Although Mexico doesn't have an official religion, most Mexicans are Christians. This is emphasized by the fact that Christmas is a national holiday and all schools in Mexico close for a vacation during Easter.
Around 89% of the population is Roman Catholic, making it the country with the second largest Catholic population, after Brazil. Mexico is divided into 88 Dioceses, with an estimated 13,700 priests and 36,000 men and women in religious orders.
Catholicism in Mexico has many lay groups with varied purposes, goals and political orientations. These include Knights of Columbus, Mexican Catholic Action, Christian Family Movement, Christian Study Courses and several university students' and workers' groups.
Protestants, mostly Pentecostal, make up about 6% of Mexicans, while the other 5% of the population practice a religion or have no religion at all. Located in the Anglican province in Mexico is the Anglican Church of Mexico (La Iglesia Anglicana de México).
Some of the Catholics, especially those with an indigenous background, mix Catholicism with many elements of Mayan or Aztec religions. With over a million faithful in Mexico, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) is a religion that is becoming popular. Judaism has been in Mexico for hundreds of years with over 45,000 Jews at present nationwide.
Islam is mostly followed by Turkish, Arab and other expatriates living in Mexico. It is also practiced by a small number of indigenous people in Chiapas State. Most believe Islam to have arrived with Syrian or Turkish immigrants.
