ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the proliferation of missions in northern New Spain as well as the somewhat slower establishment of Catholic parishes and dioceses in the region. Since the beginning of the Spanish Conquest, different kinds of Catholic clergy have played essential roles in the establishment and practice of Christianity in the Americas. Both regular and secular clergy were part of the earliest moments of the Spanish colonization of Mexico. Mission and settlement in the San Antonio area followed a typical pattern, where a Franciscan mission to the Indigenous inhabitants was accompanied by a military presidio as well as a civilian village. The non-Native colonists of San Antonio relied on their Catholic identity to provide structure and cohesion to their community. Among the northern territories of New Spain, New Mexico stands out as the place of longest Spanish and Catholic settlement as well as the largest colonial population.
