Why did Mexico’s leaders promote anticlerical policies after independence from Spain?

Following independence from Spain in 1821, Mexico’s leaders promoted anticlerical policies primarily as a means to dismantle colonial-era structures and assert the authority of the new state. These policies were driven by several key motivations:1

• Abolishing Colonial Privileges: Reformers sought to eliminate fueros, which were special legal exemptions that granted the military and the clergy immunity from civil obligations and allowed them to be tried in their own separate courts.23
• Separation of Church and State: Liberal leaders aimed to secularize essential social functions, including education, marriage, and burial practices, to reduce the institutional influence of the church in public life.21
• Economic Reform: The government sought to diminish the church's significant economic power by forcing the sale of its extensive landholdings, which were often not used for direct religious purposes. This was intended to foster economic development and create a class of small-scale farmers and industrialists.2
• National Sovereignty: By asserting control over the nomination of bishops—a right previously held by the Spanish crown—and later mandating the separation of church and state, leaders aimed to consolidate central executive power and establish a unified legal standard for all citizens.21