Latin America Grand Lodges
Brazil, Venezuela, Chile, Peru, Jamaica, Mexico and Grand Lodges
proceedings
CHAPTER III
masonry in latin america
W.Bro. Juan Carlos
Alvarez, P.J.G.W.,
Regional Grand
Counsellor New South Wales, Australia.
Latin America Grand Lodges
Brazil
The first independent and autonomous Masonic Grand Body in Latin America was
the Grand Orient of Brazil, founded on 17th June, 1882 in Rio de Janeiro. Its
first Grand Master was Jose Bonifacio de Andrada y Silva, the patriarch of
Brazilian independence.
During the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) French troops invaded Portugal in
1807. They reached Lisbon, but not in time to prevent the Regent Joao, who was
acting for his demented mother Queen Maria, together with his mother, his wife
Carlota, some 15,000 members of the Portuguese nobility and 50 million dollars
of State funds to be taken away on board of English and Portuguese ships to
Brazil. On January, 1808 the refugees reached Bahia, but finding that region's
climate too tropical, they moved on to Rio de Janeiro, arriving on March 8,
1808.
The Regent Joao found his colony too backward for his liking and took
immediate steps to modernise it and to ease colonial restrictions. When the
demented Queen Maria died on 1816, the Regent became King Joao VI.
Rio de Janeiro served as the seat of the Portuguese government from 1808 to
1821, when King Joao VI returned to Portugal leaving his son Pedro de Braganza
as Regent of Brazil.
Prince Dom Pedro, who later refused to return to Portugal, was initiated in
Freemasonry and was a member of Lodge "Commerce and Arts" in Rio de Janeiro,
which is still working and is now the oldest lodge in Brazil, when he declared
Brazilian independence from Portugal on September, 1882. He was crowned 3 months
later Emperor of Brazil as Pedro the First and became the Grand Master of the
Grand Orient of Brazil when Jose Bonifacio, the then Grand Master and Prime
Minister of the Empire, graciously gave way to the Grand Mastership in his
favour.
Ever since its foundation in 1822, the Grand Orient had a most uneven and
difficult existence. The problems have been due mainly to the reluctance of many
brethren to accept the separation of the three basic degrees in Freemasonry from
the 33 degrees of the Ancient and Accepted Rite.
For many years, it has been customary, (it was an unwritten law) for the
Grand Master of the Grand Orient to assume the Office of Sovereign Grand
Commander of the Supreme Council 33§, as it was in many other South American
Constitutions, that the Grand Master ought to be a 33§ Mason before he could
become eligible for the position of Grand Master.(Another unwritten law).
This matter brought continual problems and quarrels leading to conditions for
the setting up of rival bodies, thus delaying the fraternal recognition of the
Grand Orient from other masonic bodies outside of Brazil.
A separation of the Supreme Council and the Grand Orient occurred in 1925
when Dr Mario Bhering, who at the time was Grand Master of the Grand Orient
elected to give up his office so as to continue as Sovereign Grand Commander of
the Supreme Council only.
This situation did not last long as two years later, in 1927, when Dr Octavio
Kelly became Grand Master, he insisted on taking also the position of Sovereign
Grand Commander, thus causing an immediate split between the two bodies.
This caused a large number of lodges to secede from the Grand Orient and
within few months the establishment of several State Grand Lodges.
There was not a restoration of friendly communication between the Grand
Orient and the State Grand Lodges, until the futility of these disagreements
began to be fully appreciated by many brethren.
In 1960, during the Grand Mastership of Dr Cyro Werneck de Souza e Silva,
Treaties of Mutual Recognition and Fraternal Friendship were celebrated between
the Grand Orient and many State Grand Lodges.
Today many of these treaties are said to be in existence, although we in New
South Wales are aware of only the one signed in the State of Rio Grande do
Sul.
There are now 25 widely recognised State Grand Lodges in Brazil, mostly by
Jurisdictions in the USA and members of the CMI (Confederacion Masonica
Interamericana) and all are members of the CMSB (Confederacion Masonica
Simbolica de Brazil).
There are two other State Grand Lodges not very well known, but widely
recognised by other State Grand Lodges in Brazil, namely, the Grand Lodge of
Acre, founded in 1973 at Rio Branco, Acre, and the Grand Lodge of
Amap .
