Cerro del Cubilete

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Cerro del Cubilete

The monument to Christ the King on the Cerro del Cubilete (Cubilete Hill) is considered to be the geographical center and heart of the Republic of Mexico. It is an important symbol of Catholicism in the twentieth century, built to defy the secularizing policies of the Mexican state. Its aim was to unite the nation's Catholics, and it served as a balm for the wounds inflicted by the Cristero War (Guerra Cristera, 1926–1929), which ended with the expulsion of the combatants. The monument's construction (1919–1960) survived several conflicts as the Catholic Church struggled to preserve its diminishing hegemony; today it stands as a material embodiment of the country's history of religious belief in the power of Christ, if only symbolic, over and above earthly powers. The shrine is visited by hundreds of pilgrims every year.

See alsoCristero Rebellion; Mexico: Since 1910; Religion in Mexico, Catholic Church and Beyond.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Torres Septién, Valentina. "De cerro a montaña santa: La construcción del monumento a Cristo Rey (1919–1960)." Historia y Grafía 22 (2004): 113-154.

                              Valentina Torres SeptiÉn