Mexico

MENTION of Mexico makes many people think of colorful Mexican dancers, guitarists playing romantic serenades, and sleepy little towns with houses of whitewashed walls and red-tiled roofs. Others think of a traffic jam in a megalopolis such as Mexico City, Guadalajara, or Monterrey. Some call to mind a people who are humble and hospitable, who smile and offer a friendly handshake. Mexico is all of that but also much more.

It is a land where there is spiritual prosperity. Although Jehovah’s Witnesses are active in more than 230 lands, since 1987, worldwide, well over 10 percent of the home Bible studies conducted by them have been in Mexico. And this program of Bible education is yielding results. During the past five years, 154,420 in Mexico have presented themselves for baptism in symbol of their dedication to Jehovah.

But there is still much to be done in order to give a thorough witness throughout Mexico. The population totals upwards of 87 million. The official  language is Spanish; yet, other languages as well as dialects are also spoken. Though not everyone in Mexico has received a thorough witness, Jehovah is gathering people for his service out of all the varied groups that make up the nation. How is this being accomplished? To answer that, we invite you to come with us on a journey through the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico.

First, though, you will find it helpful to know something about the Mexican people themselves and events that have shaped their outlook.

Background of the Mexican People

What is their origin? The most widespread theory is that the first tribes that populated Mexico were of Asian ancestry and that they crossed over to what we now know as the Americas by way of the Bering Strait. They were well established in Mexico long before the Common Era.

 More than one major tribe of Indians is prominent in Mexican history. There were the Olmec, Maya, Zapotec, and Toltec. When the Spanish began to occupy the West Indies during the 1490’s, the Aztec ruled much of what is now south-central Mexico. Their capital city, Tenochtitlán, had a population that some have estimated as being 250,000. But in 1521, when the last Aztec emperor surrendered to Hernán Cortés, this land came under the control of Spain.

The Aztec were sun worshipers, and they also worshiped natural forces such as rain and fire, to which they attributed the preservation of life. With the arrival of the Spaniards, there was a clash of cultures. Under Spanish rule, the Roman Catholic religion was imposed on the Indians by state decree. In time, the human sacrifices associated with their former worship ceased, but other beliefs and practices were merged with their new religion.

In addition to the exploitation by European rulers, there was a subtle oppression based on the new religion. How so? Education was controlled by the church and was put within the reach of only rich and influential classes, while the common people were kept illiterate and ignorant. This made them easy prey to religious fanaticism.

Nearly three centuries passed, during which Roman Catholic beliefs and customs became part of the fabric of life of the people; then, in 1810, rebellion against Spanish rule broke out. It was led by a priest, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, and marked the beginning of the wars leading to independence. The new state and the Roman Catholic Church continued to be closely allied, and the people continued to profess the Catholic faith.

Nevertheless, with the passing of time, the government became convinced that religion was doing more harm than good, so among the Leyes de Reforma (Laws of the  Reformation) was a law enacted in 1859 to separate Church and State. This law also ordered the confiscation of all church property.

Late in 1910 the country was convulsed again by revolution, this time in an effort to throw off the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz. The success of this led to a new attempt in 1917 to enforce the Laws of the Reformation. At this time, freedom of religion was established by law in Mexico but with certain stipulations that were especially meant to restrict the influence of the Roman Catholic Church. As the revolution cooled down, something else that would bring even greater freedom was gaining momentum. It was the spread of good news about God’s purpose for humankind.

An Album of Spiritual Events

The account of the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico is like a collection of pictures, a precious historical album. The first page of our album goes back to 1893. In that year a man in Mexico named Stephenson wrote a letter showing interest not only in studying Bible truths but also in sharing these with other people in Mexico. The letter was addressed to the Watch Tower Society’s office in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (U.S.A.). It said: “I enclose five dollars. Kindly take out one year’s subscription for me to ‘Zion’s Watch Tower’ and for the remainder send me as many of the three volumes of ‘Millennial Dawn’ as the money will buy, as I wish to send them to several friends both here and in Europe. I hope to find, in the ‘Watch Tower,’ articles which may do good in this country if translated and published in Spanish; I might even undertake the translation of the ‘Dawns,’ if I had the funds to have them published.”

This happened during the era of Porfirio Díaz—a time when there was a very religious aristocratic class and a very  poor working class in Mexico. That working class was devoutly religious and was dominated by the Catholic clergy. In 1910-11, widespread violence and bloodshed led up to a change in administration. Díaz was forced from office.

After the dust of revolutionary turmoil had somewhat subsided and the country had been physically and economically ruined by war, some people began to look for God. Those who had fled north to the United States began to return, and among the things that some brought with them were treasures in the form of books explaining the Bible. There were also Bible Students from the United States who made repeated trips into northern Mexico to share the good news with the people there. As a result, a few isolated individuals in Mexico came to know the truth and did what they could to spread it to others.

First Attempts to Organize

Abel Ortega, a young man intent on studying medicine, traveled to San Antonio, Texas, in 1917. There, from a Brother Moreyra, he learned about God’s purpose for mankind. Abel changed his plans; on returning to Mexico, he was equipped with a better plan, The Divine Plan of the Ages. His uncle, who had arranged for his medical education, was not pleased, nor was he impressed with his nephew’s new beliefs. As a result, Abel had to leave home. He moved to the outskirts of Mexico City, to a settlement known as Santa Julia. There, under the abundant foliage of a big tree, he began to hold meetings. Within two years, the group consisted of about 30 people.

As the number grew, it became obvious that they needed an appropriate meeting hall. This they found in the center of the city. By 1919, small assemblies of the Bible Students, four days in length, were also being held in Mexico.

 Shortly, however, Abel Ortega became fascinated with a new religious group in France. He ceased to walk with his former Christian brothers. Divisions took place, and few were left who were trying to do Jehovah’s will.

Society’s Spanish Office in Los Angeles

In our historical album for this time period, we find a tall, slim Colombian, Roberto Montero, who learned the truth and was baptized in the United States in 1914. His initial zeal led him to strive to do everything possible to spread the good news. For a time he worked in the Brooklyn Bethel Home when C. T. Russell was still president of the Watch Tower Society. “Evidently between 1917 and 1918,” according to his daughter, María Luisa Montero (de Bordier), “Brother Rutherford [the Watch Tower Society’s second president] sent my father to Los Angeles to take care of a Spanish-speaking group that had formed here and also to take charge of the production of La Torre del Vigía, which is now La Atalaya [The Watchtower], in Spanish.” Thus, Roberto Montero established an office in Los Angeles, California, and there began to translate the Society’s publications into Spanish and to send these to Spanish-speaking people who requested them.

From there the magazine La Torre del Vigía reached Mexico. Sometimes it was sent monthly; sometimes, every two months. That same office in Los Angeles also distributed the books penned by Pastor Russell. The Divine Plan of the Ages and the Scenario of the Photo-Drama of Creation became quite widely known in Mexico.

A Branch Office in Mexico

In spite of the problems experienced by the group formerly associated with Abel Ortega in Mexico City, there were righthearted Mexicans who were hungry for the truth and  who continued to study the Bible with the aid of the Watch Tower publications. From various parts of the Republic came letters requesting literature. As a result, late in 1920 Roberto Montero made a tour of Mexico and visited some of those showing interest. He met with the group in Mexico City—then about 13 people—also with groups that were developing in Monterrey, Guadalajara, Puebla, and Veracruz.

By 1925 several classes, or congregations, had been formed. Within the next few years, the number of such classes rose to nine. However, by 1929 only four remained.

Then, late in 1929, Brother Rutherford gave special attention to Mexico, establishing a branch office in Mexico City. David Osorio Morales, a young brother from the United States, was put in charge of the work. With better organization locally, the preaching of the good news made greater progress.

In those days, the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the government was tense. Some  Catholic churches had been closed. When Mexico’s archbishop, Don José Mora y del Río, denounced provisions of the Constitution in 1926, he was put in jail. All of this triggered the start of the Cristeros war. Once again, soldiers and armed opposition forces went into action in the center of the Republic. After about four years of fighting, an agreement was reached, and worship was resumed in the churches. But the relationship between Church and State was simply one of mutual toleration. The Constitution of 1917, which restricted religion, continued in force. Among the Mexican people, there were some who were hungering and thirsting for righteousness, but few knew where to find it.

Registration With Government Authorities

On May 23, 1930, the Society’s branch office made application to the Secretariat of Government to register the International Bible Students Association. Among the basic objectives set out was the following:

“That the International Bible Students Association has the objective of spreading, by every means possible, the principles and truths that contribute to the refinement of all social classes, but especially of the lower class, pursuing the elevation of its status economically, as well as morally, mentally and physically.”

Reference was made on the application to the fact that, in pursuing its goals, the Association distributed printed material besides making use of other means of communication, that it arranged for public lectures in which subjects were examined in the light of the Bible, and that it organized classes for study. At that time the Mexican government was trying to put an end to religious fanaticism as well as to the ignorance that breeds it. For this reason, the application emphasized the educational aspects of our work. Regarding the  nature of the religious activity of the Association, Part “e” of the Second Clause stated:

“That its members have a deep reverence, and by word and deed they give praise to the Creator of heaven and earth, Jehovah God, and express their sentiments without the use of rituals and ceremonies, etc., but only by arguments and reasonings that convince and satisfy the heart, being irreconcilably anticlerical and opposed to the control of the conscience and the bridling of reason.” Following that, it was unequivocally stated that we “do not form a religious sect,” and eleven points were cited in support thereof.

On June 2, 1930, we received an answer from the Secretariat of Government that said: “This Secretariat authorizes the operation that was solicited for the International Bible Students Association, as long as said association does not violate what is decreed in laws dictated on the matter of religious worship and external discipline . . . ”

Later, on December 14, 1932, a new application was filed, to change the name from International Bible  Students Association to Sociedad de la Torre del Vigía (Watch Tower Society), without changing the precepts that had already been stated. However, additional clarifying paragraphs were added, including the following:

“We do not take any part in politics. We believe that Jehovah [is] the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and that the Bible is his Word that reveals his purposes for the human race. That he has promised to establish his government and authority over the earth, under the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that we are already in the time of the establishment of this government, which will be for the happiness of all nations of the world.”

Another paragraph further stated the neutral position of the Society. The Ministry of Government acknowledged receipt of the application on December 20, 1932. Thus, over 60 years ago the legal agency used by Jehovah’s Witnesses was registered with the Mexican authorities. In harmony with the objectives set out at that early date, the preaching of the good news has spread throughout the country.

The Good News Reaches Chiapas State

Even before that registration, the good news reached Chiapas State, in the southern part of the country, and it was taken there by someone who was not a Bible Student, as Jehovah’s Witnesses were then called. From that area, a well-to-do man named Del Pino went to Europe to study medicine.  While there, he also learned much from the Bible Students. On his return to Mexico, he prepared a hall to which he would invite his workers on the Montserrat Hacienda as well as local Evangelist ministers. He knew how to find things in the Bible, and he got considerable enjoyment out of explaining doctrinal truths to those who had gathered.

One who listened to these discussions with a receptive mind and heart was young José Maldonado, who, in 1924, was working on the hacienda. There is no evidence that his employer, Doctor Del Pino, ever actively associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses, though he did receive the Watch Tower publications. However, the Bible truths that young José heard stirred up in him the desire to have a share in preaching Bible truth. In 1927, José became established in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, and from there he spread the good news and distributed Bible literature throughout the State of Chiapas—this without any training from the organization. In another city, Tapachula, near the Guatemala border, Josefina Rodríguez also began to preach the Bible’s message at that time.

After a few years, a brother by the name of Carreón visited both José Maldonado and Josefina Rodríguez. He used the home of Brother Maldonado as his center of operations, returning there for literature supplies every four or five days as he worked all the region along the Pacific Coast between Arriaga and Tapachula. The scenery there was beautiful, but the mountain roads were not good, so most travel was on foot. In the evenings, Brother Carreón would give talks and afterward offer the Society’s publications. Much literature was placed in this way. However, he combined his preaching activity with the selling of merchandise.

 At a convention in Mexico City in 1931, the colporteurs were instructed to concentrate on distributing Bible literature instead of on selling other products. Brother Carreón took offense at this and left the organization. Then he threw in his lot with a man named Pérez, in Veracruz. In time, they formed a group called Estudiantes Nacionales de la Biblia (National Bible Students).

As for José Maldonado, right from the start he had been impressed with the fact that Jehovah’s organization is international. He was deeply moved by what he heard at that convention in Mexico City. The program highlighted the name Jehovah’s Witnesses and the responsibility that goes with bearing that name. Before the convention concluded, Brother Maldonado had decided to devote his full time to preaching as a colporteur. Truly, there was a great need for preachers of the good news. At that time, there were only 82 Witnesses in the entire country.

