José de León Toral
(Matehuala, 23 December 1900 - Mexico City, 9 February
1929) was a Roman Catholic militant who assassinated
general Álvaro Obregón, president elect of Mexico in
1928.
León Toral was born in a family of
Catholic miners in the state of San Luis Potosí. León
Toral moved to Mexico City during the Mexican Revolution,
and witnessed the then constitutionalist general Obregón
closing churches and arresting priests who were
suspected of collaboration with the dictator Victoriano
Huerta.
In 1920 he joined the League for the
Defense of Religious Freedom which opposed the
governments of Obregón (1920-1924) and Plutarco Elías
Calles and reportedly was also involved in the Cristero
movement.
In 1927 two of his friends Humberto
and Miguel Pro were executed after having been convicted
(possibily wrongly) of plotting to assassinate Obregón.
Because of this, and having been incited by a Catholic
nun, Concepción Acevedo de la Llata (La Madre
Conchita), León Toral decided he should murder
Obregón.
On 17 July 1928, two weeks after
Obregón had been elected president, León Toral entered
La Bombilla, a restaurant in San Ángel during a
banquet organized to honor general Obregón, disguised as
a caricaturist.
León Toral made a caricature of
Obregón and Aarón Saénz, and showed it to Obregón, who
told him the drawing had good likeness and suggested he
continue. After Obregón turned around to sit down, León
Toral suddenly drew a gun and shot him five of six times
in the back, who died immediately.
León was arrested immediately and
pleaded guilty, claiming he killed Obregón in order to
facilitate the establishment of the Kingdom of Christ.
Madre Conchita was also arrested and reveived a 30 year
prison sentence.
León Toral was sentenced to death and
executed by firing squad in February 1929. His last
words were ¡Viva Cristo Rey! (Long Live Christ
the King!), the battle cry of the Cristeros.