Why Mennonites Are Leaving Mexico and Returning to Canada — The Reason Will SHOCK You!

In 1922, thousands of Mennonites boarded trains in Manitoba and left Canada for the deserts of northern Mexico, vowing never to return. A hundred years later, their great-grandchildren are coming back. Researchers estimate around 60,000 Mexican Mennonites and their descendants had returned to Canada by the early 2000s, and an estimated 30,000 more left Mexico for Canada between 2012 and 2017. So what happened? In this Mennonite documentary, we follow the full story: from the 1916-17 school laws that drove the Old Colony Mennonites out of Canada, to their deal with President Álvaro Obregón, to the colonies of Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua and Nuevo Ideal, Durango. Then we uncover the chain of disasters that is pushing families back north: the 1950s droughts, a water war over Chihuahua’s shrinking aquifers, and drug war violence targeting peaceful colonies. You’ll discover: Why Mennonites left Canada for Mexico in 1922 The “secret piece of paper” that let their descendants return How Mennonites built seasonal work routes to southern Ontario The water crisis in Chihuahua’s Mennonite farmland How drug war violence hit Mexico’s Mennonite colonies The irony of Mennonite children returning to Canadian schools Should a community that left a country by choice be welcomed back a hundred years later? Tell us in the comments. We want to hear both sides. Subscribe for more documentaries about the Mennonites, the Amish, and plain communities across North America. Sources: Mennonite Historical Society of Canada, Mennonite Heritage Village, American Historical Association research on Mexican Mennonite migration, Grist (2015), Mexico’s 2022 census. Figures are estimates from the sources and dates cited. Chapters (final edit ke mutabiq adjust kar lein) 0:00 The train that left Canada forever 4:00 Who are the Mennonites? 5:30 The deal with Mexico’s president 6:30 Building colonies in the desert 8:30 The droughts and the secret piece of paper 10:30 Seasonal work in southern Ontario 11:30 The water war in Chihuahua 13:30 Drug war violence in peaceful colonies 15:00 Tens of thousands return to Canada 16:00 The irony: back in Canadian schools 18:00 A 100-year full circle Hashtags #Mennonites #MennonitesInMexico #MennoniteHistory