“We Have Plenty of Territory in Mexico”

The following year, with a view to expanding his service, Brother Maldonado expressed the desire to preach in Guatemala, which adjoins the State of Chiapas. The Society’s Mexico branch replied: “Dear Brother Maldonado: We have plenty of territory in Mexico. We could say that the territory is virgin. There are around 15,000,000 inhabitants in Mexico. At least 7,000,000 testimonies will have to be given and we have only given 200,000 . . . There is still enough work for about 100 colporteurs for the next five years. At the moment we only have 33 in the field. So you can just imagine how much work we still have to do in this country.” (A testimony was a verbal witness about Jehovah and his purposes accompanied, where possible, by the placement of some literature.)

 Brother Maldonado and his wife accepted assignments to witness in the State of Morelos, to the south of Mexico City; afterward, the State of Chiapas again, and later on, Guerrero, some distance to the west of Chiapas. ‘When we got to Guerrero State, we bought a donkey called Volcán that my wife became very fond of,’ Brother Maldonado tells us, ‘because around Arcelia there was no transportation. On one side of the donkey we put the literature, and on the other a suitcase with our clothing.’

The end of 1933 found Brother Maldonado in Veracruz State on the east coast. While he was there, new equipment for use in the preaching work was sent from Mexico City: an electric transcription machine. When it was used along with a loudspeaker, a recorded Bible discourse could be heard by a large audience. Brother Maldonado used this equipment at congregation meetings and in other locations to give a public witness. As he and his wife traveled to isolated places to witness, they transported the machine on the back of a donkey (not Volcán, because he had been sold in a moment of necessity).

Brother Maldonado sums up his work this way: “From 1931 to 1941, I was a pioneer. I traveled, because then a pioneer worked whole states not just one settlement.”

For a number of years, they carried their small child with them. At times, they were threatened with pistols or shotguns. Brother Maldonado was thrown into prison, and on one occasion he was beaten. When their daughter got to be seven years old, they felt that it would be wise to settle in Mexico City. There they continued to share in the service. Later on, he dropped out of the organization for a while, but in time, he returned, and he continued to serve Jehovah until his death.

 Northern States Receive a Witness

Meanwhile, in the northern part of the country, a number of people, without knowledge of one another, were crossing the border from the United States to share the Kingdom message with the Mexican people.

Among these was Manuel Amaya Veliz, a tall, thin young man who had heard the truth from a fellow worker in El Paso, Texas, in 1922. At that time he was active in a group that agitated for reform. He explained his situation like this: “I had some half-crazy ideas. I very much liked anything that attacked the clergy, capitalism and politics.” On the invitation of his work companion, he went to hear a talk given by Roberto Montero. Though indecisive at first, Manuel began to serve as a Kingdom publisher in 1928. He symbolized his dedication by baptism in 1931 and was appointed “class director” in El Paso. However, he wanted to do more to spread the truth.

“I had been praying to Jehovah that he permit me to come to Mexico to do the Kingdom work,” he later commented. When there was a shake-up in the place where he worked, his severance pay provided the money he needed in order to move. Thus it was that in the same year he got baptized, he and his wife loaded a 1926 Model T Ford and a small trailer with what belongings they could not sell and headed south to Ciudad Camargo, in the center of Chihuahua State.

In order to raise some money, Manuel spread out on the ground in the marketplace some merchandise that he had brought with him. “Just as soon as I had got together a few centavos, I went to Mexico City and presented myself at the branch office,” he recalled. Arrangements were made for him to start a preaching campaign beginning in Ciudad Camargo.

 Brother Amaya’s Preaching Campaigns

“I began working in my own way, but always in accord with the organization,” Brother Amaya said. He had a good assortment of the Society’s books in Spanish—Deliverance, Reconciliation, Creation, Government, Prophecy, Life, and Light. He gave a witness and left as much literature as he could. Some people began to show interest.

Brother Amaya made tours again and again until he had covered both Chihuahua State and Durango State—a large portion of north-central Mexico. In order to make sure that he would have an ample quantity of literature to use, he requested that the Society send shipments to various towns along his route, to be claimed upon his arrival. When he placed literature, he often bartered for foodstuffs, since many of the people were too poor to give a contribution.

In the State of Coahuila, in the region called La Laguna, he met a man who told him: ‘I too am a Witness.’ It was Florentino Banda, who had moved south from Texas in 1933. Together they worked the area, and then Brother Banda followed up the interest when Brother Amaya returned to his home in Ciudad Camargo. Later, Brother Banda, accompanied by his wife, served as a traveling overseer.

Brother Amaya was very successful in helping people learn the truth and become zealous servants of Jehovah. In Valle de Allende, Rodolfo Maynez learned the truth with Brother Amaya’s help. On several occasions Brother Maynez defended the truth before the authorities, and on one occasion, he challenged the local priest to a debate. There, in Valle de Allende, Brother Amaya also helped the Bordier family. Gildardo Bordier later served at the Society’s office in Mexico; then he married Roberto Montero’s daughter, María Luisa. These two have continued faithful up to the present time.

 Manuel Amaya served Jehovah faithfully until his death in 1974. In time, his wife, Angelita, joined him in Jehovah’s service. She served faithfully for more than 50 years before her death in 1990.

How Was the Work in Mexico City?

Following the establishment of the branch office in Mexico City in 1929, the preaching of the good news made greater progress. By the following year, 3 classes were functioning in the capital and 19 in the rest of the country.

Among those who showed spiritual hunger was a young man in Mexico City who belonged to the Greek Orthodox Church. Along with another Greek, he frequently examined the Scriptures in his place of business. One day in 1929 his friend came into the store with the book The Divine Plan of the Ages. What they read delighted them. They obtained  more literature—books and booklets. “Those booklets and the book Deliverance really impressed me,” Hércules Dakos said as he related his first impressions.

The very week that he was first invited, Hércules attended a meeting to study La Torre del Vigía. That day he went home with a box of books and booklets—for himself and to share with others. He soon began talking to both friends and customers about the good news of God’s Kingdom. That same year, 1929, he got baptized. The next year, eager to share the truth with his relatives, he was packing his bags to visit Greece.

After a year and a half, Hércules returned to Mexico more enthusiastic than ever. He found that the congregation with which he had been associated had doubled in size.

He gave special attention to the Central Square in Mexico City. In the government buildings, he found many who were willing to listen. To reach the president, Hércules wrote a letter; and a reply from the president’s secretary asked that he please deliver some literature.

A few months after Brother Dakos returned from Greece, added stimulus was given to the work in Mexico.

Brother Rutherford Visits Mexico

From November 26 to 28, 1932, a national convention was held in Mexico City. Brother Rutherford and Eduardo (Edwin) Keller were present from the Society’s headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. During that visit, Brother Rutherford gave discourses on five radio stations. The programs could be heard throughout the country and were well received.

While in Mexico, Brother Rutherford made arrangements to replace the branch overseer because it was found  that he was engaging in conduct improper for a Christian. Roberto Montero was invited to move to Mexico to take charge of the branch. However, since he could not come right away, Brother Keller was left to supervise matters temporarily.

Brother Montero arrived in April 1933. The recent problems in oversight had adversely affected the field service; much spiritual upbuilding was needed. A report in the November 1933 Boletín (Bulletin, now Our Kingdom Ministry) disclosed: “The number of workers dropped from a peak of 253 in 1932 to a peak of 105 in 1933 . . . The number went down to 48 in February.”

The Montero Family Becomes the Bethel Family

How was the branch office organized when the Montero family arrived in Mexico? The son, Roberto, Jr., who now lives in Los Angeles, California (U.S.A.), tells us:

“I arrived in Mexico City with my family at five years of age. We lived in a three-story house (including a basement) that the Society later bought to become the first branch office of La Torre del Vigía. . . .

“A short time later, my father invited Brother Samuel Campos to work in the branch office in accounting, and since he was bilingual, he helped my father translate the literature into Spanish. My mother took care of the field service reports and the files. Over the years my father taught me and my sister to type and do shorthand so that we would be able to help out in the office.

“After becoming proficient in this, we would come home from school and, among other things, make a clean copy of the translation manuscripts and help with correspondence. We considered this a great privilege. With the passing of time, other brothers came to work at the branch, [Mario]  Mar and his wife, Conchita; José Quintanilla and his wife, Severa; Carlos Villegas; and for a short time, Daniel Mendoza. . . .

“Among Brother Mar’s many responsibilities was supervising the press that was bought in order to print El Informador, now Our Kingdom Ministry, as well as different kinds of handbills, invitations, and other forms that were used in the office. Brother Alfonso García, another brother that was serving in Bethel, and I worked under his supervision handsetting the type, running the press, and operating the paper cutter that was used to cut the forms to their final size. We were about 13 or 14 years old when we began to do this work. We learned so much that has been useful on becoming adults, just like the young brothers do now when they serve in the different Bethel homes.”

The Whole Republic Was His Territory

There were others who also came from the United States because they heard that the need was great south of the border. Pedro De Anda, baptized in 1925, was one of these. An American brother who had spent some time in Mexico talked to him about the fertile field for Bible truth in Mexico. Without hesitation, Brother De Anda moved to Mexico. “I came into the city of [Nuevo] Laredo with great eagerness to serve,” he tells us. From that border city, he worked his way south to Monterrey, then on to Zacatecas State.

Equipped with a phonograph, he arrived in the town of Concepción del Oro, Zacatecas, and went to the town square, where he put on a record to play. What was the reaction? He tells us:

“A very rich and fanatical man showed up during the course of the talk and began speaking to the people that had gathered, telling them that we were enemies of the Virgin  and of the Catholic Church . . . They began to pick up sticks and stones with the intention of killing us; so I said: ‘Townspeople, just a minute! We are not animals that you should treat us like them. We are human, and what we are doing is trying to bring you a message of life!’ I asked them if I had perhaps forced anyone to believe my message. After that I thanked them for their attention. Then we gathered up our literature and the phonograph and walked away.”

Later on, at the home where Brother De Anda was staying, a heavily armed group gathered. What now? These were the Baptists of the town. They considered themselves “brothers” of Pedro De Anda and had come to defend him! He expressed appreciation for their gesture but explained that it was not necessary, since he had Jehovah as his protector.

Brother De Anda gradually extended his territory to cover the whole Republic, working not only in the north but also in the states of Durango, Puebla, Veracruz, and Chiapas.

‘Send a Publisher’

When Mario Mar was learning the truth in 1934, he never did meet one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. How, then, did he become a publisher himself? He says: ‘One time when there was sickness in my family I went over to a neighbor’s house. I found the books Creation and Reconciliation, and because of the distressing situation I was in, I began to read them.’ Later, after  moving from the United States to San Miguel de Camargo, Tamaulipas State, he wrote to the Society. “At the time many religious processions were being held in the town because of the drought,” he recalls. “So I told them to send a publisher to talk to the people because they were very fanatical. La Torre del Vigía answered that my request was very good and that they were therefore appointing me to start the preaching work there. They sent me 75 booklets in Spanish with titles such as World Distress—Why? The Remedy, Righteous Ruler, and Dividing the People.”

Using the booklets, Mario began preaching the good news first in San Miguel de Camargo, then in the surrounding towns. He liked this work, so he wrote to the Society to ask about serving in other places. The Society immediately replied that his territory would be the northern part of the State of Nuevo León. Without hesitation, Mario went to work. “I was going around as a pioneer without having been baptized,” he says. Furthermore, he had had no training, but Jehovah helped. Mario’s wife also began to accompany him.

Later, when she became ill, Mario again wrote to the Society for direction, asking where it would be best for them to settle down for a while. The Society sent them the address of Román Moreno in the city of Monterrey. At last they met fellow Witnesses of Jehovah. Now Mario and his wife could attend meetings, and before long, they got baptized.

At a convention held in Monterrey in 1935, Brother Mar was invited to serve at the branch office. In time, he was frequently sent out as a zone servant, or circuit overseer.

Many brothers throughout the country remember Brother Mar as one of the first to acquaint them with the truth. He served faithfully until his death in 1988. His wife continues to be a loyal servant of Jehovah.

 Bible Truth Spreads in the Northwest

As was true elsewhere, in the north and the west—in the states of Baja California, Sonora, and Sinaloa—groups of Jehovah’s Witnesses were springing up during the 1930’s.

At the beginning of that decade, Luciano Chaidez, who lived in Culiacán, Sinaloa State, met a woman who was always talking against religion, saying that they were all condemned to destruction. Some people thought she was crazy, but the woman was merely repeating what she had learned from books that had been sent to her by her sister in the United States. Luciano obtained from her one of those books—the Spanish edition of The Harp of God—and read it three times. He became convinced of its truthfulness, so he wrote to the Society. In response, they sent him literature with which to begin the colporteur work in the area. Later on, when he attended a convention in 1934, he got baptized.

