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Local Catholic Church History and Ancestors

New Mexico and Arizona

  The geographic areas of New Mexico and Arizona are included in
the Archdiocese of Santa Fe  and Dioceses of Gallup and Las Cruces (in New Mexico), and Dioceses of Phoenix, and Tuson (Arizona).
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Genealogical Research of Catholic Ancestors

New Mexico and Arizona
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Pre 1539: see "Anthropology and Archaeology Resources of New Mexico" and "Timeline.", from the Museum of New Mexico.  Also of interest is the Navajo Timeline,
1539:  Franciscan Marcos de Niza explored the territories which were to become Arizona and New Mexico.  See The Columbia Encyclopedia entry for Marcos de Niza (Fifth Edition Copyright 1993, Columbia University Press).
1540: Francisco Vásquez de Coronado (ca. 1510–1554) "...set out in 1540 from Compostela, crossed modern Sonora and SE Arizona, and reached Cibola itself—the Zuñi country of New Mexico..."
1610:  The settlement of Santa Fe was founded in 1610 by Juan de Onate.
1620:  The Diocese of Durango, Mexico was formed, by Pope Paul V, from the Diocese of Guadalajara, Mexico.   The Durango Diocese originally included the areas of New Mexico (in United States), Chihuahua, and Sonora.
1680:  An Indian uprising prompted the non-Indian population to leave the area, until 1700, when Spanish reasserted control.
1706:  The settlement of Albuquerque (New Mexico) was founded.
1797: The churches in New Mexico were secularized and made responsible to the Bishop of Durango.
1821: When Mexico declared her independence from Spain, in 1821, founding the Republic of Mexico, the Franciscan friars withdrew from New Mexico.  This area remained part of the Diocese of Durango until 1850.
1846 - 1848:  The Mexican War began, and the Army of the West gained control of New Mexico, offering citizenship to those who took an oath of allegiance to the United States.  By 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended this Mexican-American War.  Mexico was forced to give up an area that included Arizona, Colorado, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah.   The Navajo homeland was part of this vast trade of land.
1850:  The Territory of New Mexico was established.  Included within the New Mexico Territory was the area of present day New Mexico, Arizona, and the southern portions of Colorado, Utah, and Nevada.
1853: The Diocese of Santa Fe was established, by Pope Pius IX, from the Diocese of Durango, Mexico.  The Santa Fe Diocese originally encompassed the three territories of New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona.
1855:  United States Treaty with the Navajo Tribe, in 1855, made and concluded at Laguna Negra, in the Territory of New Mexico.  Treaties were also negotiated with the Mimbres Band of Gila Apaches, Mescalero Apaches, Jicarilla Apaches, Capote Band of Utes, and the Muache Band of Utes.
1863:  The Territory of Arizona was established from the large Territory of New Mexico.
1868:  The Vicariate Apostolic of Colorado and Utah was established, in 1868, the Colorado area being previously within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
1868:  The Navajo Nation was given a reservation in New Mexico, with the United States Treaty With the Navajo Tribe of 1868.
1875: Santa Fe, New Mexico was elevated to an Archdiocese.
1891: The Diocese of Durango is elevated to an Archdiocese, encompassing  all the State of Durango and part of Zacatecas, with Sonora, Chihuahua, and Sinaloa for suffragans.
1898:  In 1898, a Franciscan mission was founded by Franciscans, at the invitation of Mother Drexel, in the town of St. Michaels, Arizona - Navajo Nation (Ts’íhootso - Mountainside Meadow).
1912:  The entry for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, in the 1912 Catholic Encyclopedia, reports that at that time: "... some of the old Spanish customs are retained, such as the administration of confirmation to infants. "Roma non objiciente", the privileges of Spain in regard to fast and abstinence are still in vogue, and the clergy live on the offerings of the faithful without regular salaries..."
6 January 1912:  New Mexico was admitted as the 47th state.
1939:  The Diocese of Gallup was established.
1982:  The Diocese of Las Cruces was established.

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Catholic Biographies
If you know of a web site for a Catholic biography with a New Mexico or Arizona connection, please let me know.
Explorerers and Missionaries

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General History, Genealogy & Directory Links

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I am voluntarily creating this site as a helpful guide to researching the history of the local Catholic Churches and to help genealogists who are researching Catholic ancestors in this geographic area.  This is not an official Catholic Church page.
Though links to this page for Catholic Church, genealogical, historical research and non-profit use are encouraged, please do not download the page without requesting permission since it contains copyright protected material.
If you have a suggestion, or a site that you believe will be helpful, please let me know.  --Ann

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Copyright 1998, 1999 by Ann Mensch.  All Rights Reserved.
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References used are cited on the main page of Local Catholic.