July 1928, two weeks after Obregón had been re-elected as president, León Toral, a sketch artist, entered La Bombilla restaurant in San Ángel, where a party honoring Obregón was under way. Disguised as a caricaturist, he drew caricatures of Obregón, the orchestra director, and Aarón Sáenz, and showed them to Obregón,[15] who told him the caricatures were well done and suggested that he should continue. When Obregón turned to sit down, León Toral drew a gun and shot him five or six times in the back, killing him instantly.[13]: 403 [2]
León Toral was arrested immediately and pleaded guilty, claiming that he killed Obregón to facilitate the establishment of the Kingdom of Christ.
Execution
José de León Toral was sentenced to
Conspiracy theory
The Mexican writer Rius Facius rediscovered the testimony of the inspection of Obregón's corpse carried out by a doctor. The testimony stated that the body had bullet holes of different calibers, which suggested that more than one weapon was used to assassinate Obregón. This led to the theory that although José de León Toral undoubtedly fired one weapon, he was not the only one, and there were other shooters as well.[22]
References
- ^ a b "The Revolution on Trial: Assassination, Christianity, and the Rule of Law in 1920s Mexico". read.dukeupress.edu. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-108-49302-4.
- ^ ISSN 1853-7081.
- S2CID 240806628.
- ^ "Álvaro Obregón : ranchero, caudillo, empresario y político | WorldCat.org". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- S2CID 240806628.
- ISSN 1853-7081.
- ISBN 978-607-02-5394-2.
- ISBN 978-1-4443-9718-5.
- ^ Tuck, Jim THE CRISTERO REBELLION – PART 1 Mexico Connect 1996
- ^ Mexico, Religion U.S. Library of Congress
- ISBN 1551640287
- ^ ISBN 9780060163259.
- ISSN 2014-993X.
- ^ Gobierno de la Ciudad de México. "Semblanza del General Álvaro Obregón". Delegación Álvaro Obregón. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ "MEXICO: Ladies & Gentlemen". Time. 12 November 1928. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010.
- ^ Zabludovsky, Jacobo (15 July 2013). "Castro Balda se confiesa" [Castro Balda confess]. El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 July 2013.
- ^ "Milestones, Nov. 5, 1934". Time. 5 November 1934. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
Married. The instigator of Mexican President-Elect Alvaro Obregón's assassination, an ex-nun, Maria Concepcion Acevedo y de la Lata (TIME, July 30, 1928); to Desperado Carlos Castro Balda, convicted of attempting to blow up the Mexican Chamber of Deputies
- ^ Zabludovsky, Jacobo (9 April 2007). "La madre Conchita y el aborto" [Mother Conchita and abortion]. El Universal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 April 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
- ISBN 978-607-02-5394-2.
- ^ "El atentado dinamitero en la Cámara de Diputados que hasta "detuvo" el tiempo en 1928". El Universal (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-07-17.
- ^ "Madera Tribune 13 October 1928 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2020-11-19.