Palomar y Vizcarra, Miguel

Lawyer. Miguel Palomar y Vizcarra (born 1880 in Guadalajara, Mexico, died 1968 in Mexico City) promoted implementation in Mexico of the Cajas Rurales de Préstamo y Ahorro (Raiffeisen system) and other institutions of credit for development of small-scale agriculture and industry. In 1911 he helped create the Partido Católico Nacional, which he represented in the state legislature of Jalisco. Palomar was also a founder of the Liga Nacional Defensora de la Libertad Religiosa and its vice-president for many years. The LNDLR was founded March 14, 1925, as a lay entity independent of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, and was dedicated to the defense of religious liberty in Mexico through constitutional means. In July, 1926, in response to anti-church measures taken by the government, the LNDLR spearheaded a boycott which had significant economic impact upon the country. The LNDLR became associated with an armed uprising and the movement became known as the Conflicto Religioso) was ended by an accord referred to as the "arreglos," the LNDLR dropped the word "Religiosa" from its name. It continued functioning into the 1930s.