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| (Part III) Ref. The Craftsman,VOLUME 1, NUMBER 4, February 2002 |
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| The GRAND LODGE |
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| At that time the Grand Lodge name was: Muy Respetable Gran Logia de Antiguos, Libres y Aceptados Masones "Valle de México". |
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It is perhaps symbolic that the Gran Dieta vanished as the new 20th Century came in. Bro. Richard Edward Chism, member of our own Toltec Lodge No. 1, published a volume in 1899, "Una Contribución a la Historia Masónica de México", in which he referred to the Gran Dieta as a vampire which sucked the blood and life of Masonry in the country "…chupando su sangre y su vida…" Strong words, perhaps, but we may assume that the Gran Dieta was not missed, and the Grand Lodge was released from its domination.
At that time the Grand Lodge name was: Muy Respetable Gran Logia de Antiguos, Libres y Aceptados Masones "Valle de México". By 1907 it had about 1400 members in 33 lodges in activity: 16 working in Spanish in the Scottish or French Rituals; 16 working in English in the York or American Ritual; and 1 in German working in the Saint John's Ritual (Johannislogen). The two largest Lodges, Toltec No. 214 and Anáhuac No. 141 worked in English with 186 and 143 members, respectively. They are today our own Toltec No. 1 and Anáhuac No. 3. The jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge was the Federal District and the Federal Territories, but it had the right to extend charters to Lodges in any part of the country where no Regular Grand Lodge operated. A rough but official estimate is that 75% of the members were English-speaking. |
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The main concerns of the Grand Lodge at that time (1907-1910) seem to have been the following three: |
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1. To obtain official worldwide recognition. Back in 1900, it had not a single recognition from Foreign Grand Lodges, and by April 1908 it had succeeded in winning 50 recognitions, including from the Mother Grand Lodge, the United Grand Lodge of England. |
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2. Apply strictly for its work the basic Landmarks of the Craft: " Use of the Bible on the altar; " Grand Lodge sovereignty, that is, not to be subordinated directly or indirectly to any other body, rite or authority. Such a deep concern brought many frictions with other bodies, most of them considered to be "irregular" (i.e. controlled by an external body such as a Supreme Council 33º, clandestine Grand Lodges that did not respect the above Landmarks, or invaded the territories of Regular Grand Lodges). |
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1. Bring the Constitution closer to the York Rite. Grand Master J.C. Moorhead, assisted by others, took the lead in drafting a new Constitution, taking as standards those of New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and New México, combined with a careful study of that of the Grand Lodge of England. Although the process was slow and took apparently at least 3 years, the adoption of a new Constitution at the April 1910 Grand Communication was an element in the secession that took place at that time. |
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