Moral in Action. Theory and Practice during the Porfiriato

Abstract

During the nineteenth century, civil and ecclesiastical authorities made important efforts to implant in the population moral values in tune with the liberal and conservative ideas of the groups in power. During the Porfiriato, in a country in which secularization and positivist ideas gained ground, the liberal State maintained its intention of the “moral creation” of the new Mexicans it required. Despite all these efforts, the values that were transmitted did not manage to alter some habits strongly enrooted among a society apparently assuming the “worldly” and “divine” risks of its behavior. By studying proclaimed moral values and opposing them to daily practices, the author reveals the lack of correspondence between them, which leads us to dispute the effectiveness of these moral policies.