The last two State Grand Lodges to be formed were the Grand Lodge of Sergipe
on 15th November, 1983 by the Grand Lodge of Alagoas, and the Grand Lodge of
Tocantins in 1989 as the Federal Government of Brazil divided the State of Goias
and created the State of Tocantins, the Grand Lodge of Goias chartered it on 5th
November, 1989.
There is also in existence a District Grand Lodge Northern Jurisdiction with
10 lodges under the jurisdiction of the United Grand Lodge of England, operating
under a Treaty formulated in 1935 with the Grand Orient allowing the English
lodges to operate in Brazil in return for the Grand Orient's perpetual
recognition by the United Grand Lodge of England.
Venezuela
The second Grand Lodge established in South America was in Venezuela, founded
on 24th June, 1824. Its first Grand Master was Diego Bautista Urbaneja, a lawyer
of good repute, who held the Grand Mastership for 20 years, and at one stage
became the Vice President of the Republic of Venezuela.
Many historians claimed that Masonry first appeared in 1798, brought from
Spain by Picornell and Gomila, helped by a group of local masons who had
returned from Spain having been initiated in the Mother Country.
Between 1809 and 1811, the National Grand Orient of Spain, granted three
warrants to form lodges in Nueva Granada, in 1814 the Grand Lodge of Vermont
warranted Lodge Patria, and there had been claimed that the Grand Lodge of
Maryland also warranted a lodge. Unfortunately extant proof appears to be
lacking, but this is understandable, as in 1827 a total ban on Freemasonry was
imposed by the government until 1838 when it was lifted.
Shortly after, two Bodies were formed, a Grand Orient and a National Grand
Lodge. Both Masonic Bodies amalgamated in 1865 to form the National Grand Orient
of Venezuela which continued its operation until 1916, when it voluntarily split
into the Grand Lodge of Venezuela and the Supreme Council for Venezuela.
These two Bodies are working in perfect amity, with the normal Treaty of
Friendship as in so many Latin American countries, in which Grand Lodge controls
the three basic degrees of Symbolic Masonry, and the Supreme Council the degrees
from the 4th to the 33rd.
Peru
Jose Toribio Medina in his "History of the Inquisition" and Ricardo Palma in
"Peruvian Traditions" provided some information in regards to the first steps in
Peruvian Masonry during the Spanish domination.
When the liberation armies entered Peru in 1812, there was in Lima a Spanish
Lodge named La Paz Americana del Sur, later renamed Paz y Perfecta Union, as was
mentioned earlier.
In 1822 Lodge "Orden y Libertad" was founded followed by "Virtud y Union" in
1823, and two more lodges, " Constancia Peruana" and "Orden y Reforma" in 1824.
With the arrival of General Valero in 1825 from Nueva Granada, all these lodges
became dependent and under the jurisdiction of the Grand Orient of Colombia.
From this date, many oher lodges were formed in several areas of Peru.
On 2nd November 1830, due to the initiative of Jose Maria Monzon, Chaplain of
the Peruvian Navy, an autonomous masonic Body was constituted, with the election
and installation of authorities taking place on 23rd June 1831. This Body was
called Grand Orient Peruano and its first Grand Master was Tomas Ripley
Eldredge.
This happy situation did not last long, as shortly after a revolution took
place in the country, with the winners declaring a bitter war against
Freemasonry. The members of the Craft had to go underground during the next 12
years and continued to work clandestinely.
In 1845, the situation stabilised and Freemasonry went back to work in a
normal manner. On 13th June 1852, the Grand Orient was reorganised under the
leadership of Dr Matias Leon, but it suffered many vicissitudes and
fluctuations. Only on 25th March, 1882, masonry became stable with the creation
of the actual Grand Lodge of Peru, under the leadership of Dr Antonio Arenas,
who was a lawyer, magistrate, professor, rector of the University of San Marcos,
president of the Parliament Lower House, senator, and Minister for Foreign
Affairs. As he was 73 years old when he took the Grand Mastership, he brought to
the Masonic Order in Peru, his great experience and prestige, being a good
stabilising factor in the chequered existence of Freemasonry in Peru.
Chile
Organised Freemasonry as we known today came to Chile in 1850. Lodge L'Etoile
du Pacifique was founded in Valparaiso on 7th August 1850 by French masons,
chartered by the Grand Orient of France after gaining the support of a lodge in
Bordeaux, one of whose members had moved to Chile.
The formation of this lodge, the intense activity by intellectuals, the
opposition to liberal ideas by the authorities, and the legacy of the
revolutionary lodges, were the facts that constituted the solid foundation of
masonry in Chile.