When Brother Chaidez went to the port city of Mazatlán as a colporteur (pioneer), he found Gilberto Covarrubias associating with the small group of Witnesses meeting there. With encouragement, Gilberto made good progress. He well remembers his baptism. The brothers led him into the sea and told him to go down under the water and hold his breath as long as he could. When he came up, they pronounced him baptized. Of course, that is not the way we do it these days. But Gilberto proved to be zealous in Jehovah’s service, and he contributed to the spreading of the good news by leading the local Witnesses in the field service as they preached in all the towns around Mazatlán.

In the same area, Pedro Saldívar had been put in jail, accused of a crime that he had not committed. To help him pass the time during the more than three months that he was confined, his daughter took him books and magazines  to read. One day among the items that she brought was a booklet by J. F. Rutherford. The message that it contained about God’s purpose to establish a righteous new world greatly consoled Pedro. Not long afterward the real culprit was found, and Pedro was set free. Immediately he set out to find more literature like the booklet that he had read. He obtained some. Before long, a Witness neighbor took him to the meetings, where Gilberto Covarrubias was taking the lead. As Gilberto had done, he too undertook a preaching campaign. He worked his way north through Sinaloa and to the northern part of the State of Sonora. He is still remembered there as one of the first colporteurs to spread the Kingdom message in that region.

It is true that some of their preaching campaigns took them far afield, but the number of Witnesses was few and the territory was vast. When the Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Congregation was officially formed in 1938, the entire State of Sinaloa was assigned as its territory.

A Treasure and a Dead Donkey

To the west of Sonora State is Baja California, a peninsula parallel to the northwest coast of the Mexican mainland. In 1934, about two thirds of the way down the  peninsula, a young Witness was talking to people concerning the Bible. Good results came from his work, but what became of him?

Esther Pérez tells us: “It was in 1934 that a young fellow came to La Purísima, Baja California State, to speak about the Bible. . . . My father was working . . . for the government and he told us that he had received letters from the Society asking about the young fellow, but they did not know anything about him.” The young man had disappeared. “The authorities investigated to see if they could find the body, but nothing was found except the skeleton of a donkey that had been tied up . . . The people who found that also found a suitcase full of books with colored covers. . . . They took the suitcase into town and began reading the books. Even though they did not understand them, they realized that those books quoted from another one—the Bible.”

It was never known for sure what happened to the young Witness. But people were reading the literature he had  brought, and some of them were keenly interested in understanding the Bible.

In contrast, a Protestant in the town seized the opportunity to get a following for himself. He organized into a group those who showed interest in reading the books. Later, they subscribed for La Atalaya and began studying it. Sister Pérez tells us what developed:

“Since the Protestant man made himself head of the group, he did not want anyone to communicate with the Society. But then a letter came from the Society asking if there was some means of transportation available so they could send a representative to visit. Mister Juan Arce (the Protestant) told my father not to answer the Society . . . Nevertheless, my father and another man by the name of Francisco did secretly write a letter to the Society, saying that there was transportation and that a representative of the Society could come. . . . I happened to be in town when the brother arrived, a young man called Terán Pardo. . . .

“Even before the brother got up the next day, the whole group was there waiting to greet him and ask him questions. The brother scheduled a meeting for the afternoon and all of us were present, about 25 in all. After his talk the brother asked: ‘Who wants to go out and serve Jehovah?’ Everyone raised his hand, and then he said: ‘Come tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m., and I will give you instructions about how you are going to do the work.’ Early next morning we were all there. The brother gave us a card and told us to present the card and afterward offer the booklets. I remember that I was assigned to go with my mother. On returning, we were so happy because we had been able to leave booklets with the people.” Of course, the Protestant withdrew, and they never saw him again at the meetings.

 Overcoming Obstacles in the Southeast

Meanwhile, in the southeast the preaching work was being done with great difficulty. In the states of Chiapas and Tabasco, there was much poverty, especially in the more remote places in the hills. How would the Kingdom message reach these people?

Daniel Ortiz was living in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas State, in 1932, when he learned the truth. He and his family immediately accepted the message. Though they had no instructions on how to conduct meetings, his family along with others—a group of 12 in all—studied together, using the Society’s publications. Later on, when Brother Ortiz made a trip to Mexico City to the branch office, he obtained literature to share with others. He returned home (now in Cintalapa) bubbling over with enthusiasm. As the group shared in the field service, some carried their literature in knapsacks, others wrapped it up in paper, but he had a boxful suspended by cords from a pole carried between two publishers. He expected to place much literature, and he did.

While attending a convention in 1934, the Ortiz family were invited to join the pioneer ranks. Their territory would be Tabasco State. Brother Ortiz relates: “I bought two horses, one for the load and the other for my 12-year-old daughter, Estela. We were five in all. My 15-year-old daughter, a married daughter, and another 15-year-old brother accompanied us.”

They covered many towns in Tabasco and placed a lot of literature. But in Tapijalapa they were arrested and taken to the military headquarters. “The mayor was a colonel,” Brother Ortiz later related. “He asked me harshly if I did not know that this kind of literature was prohibited in the state. I answered by saying that I thought that we were in the  Mexican Republic and that I had my credential issued by the Secretariat of Government. He answered that it was worth no more than the paper it was written on. They took all our valuables away from us and all the literature we had in our bags.”

Of greater concern to Brother Ortiz, however, was the welfare of two of the group who were in another town. Brother Ortiz’ daughter and another sister were witnessing together there. The police knew that two were missing from the group, so they sent men to look for them. “This was about six o’clock in the evening,” Brother Ortiz says, “and the town was 20 kilometers [12 miles] away over mountainous terrain and it was pouring down rain. I figured that they would get there around midnight. I hated to think what could happen to these sisters, two girls, 16 and 20 years old, in the hands of those [men]. One of the girls was my daughter, so imagine what thoughts stormed my mind!” He prayed earnestly until sleep finally overcame him. How relieved he was next morning to find that Jehovah had answered his prayer and that the two girls had not been molested!

After the group had been detained for several days without sufficient food or sanitary facilities, a soldier escort was assigned to take them out of the state. On being released, one of the first things they did was to get some soap, find a river, and then wash both themselves and their clothing. Free again, they went right on preaching the good news, but now in Chiapas State. Regardless of obstacles, they never tired of exploring the land to find Jehovah’s precious sheep. They were true pioneers.

At that time, the Mexico branch also cared for Guatemala. Brother Ortiz was frequently asked by the Society to go into that area to help find and feed sheeplike ones.

 At 80 years of age in 1972, Brother Ortiz was still serving as a pioneer. He had many fond memories of activity that he had shared in over a period of four decades, but he was also keenly interested in continuing to do what he could in Jehovah’s service. He said:

“Even though my years drag me down, Jehovah continues to renew my strength, and I feel happy at seeing the increase in the people that bear his name. This fills me with rejoicing and impels me to greater activity . . . I am thankful but lack words to express my gratitude, and this makes me concentrate the little energy I have to continuing on.”

We have related here only a few of the experiences of Jehovah’s servants from before World War II. It is not possible to include everything in this account. Most of those who shared so zealously in spreading the Kingdom message in Mexico during the 1920’s and 1930’s have died now. But everyone who faithfully continued to serve Jehovah, whether in some outstanding manner or in ways known only locally, left an example worthy of imitation.

First a Waltz, Then a Vigorous Discourse

From 1938 until 1943, sound cars served very effectively to spread Bible truths in this part of the world. Seven of these vehicles equipped with loudspeakers on the roof and a transcription machine inside were put to use in Mexico. They broadcast dynamic Bible lectures originally given by Brother Rutherford and thereafter recorded in Spanish with the voice of Eduardo Keller.

Among the brothers who shared in sound-car work were José Quintanilla (later lovingly called “Grandpa” in the branch office), Daniel Mendoza, and Víctor Ruiz. About a year after José Quintanilla and his wife first received some of the Watch Tower publications, they were sharing in Bethel  service. “I did not understand much about the work because so little time had passed since I began to get acquainted with it, nor did I have much secular education,” recalls Brother Quintanilla. Even so, he immediately accepted the invitation to help in repairing automobiles that were to be used in spreading Bible truth. After he had shared in the work for a few months, the brothers realized that José had not yet been baptized. He was told that if he wanted to continue in Bethel service, he would have to get baptized. Promptly he complied with that Scriptural requirement, in August 1938.

How was the work with these sound cars carried out? Generally five brothers traveled together. On arriving in a settlement, they broadcast an informative Bible discourse so that everyone could hear. Then two brothers would preach from house to house on one side of the street and another two brothers on the other side of the street, while the driver stayed with the car to answer the questions of curious people. Brother Quintanilla modestly tells us: “About all I did was talk to the ones who approached and present the literature to them.”

On occasion, in order to attract the attention of the people, recordings of waltzes were played before the lectures. Just imagine the people’s surprise—after listening to some music, they heard a lively discourse exposing false religion!

Daniel Mendoza, who shared in this work, relates: “At first the people would be enthusiastic . . . but then they would slip away to advise the priest. Soon the whole town would get into an uproar and some would come with sticks and stones to drive us away.”

In one town, a tall, strong man tried to turn over Brother  Quintanilla’s sound car. He had just lifted one side in the air when he was knocked to the ground. Surprised and scared, he ran away, shouting, “Don’t get close; that thing has the devil!” What had happened? A strong electric shock had taken him by surprise. You see, Brother Quintanilla had wired the electrical system to the chassis of the car. Though we would not recommend that today, he used it to protect himself and the equipment from extremely violent people.

Even when use of the sound cars was phased out, portable phonographs were used by individual Witnesses. About 300 of these phonographs were made at the branch. Again, “Grandpa” Quintanilla was an able associate in the project. He recalls making the phonograph cases and then fitting in the speakers and motors. He says: “They would be tested to see if they worked well and would continue to serve well, and then they were sent out to the brothers to use from house to house.”

 Of course, after a time, with the help of presentations and sermons printed in the Informador (Informant, now Our Kingdom Ministry), as well as the training received in the Theocratic Ministry School, the publishers learned much about conversing with people and answering their questions with quotations from the Bible.

Gilead Graduates Arrive!

A multifaceted program of education was introduced among Jehovah’s Witnesses beginning early in the 1940’s, and it had a profound effect on the global work of Kingdom proclamation. Part of that program involved training branch personnel to handle their work in the same way as was done at the world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. Nathan H. Knorr, who had become the Watch Tower Society’s president in 1942, took the lead in this. The Mexico branch benefited from this in a very direct manner when Brother Knorr visited here for the first time, in February 1943. During his visit, at a special meeting held with publishers from areas throughout the country, he urged them to overcome the heritage of illiteracy that hindered people of Latin America who had for so long been influenced by Roman Catholicism. He also did much work with the branch staff, and by the time he left, the branch office and the Bethel Home were well equipped and much better organized.

There was still much work to be done in Mexico. Since World War I, there had been a gradual increase in the number of praisers of Jehovah in Mexico, but it was slow. In 1943, there were 1,565 publishers who reported activity each month, and they were working hard. Congregation publishers were witnessing, on an average, 28 hours each per month. Regular pioneers averaged 137 hours monthly.

In that year the Society inaugurated a school that has  exerted a tremendous influence on the work of Kingdom preaching and disciple making. The Watchtower Bible College of Gilead had been established. (Later the name was changed to Watchtower Bible School of Gilead.) Its purpose was to prepare experienced pioneer ministers for service wherever they might be needed in the world field. On February 1, the first classes began. Plans were laid to send some of the graduates to Mexico.

At first, the brothers encountered legal obstacles when trying to obtain visas for the graduates of Gilead. World War II was still under way; besides that, in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas State (on the border with the United States), persecution had broken out against the Witnesses, and some had been put in jail. This situation was holding up the paperwork for visas. The branch overseer at that time, Juan Bourgeois, relates the following in his 1945 report:

“When the Watchtower Bible College of Gilead and its purpose were first announced, we here in Mexico anxiously awaited the date of the first graduation because we were confident that a good number of the graduates, especially trained for foreign Theocratic service, would be sent to work  in the practically virgin territory of Mexico. It was to be expected also that the adversary would become frantic and would go to any extreme to impede the entry of our brethren. In August 1943, the Society informed us that if we could obtain the necessary permits for their entry into Mexico, about 30 of these instructors (Gilead graduates) would be assigned to work in Mexico.

“Every effort was put forth by us to obtain the permits, but an unbelievable number of obstacles presented themselves to prevent the entrance of these instructors into Mexico. We had practically given up, thinking Jehovah willed otherwise, when Brother Knorr arrived here in February of this year. He refused to take ‘no’ for an answer and made some special arrangements, and lo, the ‘impossible’ was accomplished! In March the barriers were let down to admit Brother and Sister Anderson, and shortly thereafter, in April, seven more Theocratic instructors, graduates of Gilead’s first class, were admitted into the country.”

