Though from different parts of Mexico, Luis and Juan Nicolás both understand what it means to live as a religious minority. We invited them to London to tell their stories and advocate for their communities in Parliament.
Hello, my name is Luis.
I’m from a state called Jalisco, and am of the Wixárika, Huiichol ethnic group. I have a wife, Amelia, and two children: a 12-year-old boy and a 3-year-old girl. We are pastors.
My name is Juan Nicolás.
I am from Hidalgo State. My wife’s name is Angélica. We have two children: a 12-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy. I am from the Nahuatl ethnic group and I work as a pastor’s assistant.
Could you tell us a little about religious freedom issues in Mexico, particularly in your regions?
Luis: According to the law, we are supposed to be free in Mexico. But in practice – especially in communities like mine – that is not respected. Those rights are violated and we are not free to practise another religion, and that is why we were expelled [from our community].
Juan Nicolás: In my state, unfortunately, there is religious intolerance, and we have had struggles to the extent of being expelled. Now we have left the state because of religious intolerance.
When were your families displaced?
Luis: My family left in 2002 – we were children at the time – and 13 families were expelled. So now we are in another community, because the original community does not accept any belief other than its own.
Juan Nicolás: In my case, it was 25 April 2024. We had to leave our community and move to another state because of religious intolerance and uses and customs*. My family and I have been relocated along with 46 other families – a total of 176 people.
Why are you visiting the UK today?
Juan Nicolás: Honestly, I am very grateful for the warm welcome we received here in the UK. We have come from so far away, to be the spokespeople for our country, Mexico. There is a lot of religious intolerance and we want to make the relevant authorities aware of this so that they can also make these cases known.
Juan Nicolás, we know that your wife, Angélica, was part of our ‘Let her be heard’ report in 2022. How else has CSW helped or supported you?
I am very grateful to CSW, which has been on hand, keeping an eye on cases, situations, religious intolerance, and the persecution we have endured. We have always seen that it has worked, and that is why we have come here, to make it known that there really is religious intolerance in Mexico.
How can we be praying?
Luis: I would like to ask my brothers and sisters to pray for Mexico first of all, and for our Wixárika ethnic group. Please pray that we can truly be free – that we can believe in what we want and be free from persecution, more than anything else.
Juan Nicolás: I invite you to pray for our country, Mexico, especially my state of Hidalgo, where I belonged. People suffer a lot of persecution; there are expulsions. So please pray – pray a lot. I would also like you to pray for my family and my community, as we are starting over again. I ask for spiritual strength so that we can move forward. It is difficult, but I am very grateful for your prayers.
What would you like to see in the future for your community?
Luis: For me, I really wish there was no persecution, no racism. Because now that we have moved to another community, to another municipality, our children are bullied a lot because we are Christians. I wish all that would end and that there could really be a result. It’s been over 20 years since we were expelled, and people who become Christians are still being expelled.
Juan Nicolás: I would simply like to have a future where I, my children, my family, the group I belong to, and the community can enjoy freedom of religion or belief; where we are not oppressed or discriminated against simply for being different from others.
And finally, do you have a message for those who are standing with you?
Luis: I am very grateful for everything God has done; that despite persecution and pain, there are organisations like CSW. Thank you very much for bringing us here and for taking an interest in our cases. May God bless you and continue to use you in this area.
Juan Nicolás: I would like to reiterate my gratitude to everyone who has been part of CSW. Even though we are so far away, from Mexico, we have had the opportunity to come here to the United Kingdom. Thank you for your collaboration, your support, and your prayers. I would like to thank everyone who has been part of supporting those of us who have suffered persecution. Many thanks to everyone, and may the Lord bless you.
Explainer: *Uses and Customs is a policy that allows indigenous communities to govern themselves according to their traditional norms and practices. Although it should operate in line with Mexico’s constitution and international human rights standards, this is not always the reality.
Our research, including testimonies of people like Luis and Juan Nicolás, has shown that, in many indigenous communities, members of the majority religion impose their beliefs and practices onto religious minorities. For example, they may be forced to participate in religious activities, illegally fined, denied basic services like water or electricity supply, and even forcibly displaced. As long as the culture of impunity continues, so will these abuses.
Case in focus:
Juan Nicolás was one of a large group of Protestant Christians displaced from the villages of Coamila and Rancho Nuevo in April 2024. This was after a dangerous escalation in threats of violence after a decade of discrimination.
For over 150 days, they stayed in a sports complex with scarce food and limited access to clean drinking water. After months of prayer and advocacy, an agreement was reached which should have allowed them to return home.
However, the local authorities (who were the majority religion, Roman Catholic) did not fulfil their promises. The group eventually relocated to a different state, where they named their new community ‘Peace’.
Connect & Encourage:
Write to encourage someone in Mexico facing injustice for their beliefs. Since new cases occur regularly, please address your cards generally and let our contacts distribute them.
Pablo Vargas Jiménez
Elisa 351
Nativitas
Benito Juarez
CP 03500
Ciudad de México
México