To be able to achieve this, it was necessary for a congregation of a nucleus
of foreigners, completely divorced from the political and religious in-fighting
so popular in this period, to be able to amalgamate in a common cause.
A French lawyer, Bro. Gent, arrived at Valparaiso and together with other
resident French masons, decided to form lodge L'Etoile du Pacifique under the
Obedience of the Grand Orient of France.
On 12th November 1851 Bro Lucien Charles Murat, Grand Master of French
Masonry issued the authorisation for this lodge to install its first Wor.Master,
Bro Gent, and commence work. Shortly after, a number of masons from the USA,
residents of Valparaiso, wishing to form another lodge requested a Warrant from
the Grand Lodge of California. As no reply was received during a reasonable
period of time, another request was directed to the Grand Lodge of
Massachusetts, which agreed to the application and sent the appropriate Charter.
This lodge, chartered from America held its first meeting of installation on 14
December 1854 under the name of Bethesda, at present still in operation under
the same name.
At first, these two lodges did not have Chilean members, mainly because they
worked with French and English rituals respectively, but about that period there
arrived in Valparaiso Bro. Manuel de Lima, a mason from Curacao, who joined
Lodge L'Etoile du Pacifique.
After a period, Bro. M. de Lima seeing the need to spread masonic light to
fellow Chileans, took the initiative and in agreement with the Wor. Master, his
Lodge proceeded to initiate Chileans. Soon after, the brethren, with genuine
fraternal concern, saw the possibilities of helping the Chilean Masons to form
their own lodge and work in their own language.
So they set about the foundation of Lodge Union Fraternal in which the first
Master elected was Bro. M.de Lima, who was installed in Valparaiso on 27th July,
1853 with a Charter from the Grand Orient of France. The lodge requested
permission to work in Spanish, which was granted provided correspondence with
the Grand Orient was maintained in French. Eight brethren joined this lodge as
foundation members.
From Lodge Union Fraternal a Past Master, Bro. Enrique Pastor Lopez moved to
Concepcion where he contributed to the foundation of a new Lodge "Estrella del
Sur" (Southern Star) which allegedly due to problems of distance and
communications, did not request a Charter from the Grand Orient of France but
instead from the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Rite for Peru.
Shortly after, the lodge surrendered its Charter with the sole purpose of
changing its obedience to another jurisdiction, in this case to the Grand Orient
of France under the name of Aurora de Chile on 12th September 1860.
In Copiapo on 11th January 1862 another Lodge, "Orden y Libertad" was formed
under the jurisdiction of the Grand Orient of France. At this particular time,
perhaps a little earlier, there was in Copiapo a lodge named "Hiram", of obscure
and unknown origin. The only certain fact today is that it was not chartered by
the Grand Orient of France and both lodges had close fraternal association until
it was completely absorbed by Lodge "Orden y Libertad". Paradoxically, Lodge
"Orden y Libertad" never had the chance to obtain its charter from the Grand
Orient of France under whose auspices it was formed because just about that
particular time a severe crisis took effect in France that put an end to the
jurisdictional rights of the Grand Orient over the Chilean lodges.
To summarise, at the beginning of 1862 there were three lodges exclusively
with Chilean membership and functioning regularly;
- Lodge Union Fraternal with Manuel de Lima as Wor.Master working in
Valparaiso,
- Lodge Aurora de Chile whose Master was Enrique Pastor Lopez working in
Concepcion, and
- Lodge Orden y Libertad in Copiapo with Guillermo Gotschal as Wor.
Master.
Ten years earlier certain events occurred in France that were to have lasting
and permanent effects in Chilean Masonry. It was a case of the direct influence
of politic upheaval and the power struggle within the Grand Orient of
France.
In 1851 Napoleon the Third declared himself the dictator of France and
apparently pretended to use Freemasonry as a tool for his own purposes. Using
the pretext that the Grand Master's position was vacant, he exerted pressure to
see that Prince Lucien Murat take charge of the Grand Orient.
As Grand Master, Murat was extremely partisan and biased in the conservation
of the temporal power of the Pope. This was extremely disliked by the masonic
membership of the Grand Orient who had proposed as the candidate for the
Grandmastership Prince Jerome Napoleon when Murat's term expired in 1861.
The Grand Master Murat reacted angrily, calling the police to clear the
Assembly Hall of the Grand Orient headquarters and named a commission to control
the fraternity until the date of the next elections.
