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Mormons find home in Mexican farm town
By Susan Ferriss - sferriss@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Cheyenne Washburn, 18, of Nampo, Idaho, stands with her mother Sonya Washburn outside the private Academia Juarez, a private Mormon school in Colonia Juarez, Mexico. Kids like Washburn come to learn Spanish in this Mormon enclave in Mexico, which was founded in the late 19th century by U.S. Mormons seeking refuge from anti-polygamy laws. The Anglo descendents of Mormons in this remote desert area in Chihuahua state here are bilingual and bicultural, most with dual U.S. and Mexican citizenship. Ashley Lowery/Special to The Bee /
COLONIA JUAREZ -- It doesn't take long before a relative of Mitt Romney strolls into a square in this little farm town in Chihuahua state.
Mormons fleeing U.S. anti-polygamy laws were given refuge in this remote part of northern Mexico in the late 19th century. They no longer practice polygamy, but successive generations have remained here.
"I'm not really not sure how I'm related to him, but I guess I should find out," said a grinning Morganne Romney, 14, referring to Mitt, the former GOP presidential candidate.
Mitt Romney's dad, George, was born near here. And, one of Mexico's senators, Jeffrey Jones, is also a Mormon from the region.
Through the generations, the Mormons have managed to keep both Mexican and U.S. citizenship, through parental lines.
They speak and think in Spanish and English, eat enchiladas, celebrate Mexican Independence Day and watch American TV, according to Morganne.
One of Colonia Juarez's landmarks is the brilliant white Mormon temple that shines on a hill. Another is a stately, century-old brick schoolhouse. Mexican families, some who've converted to Mormonism, send their children to the private, bilingual school with the Anglo Mormons.
Students from the United States often enroll as well, eager to learn Spanish in a place that's foreign but familiar.
Cheyenne Washburn, 18, said her parents in Idaho are comfortable with her being in the Mormon enclave. "My parents know the morals and standards," she said.
Colonia Juarez native MaKenzie Call, 15, expects she'll opt for college in the United States, as many kids do. But like many, she'll probably come back. She said that being a Spanish-speaking, dual national gives her family a unique way to serve the Mormon church - and not just south of the border.
"My brother is on a missionary trip in California right now," she said. "There are so many Spanish-speaking people there."
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