Lodge of New York: Rosa Mexicana Lodge,
Federalista Lodge, and Independencia
Lodge, all located in Mexico City. They
created their own Grand Mexican National
Lodge of Ancient, Accepted, and Free
Masons of York Rite, and filled its officer
line with many of their own, plus two well-known and powerful Catholic priests.
The new York Rite lodges and Grand
Lodge were a magnet for politicians, patriots, and public figures. Military leaders,
newspapermen, and prominent Mexican
politicians led the lodge lines, including the
Mexican secretary of treasury and Vicente
Guerrero, a famous revolutionary.
These York Freemasons shared an acute
dissatisfaction with how the new government was developing.
At the time, the traditional economic and political elites, including a number of Scottish Freemasons, monopolized public
office. And so, despite Mexico’s independence and the establishment of a “new” republican government, the traditional elites
had effectively preserved their oligarchy. Several prominent
politicians lobbied to keep the common people – “el pueblo” –
away from political activity. During legislative debates, these
politicians claimed that representatives did not have to follow
the general will, because the people did not know what was
best for them.
York Freemasons wanted to decentralize government power.
They aimed to remove the Spaniards and the wealthy from public office and put Mexicans from lower social sectors in their
place. They also wanted to expand political participation and
spread republican values among the population. In other words,
they wanted a more democratic society, with equal rights for
every citizen.
To achieve these objectives, the York Rite lodges recruited
members of the middle class and helped position them for
public office. Tailors, shoemakers, printers, artisans, musicians,
farmers, apothecaries, and barbers joined York Freemasonry,
becoming known as the “yorkinos.” With their lodges’ support,