The members refused to obey such a resolution and in view of this disorder,
the Emperor himself decided to intervene and designated Marshal Bernard Pierre
Magnan as the new Grand Master on 8th February, 1862, a position he held until
29th May, 1865.
One of the things that incensed the brethren was the fact that Magnan, who
was not even a Mason, received all 33 degrees in a single day. This very
unconstitutional move and so blatant a breach of masonic tradition and protocol
produced very strong reactions in Chile.
When the news of these events reached the country, Manuel de Lima, by then a
great influential member in Chile's masonry consulted with all the lodges before
taking the radical step of severing relations with the Grand Orient of France,
and no longer recognising their authority.
The members of Manuel de Lima's Lodge, Union Fraternal, were the real
motivators behind the move towards the formation of a new Grand Lodge. In their
regular meeting of 9th April, 1862, all of the members were present and voted in
favour, except four to approve the following resolution against the
unconstitutional move by the Grand Orient of France;
" Considering that the appointment of the Grand Master of the Grand Orient of
France by a power extraneous to Masonry, is an affront to the Constitution and
Statutes that we have sworn to observe, this Lodge, Union Fraternal, withdraws
its obedience to the Grand Orient of France, to whom until now we had sworn
allegiance and now we will be constituted as an independent Lodge, until such
time that a new masonic power regularises its works."
The next logical step was to form an autonomous body and set up a new
independent Grand Lodge. It is noticeable the strange coincidence of these facts
in 1862 with those which occurred in Spain in 1808, when another Napoleon,
Bonaparte, imposed a rule of his own choice causing the beginning of the
Emancipation of the Spanish Colonies in South America.
There were two other lodges working in Valparaiso, Lodge L'Etoile du
Pacifique, and Lodge Bethesda but they did not want to participate. There were
not many lodges in Chile at the time and two other lodges, "Aurora de Chile",
working in Concepcion, and "Orden y Libertad" of Copiapo decided to go along
with Bro M.de Lima but three lodges were not considered a sufficient number
constitutionally to form a new Grand Lodge.
It was decided then that Lodge Union Fraternal be split in two, forming a
lodge under the name of "Progreso", and on 29th April, 1862 representatives of
these four lodges met in Valparaiso to create the Grand Lodge of Chile. Thirty
members being the total number of brethren involved in this event.
The first Grand Master, Juan de Dios Artegui was formally installed on 24th
May 1862 and Manuel de Lima, the instigator of the movement, was elected Junior
Grand Warden.
The newly formed Grand Lodge was first recognised by the Grand Lodge of
Massachusetts, Orient of Boston on 30th December, 1862; by the Grand Lodge of
the District of Columbia, Orient of Washington on 12 December, 1863, and then by
the Supreme Council of the 33§, Orient of Paris, France.
The split with the Grand Orient of France was promptly healed and they
recognised the new Grand Lodge as a Sovereign Masonic Power two years later in
1864.
The first Constitution was promulgated on 18th December 1862 and the general
statutes on 30th December of the same year. Both codes, with small alterations
are still in operation.
Shortly after, they commenced to collect funds to purchase the land and build
a temple in Valparaiso, that being the "Home of Chilean Freemasonry" from the
date of completion in 1872 until August, 1906 when this beautiful building was
destroyed by an earthquake. The Order then moved its seat to Santiago in October
1906.
This, in brief is the origin of Freemasonry in Chile during its
post-revolutionary days, which are properly recorded, that being what is called
by Chilean historians as the "real or second beginning", or what one could call
organised and properly documented masonry.
Regarding its pre-revolutionary times, it was briefly mentioned with the
general description of the Revolutionary Lodges.
There is a third aspect of Chileam Masonry, and this is called, "the first
beginning" or the "Apparent origin of Chilean Freemasonry", coined by Past Grand
Master, the late Rene Garcia Valenzuela.
Contrary to the common belief, as described above, that put the date of the
beginning at 1850 with the formation of Lodge L'Etoile du Pacifique, a document
was found recently that threw new light on the history of Freemasonry in Chile.
This document was found in the Severin Library of Valparaiso, donated to the
library by a Mr Juan Enrique Tocornal, who found the document together with many
other papers and old effects of his maternal grandfather Don Francisco
Doursther, in the bottom of an old chest.
