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Content: Protestant or evangelical growth was especially strong in
        southeastern Mexico. In 1990 Protestants or evangelicals composed 16
        percent of the population in Chiapas, 15 percent in Tabasco, 14 percent
        in Campeche, and 12 percent in Quintana Roo. Yet a significant
        evangelical presence also has appeared in several other areas, including
        the states of Veracruz and México, where more than 20 percent of all
        Protestants or evangelicals live. Church-State Relations
The Roman Catholic Church's role in Mexican history goes back to
        1519. When Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conqueror of New Spain, landed
        on the coast of Mexico, he was accompanied by Roman Catholic clergy. All
        new Spanish territories were to be conquered in the name of the cross as
        well as the crown. Since those early days, the Roman Catholic Church has
        always been present, playing different roles, some of which have led to
        violent confrontations. The history of the relationship between church and state following
        independence involves a series of efforts on the part of the government
        to curtail the church's influence. Nineteenth-century liberals, trained
        in the law and influenced by the French Revolution, were anticlerical. Liberals, who also were federalist and favored free competition, were
        highly concerned that the Roman Catholic Church, by owning between
        one-quarter and one-half of the land and by controlling most schools,
        hospitals, and charitable institutions, was practically a state within
        the Mexican state.