Free Republic

In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, Communist troops murdered three Carmelite nuns at Guadalajara, Spain. They were: Sr. Maria of the Angels of St. Joseph (born Marciana Valtierra Tordesillas), thirty-one years oId; Sr. Maria Pilar of St. Francis Borgia (Jacoba Martinez Garcia), fifty-eight; Sr. Teresa of the Child Jesus (Eusebia Garcia y Garcia), twenty-seven. On July 22, with soldiers roaming the city, the eighteen nuns of the Monastery of St. Joseph scattered through the streets disguised in secular clothes. Some found shelter with Catholic families, and Srs. Maria of the Angels, Maria Pilar, and Teresa, along with two other...

Mexico’s central bank (Banxico) puts thousands of newly designed 20-peso bills in circulation on Monday, August 20. The predominantly blue-colored bill is seven millimeters smaller than existing bills. Among the new security features is a transparent window featuring a dove, which changes color when the bill is held in different positions. The front of the bill will continue to feature the image of President Benito Juarez, but a scales and a book, symbolizing justice, have been added. The reverse side depicts the archaeological zone of Monte Alban in Oaxaca.

Suad Leija has many secrets. The stepdaughter of Manuel Leija-Sanchez -- a key figure in what federal authorities believe is a document fraud organization run by the Castorena and Leija-Sanchez families -- has been in hiding and on the run from her own family. To help U.S. authorities crack down on document fraud, human smuggling and a host of other international crimes, she has revealed her family business, identified relatives and shed light on a series of national security failures. Fraudulent documents allegedly produced by the families include Social Security cards, driver's licenses, passports, hazardous materials licenses, utility bills and...

Mexican authorities have arrested the leader of a wide-reaching organization that allegedly made and distributed forged immigration and identification documents in numerous U.S. cities, U.S. officials said Monday. Pedro Castorena, 42, was arrested Saturday in the western city of Guadalajara while carrying two counterfeit Mexican identification documents that bore his photograph but an assumed name, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, said in a statement. Castorena's arrest "deals a serious blow to one of the largest fraudulent document organizations in the United States," said Julie Myers, the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs...

Brothers in Christ The vocation to holiness expressed in the life and martyrdom of two Mexican brothers inspires their family today, including a grand knight in Guadalajara April 3 has become an unofficial feast day for Cristóbal Huerta Wilde. On that day, the grand knight of Fray Antonio Alcalde Council 3552 in Guadalajara, Central-South Mexico, remembers in a special way the heroic life and martyrdom of his grandfather, Ezequiel Huerta Gutiérrez. Ezequiel and his brother, Salvador, were executed by a government firing squad April 3, 1927, due to their involvement with the Cristeros, a group of rebels, including hundreds of...

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Reuters) - The United States' occupation of Iraq will come under fire at a summit of European and Latin American leaders on Friday but they will pledge more action in the fight against terrorism. The U.S.-led war was firmly opposed across much of Europe and Latin America, and the mounting violence in Iraq has many leaders fearing the situation is spinning out of control. President Bush's attempts to rally support for his Iraq strategy have been seriously undermined by the photographs and video tapes of American soldiers abusing and humiliating Iraqi prisoners. There are several U.S. partners on...

Wed Feb 11, 3:13 PM ET By JOHN RICE, Associated Press Writer GUADALAJARA, Mexico - The boos nearly drowned out "The Star-Spangled Banner," and a few dozen fans chanted "Osama! Osama!" as the United States was eliminated by Mexico in Olympic men's soccer qualifying.  

Associated Press GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- Alecko Eskandarian scored three goals to lead the United States to a 4-3 victory over Honduras on Saturday, setting up a showdown with Mexico for a spot in the Athens Olympics. The United States won Group A of this regional soccer qualifier and will next play Mexico, most likely before more than 50,000 Mexican fans. Costa Rica next plays Honduras, and the winners of those games Tuesday advance to the Olympics. "The Mexican team will start the game with 12 players because of the 60,000," U.S. coach Glenn Myernick said of the fans expected for...