Doursther was one of the foundation members of the Lodge "Filantropia
Chilena" constituted by Bro. Manuel Blanco Encalada, who was discussed earlier
on in this paper, on 15th March, 1827 under the jurisdiction of the Grand Orient
North Colombiano and commissioned by the Rose Croix Chapter (18§) "Regeneracion
Peruana" from the Grand Orient of Lima, Peru. This document brought the
foundation of the first lodge in Chile 23 years forward from 1850 to 1827.
The document, which is the Constitutive Charter (Original Warrant or
Charter), consists of a thick linen paper measuring 35.5 x 48 cm. with a
watermark in the top left hand corner "J. WHATMAN" and the date "1823" also in
watermark. The writing is in strong black ink but the signature of Blanco
Encalada, however, was made with ink of inferior quality but perfectly legible.
Roberto Orihuela (Revista Masonica de Chile, 1980 Vol. 17, page 58) deduced from
this that the secretary or another person from either Colombia or Peru drafted
and sent the Charter to Chile and Blanco Encalada appended his signature to
it.
Some scholars are divided with respect to the value of determining if Lodge
Filantropia Chilena was the "Real" of the "Apparent" origin of Freemasonry in
Chile and there are some doubts, not as far as the legitimacy of the document
found, but related to its intrinsic value.
Historians are asking if Filantropia Chilena was a regular Lodge, or if the
document really proves the existence in Chile of a true, regular masonic
organisation in that era. Questions are asked why, if it existed, was the life
span of that lodge so short that it left no traces or any form of tradition, or
its formation was so irregular and brief that it could not flourish after its
formation. Historians concluded by saying that up to this day there is no proof
that any masonic authority had the proper authorisation to form a regular lodge
at that time.
There seems to be a reluctance to view the situation in its global aspect. Of
course there were proper authorities to form lodges. The Grand Lodge of England
had been operating in an organised form since 1717 and up to 1823 no less than
30 Grand Lodges and Grand Orients were regularly operating, including many Grand
Lodges in the United States, Italy, France, and near to home, the Grand Orient
of Brazil founded in 1822.
The fact that Simon Bolivar banned Freemasonry in 1828 was proof that Masonry
was well entrenched and organised to warrant this attack, otherwise it would not
have been necessary.
Another important consideration is the time in which this lodge came into
operation, very rugged times indeed, as the revolution was in full swing, with
many of the leaders displacing constantly, it may have been another
revolutionary lodge, in a similar fashion as the Lautaro Lodges, but with
another name. This lodge may have not been the beginning of regular Freemasonry
in Chile as known today, but it was another of the seeds planted for Freemasonry
to flourish in years to come.
Jamaica
In 1739, when war was declared between Spain and England, the Grand Lodge of
England chartered a lodge in Jamaica. The name of Jamaica, being a corruption of
the word "Xaymaca" in the native Arawak language. This lodge was numbered No 182
and was unnamed until 1776 when it become known as the Mother Lodge.
Facts regarding this lodge are unknown as the major part of masonic records
were destroyed in a conflagration which also destroyed most of Kingston.
Only five lodges, four English and one Scottish were founded during the next
31 years from 1739 to 1770 showing the slow progress of Freemasonry on the
Island. However, after this period Freemasonry started to flourish, specially
English Freemasonry as from 1784 all lodges operating in Jamaica were under
Warrants of the Grand Lodge of the Antients, constituted in London after a split
with the original Grand Lodge founded in 1717 and known as the Moderns. This
separation continued until 1813 when all come under the name of the United Grand
Lodge of England.
The Provincial Grand Lodge of Jamaica extended its masonic influence abroad
by chartering in 1774 Lodge L'Union (Provincial) no 12 in Curacao, Netherlands
Antilles, with Bro. John Jones signing the petition in addition to several
brethren with a mixture of English and French names. This Lodge remained under
the jurisdiction of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Jamaica for less than a year
before transferring its allegiance to the Grand East of the Netherlands. The
reason for mentioning this lodge in particular is because it may have been the
lodge from which Manuel de Lima originated before moving into Chile to become a
member of Lodge L'Etoile du Pacifique and be a major influence in the formation
of the Grand Lodge of Chile, as explained previously.
The Provincial Grand Lodge of Jamaica was also instrumental in the formation
of Freemasonry in Colombia by founding the Lodge Las Tres Virtudes Teologales,
as described previously, in about 1808 in Cartagena, Nueva Granada. The exact
date for the issue of the warrant or the date of this lodge's foundation is not
known for the causes mentioned previously destroying the majority of the records
in Kingston, Jamaica.
