Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-2026

Abstract

From among the sixty-four local councils affiliated with the Sociedad Protección Mutua de Trabajadores Unidos (SPMDTU), Council No. 2 at Capulín was among the earliest organized, quickly grew in membership, and was known for its attention to recordkeeping of minutes, financial ledgers, and attendance logs. The council was established around 1901, and by midcentury a history of the SPMDTU noted: “Este concilio siempre ha tenido buen manejo. Tiene buena propiedad con su propio salón y ha llegado a tener buen número de miembros.” (This council has always enjoyed good management. It has a nice property with its own meeting hall and has come to have a good number of members). Around 1915, Council No. 2 adopted an innovative revolving loan program for access by its members, well before other local councils did the same. It also set an example in offering death benefits covering not only the male members but also their spouses. During the late 1930s, one of the women’s auxiliaries, La Sociedad Protectora Cooperativa, constructed its own Supreme Council building adjacent to SPMDTU Concilio No. 2, and later the Auxiliar Mutua Beneficiaria requested and received permission to hold its meetings at the men’s Capulín Council No. 2. All three councils collaborated when organizing social functions for the mutual benefit of the members and people from the surrounding community. Examples of Capulín records appear in the Appendix.

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