The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Yucatán () is an

archdiocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

based in Mérida,

Yucatán Yucatán, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The diocese of Campeche, the diocese of Cancún-Chetumal and the diocese of Tabasco are its

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

s."Archdiocese of Yucatán"
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Latin Church and the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that are in full communion with Rome. The website, not officially sanctioned by the Church, is run as a private pro ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016"Metropolitan Archdiocese of Yucatán"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved February 29, 2016 Its area is that of the state of the same name, covering an area of 17,204 square miles.

History

Yucatán was the first region of the Mexican territory to encounter

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

in the 16th century; it was there that the first

Roman Catholic Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass "the same Christ ...

was celebrated. It is said that in 1517

Francisco Hernández de Córdoba Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Meaning of the name Francisco In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comm ...

, the discoverer and explorer of the region, founded the first

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

Pope Leo X Pope Leo X (; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political and banking Med ...

, believing the newly discovered land to be an island, by the

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

''Sacri apostolatus ministerio'', dated 27 January 1518, created the Diocese of Yucatán, under the name ''Carolense'' and placed it under the protection of Our Lady of the Remedies ( Santa Maria de los Remedios). When it became known that Yucatán was part of the continent which

Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (December 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions o ...

was conquering,

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII (; ; born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the most unfortunate o ...

made certain modifications, and Dominican

friar A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders in the Catholic Church. There are also friars outside of the Catholic Church, such as within the Anglican Communion. The term, first used in the 12th or 13th century, distinguishes the mendi ...

Julián Garcés Julián Garcés, O.P. was a Spanish Dominican prelate born in Munébrega in the Kingdom of Aragon. He was made Bishop of Yucatán in 1519 and subsequently the first acting Bishop of Tlaxcala from 1525 to 1542. Biography Garcés took the vow ...

, was transferred from his office of Bishop of Yucatán to that of Bishop of

Tlaxcala Tlaxcala, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tlaxcala, is one of the 32 federal entities that comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Tlaxcala, 60 municipalities and t ...

(now the Archdiocese of Puebla de los Angeles) when he arrived in Mexico, as the Spanish had abandoned the conquest of Yucatán for this new land. The first resident bishop was Francisco Toral, a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

friar, who took possession on 15 August 1562, one year after his appointment; he assisted at the first and second Mexican

Provincial Councils A province is a geographic region within Gaelic games, consisting of several counties of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and originally based on the historic four provinces of Ireland as they were set in 1610. Provincial councils A provin ...

. Marcos de Torres y Rueda, the 12th bishop (1647), owing to dissensions between

Juan de Palafox y Mendoza Juan de Palafox y Mendoza (26 June 1600 – 1 October 1659) was a Spanish politician, administrator, and Catholic clergyman in 17th century Spain and a viceroy of Mexico. Palafox was the Bishop of Puebla (1640−1655), and the interim Archb ...

Bishop of Puebla A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, and

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

García Sarmiento de Sotomayor, 2nd conde de Salvatierra, was named Viceroy of New Spain and entered into office 13 May 1648; he died at the capital, 22 April 1649. Juan Gómez de Parada, the 20th bishop, governed the dioceses of Yucatán,

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

, and

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( ; ) is the capital and the most populous city in the western Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco, as well as the most densely populated municipality in Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population ...

with great success. His successor, Ignacio Castorena y Ursúa, was the founder of the first newspaper published in

. José María Guerra, 35th bishop (d. 1863), lived during the famous

Caste War A caste is a fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (endogamy), foll ...

, which ruined almost the whole of Yucatán. It was at the instance of Leandro Rodríguez de la Gala, his successor, that the new See of Tabasco was formed from parishes taken from the Diocese of Yucatán. The Province and Vicariate of Petén, situated in

, which ecclesiastically had belonged to Yucatán, became a part of the See of Guatemala. Believing that the colony of

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

was his dependency, the bishop sent missionaries there in 1864; this land, however, had been under the administration of priests sent form the Vicariate Apostolic of

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

since 1837. The Diocese of Yucatán was suffragan of Mexico until 1891, when it became suffragan of the newly created Archdiocese of Oaxaca. In 1895 the new See of Campeche was created from parishes taken from Yucatán, to which was added all the territory of Quintana Roo.