Fred and Blanche Anderson

Fred and Blanche Anderson were beloved ones of the anointed remnant who devoted the greater part of their lives to full-time service in Mexico. Because of an accident that had occurred when he was young, one of Brother Anderson’s legs had to be amputated when he was in Mexico. Even so, using crutches, he persisted in working the territory in Mexico City. Fred Anderson was good-natured and cheerful. The presence of Brother Anderson and his charming wife (who was affectionately called Blanquita by her Christian sisters) filled the hearts of many Mexicans with love and appreciation.

Brother Anderson’s own expressions tell much about him. He said: “We gladly and prayerfully began to adjust our  lives and train ourselves for [service abroad]. Gilead training helped us immensely to do this. For five and a half months, we worked and sweated and strained to cram as much as we possibly could into our craniums, but those months went by in a flash! And, before we knew it, it was graduation day. We thought our joy was full at Gilead—that we could not possibly be happier or be closer to God. But we had much to learn, and this we did in our foreign assignment.”

After a number of years in that assignment, he said: “How many of these humble people we have helped to come into Jehovah’s glorious light of truth we do not know. But we do know how great our joy has been in sharing Jehovah’s goodness.” The Andersons served for many years in the circuit work in Mexico and, afterward, in the Mexico Bethel,  where they ended their earthly course—he in 1973, and she in 1987.

Companions for Half a Century

After her first decade in Mexico, Rosa May Dreyer, another Gilead graduate, wrote that of the 21 originally assigned to Mexico, 11 had been able to remain. She added: “These eleven I am sure will say with me: ‘I would not by choice be anywhere else.’”

Because of obstacles to entering the country, Rosa May Dreyer and Shirley Hendrickson served for two years near the Texas-Mexico border. During that time they were learning some Spanish. Shirley, though a cheerful person, remembers that their territory there was difficult. So she was delighted with what she found in Mexico City. In the beginning, no local publishers were assigned to accompany them as they had expected. Instead, someone took them to a corner and said, “Here is your territory,” without any on-the-spot training. Furthermore, their knowledge of Spanish was limited. Nevertheless, instead of getting discouraged, they carried on their activity as well as they could. Shirley says about those times: “I remember the first building I went into, trembling a little, and at the first four doors I placed the four books I was carrying and had to return home for more literature. With that I took heart and never had any more trouble.” A few years ago, Shirley attended the wedding of a granddaughter of a woman with whom she had conducted a Bible study during her early years in Mexico. What a joy to find 50 descendants of that family serving Jehovah! One had served as a traveling overseer, and another one was a member of the Bethel family.

Shirley and Rosa May were service companions from 1937 (before going to Gilead together) until 1991, when  “Rosita” died in her assignment in Mexico. Fifty-four years of service—nearly all of it together!

Some Others Who Came

Altogether, 56 Gilead graduates from other lands have come to Mexico to share in the grand work of divine education being done here. In addition to those already mentioned, there were others from Gilead School’s first class: Rubén Aguirre, Charlotte Bowin, Maxine Bradshaw, Geraldine Church, Julia Clogston, Betty Coons, Russell Cornelius, Dorothea Gardner, Verle Garfein, Frances Gooch, Elva Greaves, Thurston and Marie Hilldring, Fern Miller, Maxine Miller, and Pablo Pérez. More graduates arrived as recently as 1988. The service in the field rendered by all of these brought joy to them and to others. There were also unexpected, but happy, developments.

For example, after two years in Mexico, Charlotte Bowin was assigned to El Salvador. Then, in 1956, she became the wife of Albert Schroeder, one of her former Gilead instructors, who later became a member of the Governing Body.

In 1949, Maxine Miller married Samuel García, a Gilead graduate who was from Mexico and who at the time served in the Mexico branch as the legal representative of the Society. When she arrived in Mexico City in 1946, there were just four “companies.” By 1961, there were 70. And by early 1994, the number of congregations in Mexico City and its suburbs had grown to 1,514. What marvelous expansion she saw! Was her full-time service all joys and nothing else? “No, that is not true,” she once commented. “There are trying moments and difficult experiences too, but the joys far outweigh the sorrows, and it is these joys that stand out when I look back on the way that I have gone in the pursuit  of my purpose in life as a servant of Jehovah God.” She died while faithfully serving in her assignment in 1992.

After Esther Vartanian had been serving in Mexico for about eight years, she and Gilead graduate Rodolfo Lozano, who had recently arrived in Mexico, got married in 1955. While living at the branch, she witnessed in the city and helped many people to come to know Jehovah. She had great success in helping entire families. Even though a husband at first might refuse to study, she always made sure that he was eventually included. Her particularly kind manner of talking with people made many respond to the message. She would approach them, speaking Spanish with her foreign accent, and say: “Honey, quiero hablarte de algo muy importante. [Honey, I want to talk to you about something very important.]” They listened. Now Sister Lozano and her husband both serve as members of the Mexico Bethel family.

Loving Christian Overseers in the Branch

Of course, some of the Gilead graduates sent to Mexico were assigned to care for responsibilities in the branch office, and they did excellent work. Before that, Juan Bourgeois, who was branch overseer after Roberto Montero, cared for that assignment from 1943 to 1947, when he had to return to the United States. Then, Pablo Pérez, a graduate of Gilead’s first class, became branch overseer for three and a half years.

Since then others have carried that load of responsibility and rendered loving oversight. Among them were Rodolfo Lozano for four and a half years, George Papadem for two years, and Samuel Friend for seven and a half years. William Simpkins began to care for branch oversight in 1965, and when the Branch Committee arrangement was instituted in 1976, he continued to serve as part of the Mexico Branch  Committee until 1986. Each one made valuable contributions to the Kingdom work here in Mexico. After having served for many years in Colombia, Robert Tracy arrived in Mexico in 1982, and since then he has served as the Branch Committee coordinator.

Keeping in Touch With the “Companies”

Regional and zone (circuit) servants endeavored to visit and upbuild Jehovah’s Witnesses throughout Mexico during the 1940 service year. Then, after an interruption for a time, the work of traveling overseers was again instituted. This time, specialized training was given to the brothers before they were sent out.

Visiting the “companies” involved much more than buying a bus or train ticket and then making the trip. The majority of companies were small and completely isolated from highways or railroads. Before the brothers could be sent out, the branch office wrote each group to ask how to reach the location of their company. One company replied: “The only line that passes near this place is a telegraph line.” The branch reported to Brooklyn: “To reach some companies, the servant must go by mule or by foot, sometimes days at a time. The publishers are overjoyed at the visit, and all the people of good-will for miles around are gathered when he arrives.”

To assist in strengthening the brothers, in the mid-1940’s some of the Bethel family offered to use their vacation to visit companies as assigned by the office. Samuel and Alfonso García were sent to Silacayoápan, Oaxaca State. After traveling a day by bus, they spent two more days in arranging for the use of horses, and then they continued on horseback for another two days to their destination. Five happy days were devoted to working with the local Witnesses in the field service; they also held a baptism; then they  prepared to return to Mexico City. But the local Catholic priest had been irritated by their work and had stirred up El Presidente, the local mayor. That night a mob of about 25 men broke into the home of the Witness with whom the brothers were staying. Samuel García remembers it vividly.

The mob was armed with machetes, swords, knives, clubs, and pistols. They seized the brothers, forced them outdoors, and beat them unmercifully. When the Christian sister in whose home they were staying tried to intervene, she  and one of her sons were beaten. The left arm and fingers of one of the brothers were cut clear to the bone. While being further beaten and threatened, they were marched out of town. But where were they being taken? Samuel García recalls: “They attempted to hang us from some trees, but when we showed no fear and made Jehovah our full confidence, they let us go. We had to walk two days through the mountains in order to get to a highway.”

Meanwhile, news of the trouble got to the branch office. The Society sent an urgent appeal to the governor of the State of Oaxaca. Finally, when the two brothers arrived back at Bethel, the one on guard duty hesitated to open the door because he did not recognize them, they had been mistreated so badly. But as Brother García looks back on what happened, what he remembers is this: ‘Jehovah did not forsake us.’ And what about the sister in whose home they had stayed? She wrote to the office asking for more literature so she could keep on witnessing.

From One Assembly to the Next

A few years before those events, Adulfo Modesto Salinas, a lively young lad, attended his first national convention. It was in 1941 at the People’s Theater in Mexico City. At that time the idea that he would someday be a traveling overseer never crossed his mind.

Gonzalo Rodríguez, a servant to the brethren (as circuit overseers were then known), encouraged Adulfo to serve at Bethel. As a result, in December 1947, Adulfo reported for Bethel service in Mexico City. That same year, circuit assemblies began to be held in Mexico. At first, Bethel brothers organized them and served on the program. Then, in 1951, Adulfo Salinas was appointed to be the first district overseer in the country, assisting circuit overseers and serving at circuit  assemblies. Rodolfo Lozano and Samuel García provided him with helpful training at his first assemblies. Then they left him to continue his route alone. That year, 18 circuit assemblies were held throughout the country.

In the beginning, arrangements for assemblies as well as the duties of the district overseer were not well defined. At some assemblies there was no circuit overseer, so local brothers did what they could to organize matters. The district overseer had to be a jack-of-all-trades. On arriving at  the assembly site, he would help the brothers set up the departments. He carried the sound equipment with him, also stoves and other kitchen equipment for the cafeteria. Leonor Salinas helped her husband prepare many things for the assembly. All day they would be out in the field service, and in the evening they would assist with assembly preparations.

Brother Salinas remembers that at the first circuit assemblies, there was no detailed program to follow. The brothers were given opportunity to ask questions, and he would endeavor to answer them. They asked such questions as, “Is it permissible to wear rings and bracelets?” “Is it a crime to kill animals?” and “What is the meaning of the number 666?” In order to give sound answers, he had to take along many of the Society’s publications.

Gradually, the details related to circuit assemblies were worked out. Everything operated more smoothly.

After Brother Salinas had been serving as district overseer for some 13 years, he was invited to attend Gilead School, in 1964. In preparation, he had to learn English. This was hard for him, but he benefited from the course and then was sent back to Mexico to continue in the district  work. He is still in full-time service, although with some health problems. His wife, Leonor, who has been with him since 1955, has been a fine support. Brother Salinas states: “Glancing back to 1941, when I learned the truth, I find that [over 50] years have already gone by, and during all that time, I have been learning wonderful things from God’s Word. I was under 20 years of age in 1941. I am grateful to Jehovah and to his organization for having changed my life from one without a future to a life with purpose.”

Great Effort Made to Attend Conventions

Year after year national conventions were held in Mexico City, and these were attended by a majority of the Mexican brothers. But for some, this involved considerable hardship because of lack of funds. When the conventions were small, everyone who attended from outside the capital was housed at Bethel. Then, early in the 1940’s, rooming was arranged in the homes of various brothers. The poverty of many of our brothers tore at our hearts, and we were deeply moved by the effort they put forth to come from the provinces to Mexico City in order to enjoy spiritual food.

How glad we were when arrangements could be made to hold conventions nearer to their homes! Now they would not have to travel so far. Even so, some of the brothers still had to make great sacrifices to be in attendance. In 1949, as an example, 20 delegates from Tabasco State—18 men and 2 women—traveled over 200 miles [320 km] on foot in order to get to a convention in Veracruz State. They made the trip in 15 consecutive days! Altogether the round trip required some 35 days.

La Torre del Vigía de México—A Cultural Society

You will recall that back in 1932 La Torre del Vigía de México had been authorized by the government. However,  there were obstacles because of the restrictions that the law imposed on all religions. Objections were raised to the house-to-house activity of the Witnesses, since the law stipulated that ‘every religious act of public worship must be held inside the temples.’ For the same reason, objections were raised to our conventions in public places. This was a problem, because these conventions were constantly getting larger. Owning property also presented problems, because the law required that every building used for religious purposes had to become federal property.

For these and other reasons, the Society decided that it would be wise to reorganize, with a view to giving greater emphasis to the educational nature of our work. Therefore, on June 10, 1943, application was made to the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs to register La Torre del Vigía as a civil society, and this was approved on June 15, 1943.

With this rearrangement, singing at our meetings was discontinued, and the meeting places became known as Halls for Cultural Studies. No audible prayers were said at meetings, though nothing could prevent a person from saying an earnest prayer silently in his heart. Every appearance of a religious service was avoided, and truly our meetings are designed for education. When Witnesses in other lands began to call their local groups “congregations,” the Witnesses in Mexico kept on using the term “companies.” House-to-house visits by the Witnesses continued, and with even more zeal; but direct use of the Bible at doors was avoided. Instead, publishers learned the texts by heart so that they could quote them. They also made good use of the book “Make Sure of All Things,” which is a compilation of Scripture quotations on many subjects. Only on return visits and  on studies (which were termed “cultural” instead of “Bible”) was the Bible itself used.

