Why did the new Constitution mandate that education be secular? How might that have made the Mexicans feel?

The new Constitution mandated that education be secular because the state wanted to move away from the Christian religion. Catholicism was something imposed by Cortez after he had destroyed the native religions and had forbidden the worship of native gods. The Indian people had no choice but to "convert" to Catholicism. By renouncing that, the Mexican government attempted to move beyond the lasting influence of Cortez's invasion. That probably however, generated feelings of estrangement among the Mexican people once again. When Cortez's religion was imposed, they felt cut off from the world and each other until they accepted Catholicism (Chapter Five, page 102). They may have felt the same way since their new religion (Christianity) was forbidden in a large area of their lives. This time, though, there was no substitute.