LIBERAL ARTILLERY IN THE REFORM, OR FROM MELTING BELLS TO MAKE CANNONS

Abstract

This article explains how the liberal army established improvised armorers and
melted church bells in the midst of the Reform War to recover lost artillery. The
technical aspects of the handcrafted production of cannons and their use and
importance in the war are analyzed. The origin of the popular resistance to
lowering bells and the anticlericalism of some sectors of society, which played in
favor of the liberals, are also interpreted.