The Spanish missions in Mexico are a series of religious outposts established by Spanish Catholic Franciscans, Jesuits, Augustinians, and Dominicans to spread the Christian doctrine among the local natives. Since 1493, the Kingdom of Spain had maintained a number of missions throughout Nueva España (New Spain, consisting of what is today Mexico, the Southwestern United States, the Florida and the Luisiana, Central America, the Spanish Caribbean and the Philippines) in order to preach the gospel to these lands. In 1533, at the request of Hernán Cortés, Carlos V sent the first Franciscan friars with orders to establish a series of installations throughout the country.

Missions

Baja California

Coahuila

Nuevo León

Nuevo Santander

Nueva Vizcaya

Topia, the western province of Nueva Vizcaya, contained three major missions: Xiximes, San Andrés, and Santa Cruz de Topia. These were each subdivided into several districts, or partidos, each of which in turn contained several pueblos, or visitas.

Xiximes

First district: Second district: Third district: Fourth district:

San Andrés

First district: Second district: Third district: Fourth district:

Santa Cruz de Topia

First district: Second district: Third district: Parras, the eastern province of Nueva Vizcaya, contained six major missions with their visitas, as follows.

Santa María de Parras

San Pedro y San Pablo de Laguna

San Lorenzo

San Sebastian

San Ignacio

Santiago

Mission San Pablo Tepehuanes had the following partidos and visitas: First district: Second district: Third district: Fourth district: Other missions in Nueva Vizcaya included:

Sonora y Sinaloa

Other