Spanish missions in New Mexico

16th to 19th-century Catholic religious outposts

The Spanish Missions in New Mexico were a series of religious outposts in the Province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México — present day New Mexico. They were established by Franciscan friars under charter from the monarchs of the Spanish Empire and the government of the Viceroyalty of New Spain in a policy called Reductions to facilitate the conversion of Native Americans into Christianity.

History

They attempted to Hispanicize the indigenous peoples. The affected included the rich cultures and tribes of: many of the 21 distinct Puebloan groups; the Tiwa; the Navajo; and the Apache. The missions also aimed to pacify resistance to the European invasion of the tribes' Pre-Columbian homelands and loss of traditions. The missions introduced European livestock, fruits, vegetables, and small-scale industry into the Southwest region. They also introduced European diseases to which native people had little or no acquired immunity.

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 Okay Owingeh, formerly known as the San Juan Pueblo. ^{[citation needed]}

Missions

Noted churches that were not missions

• El Santuario de Chimayó - Site of an Easter pilgrimage by foot to this holy spot every year. Not a mission; founded c.1810 as a private chapel.^{[improper synthesis?]}
• San Francisco de Asís Mission Church - Church built between 1772 and 1816 and is located in the historic district of Ranchos de Taos.
• Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe - Founded c. 1777; believed to be nation's oldest shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Not a mission.^{[improper synthesis?][citation needed]}

See also

On Spanish Missions in neighboring regions:

• Spanish missions in Arizona
• Spanish missions in California
• Spanish missions in Chihuahua and Coahuila
• Spanish missions in Texas
• Spanish missions in the Sonoran Desert (including Sonora and southern Arizona)

On general missionary history:

• Catholic Church and the Age of Discovery
• List of the oldest churches in Mexico

On colonial Spanish American history:

• Spanish colonization of the Americas
• California mission clash of cultures
• Genízaros

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

References

1. Treib, Marc (1993). Sanctuaries of Spanish New Mexico. Berkeley: University of California Press. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
2. Kessell, John L. (1980). The missions of New Mexico since 1776. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 0-8263-0514-8. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
3. "Mission San José de los Jémez".
4. "Pueblo San Marcos". New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
5. "About Nambé Pueblo". Nambé Pueblo. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
6. Bletzer, Michael P. (April 2020). "A Furtive Mission in Los Piros: Notes on the Archaeology of San Luis Obispo de Sevilleta". Papers of the Archaeological Society of New Mexico. 46: 25–40. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
7. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: San Miguel Church" (PDF). National Park Service. April 12, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
8. Julyan, Robert (1996). The Place Names of New Mexico. Albuquerque: UNM Press. p. 331. ISBN 978-0-8263-1689-9. Retrieved March 2, 2021.