However, what is known, are the names of some of the members as in 1811,
names associated with revolutionary activities, including two members of the
clergy. This Lodge appears to have been a highly political lodge and the centre
of revolutionary plotting which preceded the liberation of Cartagena from the
Spanish in 1812.
Mexico
In Mexico the arrival of Freemasonry and its spread across the country have a
different story from the other parts of Latin America, although it developed in
a similar and chequered fashion.
The first lodges chartered in Mexico for which we have extant evidence were
introduced from Spain, New York, and Pennsylvania early in the 19th century.
Early in 1825 many of the masonic lodges working the York Rite throughout the
country were under the influence of liberals, republicans, and supporters of
federalist policies, whilst the monarchists, conservatives, and adherents of a
central system of government organised themselves into lodges working the
Scottish Rite.
This was the period when the two main factions in politics, the "Yorkinos"
and the "Escoceses", or as they were called "The Masonic Parties" emerged to
influence the politics of the country.
The term "York" serves to distinguish those rituals in which the type of
ceremonial becomes identified with the Craft as practised in the United Kingdom
and transmitted to regions with Anglo Saxon traditions, whilst the term
"Scottish" is applied to those rituals originally developed in France, now
widely used in Continental Europe and Latin America.
There are considerable differences between "York" and "Scottish" degrees, not
only in ceremonial and in the administration of its lodges, but also in small
doctrinal points. The "York" practice keeps a considerable distance from
politics and sectarian religion, with the exception of some masonic orders that
demands of its members to profess the Christian Faith.
On the other hand, the "Scottish" system is more inclined to lean towards
politics and the absolute freedom of the individual. This is clearly defined in
its motto, "Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity".
In 1826, when the Congressional Elections were held and the Yorkinos won the
majority of the seats, the Escoceses revolted, calling for the suppression of
all secret societies, the overthrow of the government, and the dismissal of the
United States Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, who supported the
Yorkinos and aroused the antagonism of the Escoceses because of his interference
in local political activities.
In the General Elections of 1828, the Escoceses won the leadership and the
right to the Presidency, but the Yorkinos at once rebelled under the leadership
of General Santa Anna and the President-Elect Pedraza was forced to leave the
country. The Congress then declared the election null and void and elected
General Vicente Guerrero as President.
This, in my opinion, set the conditions for the events which were to occur in
1910 and which was to cause once again of a division in organised Freemasonry
leading to the schism of the York Grand Lodge and the Grand Lodge Valle de
Mexico.
All Grand Lodges in existence today are mostly related to the geographical
boundaries of the States but not necessarily by their name, making its
identification somewhat confusing to Australian Freemasons, for example, Grand
Lodge Benito Juarez in the State of Coahuila, Cosmos of Chihuahua, Del Pacifico
in Sonora, Occidental Mexicana of Jalisco, Unida Mexicana of Veracruz, Oriental
Peninsular in Yucatan, etc.
The two Mexican Grand Lodges best known in the masonic world are the York
Grand Lodge of Mexico, a widely recognised small Grand Lodge of 13 lodges and
just over 300 members, and the largest, the Grand Lodge Valle de Mexico with 228
private lodges and over 10,000 members spread over 9 States of the Republic,
namely Aguascalientes, State of Mexico, Guanajato, Guerrero, Morelos, Puebla,
Tlaxcala, Zacatecas, and the Federal District.
The history of the Valle de Mexico is very complicated, but it may simplified
by saying that at one stage this was the Grand Lodge most widely recognised,
with a strong influence from the United States of America Grand Lodges, having
acquired a strong English-speaking membership. In 1910, however, as it was
partly explained above, there were many members opposed to the "Foreigners" and
the foreign language used in their lodges, who withdrew and continued as a
separate Grand Lodge using the same name. Those remaining changed the name of
the Grand Lodge to "York Grand Lodge". To this day the York Grand Lodge still
operates in the English Language although they are in the process of translating
its rituals into Spanish.
This particular incident occurred during the dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz,
when the country was in complete turmoil and because of Diaz's policies of
granting generous concessions to foreign capitalists. They were seen as the real
masters of Mexico and were severely disliked by the Escoceses.
These two Grand Lodges do not recognise each other, but in the last few years
they have agreed to enter into Intervisitation Treaties, allowing members from
either allegiance to visit lodges under the other's Constitution.