Bishops

;''Ordinaries of Diocese of Carolense'' *

, O.P. (24 Jan 1519 – 13 Oct 1525)Archdiocese of Yucatan: "Historia de Obispos"
retrieved November 18, 2015 ;''Ordinaries of Diocese of Yucatán'' * Francisco del Toral, O.F.M. (19 Nov 1561 – 20 Apr 1571 Died)"Bishop Francisco del Toral, O.F.M."
''

''. David M. Cheney. retrieved November 18, 2015 *

Diego de Landa Diego de Landa Calderón, O.F.M. (12 November 1524 – 29 April 1579) was a Spanish Franciscan bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Yucatán. He led a campaign against idolatry and human sacrifice.Timmer, 480 In doing so, he burne ...

, O.F.M. (17 Oct 1572 – 29 Apr 1579 Died) *

Gregorio de Montalvo Olivera Gregorio de Montalvo Olivera, O.P. (1529 – 11 December 1592) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Cuzco (1587–1592) and Bishop of Yucatán (1580–1581). ''(in Latin)'' Biography He was born in Coca, Segovia, Spain, a ...

, O.P. (15 Dec 1580 – 16 Nov 1587 Appointed,

Bishop of Cuzco The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cusco () is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese with see in the city and old Inca imperial capital of Cusco, in Peru.

)"Bishop Gregorio de Montalvo Olivera, O.P."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 21, 2016 * Juan de Izquierdo, O.F.M. (13 Jun 1588 – 17 Nov 1602 Died)"Bishop Juan de Izquierdo, O.F.M."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved July 31, 2016 * Diego Vázquez de Mercado (5 Nov 1603 – 28 May 1608 Appointed,

Archbishop of Manila The Archdiocese of Manila (; ; ) is the archdiocese of the Latin Church, Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, Catholic Church in Metro Manila, Catholic Church in the Philippines, Philippines, encompassing the cities of Manila, ...

)"Archbishop Diego Vázquez de Mercado"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016 * Gonzalo de Salazar (bishop), O.S.A. (2 Jun 1608 – 3 Aug 1636 Died) *

Juan Alonso y Ocón Juan Alonso y Ocón (21 March 1597 – 12 October 1656) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of La Plata o Charcas (1651–1656), Bishop of Cuzco (1642–1651), and Bishop of Yucatán (1638–1642). ''(in Latin)''

(14 Jun 1638 – 31 Aug 1643 Confirmed,

Bishop of Cuzco The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cusco () is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese with see in the city and old Inca imperial capital of Cusco, in Peru.

) *

Andrés Fernandez de Ipenza Andrés Fernandez de Ipenza (died 1643) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop-Elect of Yucatán (1643).

(5 Oct 1643 – 24 Oct 1643 Died)"Father Andrés Fernandez de Ipenza"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved August 27, 2016 * Marcos de Torres y Rueda (14 Nov 1644 – 22 Apr 1649 Died) * Domingo Ramírez de Arellano,

O.S.H. The Hieronymites or Jeronimites, also formally known as the Order of Saint Jerome (; abbreviated OSH), is a Catholic cloistered religious order and a common name for several congregations of hermit monks living according to the Rule of Saint Au ...

(2 Dec 1652 – 2 Jul 1653 Died)"Bishop Domingo de Villaescusa Ramírez de Arellano, O.S.H."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved October 7, 2016"Bishop Domingo de Villaescusa y Ramírez de Arellano, O.S.H."
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved October 7, 2016 * Lorenzo Horta Rodríguez (29 May 1656 – 13 Aug 1659 Died) * Luís de Cifuentes y Sotomayor, O.P. (22 Sep 1659 – 18 May 1676 Died)"Bishop Luís de Cifuentes y Sotomayor, O.P."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved September 25, 2016 *

Juan de Escalante Turcios y Mendoza Juan de Escalante Turcios y Mendoza (1608 – 31 May 1681) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop (Personal Title) of Yucatán (1679–1681) and Archbishop of Santo Domingo (1672–1679).

(29 Apr 1680 – 31 May 1681 Died)"Archbishop Juan de Escalante Turcios y Mendoza"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved July 31, 2016 * Juan Cano Sandoval (7 Dec 1682 – 21 Feb 1695 Died) *

Antonio de Arriaga y Agüero Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular m ...