The principal work of Jehovah’s Witnesses remained the same, namely, preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom.

The Literacy Classes

In keeping with the charter of La Torre del Vigía, we carried on a literacy campaign, in addition to educating the people in the teachings of the Bible. Thus, on May 17, 1946, La Torre del Vigía registered with the government a center for literacy classes in Mexico City. These were conducted by José Maldonado.

Since the government was interested in promoting literacy, it provided first-reader textbooks for use in the classes. Later on, when the Watch Tower Society printed in Spanish the booklet Learn to Read and Write, this was used. The government appreciated what was being done. In a letter dated January 25, 1966, the government said: “By agreement of the General Director, I am pleased to congratulate your Institution . . . for the patriotic cooperation that you have been giving to the illiterate people of the Republic. . . . I hope that your enthusiasm does not diminish for continuing this persistent fight against illiteracy in which all good Mexicans are engaged.”

From the time that the classes were inaugurated up until 1966, there were 33,842 persons who were taught to read and write. And, as of 1993, the total was 127,766. In addition, 37,201 people had been helped to improve their reading and writing skills. While these people were studying reading and writing, they were also learning to appreciate spiritual provisions—the Bible study literature produced by the Society, as well as the company meetings.

 Moral Cleanness of Jehovah’s Organization

When the arrangement for circuit assemblies got under way, there also began a period of increased cleansing in Jehovah’s organization. A custom that was very deeply rooted in Mexico in those years was for a young man to “steal” a young woman and live with her without being married. Accustomed to the old ways that were permitted in false religion, couples generally did not get married. They simply lived together in a consensual relationship. That was the situation of many when they began to associate with Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Brother Salinas appreciated Bible principles about morality and helped the brothers to understand these. (Matt. 19:3-9; Heb. 13:4) Wherever he went he encouraged them to legalize their marriages.

This was not new to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Back in its issue of September-October 1924, La Torre del Vigía had discussed the question: “Would it be appropriate to elect as elder of a Class a brother who is not legally married to his mate?” The answer: “It would be entirely improper.” Scriptural reasons were given for this. It was also recommended that persons who had not yet straightened out their marital affairs not be baptized. Nevertheless, in Mexico there were many company servants who were not legally married.

However, in 1952, for the benefit of Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide, specific instructions were given about putting one’s life in order if one wanted to continue being part of Jehovah’s organization. In some cases men had been married, then separated, and then had begun living with another woman, without being divorced from the first nor married to the second. Some had married again without being divorced from a previous wife. Thus, it required great effort  on the part of these brothers to straighten out their lives in order to serve Jehovah.

It was a joy to see how the brothers responded by making the necessary arrangements to legalize their marriages. In some companies groups of 20 couples, and more, were married at the same time. Nevertheless, there were some who, in spite of Jehovah’s righteous standards, did not want to change their way of life. Some of these left; others were disfellowshipped.

One brother remembers that when he and his companion went to get married, following the instructions of the organization, his children went along with them. When the judge asked: “Is it your will to be united with this woman, accepting her and having her for your wife until death do you part?” he hesitated before answering, and his little girl with a worried expression encouraged him, “¡Dí que sí, papacito! [Daddy, please say yes!],” with which he quickly gave an affirmative reply to the judge.

It Took Time and Patience

It took time for some to adjust to the high moral standards of Jehovah’s organization, especially in relation to marriage and the use of liquor, but gradually the brothers came to appreciate the importance of conforming to Jehovah’s ways.—1 Pet. 4:3.

In its report on the 1953 service year, the branch office said: “We finished what we had started the previous year, namely, the cleaning out of the organization of those not deserving to be in it. This caused the number of publishers to drop considerably for the first five months of the service year. It dropped as low as 7 percent below last year’s average, but from February on, it picked up to the extent that by the end of the service year we had reached a 9-percent increase  over last year’s average.” Finally, properly cleansed, Jehovah’s organization in Mexico was ready to enter a period of spiritual prosperity that has extended down to the present time.

Conventions That We Never Forget

There are some conventions that have never been forgotten by those who were present. One of these was held in Mexico City on April 13-15, 1945. None of the delegates arrived in a personally owned automobile. More than 200 came on a train from Monterrey. A sign on the outside of one of the coaches announced where they were going, and at stops all along the way the delegates witnessed to vendors and curious folk who came alongside. To get to the convention, a family group with a baby walked from their home in Chihuahua for seven days and then took the railroad. N. H. Knorr and F. W. Franz were also on hand, from the world headquarters in New York. On the first day of the convention, 717 of the 1,107 present were out in the field service to announce the public discourse, “One World, One Government,” to be given by Brother Knorr at the Arena México. And that talk was given successfully, despite efforts of Catholic hecklers to break up the meeting.

Some of the most memorable conventions have drawn the Witnesses in Mexico close to their Christian brothers in other lands. An outstanding one of these was the Divine Will International Assembly, held in New York in 1958. Delegates from 123 lands were present, among whom were 503 who had traveled from Mexico. They had opportunity to hear, meet, and associate with fellow Witnesses from all parts of the globe. Another such heartwarming convention was held in Mexico City, in 1966, when hundreds of delegates from about a dozen other lands traveled to Mexico to  join their brothers there for the largest convention sponsored by La Torre del Vigía in Mexico up to that time. More than 30 times as many were present on this occasion as had been in attendance in Mexico City for the convention in 1945.

The Society’s Motion Pictures

Toward the middle of the 1950’s, the Society introduced another feature in its program of education. Brother Salinas recalls: “Something that contributed greatly to the work was the Society’s 16-mm motion pictures The New World Society in Action, The Happiness of the New World Society, Divine Will International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Proclaiming ‘Everlasting Good News’ Around the World, and God Cannot Lie. You could see the impact these had on the people who did not know our work well.” The first motion picture presented the operation of the Society’s offices. The next three films showed conventions that were held in various parts of the world. The last one helped audiences to visualize principal Bible events and to understand their significance for our day.

These films were often shown in the patio of a home or in some rented hall. Invitations were distributed; as a result, many people attended. Afterward they would take down names of the ones who wanted more information.

In 1958 in Tenexpa, Guerrero, arrangements were made by the Witnesses to show the Society’s current film in a lot next to their meeting place. When the brothers were cleaning the lot up, the unexpected visit of a policeman raised doubts about whether they would be able to have the showing. The policeman told the company servant that he had to go and see the mayor. So the brother went, and the mayor asked him, “Where are you going to show the film?”  When he heard the reply, he said: “Why don’t you show it here in the bandstand in the square?” “Well, if there is no objection . . .” The mayor made arrangements for electricity to be supplied. Benches were taken out of the cinema, and some people even brought their own chairs because there was seating for only 900 people. About 2,000 came, and they turned the event into a festival, setting out food for all to enjoy. Indeed, every time that Brother Salinas showed the Society’s films in the northern states of the Republic, there was an attendance of 500, 800, or up to 1,000.

Branch Facilities to Keep Pace With the Work

When Roberto Montero and his family made up the Bethel family in Mexico, the home into which they moved at 71 Melchor Ocampo Street, in Mexico City, provided ample space for accommodations and for the branch office. There were only about 100 Kingdom proclaimers active in Mexico at that time. But by 1946, the number of active Witnesses had increased to 3,732, organized into 223 companies. To care for the extensive program of education that the Witnesses were carrying out throughout Mexico, enlarged facilities were needed. Appropriately, in that year a new branch office and Bethel Home adjoining the former structure were completed and put to use.

By 1962 those facilities were being used to the limit, so another five-story addition to the branch was inaugurated. This included a small printery to produce the Spanish Informant (now Our Kingdom Ministry) and forms that were used in the branch office and by the 27,000 then active in the work of theocratic education in Mexico. Under the supervision of that office, the Kingdom Ministry School was also providing instruction for the company overseers and special pioneers scattered throughout the country.

 Continued Religious Fanaticism

Although the government had tried for decades to put an end to religious fanaticism, and though the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses was well-known throughout the country, the progress being made by the Witnesses in educating the people infuriated the clergy. During the 1960’s the opposition in some places became more fierce than ever before.

For example, in the town of Los Reyes de la Paz, México State, a circuit assembly was scheduled for August 4 and 5, 1963. When the assembly began, the local priest, using loudspeakers placed on the walls of the church and aimed directly at the assembly place, tried to drown out the program. Emotional speeches were given, and insults were hurled against the Witnesses to whip those in the church into a frenzy. Hundreds of Catholics who were usually calm and friendly were provoked to violence. They rushed out of the church grabbing sticks and clubs and stones. Now out of control, the mob hurled themselves against the Witnesses who had assembled. More than 30 Witnesses were injured. Two of their homes were also stoned, and walls were torn down.

However, thanks to the timely intervention of the federal highway police, the brothers who had come from out of town were able to leave safely. Finally, on Monday the angry mob was dispersed by the army.

The daily newspaper Excelsior of August 6, 1963, gave this report: “The parish priest of Los Reyes, Jesús Meza, pointed out by the judicial authorities as the promoter of the riots, fled out of town in a car and escorted by hundreds of his parishioners, armed with stones, clubs and machetes.”

But that mob action helped to open the eyes of some honesthearted people. After a time, when the Witnesses  once again preached in that town, they had very good results. The people were ashamed of their conduct, and little by little they began to listen. When the mob action took place, there were two companies in the area. From these, some 50 more have sprung up.

Religious Intolerance in Sahuayo

Another town where shameful persecution erupted was Sahuayo, Michoacán State, in August 1964. Special pioneers were preaching zealously there. They were already having some meetings with a small group of interested persons. On the other hand, they were threatened and insulted by mobs gathered by the local priest. People from Sahuayo, as well as from nearby Jiquilpán, joined in this ill-treatment. Not just once but several times the brothers had to stand up against mobs of 200 to 300 people.

On August 13, the situation became very tense when upwards of 5,000 people surrounded a pioneer’s home. They had brought along gasoline, intending to set the house on fire and burn it down along with its inhabitants. A brother, five sisters, and a six-year-old girl were in the house. A few policemen tried to stop the inflamed mob, but they were not having much success. However, at the crucial moment, three truckloads of soldiers unexpectedly appeared on the scene. Quickly the Witnesses were rescued and the mob was forced to disperse. In commenting on the situation, the newspapers expressed deep regret over the intolerant behavior of the clergy, who had caused the problem.

The situation was so dangerous that it was deemed wise to move the special pioneers out of the area. In time, however, the Society sent pioneers to nearby towns, and they cautiously worked their way toward Sahuayo and Jiquilpán. They had so much success that in 1974, ten years after that  persecution, a company was established in Jiquilpán, and in 1990 another one was established in Sahuayo.

The Man Reached for Something in His Back Pocket

In view of the violent persecution that had occurred, could you blame the Witnesses if they were at times a bit apprehensive? José Mora recalls such an experience in Jalisco State. He laughs about it now, but at the time he was not so sure.

He had just quoted to a man the scripture at Psalm 115:16: “As regards the heavens, to Jehovah the heavens belong, but the earth he has given to the sons of men.” The man quickly thrust his hand into the back pocket of his pants. Brother Mora thought that he was reaching for a weapon. What a relief when he pulled out a book containing the New Testament and the Psalms! The man checked the scripture in his own Bible and accepted the message. Very soon this man and all his family became Jehovah’s Witnesses. “He had noticed that I became a little nervous, though,” says Brother Mora; “so now, once in a while when we see each other, we remember that incident and laugh.”

A Gratifying Response in Recent Years

Despite the persecution, the number of praisers of Jehovah continued to increase throughout the country. The preaching of the good news became more effective as the brothers grew in understanding of Biblical and organizational matters. Gradually the publishers became more conscious of the need to follow through on interest shown and to care for the sheep. As a result, the number of Bible studies increased. In 1970 there were, on an average, 43,961 studies conducted each month; ten years later, the figure had  risen to 90,508. Some of these were with people who progressed very rapidly.

That was true of Lino Morales and his wife. Lino had gone with a friend on a devotional visit to an image of the Virgin in a town in Guatemala. (He lived in Mexico, in Chiapas State.) They had agreed to go in separately to say their prayers before the image. Lino relates: “When he did not come out for a long time, I very respectfully peeked inside the door of the chapel, and what blasphemy! My friend was lifting up the skirt of the Virgin! When I hollered at him, ‘What are you doing?’ he quickly pretended that he was praying. I called to him in a challenging way to come outside, and when he did I put up my fists to hit him. It took him a while to convince me of what he had been doing. When I calmed down, he told me that he had become disillusioned with the image because when he kneeled to kiss the feet of the image, he realized that only the face and feet were smoothly polished but that underneath the dress were just small pieces of wood.”

