Spanish missions in New Mexico
Encyclopedia
The Spanish Missions in New Mexico
were a series of religious outposts established by Franciscan
friars under charter from the governments of Spain
and New Spain
to convert
the local Pueblo, Navajo
and Apache Indian
s to Christianity. The missions also aimed to pacify and Hispanicize
the natives. The missions introduced Europe
an livestock
, fruit
s, vegetables, and small-scale industry
into the Southwest region.
Fray Marcos de Niza
, sent by Coronado
, first saw the area now known as New Mexico in 1539. The first permanent settlement was Mission San Gabriel, founded in 1598 by Juan de Oñate
near what is now known as the San Juan Pueblo
.
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
were a series of religious outposts established by Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friars under charter from the governments of Spain
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
and New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
to convert
Christianization
The historical phenomenon of Christianization is the conversion of individuals to Christianity or the conversion of entire peoples at once...
the local Pueblo, Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
and Apache Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
s to Christianity. The missions also aimed to pacify and Hispanicize
Hispanicization
Hispanicisation or Hispanisation refers to the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by Hispanic culture or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-Hispanic becomes Hispanic...
the natives. The missions introduced Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s, vegetables, and small-scale industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
into the Southwest region.
History
Marcos de Niza
Fray Marcos de Niza was a Franciscan friar. He was born in Nice , which was at that time under the control of the Italian House of Savoy....
, sent by Coronado
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado y Luján was a Spanish conquistador, who visited New Mexico and other parts of what are now the southwestern United States between 1540 and 1542...
, first saw the area now known as New Mexico in 1539. The first permanent settlement was Mission San Gabriel, founded in 1598 by Juan de Oñate
Juan de Oñate
Don Juan de Oñate y Salazar was a Spanish explorer, colonial governor of the New Spain province of New Mexico, and founder of various settlements in the present day Southwest of the United States.-Biography:...
near what is now known as the San Juan Pueblo
Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico
Ohkay Owingeh is a pueblo and census designated place in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, United States. Its elevation is and it is located at . One of its boundaries is contiguous with Española, about north of Santa Fe....
.
Missions
- Mission Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Zia
- Mission Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Porciúncula de los PecosMission Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Porciúncula de los PecosIn 1625, the Mission Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Porciúncula was constructed outside the walls of the pueblo of Pecos, New Mexico. The church building was destroyed in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, wherein the Spanish were ejected from New Mexico. After the Spanish reconquest in 1693, a smaller...
founded in 17th century, ruins are part of the Pecos National Historical ParkPecos National Historical ParkPecos National Historical Park is a National Historical Park in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is located about east of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The site was originally designated Pecos National Monument on June 28, 1965. In 1990 new lands were added to the park and the official designation was... - Mission Nuestra Señora de Purísima Concepción de Quarai founded in 17th century, ruins are part of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National MonumentSalinas Pueblo Missions National MonumentThe Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico, near Mountainair. The main park visitor center is in Mountainair.-History:...
- Mission San Agustín de la IsletaSan Agustín de la Isleta MissionSan Agustín de la Isleta Mission, built in 1612, was a Spanish Mission in what is now Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. It was a religious outpost established by Spanish Catholic Franciscans, to spread Christianity among the local Native Americans....
- Built in 1612. See also Isleta PuebloIsleta PuebloIsleta Pueblo is an unincorporated Tanoan pueblo in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States, originally established around the 14th century.-Overview:... - Mission San Buenaventura de Cochiti - Completed in 1628, renovated in the 1960s. See also Cochiti Pueblo
- Mission San Esteban del Rey de Acoma - Established 1629 and completed in 1641, in continuous use since. See also Acoma PuebloAcoma PuebloAcoma Pueblo is a Native American pueblo approximately 60 miles west of Albuquerque, New Mexico in the United States. Three reservations make up Acoma Pueblo: Sky City , Acomita, and McCartys. The Acoma Pueblo tribe is a federally recognized tribal entity...
- Mission San Felipe - Built on the site of a previous church (1706)
- Mission San Gregorio de Abó - Established in 1640 by Fray Francisco Acevedo. Ruins are now part of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National MonumentSalinas Pueblo Missions National MonumentThe Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico, near Mountainair. The main park visitor center is in Mountainair.-History:...
