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There is no official state religion in Mexico as the constitution guarantees
freedom of religion, though the major portion of over 90% profess to be
Catholics. In consequence, religious symbolism plays a vital role in
important places as well as in the Mexicans' daily lives. The image of the
Virgin of Guadalupe who is the nation's patron saint and Catholic iconography is
to be found everywhere from street corners to taxi cabs. It is important
to acknowledge the influence of Catholicism on the Mexicans and respect their
customs as part of their culture and heritage.
 Roman Catholic was first introduced to Mexico by the Spaniards during their
conquest, but it has been incorporated and infused with the ancient cultures'
supernatural belief of gods and goddesses. Hence Mexican Catholicism is
extremely varied in practice. It ranges from those who support traditional
folk religious practices to those who adhere to the highly intellectualized
theology of liberation, and from charismatic renewal prayer groups to the
conservative Opus Dei movement. Lay groups with different goals, purposes,
and political orientations are well known and common in contemporary Mexico.
The largest and best known include Mexican Catholic Action, Knights of Columbus,
Christian Study Courses, Christian Family Movement, and a wide range of
university students' and workers' organizations. A great degree of
syncretism is also observable from the festival such as the Day of the Dead or
the veneration of the Lady of Guadalupe.
In addition to Catholicism, there are also Christian churches of other
denominations such as Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jehovah's
Witnesses, and Orthodox throughout the country. The Jewish are well
catered to as there is a large number of synagogues in Mexico. Some Muslim
services are provided although they are a bit lacking in number, and Mexico
boasts one of the only six "Tibet House" (Casa Tibet)
Dalai-Lama-government-in-exile representations in the world, resulting in a
surprisingly large number of Tibetan Buddhists in Mexico.
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