Colonia Juárez
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Colonia Juárez is a small town in the northern part of the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Colonia Juárez is located in the valley of the Piedras Verdes river on the edge of the flatlands running up to the front range of the Sierra Madre mountains. It is a little north of Mata Ortiz and about 20 kilometers to the southwest of Casas Grandes.
The colony was one of many colonies in Mexico settled by Mormon pioneers. Much like the rest of the state, the area was mostly deserted and was planned as part of the larger LDS campaign to establish the State of Deseret. Despite this, some continue to claim these colonies were organized in order to evade U.S. polygamy laws. In fact, although the town was planned before the end of polygamy, its growth in the late 19th century was primarily due to Mormon immigrants fleeing Utah and other parts of the US due to their practice of polygamy. There are many descendants of these colonies that have attained prominence in both countries, including Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts.
By the beginning of the 20th century, Chihuahua and other Mexican states were home to hundreds of thousands of Mormons and were almost a majority of the state of Sonora. The Mexican Revolution resulted in the exodus of many colonists from the region; some left permanently while others returned after a few years. However, this exodus was no different from the general exodus from the country of middle-class Mexicans who could afford to leave the tumult of the area. Many families of all backgrounds sent women and children to the United States or Europe during the Revolution; others left completely. Though it is true that the Mormon colonies in Mexico were less populated after this exodus, claims of "ethnic cleansing of the gringos" are not supported by the basic historical facts. Indeed, many of the colonists actively supported the Revolution and were befriended by Pancho Villa and other revolutionaries.[citation needed] One of the last battles of the final phase of the Revolution was fought just outside of Casas Grandes; several colonists participated in rescuing the wounded and caring for them at the old hacienda known in the histories as "El Refugio," earning the gratitude of the Revolutionary Government.
Many of the colonies survived for several generations after the Revolution. The mountain colonies, such as Pacheco, García, and Chuichupa, slowly lost colonist population due mainly to economic pressures, so that by the 1960s most Mormon colonists lived either in Colonia Juárez or Colonia Dublán, where to this day a sizable part of the population descend from the original colonists. Nonetheless, the spread of the Church in the last few decades has resulted in more convert Mormons in the area than descendants of colonists. This growth of the LDS Church is not unique to the area but paralleled throughout Latin America.
Colonia Juárez is known for its peach and apple orchards as well as cattle ranches. It is also known for the many graduates from its renowned academy. Residents typically work as farmers, ranchers or in the local schools.
Colonia Juárez is the home of the Academia Juarez (Juarez Stake Academy). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built a temple in Colonia Juárez for its members. It was dedicated on March 6, 1999 by Gordon B. Hinckley. The Colonia Juárez Chihuahua México Temple was one of the first of the smaller temples constructed by The LDS Church, and is currently the smallest temple it operates.
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