Death in the Freethinking Ideology in Yucatan, 1874-1895

Abstract

The objective of this article is to offer a summary of the ideas about the biological fact of death, originated by the group known as “librepensamiento” (freethinkers) in Yucatan. One of the central ideas that guide my research is that this group expressed their opinions on this topic as editors of four journals: El Pensamiento, LaReforma, LaIgualdad and El Libre Examen, published toward the end of the nineteenth century. These intellectuals were able to articulate an interpretation of the last rapture of life, a concept that can be interpreted as a part of the development of the secular visions of death that have been extended to the present day.