16 Nonbelievers in Damned Surprising Places

The President of…Mexico?

Mexico, a.k.a. The Catholic-est Place on Earth™, elected an atheist President in 1924. Plutarco Elías Calles was swept into office on promises to roll back the massive power and privilege of the Catholic Church. Under Calles, all schools were made secular, all monasteries and convents were closed, and the number of priests in the country was cut by 90 percent. The Catholic Church responded by fomenting a peasant rebellion, and within 10 years regained most of its privileges.