Juan Soldado is a Mexican folk saint venerated especially in and around Tijuana, based on the historical figure of Juan Castillo Morales, a soldier executed in 1938 for the murder of a young girl after a conviction many devotees hold was a miscarriage of justice, with the real culprit protected by rank. Popular veneration grew at his gravesite almost immediately, and he is invoked today particularly by migrants, the poor and those in trouble with the law, a devotion the Catholic Church has never recognized, making Juan Soldado, like Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde, a folk-canonized figure sustained entirely by popular practice rather than institutional sanction.
Facts
Function
Domain / FunctionTravel, roads and boundaries 1 Attestation
Veneration TodayActively venerated in a living tradition 1 Historicity DetailBased on the historical Juan Castillo Morales, executed 1938 1 History
Historical NotePopular veneration grew at his gravesite almost immediately after his 1938 execution, a devotion the Catholic Church has never recognized, making him, like Santa Muerte and Jesus Malverde, a folk-canonized figure sustained entirely by popular practice. 1 Origins
Origin of the NameJuan Soldado means Juan the Soldier, a title drawn from the historical Juan Castillo Morales's own military rank rather than a family name. 2 Attributions
Mythic AssociationA popular but officially uncanonized folk saint venerated chiefly in Tijuana, invoked especially by migrants crossing into the United States, despite the Catholic Church never recognizing his cult. 2 Cult
Principal Cult CentreVenerated chiefly at a shrine beside the municipal cemetery in Tijuana, built near the grave of Juan Castillo Morales, the soldier executed in 1938 whose case underlies the folk devotion. 1 Correspondences & Relations
Connections
Related To
Worshipped In
Source The Oxford Handbook of New Religious MovementsJames R. Lewis (ed.)
Sources
1. The Oxford Handbook of New Religious Movements
James R. Lewis (ed.), Oxford University Press, 2004on Mexican folk canonization and Juan Soldado
2. The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.