Grand Lodge proceedings
Grand Lodge proceedings in South America vary from country to country, but in
general there are some small variations and the description that follows is of a
general nature.
Grand Lodges in Latin America normally recognise officially the Supreme
Council of the 33§ of the Ancient and Accepted Rite to work the degrees from the
4th to the 33rd. It somewhat resembles the recognition of our Grand Lodge to the
Royal Arch.
The majority of Grand Lodges have a treaty of Friendship and Non-interference
with the Supreme Councils operating in their territory.
Grand Lodge Communications are held in the 3rd degree, and the quorum
required for business transactions is 10% of its members. If no quorum is
reached at the time of the meeting, another date will be fixed to within 60
days, and then no quorum is required for that particular meeting.
Grand Lodge members are classified as permanent members and temporary
members. Permanent members are all Past Masters who have completed a full term
as Wor. Master of a private lodge.
Temporary members are the Wor.Masters of lodges while they are occupying the
Chair. Members are entitled to vote in Grand Lodge proceedings, but their right
to do so could be cancelled if they fail to attend without a valid reason two
successive Grand Lodge Communications, or if their attendance at their own lodge
is less than 50%. Lodge meetings are normally held weekly.
Elections are held every three or four years for the position of Grand Master
and Officers. The votes are by secret ballot or by mail.
If it is not feasible to vote by mail, the members attending the election
meeting will cast their vote by filling in the appropriate form before entering
Grand Lodge and handing it to the scrutineers.
Private Lodges
In private lodges the election of officers may take place every two years,
and in some cases its officers could be re-elected indefinitely. The Middle
Chamber of the lodge, viz Master Masons' Lodge, will select from its members,
all officers of the lodge in addition to three members to form the Lodge
Tribunal; a position in the Tribunal is incompatible with any other office of
the lodge and their duty is to control any conduct against or contrary to
masonic teachings, morals, or principles.
The election is conducted by secret ballot and separately for each position,
never in block. In the case of equal votes for any office, the member with more
uninterrupted years after his raising to the Third Degree, will take the
position for which he was proposed.
To be eligible for any office, it is an essential requisite that the member
must have attended a minimum of 60% of the weekly meetings of his lodge in the
past two years.
To be eligible for nomination as Worshipful Master, the Master Elect requires
a minimum of 5 years as a Master Mason in addition to the minimum attendance
requirements as already mentioned.
The meeting of the officers of the lodge is called Lodge Council, should meet
once a month, and their first meeting should take place within 8 days after the
Investiture of Officers, after which, they will propose a Program of Work for
the ensuing year or the next two years, to be submitted to the Middle Chamber
for consideration and approval. Once approved, it is presented at the first
available meeting to be conducted in the first degree.
Private Lodges normally held regular meetings once a week in addition to any
emergency meeting called by the Wor.Master or by written petition by a minimum
of 7 Master Masons.
The program of meetings for each lodge should consist of two meetings in the
First Degree, one in the Second Degree, and one in the Third, to be repeated
every month.
Each lodge will determine each year, two days of compulsory attendance to be
held on a date nearest to the Solstice of Winter and Solstice of Summer, each
lodge to determine the theme for each meeting.
Each lodge must also celebrate a Funeral Meeting, or hold a Lodge of Sorrow
or Mourning once a year for members that have reached the "Eternal Orient"
during the year. Several Lodges can arrange this meeting conjointly.
In deference to the Grand Master, the brethren will stand to order whenever a
communication or letter signed by the Grand Master is read in the lodge. In the
case of the Grand Master's visitation to a Private Lodge, he will be received in
the Porch by a special reception committee and introduced to the Lodge Room
under an arch of steel.
The history of many Latin American Grand Lodges since their foundation is an
almost continuous succession of internal conflicts, however, one must look into
this perpetual turmoil with a clear understanding that it may reveal the
magnitude of the obstacles to be overcome in a region of so much adversity. It
must be remembered that whatever progress people have made, it must be gauged
not by the criteria used to judge the advancement of the more fortunate, but by
the significance and enormity of the hurdles that must be conquered.
It must also be remembered that the Craft origins in South America were
decidely different from those in other parts of the world, and it is hoped this
paper has shown that it certainly did play a large and important part in the
continent's history and revealed the struggle during colonial times to overcome
the handicaps of adverse environmental and racial diversity, as well as the
inheritance of an autocratic concept of government.
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