REHMLAC +, Journal of Historical Studies of Latin American and Caribbean Freemasonry plus
REHMLAC+ is an electronic, multidisciplinary and biannual journal, born for the academic dissemination of the interdisciplinary studies on or related to the global history of Freemasonry. It publishes research papers, interviews PhD graduates, in particular, on their research, reviews of academic activities, book reviews and profiles. This journal is published by the University of Costa Rica Press Pacific Headquarters Unit and is addressed to anyone interested in the subject, from members of the scholar community to the general public. REHMLAC+ has Creative Commons license and is indexed or summarized in SciELO, Red ALyC, DOAJ, Latindex-Directorio, UCRIndex, ERIH PLUS, Dialnet, Actualidad Iberoamericana, REDIB, MIAR, EBSCO, SIIDCA, Kérwá, CiteFactor, DSpace, Sherpa/Romeo, REDIAL, AmeliCA, COPAC, PKP Index, Biblat, CLASE, PERIÓDICA, SERIUNAM Catalog, RILM Database Coverage and Hispana.
Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica
The contents of the REHMLAC+ are protected by legislation such as the Berlin Declaration (2001), it shares initiatives such as the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI), it has a Creative Commons license of type “Attribution - Non-Commercial - Share Equal” 4.0 International and applies the OAI_PMH protocol of the "Open Archives Initiative". In addition, this publication is adhered to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA). Editing and publication rights belong to the journal and the intellectual property of the papers belongs to the authors. Papers published in the journal may be freely used for educational and scientific purposes, provided the correct bibliographic reference is made. The commercial use of the papers published in this journal is punishable by international regulations. This journal provides immediate free open access to its content under the principle of making research freely available to the public, which encourages a greater global knowledge exchange.
Subjetividades esotéricas. Estudios sobre masonería, espiritismo y teosofía en Costa Rica, eds. Francisco Rodríguez Cascante y Ricardo Martínez Esquivel
Review of book: Subjetividades esotéricas. Estudios sobre masonería, espiritismo y teosofía en Costa Rica. Prólogo por Juan Pablo Bubello. Editado por Francisco Rodríguez Cascante y Ricardo Martínez Esquivel. San José: Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica, Colecciones del Pacífico, Colección de Estudios sobre las Creencias y las Religiosidades, Serie Movimientos Esotéricos, 2019. 397 págs. ISBN: 978-9930-9685-3-6.
Copyright (c) 2026 Marco Antonio García Robles (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Priets, Freemasons, and Holy See politics: The “Cuestión Confirma” in Costa Rica (1873-1877)
This article analyzes the conflict between priests Francisco Calvo and Domingo Rivas in Costa Rica (1873–1877), whose divergent views on Church–State relations, modernity, and Freemasonry led to the “Cuestión Confirma.” The controversy unfolded alongside negotiations between the Costa Rican government and the Holy See regarding the appointment of the second bishop of San José, prompting the Roman Curia to address both the doctrinal dispute and the episcopal selection simultaneously. Based on Vatican and Costa Rican archival sources, complemented by specialized literature, the study offers new insights into religion, politics, and ecclesiastical diplomacy in nineteenth-century Costa Rica.
Copyright (c) 2026 José Aurelio Sandí Morales (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Eduardo Torres-Cuevas. The Inexhaustible Will of Cubanity. In memoriam
Upon his passing on August 31, 2025, this In memoriam reflects on the work of Eduardo-Torres-Cuevas in the field of the History of Cuban Freemasonry, as well as his significant role in the creation on mechanisms dedicated to the study of the subject, such as the journal REHMLAC+, the Havana Group, the Center to Historical Studies of Latin American and Caribbean Freemasonry, and the International Simposia of the History of Latin American and Caribbean Freemasnry, among other forums held in Cuba and in various Euroepan and American countries. Torres-Cuevas leaves behind an invaluable legacy in the study of the History of Thounght, the History of Church, and the History of Cuban Freemasonry, among other areas. He stands as one of the most important figures in Cuban culture, of the last third of the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st century, whose contributions had a profound impact on numerous institutions --especially the University of La Habana, the National Library of Cuba, the Academy of History of Cuba and the Office of the Martiano Program-- , as well as on the trainging of generations of historians and researchers, and creating mechanisms for disseminating bringing closer and raising awareness of the History of Cuba among Cuban citizens.
Copyright (c) 2026 José Antonio Ferrer Benimeli, Miguel Guzmán-Stein (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
León Tornero, S.J. and Lorenzo Montúfar GR ∴ 33: Religious drama and anticlericalism in Costa Rica (19th century)
This article examines the figure of Father León Tornero, S.J., his Daniel, Biblical Drama in Five Acts, and his controversy with the liberal Freemason Lorenzo Montúfar during the nineteenth century. Through the analysis of Tornero’s drama and polemical writings, it highlights the role of Jesuit literature as a defense of the Church amid the rise of liberal anticlericalism in Central America. The study situates Tornero’s literary production within the ideological tensions of his time, revealing how his work blends faith, rhetoric, and pedagogy to uphold spirituality against the challenges of secular modernity.
Copyright (c) 2026 Roberto Marín Guzmán (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Freemasonry, slavery and abolition: a transcontinental perspective
This article examines how Freemasonry, slavery, and abolition were interconnected across continents. It discusses the role of maritime routes in spreading Masonic networks and establishing new lodges. Anderson’s Constitutions prohibited enslaved individuals from joining Freemasonry, a rule that was applied with racist intent in most North American Grand Lodges. The study compares perspectives in Britain, France, and the United States, highlighting differences rooted in economic, religious, and political contexts. Ultimately, the article reflects on the contradictions between Masonic principles and the realities of slavery, and how transatlantic relationships shaped these tensions during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Copyright (c) 2026 Cécile Révauger (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Catholic Freemasons: for the Right to Double Belonging
This article addresses dual Catholic and Masonic membership in Argentina between 1857 and 1918. It proposes two hypotheses. The first is that in Argentina, as in other Latin American countries such as Uruguay and Brazil, there were Catholic Masons who persisted in defending the right to dual membership despite successive ecclesiastical, episcopal, and Roman censures. The second is that within Argentine Freemasonry, the religious faith of its members—not only Catholics—was on more than one occasion a source of tension, controversy, and ruptures.
Copyright (c) 2026 Roberto Di Stefano (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
The Crisis of Argentine Freemasonry during the Period of Grand Master Carlos Conforti (1911-1914)
This article focuses on deepening the understanding of the Masonic field during the period of Carlos Conforti as Grand Master (1911-1914). His administration coincided with one of the greatest fragmentations experienced by Argentine Freemasonry. The divisions within Freemasonry stemmed from reasons of various kinds: from demands and complaints for greater administrative transparency within the institution, to criticism over its insufficient or nonexistent involvement in “profane” society and specifically in the political arena; from doctrinal disagreements regarding religious and anticlerical issues, to factional conflicts.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mariano Rainieri (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Lights and Shadows of Brazilian Freemasonry: between Ideals and Contradictions
This work analyzes Brazilian Freemasonry, investigating the extent to which its Enlightenment ideals are realized in its historical and current trajectory. The qualitative and bibliographical research shows that, although founded on progressive principles, the Order has assimilated conservative and elitist values into the national context. While some Freemasons sought to promote moral and social transformation, others reinforced structures of power, exclusion, and privilege. This dynamic reveals tensions between universalist discourse and institutional practice. It concludes that Freemasonry simultaneously acts as a space for emancipation and hierarchical reproduction, requiring critical analysis to understand its role in Brazilian society.
Copyright (c) 2026 Antônio Carlos Coelho (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
The contribution aims to investigate the dynamics that concurred, in the last century, in the development of the Italian Masonic Institution in Libyan lands. Very little research has been done so far concerning Freemasonry in what was once an Italian colony, probably due to the difficulty in finding archival sources. The Grande Oriente d’Italia was the first Obedience to establish numerous lodges, in the most important cities of Libya. thanks to the study of the archival fonds, it can be stated that after World War I another Italian Masonic obedience, the Serenissima Gran Loggia Nazionale d’Italia, established lodges in Libya.
Copyright (c) 2026 Emanuela Locci (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Masones en dictadura: archivos desclasificados, de Gabriel Darrigran
Review of book Masones en dictadura: archivos desclasificados, de Gabriel Darrigran. La Plata: Historia de La Plata, 2025. 182 páginas. ISBN: 978-221-1882-01-1.
Copyright (c) 2026 Gastón Díaz (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Freemasonry and Civil Society. Europe and the Americas (North and South), de Margaret C. Jacob y María Eugenia Vázquez Semadeni
Review Freemasonry and Civil Society. Europe and the Americas (North and South) de Margaret C. Jacob y María Eugenia Vázquez Semadeni. Nueva York: Peter Lang, 2025. 155 páginas. ISBN-10: 1433198398. ISBN-13: 978-1433198397.
