 The Constitution of 1917 prohibited any public processions or other devotional practices.Hurtado proposed the creation of a huge cross to be placed in the geographic center of Mexico, which he said would be symbolic of how Mexico recognized Christ as its king, and he organized a public ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone of the cross in direct violation of the existing constitution.In anticipation of the laying of the cornerstone, signs were placed throughout Mexico proclaiming Christ the "King of Mexico" and declaring the nation’s devotion to the Sacred Heart.