Cinco hermanos muy católicos, la confesionalidad religiosa de los estados centroamericanos: un legado de la Constitución Cádiz y su vinculación con los concordatos (1812-1862)

This article aims to analyse the confessionalism inherited from the Spanish Crown through the Cadiz Constitution in the five independent states that emerged from the disintegration of the former Kingdom of Guatemala between 1821 and 1862. Confessionalism marked the historical development of these peoples and states, as it was a fundamental point for understanding the relations that arose with other states in the Western world, as well as with the Holy See. This is because the Central American peoples, for the period under study, were profoundly Catholic, not only in their political constitutions, but also in their daily lives. However, this confessionality changed over time from being exclusive and excluding to being tolerant. This was due to the new political, economic and social realities that the Western world experienced during the period under analysis. The sources used for this work are the first constitutions of each post-independence state, as well as the constitutions in force in the year the concordat was signed. Likewise, different correspondences from various archives in Central America and the Holy See were also used.