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The Edmunds Act, or Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882, was passed by the United States Congress in response to unrest about the Mormon practice of polygamy. It made polygamy a felony in U.S. territories and revoked polygamists' voting rights and their ability to serve on juries. These restrictions applied not only to those practicing polygamy but also to all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who professed belief in the church's doctrine of plural marriage. The Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887 provided further sanction, making polygamy punishable by fines and imprisonment. Mormons who practiced polygamy did not discontinue the practice; rather, they tried to maintain it in secret. As a result, many children were either kept hidden or their paternity was kept hidden. These families, which were already complicated, were struggling under the new legal strictures. Federal marshals frequently patrolled the Utah territory on horseback looking for polygamists, and many of the church leaders were arrested. Many of the community's business and political leaders were forced underground, disrupting the community at large.

Several men were called in 1875 to serve missions in Mexico, where they preached to Mexican people and scouted for land for potential future colonization. These missionaries were impressed with the city of Chihuahua, which had many buildings and churches, including a cathedral. Other groups of missionaries followed. In 1879, a Belgian man named Emilio Biebuyck who had been to Utah and was very influential in Mexico had permission from the Mexican government to establish colonies in the Mexican states, with land and subsidies to be given to colonizers. He petitioned the Council of the Church to accept this offer, but the Council determined they were not yet ready to establish colonies in Mexico.

In 1885, several church leaders rented 300 acres of land in northern Chihuahua, and Mormon members began to plant crops. Other Mormon families from Utah and Arizona soon joined their fledgling community. Six weeks after the original settlers began to cultivate the area, the colonists numbered 350. Certain local officials became suspicious of the increase in the Mormon refugees and their activities. They appealed to the Secretary of the State of Chihuahua, characterizing them as an armed band and implying they had nefarious intentions.The settlers were given orders to leave within 16 days. Some of the church leaders were given an audience with the governor of Chihuahua, who had had dealings with Mormons in the past and been favorably impressed. He welcomed them as colonists.

In January 1886, church president John Taylor authorized the use of $12,000 to go toward the purchase of several tracts of land. The colonists voted to hold the land in common, with each settler leasing a portion. Any person wishing to lease some of the land had to show proof from his bishop that he was a member in good standing of the LDS church. Further land deals were negotiated, and in 1892, the Mormon colonies expanded into the state of Sonora. Within a decade of the first settlers' arrival, there were nearly three thousand colonists. Between 1885-1912, eight colonies were established, six in Chihuahua and two in Sonora.

The colonists suffered under extreme poverty as they built their homes and farms and did whatever low-paying jobs they could find. But after years of effort, the colonies began to flourish and demonstrated industry and culture. They were laid out in the same foursquare design with wide streets used in Salt Lake City and bore a strong resemblance to other Mormon settlements. Mexican revolutionaries saw much to be disgusted by: they were Americans, they were wealthier than their Mexican neighbors, and they enjoyed many privileges given them by the government of Porfirio Diaz. In addition, they made no secret of their loyalty to the United States and perpetuated racial segregation. Consequently, the Rebels forced them out in 1912.

They were given an order to leave their homes and return to the United States on July 28. Within two days, almost all of the colonist had fled, with the hope that this would be a temporary exile. But when some of the residents returned in the autumn of 1912 and later in 1915, they discovered that the warring factions had burned most of the settlers' property and little could be salvaged from the rubble. Most of the colonists resettled in Utah and Arizona. A few of the original settlers returned to Colonia Dublan and Colonia Juarez, but none of the other six colonies were ever resettled.

The Mexican colonies were founded to provide shelter from the Mormons' perceived persecution and legal restrictions of the United States, and also created new opportunities to do proselytizing. Families that participated in this colonization effort did so with the intention to build a home refuge for their families and intended for their posterity to remain there. While they escaped the threat of persecution for practicing polygamy, they faced other difficulties in the form of disease, political unrest, conflict with the Mexican population, and drought.

Members of the Mormon Battalion volunteered to lend their services to the Mexican-American War.