Copyright (c) 2026 Rebeca Mejía (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Profile of Roberto Marín Guzmán (1955–2024†).
Copyright (c) 2026 Ricardo Martínez Esquivel (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Vol. 18, no. 1, January-June 2026.
Copyright (c) 2026 Yván Alfredo Pozuelo Andrés (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
El papel de la masonería en Chaparra de 1918 a 1958
Interview with Manuel Sánchez Rojas.
Copyright (c) 2026 Manuel Sánchez Rojas (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Seminario “200 años de organizaciones masónicas en México” (Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas y Universidad de Costa Rica, 26-27 noviembre, 2025)
The commemoration of two hundred years of Masonic organizations in Mexico gave rise to a seminar organized by the University of Zacatecas through the José Antonio Ferrer Benimeli Chair, the University of Costa Rica, and the journal REHMLAC+. This review analyzes the main contributions presented during the two-day event, with particular attention to new historiographical, methodological, and critical perspectives on Mexican Freemasonry from 1825 to the present. It highlights a commitment to a plural, transnational, and well-documented historical approach that engages local and global processes in dialogue, without avoiding the necessary internal debates within the field.
Copyright (c) 2026 Yván Alfredo Pozuelo Andrés, Marco Antonio Flores Zavala (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
1er Congreso Internacional e Interdisciplinario sobre Creencias, Esoterismos y Religiosidades (Universidad de Costa Rica, 6-10 octubre, 2025)
Review 1er Congreso Internacional e Interdisciplinario sobre Creencias, Esoterismos y Religiosidades (University of Costa Rica, October 6-10, 2025). Links of 1er CIICER, Esoterismo y política y Esoterismo y lenguajes artísticos
Copyright (c) 2026 Mauricio Gerardo Oviedo Salazar (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Iron Freemasonry. The "Ignacio Ramírez" Lodge No. 10. Cárdenas, S.L.P. (1916-1933)
Interview with Jorge Castillo Rodríguez.
Copyright (c) 2026 Jorge Castillo Rodriguez (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Bretón, Jiménez Delgado and Nieto: a triad of Masonic musicians during the Restoration
The R. L. M. Fraternidad Ibérica n. 90 of the Grande Oriente Nacional de España, led by Eduardo Caballero de Puga, was an influential association that united some leading members of Madrid's Restoration society. A proponent of cultural and educational projects, it was also the lodge with the largest number of musicians of its era, including three distinguished figures: Tomás Bretón, F. Javier Jiménez Delgado, and Manuel Nieto. This study aims to shed light on aspects of their Masonic trajectories and their unwavering commitment to the institution's principles in which they were initiated.
Copyright (c) 2026 Fernando M. Anaya-Gámez (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Initiatory Epiphanies and Ontological Transformation 1
This article analyzes epiphanies and initiatory knowledge in various mystical, hermetic, and esoteric traditions, both ancient and modern. Through a comparative and hermeneutical approach, it examines the symbolic structures that articulate processes of ontological transformation through epiphanic transcendental insight. The study spans sources from Mesopotamia and Egypt to Scottish Freemasonry, Martinism, Egyptian rites, and the Golden Dawn, showing how initiatory paths seek the reintegration of the human being into his divine origin. This research contributes to the philosophy of initiation and symbolic anthropology.
Copyright (c) 2025 Carlos Francisco Martínez Moreno (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Semblanza/ProfileEduardo Torres-Cuevas (1942-2025)
Semblanza/Profile Eduardo Torres-Cuevas (1942-2025)
Copyright (c) 2025 Yván Alfredo Pozuelo Andrés (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Presentation of vol. 17, no. 2, July-December 2025.
Copyright (c) 2025 Marco Antonio García Robles (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Reconstructing the biography of a Black Rail-mason: Isidro Allen Nava
This article presents the findings in the research for a project focused on the life of Isidro Allen Nava, a Mexican locomotive engineer of Afro-Jamaican descent who lived in San Luis Potosi in the early 20th century. The study is structured around three main axes of analysis: Allen Nava ethnicity´s, his connection to the railway industry, and his masonic career within the Lodge “Ignacio Ramírez” No. 10. The primary aim of this work is to shed light, through Allen Navas biography, on the close ties between the railway system and freemasonry.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jorge Castillo Rodriguez (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
The Bavarian Illuminati and the Construction of the Masonic Conspiracy in Enlightenment Europe (1776–1792)
This paper analyzes how the scandal triggered by the discovery of the Bavarian Illuminati (Illuminatenorden) in Germany laid the foundation for the Masonic conspiracy theory that spread across Europe between 1776 and 1792. Through a critical review of printed sources, it explores how the Illuminati opposed mystical currents within Freemasonry and the Jesuits, developing a rationalist narrative. The article also examines how this internal conflict was projected into France through figures like Mirabeau and Bonneville, and how the resulting discourse eventually became a model for later conspiracy theories that linked Freemasonry to political subversion and anti-Enlightenment agendas.
Copyright (c) 2025 Felipe Santiago del Solar (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
The Anniversary of the Capture of Rome in the Relations Between the Catholic Church and Freemasonry
The capture of Rome on September 20, 1870, which decreed the end of temporal power, and which represented an essential stage in Italian history, is a date that has a strong historical value not only for the Catholic Church, for Italy, but also for Freemasonry. On this anniversary, the two institutions have always clashed, increasing the already notable distances between them. The contribution intends to highlight the relationships between the two institutions in the light of the printed sources represented on the one hand by the magazine Civiltà Cattolica and on the other by Rivista della Massoneria Italiana.
Copyright (c) 2025 Emanuela Locci (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Acácia da Amazônia No. 7’s Masonic Lodge role in Education in Colinas do Tocantins
This paper aims to investigate the history of the work of a Masonic lodge, Acácia da Amazônia No. 7, in education in Colinas do Tocantins. The research is based on bibliographical and documentary methodology and semi-structured interview. The research identified that the lodge created and maintained a technical education foundation for vulnerable children and adolescents and that its philanthropic work in the municipality's education ceased when access to public education became sufficient for the population.
Copyright (c) 2025 Emmanuel Ramalho (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
The Defense of Religious Tolerance in Mexico: 1821-1849. Alternatives and Nuances
The article outlines the horizon of the favorable approaches to religious tolerance in Mexico between 1821 and 1849. The theme was intermittent and presented significant variations. The text is not the review of a linear story, but the exploration of a set of imagined possibilities to establish it: from the acceptability of Christian cults to the permissibility of dissidence in domestic spaces, through the admission of unrestricted diversity within of colonies founded by immigrants. Using brochures and newspapers, official documents and parliamentary elements, he proposes and applies a periodization of the subject.
Copyright (c) 2025 Gustavo Santillán (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Belén de Sárraga and the Brasilian Freemansory - 1911
This article demonstrates the role of Brazilian Masonic Lodges in supporting the trips by the Spanish lecturer and Freethinking Belén de Sárraga, in Brazil in 1911. Documentary Research in newspapers and magazines of the time demonstrated the existence of a communication network of Masonic Order in Brazil to explain how Belén traveled to more than 36 cities, giving her lectures in packed theaters, railway stations and with an itinerary that suffered no interruption, confirming that Freemasonry was indeed engaged in the project of dissemination of Free-Thought, through the support for Belén de Sárraga’s visit to Brazil in 1911.
Copyright (c) 2025 José Lotúmolo Junior (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Hermes espírita. Narrativa esotérica de México (1870-1930), de José Ricardo Chaves
Reseña/Review Hermes espírita. Narrativa esotérica de México (1870-1930), de José Ricardo Chaves. Ciudad de México: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Bonilla Artigas Editores, 2024. 565 páginas. ISBN: 978-607-30-9571-6.
Copyright (c) 2025 Mircea Gerardo Lavaniegos Solares, Luis Adrián Linares Sánchez (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Movilización del catolicismo. El Partido Unión católica en Costa Rica, 1889-1897, de Esteban Sánchez Solano
Reseña/Review Movilización del catolicismo. El Partido Unión católica en Costa Rica, 1889-1897, de Esteban Sánchez Solano. San José: Editorial de la Universidad de Costa Rica, Colecciones del Pacífico, Colección de Estudios sobre las Creencias y las Religiosidades, Serie Religión y Política, 2023. 458 páginas. ISBN 978-9930-608-20-3.
Copyright (c) 2025 José Aurelio Sandí Morales, Mariana Blanco Ortiz (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Masones y reformas liberales. El Salvador (1871-1886) de Roberto Armando Valdés Valle
Reseña/Review Masones y reformas liberales. El Salvador (1871-1886) de Roberto Armando Valdés Valle. San Salvador: Editorial Colibrí y Gran Logia Cuscatlán, 2024. 458 páginas. ISBN 978-99961-73-04-2.
Copyright (c) 2025 René Antonio Chanta Martínez (Autor/a) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0