That, coupled with the death of his little boy, profoundly influenced Lino’s outlook. What happened next? His wife remembers: “Two women came to my door and talked to me about the Bible and soon convinced me that they were speaking the truth. They left me a book and promised to return later. Right after they left, it began to rain. As the rain continued, the two women returned, but now with their husbands, looking for cover from the rain. But the rain did not let up all afternoon, and they had to sleep overnight at my house. We took advantage of that time—they in sharing, and I in learning, Bible truths. They left early the next day, promising to return. The one who took the lead in speaking was a regular pioneer. He and his wife were from  the southern part of the state; their companion was Caralampio from the town La Trinitaria. Much to my surprise, my husband came home that same day in the afternoon. (Lino worked far away at a rural school.) After supper I told him that some preachers had visited me and left me a book. We began to consider it together along with the explanation that they had given me, and we could not put it down. When we realized it, the night had gone by and the day was beginning to break. We never did get to sleep.”

Lino’s wife began to prepare their breakfast while Lino saddled up the horse. That morning he traveled 12 miles, all the way to La Trinitaria, in order to look for Caralampio. He found the house, but no one was at home, because Caralampio was out preaching. Nevertheless, Lino left a message  with the next-door neighbor. “I returned home a bit dejected,” remembers Lino, “but, what a surprise! Early the next morning, I heard someone knocking at the door. When I went out, there the preachers were! At about seven o’clock in the evening, they had received the notice that we had been looking for them. They immediately got ready and traveled on foot all night, arriving at my house when it was getting light. So within less than 48 hours of their leaving that book, and in spite of the distance and its being nighttime, those preachers were already making a return visit.”

The return visit lasted three days! During that time they taught Lino and his wife the basic truths from God’s Word. On the fourth day both of them accompanied the Witnesses in preaching to others. With this beginning, a large family started to serve Jehovah.

‘Return My Son to Life, or I Will Throw You Out’

Edilberto Juárez, in Oaxaca State, also accepted the truth rapidly. “I was in mourning over the death of my brother and my son who had committed suicide on the same day,” he recalled. “On observing this fatal happening, I immediately turned to my gods (the images) that occupied the whole wall of one side of my house and I said to them that they must return my son to life, and if not, then I would have to throw them out. After eight days, on seeing that those gods did not show their power at all, I cleaned them out of my house. I shed bitter tears at the loss of my loved ones.

“A schoolteacher approached me and tried to console me. He gave me a New Testament and suggested that I read it, but since I had never seen a Bible, it did not interest me and I stored it away. About that time a Pentecostal visited me. While we were talking, I noticed a man with a briefcase. The Pentecostal recognized him as one of Jehovah’s  Witnesses and suggested that we invite him in because he would know more about the Scriptures. The Witness came in and, on learning that I was in mourning, began to talk to me about the resurrection. This really did interest me very much.”

This Witness began to visit Edilberto regularly, even though doing so required that he make a long trip on foot. “Then I began to talk to others about my new faith,” Edilberto said. “Three of them became interested in the truth and began meeting at my house; so when the publisher visited us, we were four studying the Bible.”

Short Courses for “Cultural” Studies

The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, the book called ‘the blue bomb’ at that time, was published in 1968, and we were encouraged to study it with people in six months. But not everyone took that long. In one case the study was conducted in less than two weeks. The branch office reported on it this way:

“A lady learned of the truth through a gift subscription for The Watchtower. When the district servant and his wife visited a neighboring city, she attended the circuit assembly. The brother and his wife talked to her and noted her sincere desire to serve Jehovah and to help the people in the small town where she lives. So arrangements were made to study the Truth book with her. The problem was that there was not sufficient time to give the study as outlined by the Society, because she would be in the assembly city only two weeks and then would return by a small airplane to her town up in the mountains. Therefore the wife of the district servant conducted an intensive study for two weeks. Actually the study was conducted from Friday to Friday in thirty hours, and the complete Truth book was covered. This lady  wanted to take advantage of the time available, so some afternoons and evenings the district servant and his wife spent two to three hours answering her many questions. At the end of the two weeks she had all the answers underlined in her book and was very enthusiastic about returning to her isolated town and helping others.”

Before leaving the city at the end of the second week, she got baptized. Back home, she was soon conducting eight studies herself, a Watchtower Study was conducted with 15 in attendance, and an isolated group was formed. Now there is a congregation in her locality.

Elder Arrangement Benefits the “Companies”

In harmony with Scriptural counsel from the faithful and discreet slave, new arrangements for oversight of “companies” were instituted in 1972. The one “company servant” who supervised everything was to be replaced by a body of elders. To the extent possible, that was done. But then, as now, there were many companies in which the publishers were grateful to have in their midst even one brother, or possibly two, who qualified to be elders. Many who had been company servants became elders under the new arrangement, but some did not really meet the Scriptural requirements. Those who qualified could not be persons who treated the flock with harshness, as some had done in the past. (1 Pet. 5:2, 3) With two or more Scripturally qualified men serving as a body of elders, the organization has become more compassionate in caring for the needs of the flock, thus more closely imitating Jesus Christ, the Fine Shepherd.

Right down to the present, there is a need for additional qualified men to serve as elders. Because of the rapid growth in the number of Witnesses, many congregations  (referred to as “companies” until 1989) are cared for by just one elder and several ministerial servants; in some cases, ministerial servants handle all the responsibilities. In Tantoyuca, Veracruz, there were two congregations but only one elder. Along with his family, Enrique Hernández Montes (an elder and a pioneer) moved into the area to be of assistance. In the congregation to which he was assigned, there were so many interested ones that not everyone could fit into the Kingdom Hall. It was necessary to organize the group into two sections and repeat the meetings for the second group. In Palmillas, Sinaloa, a few years ago, the one elder found that he had 21 individuals who wanted to get baptized at the next assembly. He did his best to review the questions for baptismal candidates with all of them.

Even where the number of qualified brothers is very limited, the arrangement for shared responsibilities is resulting in better attention to the sheep.

There Came a Time of Sifting

There were strong expectations concerning the year 1975 and what it might mean in the fulfillment of Jehovah’s purpose. Some set their hearts on that date as the time when the old system would be destroyed and God’s new world would be established. When those expectations were not realized, there were some who ceased serving God. A number became apostates. But the vast majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses were motivated by love for Jehovah. They knew that God’s Word would never fail.

With full confidence in Jehovah, during 1975-76 the worldwide organization geared up for further growth. We have not been disappointed. And Mexico has had a noteworthy share in the expansion that has taken place. What has contributed to this?

 Large Families United in Serving Jehovah

Families in Mexico are large. So when a Bible study is established, there are frequently three, four, or more persons participating. As a rule, families stay united, and the children are very respectful of their parents. One result of this is that if the parents embrace the truth, the children do also. When Bible counsel is applied, family ties are further strengthened, and entire families often share together in Jehovah’s service.

Young folks are made to feel part of the congregation arrangement. At the meetings, everyone greets the others present with a warm handshake—and young ones are included. Seldom do children manifest an attitude of indifference at the meetings. They all want to participate, and they are eager to help out in other activities around the hall.

Entire families are often seen sharing in field service together. In some cases the effort is made for the majority of the family to share in the pioneer service. For example, in the Oriente Congregation of Zapata, Morelos State, Guilebaldo Hernández and his wife have three daughters who are special pioneers and three who are regular pioneers (in isolated territory). Their two sons are publishers and ministerial servants, and their other two daughters (11 and 12 years old) are unbaptized publishers. In this family of 12, there are 6 congregation publishers and 6 pioneers!

In the Estrella Congregation in the city of Aguascalientes, in Aguascalientes State, Sabino Martínez Durán serves as an elder and a regular pioneer. His wife and daughter are also regular pioneers. A son is a regular pioneer and a ministerial servant in the same congregation. Another son is a member of the Mexico Bethel family, and yet another son is sharing in construction work at the branch.

 Parental Respect Produced Good Results

Without doubt, the respect that Mexican family members have for one another contributes to the spread of the Kingdom message. This is further illustrated in an experience in Chihuahua State.

The elders in Navojoa, Sonora State, heard that in El Trigo de Russo, located in the mountains in Chihuahua State, there were people who were studying the Bible with the help of the Society’s publications, such as the Truth book. An elder and a ministerial servant made a difficult all-day trip to verify the report and to help these newly interested ones. They found that a schoolteacher and his wife, who were not Witnesses, were conducting Bible studies with the people. They were meeting twice a week and had an attendance of 25 to 30. How had this come about?

The schoolteacher’s mother, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, had visited her son. During her stay she had preached to some people in the area and had placed Truth books with them. Seeing the interest that these people manifested, she pleaded with her son and daughter-in-law to help them. This couple were not Jehovah’s Witnesses, though the mother had instructed him in Jehovah’s ways when he was young. Because of his love and respect for his mother, the son agreed to study with the people, and of course, the daughter-in-law was willing to cooperate. As they studied with the group, their own interest was awakened. Within four months they had completed the Truth book. The two brothers from Navojoa made arrangements for regular visits to be made by elders and other publishers. The first ones in that group to become publishers were the schoolteacher and his wife. They were baptized at the district convention in 1989. In June 1990 a congregation with ten publishers was  formed in El Trigo de Russo, and almost everyone living in that area is having a Bible study.

Gilead Cultural School Fills a Need

Many young pioneer ministers in Mexico have had the desire to serve in other countries where the need is greater. However, because of the great need already here in the Mexican field, they were not encouraged to move abroad, and very few were invited to attend Gilead School. Besides, attending Gilead School required that they learn the English language, which was difficult for some. During 1980-81, however, 72 young Mexican pioneers were able to receive special training in the Gilead Cultural School of Mexico for service wherever they might be needed in Latin America.

Since they would have no difficulty with the language and they were going to countries that have cultures very similar to Mexico’s, these graduates could easily adapt to the countries to which they were assigned.

New Branch Facilities Dedicated

As organizational growth continued, the offices at 71 Melchor Ocampo Street became too small to care for the work that was being done there. In 1973, La Torre del Vigía bought land outside of Mexico City, in the settlement called El Tejocote, and there a new and spacious Bethel Home was built to accommodate more than one hundred people. The Bethel family moved there, and it was dedicated in April 1974. It seemed that it would provide ample space to enable us to care for the work for many years. But not so! As the tempo of growth in the number of Witnesses sped up, it became necessary to expand, so added facilities were dedicated in 1985, and further additions in 1989.

In addition to providing office facilities and space to house the members of the Bethel family, provisions were also  needed to produce large amounts of Bible literature for the Mexican field. It was becoming increasingly difficult to receive supplies of magazines from outside the country. We wanted to print our own, but the law did not permit a civil society to do this. To accommodate the situation, in 1983 we arranged for a local commercial firm to print La Atalaya and ¡Despertad! We also experimented with having books printed and bound by various publishing houses. However, the best that we could get at a reasonable rate were paperback editions. Poor quality and late delivery were constant problems.

At this point it was decided to form another society specifically for publishing. Its operation conformed to all the legal requirements for such an operation in this country. A factory about 15 minutes away from Bethel was purchased and remodeled, and a new printery was installed there. What joy when it was announced that in Brooklyn the Watchtower Society had put two M.A.N. rotary presses on board a ship bound for Mexico! But what a disappointment it was to learn that when the boat had encountered a severe storm en route, the presses had practically been destroyed! Roberto Gama, a member of the Branch Committee, traveled to the port of Veracruz to receive the presses—or what was left of them. He gave way to tears when he saw them.

Would it ever be possible to reconstruct those presses? Perhaps at another time and under other circumstances, the presses would have been scrapped. But in this case, they had to be made to function, and it was not an impossible task for brothers who had learned how to improvise and make use of anything at all in order to provide the necessities of life. The Society sent two brothers from Brooklyn to help the Mexican brothers, and with great effort and  perseverance, along with patience, the broken parts were repaired or replaced and the first press was installed. Thanks to Jehovah, it worked! Afterward the second press was made to work.

It was a real joy when La Atalaya of October 1, 1984, came off the press. ¡Despertad! started coming off the press with the issue of May 22, 1985. What a relief it was finally to cut ties with worldly printing firms!

Two new four-color Hantscho web offset presses were expected to arrive in 1987, so the factory was enlarged to make room for them. In September 1988 “¡Mira! Estoy haciendo nuevas todas las cosas” (the brochure “Look! I Am Making All Things New”) came off the press in full color! Since then all the necessary books and magazines for Mexico, as well as for many of the Central American countries, have been printed here. The two four-color presses print four million magazines a month.

Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico

The organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses has always operated along the same basic lines in Mexico as in other parts of the world. Also, since 1931, the brothers have individually identified themselves as Jehovah’s Witnesses. Yet, for many years, in Mexico, it was necessary for the organization to function as a civil and educational society, as explained earlier.

However, during the decade of the 1980’s, changes began to take place. Government representatives repeatedly visited some of our meeting places and insisted that they be registered with the government as places for religious meetings and that these become federal property. On the other hand, it became more and more difficult to rent public places for our conventions and assemblies because the authorities  insisted that the law prohibited religious meetings in public places.

This led to meetings with government representatives in 1988. We learned that the authorities, even though they had no complaint against our organization as to comportment, felt considerable distrust because of what others had told them about our organization and our attitude toward the national emblems. Furthermore, they had the idea that our organization operated underground since the meeting places could not be easily identified. At our meetings with the authorities, they received an ample witness as to the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Our position of Christian neutrality was made clear, also our respect for government authority, balanced with insistence on refraining from what to us is idolatry. The conclusion drawn from these interviews was that our organization should operate openly as the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses, even if it meant that all of our meeting places would become government property. This would allow the authorities to get better acquainted with our work, and this, we felt, should have positive results. Even so, there was no solution regarding how we would be able to hold large conventions.

In 1989, with the approval of the Governing Body, a letter was written to all the “companies” saying that as of April 1, we would be operating in Mexico as a religious organization. Afterward, in the June issue of Nuestro Ministerio del Reino (Our Kingdom Ministry), which was changed from being called Informador (Informant) de la Torre del Vigía, further details were given. From then on, the Bible would be used from door to door, and prayers would be offered at meetings. Later, we began to sing songs at the meetings.

 You can just imagine the rejoicing this brought to the congregations! Tears of joy streamed down the faces of the brothers in the Halls for Cultural Study, or Study Halls (which now became Kingdom Halls), and at the conventions and assemblies, when collective prayers and singing began. Furthermore, direct use of the Bible in our door-to-door witnessing infused the brothers with increased zeal, made their work more effective, and gave them great satisfaction. Without fully realizing it, we had also established a foundation from which to defend our Christian way of life legally.

Witness Children Under Strong Pressure

The children of Jehovah’s Witnesses have always been subjected to strong pressure because of not saluting the flag—any flag. Individually or accompanied by their parents, the children explained their position to their teachers. Sometimes their explanation was accepted, but in the majority of cases, they were expelled from school. When the children were expelled, the parents would look for a school with teachers who were more tolerant so that the children could continue their education. However, nothing much could be done legally, since there was no basis for defending the children’s rights before the authorities.

As the number of publishers increased, pressure on the Witness children increased. Newspaper articles criticized the position taken by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Since we were now operating in Mexico as a religious organization, the time had come to embark upon a campaign in defense of the Christian conscience of Witness children in the schools.

Fight for Freedom of Conscience in the Schools

In 1989, strong appeals were made to the federal authorities for the right of the children to be educated, in accord  with what the Constitution of the country guarantees. Witness lawyers throughout the country cooperated with the committees that were established to coordinate the handling of these cases under the direction of the Legal Department of the branch. When confronted with a legal suit, many school officials backed down. More than one hundred cases have been taken to court. Forty-nine have been decided in favor of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and 28 are still pending. Twenty-eight cases have been appealed to the Magistrados de los Colegiados de Circuito (courts that are superior to federal judges), and in these, 14 favorable decisions have been rendered, setting a precedent for the lower courts. The children have not been granted any exemptions, but the judges have ruled, in accord with the law, that no child may be deprived of an education for any reason. When education officials have acted arbitrarily, in many cases federal authorities have intervened. Some public education officials have become more reasonable about the matter, and they have sent out some favorable directives.

A program was organized for Witnesses to visit school officials in all parts of the country to give them firsthand information about the position of Jehovah’s Witnesses as to civil ceremonies. Biblical and legal information was shared with them. Many of them knew very little about Jehovah’s Witnesses. Bit by bit the officials have come to realize that the refusal of Witness children to share in certain ceremonies is a conscientious stand based on religious principles and that, nevertheless, the children are respectful of national symbols and are respectful of the authorities. (Ex. 20:4; Rom. 13:1) Even though the problems have not been completely solved, a good witness has been given to judges, school officials, and teachers, and as a result, some of them have shown interest in the truth.—Matt. 10:18-20.

 One federal judge in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, who rendered a favorable decision is now being visited by the brothers. He recently told them that he had nearly finished reading the book Life—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation? Then he opened his desk drawer and said, “I’ve got the Bible here that you left me, and these books are my best companions.”

Another federal judge, a woman, in Chilpancingo, Guerrero, who had handed down a favorable decision, asked the brothers to explain to her clearly our position of Christian neutrality. She appreciated the explanation and indicated that, even though she had not understood our position clearly before, she was glad that her decision, which was in accord with the law, had been in our favor. She also accepted some Bible literature.

Conventions and Assemblies—A Grand Witness

How has our holding of conventions and assemblies been affected by the fact that our organization is now recognized not merely as a cultural society but as the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses? In 1988 when this situation was first presented to the authorities, they simply directed us to the law that makes no provision for religions to have public  meetings outside their normal meeting places. At that time they suggested that, instead of using public places, we have our own large facilities for conventions and assemblies. We persisted and asked if we could obtain special permission to hold our large gatherings in public places. They said that we could turn in our applications, and these would be considered. They did not prohibit our having large meetings, because we have always had them and other religions have also carried out public religious functions. One of the Society’s responsible brothers remembers how that meeting concluded: “When we took our leave, I said, ‘Well, then, it is understood that we are going to continue as we have been doing until there is some other arrangement.’ They agreed, and we exchanged our good-byes in a cordial atmosphere.”

So the Society continued to arrange for conventions and assemblies, but we began to use lapel cards, just as the Witnesses do throughout the rest of the world. We also began to sing and pray at our conventions. Instead of avoiding publicity, we kindly received reporters. Government inspectors who attended the conventions at various locations have been favorably impressed. And, with Jehovah’s blessing, the conventions have given a great witness to his name.

During the final months of 1993, there were 161 “Divine  Teaching” District Conventions held in 74 cities, with an attendance of 830,040 and a baptism figure of 15,662. This was certainly in contrast with the early beginnings.

“A Wake-up Call to the Catholic Church”

Numerous newspapers in the country have spoken very positively about some of our recent conventions, and this, in its own way, has given a witness that reflects well on Jehovah’s name. El Norte of Monterrey, Nuevo León State, dated October 27, 1991, said: “Even though 25,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses were at the Monterrey Baseball Stadium, inside there was no garbage, no shoving, no shouting, nor was it necessary to have police patrols . . . The crowd, children, adolescents and grown-ups, came to the event in formal dress; the men were distinguished by the use of a tie and the women by their long skirts of subdued colors. In almost everyone’s hand was a copy of the Bible, the Witnesses’ own translation called the New World Translation, which they all used whenever the speakers made reference to some chapters of the book.” In the same city another news report quoted the words of a Catholic monsignor who said: “The message that the Annual Meeting of Jehovah’s Witnesses left was a wake-up call to the Catholic Church to reinforce its faith.”

A reporter present for a convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Arena México described what she saw and heard and then said: “As for myself, I go away meditating. I look around at our parishes, our communities, I look inside myself and feel ashamed of the poor testimony that I have given of the faith I profess and in which I firmly believe. . . . And so I take my leave of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, examining my conscience and asking for the strength to become a  true witness for the true faith.” In the northern city of Monclova, Coahuila State, the newspaper La Voz said: “We must admit the truth of what they are accomplishing . . . Not many days ago, in this same place, the Catholics had a meeting in which even the state leader of the Catholic Church was present and the stadium never looked as clean as it does now . . . even after three days of meetings and, before they abandon the stadium, they will leave it clean . . . With a certainty we dare say that the only time this park looks nice and ‘usable’ is when Jehovah’s Witnesses have their meetings in it.”

The Question of Appropriate Use of Blood

Our present status in Mexico as Jehovah’s Witnesses has also put us in a better position to defend our Bible-based position on blood. It has always been difficult for our brothers to get attention in the hospitals. Doctors in Mexico are not accustomed to having their knowledge and authority over the care of hospital patients questioned. Brothers who needed operations would explain their religious stand to the doctors, but only in a very few cases was their conscience respected. They had to go from one institution to another trying to find doctors who would treat them without the use of blood.

With a view to improving the situation, a medical seminar was held in Mexico from January 25 to 27, 1991. It was directed by brothers from Brooklyn. Following that, a Hospital Information Desk was set up at the branch office, and Hospital Liaison Committees were formed throughout the country. Since then the medical institutions in the country have been receiving a mountain of testimony about the position of Jehovah’s Witnesses on blood.

In April 1991 some of the brothers working with the  Liaison Committees were invited to Acapulco, Guerrero State, for the First Latin-American Congress on Transfusion Medicine and Blood Banks. Present were representatives from 12 Central and South American countries. In a speech entitled “Organization, Standardization, and Legal Framework,” it was mentioned that “Jehovah’s Witnesses are a group that, because of their religious convictions, object to the use of blood, which makes it imperative to look for alternatives.” The doctor who presented this information spoke briefly about the Hospital Liaison Committees. Beforehand, an interview had been held with this doctor and he knew how we are organized. There was a session for questions, and when some insisted that life should be saved in spite of religious convictions, the doctor simply said, “If you want to avoid having legal problems, you had better treat this religious group with respect.” Then he added that, according to the General Law on Health, the consent of the patient must be obtained before blood is used.

Another series of talks was held in the auditorium of the Superior Court of Justice. During one of these, a lawyer presented two questions that affect Jehovah’s Witnesses: “Is it legal to deny health services to Jehovah’s Witnesses just because they do not donate blood?” and, “Is it correct and legal to transfuse blood by force into Witness patients?” The Legal Director of the Health Secretariat showed that nothing in the law requires a patient to donate blood in exchange for medical attention. He stated: “Medical attention is an obligation that the General Constitution of the Republic places on all institutions, and it should be given without any restriction. To deny medical attention is a crime.” These speeches opened the way for some very positive interviews with officials of the Health Secretariat.

 A report from the Hospital Information Desk says: “An interview was held with the Legal Director of the Health Secretariat in Mexico. The arrangement for the Hospital Liaison Committees was explained, and he thought this was most exceptional. Then he asked us to explain directly from the Bible the basis for our religious position. He seemed to understand it very well and said that he would put us in contact with other medical authorities in order for them also to hear our position and the arrangements that we have. One of the interviews that followed was with a doctor who is head of Transplant Registrations and who has operated with good success on Jehovah’s Witnesses for kidney transplants. These interviews have proved to be very interesting, since the doctors are impressed by the way we have become organized on a worldwide scale in order to reach a better understanding between Witness patients and the hospital personnel.”

The Numbers Speak

While all of this was going on, the publishers continued very active in preaching the good news. Outstanding growth has taken place since 1931, when 82 reported having shared in the field service. By 1961 we had a peak of 25,171 publishers. Bible study activity had improved, but there were not yet many brothers trained to conduct studies. Little by little the publishers were being educated, and this led to their having greater success in the house-to-house work, in making return visits, and in conducting Bible studies.

So by 1971, there was a new peak of over 50,000 publishers. For seven years out of eight, we had an increase of more than 10 percent; sometimes it went up to 14 percent. Besides, nearly every year during the 1970’s, more than 5,000 people were baptized. It took only ten years after 1971  to add nearly 50,000 more publishers to the ranks. In 1981, there was a peak of 101,171. By this time the number of Bible studies had nearly caught up with the peak number of publishers, and from then on there was, on an average, more than one home Bible study per publisher.

The zeal of the brothers for the field ministry has not abated. The 1994 service year ended with a peak of 404,593 publishers. Bible studies now average more than 535,000. Attendance at the Memorial celebration in 1994 was 1,379,160, which indicates that 1 out of every 63 persons in the country attended. The chart below shows how the activity of Jehovah’s servants in this country has increased during the years since 1931.

As the chart shows, the decade starting in 1981 saw an upsurge in the number of home Bible studies, from an average of 100,636 in 1981 to 472,389 in 1991, an increase of 369 percent in ten years, and it has not stopped!

It is very easy to start Bible studies in Mexico. As an example, a publisher in Monterrey, Nuevo León State, offered a Bible study to a woman the very first time he spoke to her  at the door. She accepted right away. Later he inquired why she had so readily agreed to have a Bible study in her home. She replied: “You are the first person who has ever offered to study the Bible with me.”

“The Publishers Are Bubbling Over With Enthusiasm”

Many persons have asked: “What is the secret to the outstanding increases in Mexico in the past decade?”

One of the members of the Branch Committee replies: “Everywhere you go in the country the publishers are just bubbling over with enthusiasm, and the whole country seems to be on fire with the truth. The brothers are full of experiences in the field service and ask to hear yours too. The truth envelops the brothers, and their lives revolve around the truth. The publishers are very zealous and preach the good news of the Kingdom wherever they go, and Jehovah has blessed their efforts. Proverbs 10:22 sums it up nicely in these words: ‘The blessing of Jehovah—that is what makes rich.’ It is also very common for persons to begin attending meetings at the same time they start having a Bible study. They start to study with the idea of becoming Jehovah’s Witnesses. This helps them to progress rapidly in the truth.”

The Ministerial Training School

Now there is an added provision to help brothers in Mexico to become better equipped to take care of the productive field—the Ministerial Training School. The first class in Mexico began in November 1991. Twelve classes have been held since then. It is an eight-week course prepared by the Teaching Committee. The material is especially designed to equip elders and ministerial servants to fill urgent needs in  the theocratic organization. Under the supervision of the Service Committee of the Governing Body, qualified single brothers in Mexico are invited to attend in order to be trained with a view to taking on added responsibilities in areas where the need is greater. In some cases this means serving in other countries.

The brothers have responded enthusiastically. When the announcement about this school was first made, 600 filled out preliminary applications! Because so many young brothers are continuing to make themselves available, two classes are being held simultaneously more than once a year. As a  result, better care is being given to the flock of God in this part of the world.

Pioneers Continue to Open Up Isolated Territories

With more than 9,800 congregations throughout the country, all the cities and towns are now assigned as congregation territory. Still, there are numerous isolated territories. Many pioneers are making themselves available to reach these. They obtain part-time work, or their families assist them in various ways, so that they can serve in these areas.

Besides these, there are 671 special pioneers who are  serving at present, mostly in small congregations and out-of-the-way places not previously reached with the good news. They are doing a fine job.

Among the special pioneers are some who have served as what we might call itinerant pioneers. They move from place to place within a given area in order to reach people who live in territories that are almost inaccessible. These brothers use a small covered pickup truck that carries an ample supply of literature and is equipped for sleeping. Thus, they have a place to sleep when nightfall overtakes them. But in the mountains they frequently have to leave the truck at the end of the road and strike out on foot, carrying food and other supplies in knapsacks on their backs. For the past five years, several groups of brothers have been assigned to this work by the Society, with excellent results.

The following is an example of the many interesting experiences these zealous brothers have enjoyed: “In the town of Altamirano, Guerrero State, we found many people interested in the truth of God’s Word. In just one month we began 40 Bible studies in the homes of interested people. One was with a Catholic man whose house was full of images. When it was explained to him and when he read in the Live Forever book about how wrong idolatry is in Jehovah’s eyes, he broke up all his images. We invited him to the 1991 district convention, and he attended along with six other people. He began to attend all the meetings, even though he had to travel 45 kilometers [28 miles] to get there. He is now fulfilling the requirements to be a good publisher.”

As a result of the labors of these pioneers, much Bible literature has been distributed, and small congregations have been established in places where there had previously been no Witnesses. Expressing how he felt about this work,  one of the pioneers wrote: “We visited lovely places and fine people who were willing to listen. Many even cried and asked us to stay with them longer, and really, it made you want to stay with them because of the need there is . . . It also made us realize how loving Jehovah is to use his servants to take the good news to these people who are poor and humble and who live in such isolated territories.”

‘More and Better Halls’

It seems that there is just not enough time to do everything that needs to be done in Mexico. The construction programs have been extended to include Kingdom Halls and Assembly Halls. Our motto has become, “More, better, and bigger Kingdom Halls,” and the brothers throughout the country are enthusiastically building better meeting places. With over 800,000 people attending the district conventions, it has become difficult to rent appropriate facilities. Attention is being given to building Assembly Halls that can accommodate not only circuit assemblies but also small district conventions. Under the present laws, and with Jehovah’s blessing, there are very fine prospects in this regard.

An outstanding project was completed in the border city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas State. There, a generous person donated about 10 acres [4 ha] of land for the building of an Assembly Hall. The brothers from eight surrounding circuits worked on the project enthusiastically, making great personal sacrifices in order to build an Assembly Hall to accommodate 3,600 people. It sets a pattern that we hope to follow in other parts of the country. In November 1992 that Assembly Hall in Reynosa was dedicated by Albert D. Schroeder, of the Governing Body.

For a number of years, we have had two small Assembly  Halls in Mexico City. Each of these holds about a thousand people. But on May 9, 1993, in the suburb of Tultitlán, a beautiful hall that accommodates 3,000 people was dedicated by John E. Barr of the Governing Body. In just one year, enthusiastic brothers from Mexico City had constructed it. This fine Assembly Hall is truly an honor to Jehovah.

Building on a Larger Scale Than Ever Before

The activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses has continued to expand at an explosive rate. Within just the past decade, the number of Witnesses has increased from about 150,000 to over 400,000. The number of individuals and family groups with whom home Bible studies are conducted has soared from about 180,000 to over 535,000. Large amounts of Bible study literature are needed. Last year, more than 30,000,000 books, booklets, and magazines explaining the Bible, in addition to millions of tracts, were distributed by Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico. A new branch construction project is under way—larger than ever before. It will provide housing to accommodate about 800 additional Bethelites. The factory size will be quadrupled. This is a building project that will require some five years and much international cooperation.

We look forward to having a factory that is capable of producing Bibles, books, booklets, magazines, and other literature in sufficient quantities to satisfy the spiritual hunger of sincere people not only in Mexico but also in other Latin-American countries.

Spiritual Shepherds for the Flock of God

The brothers who compose the Branch Committee supervise various areas of work at the branch office and elsewhere, and they travel regularly to serve at assemblies and  conventions. This helps to keep them in close contact with all aspects of the work being done here in Mexico. Their wives loyally support them in the heavy responsibilities they have. As a group, these brothers have served an average of 41 years since baptism, and 37 years full-time. All are members of the Bethel family.

Working out in the field are 34 district overseers and 446 circuit overseers. There are 9,810 congregations, and an average of 20 new congregations are formed each month. Consequently, these traveling overseers, along with the elders and ministerial servants in the congregations, keep very busy taking care of the flock. We have, on an average, 1.7 elders and 2.8 ministerial servants per congregation. Thus, many congregations urgently need additional qualified brothers. Furthermore, the constant increase in publishers leads to the formation of more congregations, and all of these need qualified elders and ministerial servants. The few who are serving in each congregation do fine work in shepherding Jehovah’s little sheep.—John 21:15-17.

New Law on Religious Associations and Public Worship

For the past 135 years, Mexico has had a policy of separation of Church and State. In 1865, the situation became so tense that relations between Mexico and the Vatican were severed. In view of its past experience with religion, the government imposed restrictions affecting all religions. Nevertheless, when Carlos Salinas de Gortari began his term of office as president of the Republic in December 1988, one could foresee that there would be a change in policy regarding religion and that there would be a rapprochement with the Vatican. At the time of the president’s inaugural  speech, high-ranking representatives of the Roman Catholic Church were present.

Naturally, questions arose as to how this might affect the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses. After this manifestation of goodwill toward the Catholic Church, the Catholic clergy pressed for changes in the Constitution in order to give more freedom to religious organizations. This issue was debated in the press constantly for two years, thus preparing the way for religious organizations to have legal standing in Mexico. Up until then, religion had only had a de facto existence but no legal standing or rights. It was clear that the clergy were seeking not only legal recognition but also privileges that have to do with politics and education. Moreover, in their declarations, some Catholic priests insinuated that Jehovah’s Witnesses should be restricted and not be given legal status. Finally, in January 1992, Congress made some modifications in what the Constitution said about religion. Later, in the month of July, bylaws were drawn up to put the changes into force. These were called the Law on Religious Associations and Public Worship.

The intent of the law was to give more freedom to religious associations. This law provides that religious organizations can now own property. They are also authorized to hold religious meetings and manifestations outside their temples. One article mentions patriotic symbols, and one could surmise that this was promulgated with Jehovah’s Witnesses in mind. However, on May 7, 1993, the Secretariat of Government granted recognition to La Torre del Vigía and to Los Testigos de Jehová en México. We have confidence that the new law will permit the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses to move ahead in Mexico and that we will be allowed to carry on with full liberty, availing ourselves of legal rights and privileges that were not open to us previously.  Without realizing it, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico were preparing for this freedom even before the law was passed.

Much More to Tell About Mexico

It would be impossible to include here all that has happened in the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico. What we have seen is just a brief review of our historical album. Some of the early scenes were somewhat like faded photographs in black and white. The more recent events have movement and life of the sort that are better captured on a videotape.

For persons only recently associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses, the trials confronted by those who shared in opening up the work in Mexico may come as a surprise. They are accustomed to a spiritual paradise where there is an abundance of spiritual food, where there are hundreds of thousands of God-fearing associates, and where service to God is carried out in a well organized manner. Even so, in many parts of Mexico, Jehovah’s Witnesses still have to put forth great effort to get to their meetings. Some still need help with reading in order to benefit from the spiritual provisions that are available. Also, there are still traveling overseers who must wade rivers and climb mountains to reach congregations that they serve. For those in the cities, life may seem to offer more in a material way, but there are also more temptations. Regardless of the pressures that they experience, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico are delighted to be united with their Christian brothers and sisters worldwide in serving Jehovah—a work that brings them true joy and contentment.

Although you now know much about the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Mexico, you have by no means become acquainted with all your brothers and sisters here. Yet, all of  them have interesting experiences that they can relate. Furthermore, there are still multitudes whose hearts we hope to reach with the good news. It is our earnest hope that they too will become part of that rapidly expanding family that looks to Jehovah as its God and Father. And if we are impressed with the expansion in recent years, what will we say after Armageddon, when Jesus Christ begins to raise from the dead the millions of Mexicans who are now in their graves and gives them opportunity to learn about Jehovah and His righteous ways? So by no means does this report contain all the news from Mexico. Some of the most thrilling events lie ahead. With Jehovah’s blessing, there will be much more to tell.

[Chart on page 242]

PEAK PUBLISHERS AVERAGE PUBLISHERS BIBLE STUDIES

1931 82

1941 859

1951 10,335 8,366 5,409

1961 25,171 22,235 18,198

1971 54,384 51,256 50,270

1981 101,171 98,610 100,636

1991 335,965 319,634 472,389

1994 404,593 388,623 535,912

 [Map on page 168]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

MEXICO

Monterrey

Guadalajara

Mexico City

Veracruz

[Picture on page 170]

Some aspects of Aztec religion were merged with the Catholic faith

[Picture on page 175]

Group of Bible Students in Mexico City, about 1920

[Pictures on page 177]

“Bulletin” announcing registration of the Society in Mexico, with publisher identification card

[Picture on page 178]

José Maldonado, one of the early pioneers in Mexico

[Pictures on page 184]

Manuel Amaya and the transportation he used as a pioneer

[Picture on page 188]

Pedro De Anda preached throughout the country

[Picture on page 191]

After reading the Society’s literature, Mario Mar accepted an assignment to preach before ever meeting a Witness

[Picture on page 192]

A convention of Witnesses (Testigos) in Mexico City in 1934

[Pictures on page 198]

Early pioneers with their means of transport in the State of Veracruz

[Picture on page 200]

Fred and Blanche Anderson, Gilead graduates who devoted the greater part of their lives to service in Mexico

[Pictures on page 202]

Shirley Hendrickson (left) and Rosa May Dreyer—service companions for over 50 years

[Pictures on page 207]

Others of the Gilead graduates who have served in the Mexican field: (1) Elizabeth Tracy, (2) Jean Friend, (3) Esther Lopez, (4) Rubén Aguirre, (5) Russell Cornelius, (6) Esther Vartanian (Lozano), (7) Mildred Simpkins, (8) Maxine Miller (García)

[Pictures on page 209]

Some who have helped with oversight in the branch

(1) Rodolfo Lozano, (2) George Papadem, (3) Samuel Friend, (4) William Simpkins, (5) Robert Tracy

[Picture on page 210]

Adulfo and Leonor Salinas; his assignment as district overseer kept them traveling for many years

[Pictures on page 223]

Branch facilities used in Mexico since 1985

[Pictures on page 236, 237]

Happy Kingdom proclaimers now in Mexico

[Pictures on page 244, 245]

(At left) The Mexico Bethel family in 1993—and still growing! (Below) New branch facilities being erected to care for needs of rapidly expanding congregations in Mexico

[Picture on page 252]

The present Branch Committee in Mexico (from left to right): Robert Tracy, Roberto Gama, Carlos Cázares, Santos Estrada, Juan Angel Hernandez, and Rodolfo Lozano