. - Mission San Ildefonso - The original mission church was built in 1711, but was later destroyed.
- Mission San Isidro and Mission San Buenaventura de Humanas (Gran Quivira) - the ruins are part of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National MonumentSalinas Pueblo Missions National MonumentThe Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico, near Mountainair. The main park visitor center is in Mountainair.-History:...
- Mission San José de los Jémez - Established in 1621, now in ruins.
- Mission Nuestra Señora de GuadalupeMission Nuestra Señora de GuadalupeBy 1659 Piro Indians had begun settling in the area of Paso del Norte. The Mission Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was established by Fray García for them. This mission became the southern most of the New Mexico chain of missions along El Camino Real from Mexico City to Santa Fe. The original...
(Mexico) - PiroPiro PuebloPiro Pueblo : The Piros were a Native American Pueblo people that lived in a number of pueblos in the Rio Grande Valley around modern Socorro, New Mexico, USA. The now extinct Piro language was in the family of Tiwa languages...
mission, now in Ciudad JuárezCiudad JuárezCiudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
, Chihuahua. - Mission San LorenzoMission San LorenzoMission San Lorenzo was established near El Paso del Norte by Fray Francisco Ayeta. Arriving there on October 9, 1680, Governor Antonio de Otermín established the site as his headquarters after fleeing the Pueblo revolt. Suma Indians occupied the area, with their numbers falling from 155 in 1750...
(Texas) - Established after 1680, now in El Paso, TexasEl Paso, TexasEl Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. - Mission San Antonio de Senecu (Mexico) - built 1682, no remains. Site is at or near present-day Senecu, MexicoSenecu, MexicoSenecu is a small Mexican village, now on the outskirts of Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. It is at an altitude of 1123 m. and lies within the Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem....
. - Mission Corpus Christi de San Antonio de la Ysleta del Sur (Texas) - built between 1680 and 1682 by Tigua speaking and Spanish refugees of the Pueblo Revolt
- Mission Nuestra Señora de Perpetuo Socorro, today known as the Mission San Miguel - Established in 1598 by Fray Alfonso Benavidez and another Franciscan friar. San Miguel Mission Chapel is said to be the oldest church still in use in the United States.
- Mission Nuestra Señora de la Limpia Concepción de Los Piros de Socorro del Sur (Texas), built between 1680 and 1682 by the Piro, Tano and Jemez peoples who accompanied or were forced to accompany the Spaniards fleeing the 1680 Pueblo Revolt.
- Mission San José de Laguna - built in 1699. See also Laguna PuebloLaguna PuebloLaguna is a Native American tribe of the Pueblo people in west-central New Mexico, USA. The name, Laguna, is Spanish and derives from the lake located on their reservation. The real Keresan name of the tribe is Kawaik. The population of the tribe exceeds 7,000 , making it the largest Keresan...
- Mission San Lorenzo de Picurís -- established circa 1620.
- Mission Santa Ana - Completed in 1750.
- Mission Santo Domingo - The original mission church was destroyed by flooding of the Rio Grande.
Noted churches that were not missions
- El Santuario de ChimayóEl Santuario de ChimayoEl Santuario de Chimayó is a Roman Catholic church in Chimayó, New Mexico, USA. This shrine, a National Historic Landmark, is famous for the story of its founding and as a contemporary pilgrimage site...
- Site of an EasterEasterEaster is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
pilgrimage by foot to this holy spot every year. Not a mission; founded c.1810 as a private chapel. - Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe - Founded c. 1777; believed to be nation's oldest shrine dedicated to Our Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of GuadalupeOur Lady of Guadalupe , also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary.According to tradition, on December 9, 1531 Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, had a vision of a young woman while he was on a hill in the Tepeyac desert, near Mexico City. The lady...
. Not a mission.
External links
- The Old Missions of New Mexico, 1998 article, St. Anthony Messenger
- Sunlight and Adobe - Photographing New Mexico's Historic Missions New Mexico Photography Field School
- History, Archdiocese of Santa Fe
- Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument
- Spanish Mission Churches of New Mexico, 1915 book by L. Bradford Prince
- Gran Quivira: A Blending of Cultures in a Pueblo Indian Village, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan