Jalos, USA: Transnational Community and Identity

Chapter Seven: Toribio Romo: “El Padre Pollero” (The Holy Coyote)

131 C h a P t e R s e V e N toRIBIo RoMo “El Padre Pollero” (The Holy Coyote) a Dallas newspaper a few years ago ran a story that included a migrant ’s description of a vision in the desert: luciano gonzález lópez, 45, who returned not long ago to his hometown of teocaltiche from Denver, . . . [said that] he and two other men were on their way to Colorado in search of work, when they got lost in the smoldering arizona desert. they walked for nearly two days without water, he said, when suddenly they saw a shadowy figure standing next to what looked like an ocean. “It wasn’t an ocean.” he said. . . . “But the sight of this man next to an ocean gave us enough hope to follow him out.” with tears rolling down his cheek as his son Benito put an arm around him, he went on: “when I told my wife back in Mexico, she responded: ‘It was st. toribio, the migrant-smuggling saint, leading you to safety. I had been praying to him for your well-being.’” (Corchado 2006) 132 Jalos, usa luciano’s is just one of a number of stories circulating along the immigrant trail of a mysterious, dark-clad stranger who appears miraculously and guides people across the desert into the United states. a discussion of Jalos, the Jalos fiestas, and los ausentes would be incomplete without special reference to Father toribio, a martyr in the Cristero war in Mexico (1926–1929) and more recently a patron saint of immigrants. as indicated in chapter 1, Father toribio Romo is venerated throughout Mexico, especially in Jalos and the los altos region, and is popularly known as “el Padre Pollero,” or “the holy Coyote” (kuz 2010). Many ausentes who return to Jalos include visits to his nearby shrine in his hometown of santa ana, which has become a thriving destination for thousands of tourists and religious pilgrims. the diocese of oakland, California, for example , has organized a guided tour to the shrine in santa ana. among those making the pilgrimage are immigrants who return to thank Padre toribio for successfully guiding them safely across the border. In fact, there are numerous shrines and tributes to santo toribio Romo on both sides of the border, including a diocesan shrine at the Peter and Paul Parish in tulsa, oklahoma, a video called “santo toribio’s life and Martyrdom” produced by el seminario Conciliar de la arquidiócesis de guadalajara, and even a corrido , or ballad, about him. the shrine in santa ana includes a small chapel, the home where he was born, a museum, and photographs of santo toribio, including those of his bullet-ridden body. there is also a calzada to the Cristero martyrs, an avenue that includes shrines and commemorative plaques dedicated to priests who were killed by the government during the Cristero war. Images of Father toribio are prominently displayed in shops and homes, and many people, including the author, carry religious cards with a picture and prayer of santo toribio. l a g u e r r a C r i s T e r a los altos de Jalisco exists within a vast region, named Nueva galicia by the spaniards, that fiercely resisted the spanish invasion and fought to expel the conquistadores from the area. Ironically, it would eventually become a staunchly Catholic agricultural region Toribio romo 133 that was at the center of the Cristero war from 1926 to 1929. given that Catholicism was imposed by force in New spain and Nueva galicia, it is also ironic that some four hundred years later, Catholics would be oppressed by the Mexican government not only in Jalisco but throughout Mexico, and that los altos would become a critical area of resistance to this religious persecution and oppression.1 the first Cristero war, also known as the Cristiada, was an armed struggle between the government and the Catholic Church that took place between 1926 and 1929. It is estimated that some 250,000 persons died. the roots of the Cristero war can be traced to the spanish Conquest, since the Cristiada was a response to attempts by the government to limit the power of the church. there were recurring conflicts between church and state long after the colonial period. In fact, the Mexican Independence Movement of 1810 and the war of Reform were clerical reactions to...