, O.S.A. (20 Nov 1697 Confirmed – ) * Pedro Reyes de los Ríos de Lamadrid, O.S.B. (30 Mar 1700 – 6 Jan 1714 Died) * Juan Leandro Gómez de Parada Valdez y Mendoza (16 Dec 1715 – 6 Jul 1729 Confirmed,

Bishop of Santiago de Guatemala The Archdiocese of Santiago de Guatemala is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Guatemala.Juan Ignacio de Castorena y Ursúa y Goyeneche (6 Jul 1729 – 13 Jul 1733 Died) * Francisco Pablo Matos y Coronado (9 Jul 1734 – 2 Jan 1741 Confirmed,

Bishop of Michoacán The Archdiocese of Morelia () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in western central Mexico.

) * Mateo de Zamora y Penagos, O.F.M. (6 Mar 1741 – 9 Aug 1744 Died) *

José Francisco Martínez de Tejada y Díez de Velasco José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

, O.F.M. (23 Aug 1745 – 20 Dec 1751 Confirmed, Bishop of Guadalajara) *

Juan José de Eguiara y Eguren ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish language, Spanish and Manx language, Manx versions of ''John (given name), John''. The name is of Hebrew origin and has the meaning "God has been gracious." It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-spea ...

(24 Jan 1752 – 6 Jul 1752 Resigned) * Ignacio Padilla Estrada (Guardiola), O.S.A. (28 May 1753 – 20 Jul 1760 Died) * Antonio Alcalde y Barriga, O.P. (25 Jan 1762 – 27 Jan 1772 Confirmed, Bishop of Guadalajara) *

Diego Bernardo de Peredo y Navarrete Diego Bernardo de Peredo y Navarrete or Diego de Peredo (3 April 1696, León de Mechoacán, Guanajuato - 21 March 1774, San Juan Bautista, Tabasco) was a Mexican Roman Catholic clergyman who became bishop of Yucatán. A street in the city centre ...

(22 Jun 1772 – 14 Dec 1774 Died) * Juan Manuel Garcia de Vargas y Ribera, O. de M. (3 Apr 1775 Appointed – Did Not Take Effect) *

Antonio Caballero y Góngora Antonio Caballero y Góngora (in full, ''Antonio Pascual de San Pedro de Alcántara Caballero y Góngora'') (24 May 1723 in Priego de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain – 24 March 1796 in Córdoba) was a Spanish Roman Catholic prelate in the coloni ...

(11 Sep 1775 – 14 Dec 1778 Appointed,

Archbishop of Santafé en Nueva Granada In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

) * Luis Tomás Esteban de Piña y Mazo, O.S.B. (12 Jul 1779 – 22 Nov 1795 Died) * Pedro Agustín Estévez y Ugarte (24 Jul 1797 – 8 May 1827 Died) * José María Guerra y Rodríguez Correa (17 Dec 1832 – 3 Feb 1863 Died) * Leandro Rodríguez de la Gala y Enríquez (22 Jun 1868 – 14 Feb 1887 Died) * Crescencio Carrillo y Ancona (14 Feb 1887 – 19 Mar 1897 Died) * José Guadalupe de Jesús de Alba y Franco, O.F.M. (28 Dec 1898 – 14 Dec 1899 Appointed, Bishop of Zacatecas) * Martín Tritschler y Córdoba (30 Aug 1900 – 15 Nov 1942 Died); diocese elevated to archdiocese in 1906 ;''Ordinaries of Archdiocese of Yucatán'' * Martín Tritschler y Córdoba, see above *

Fernando Ruiz y Solózarno Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, and former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa and Asia (like the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka). It is e ...

(22 January 1944 – 15 May 1969) * Manuel Castro Ruiz (20 September 1969 – 15 March 1995) * Emilio Carlos Berlie Belaunzarán (15 March 1995 – 1 June 2015) *

Gustavo Rodríguez Vega Gustavo Rodríguez Vega (born 7 March 1955) is a Mexican prelate of the Catholic Church who has been archbishop of Yucatán since 2015. He became a bishop in 2001, served for seven years as an auxiliary in Monterrey and seven years as bishop of N ...

(1 June 2015 – present); formerly, since 2008, Bishop of Nuevo Laredo

Coadjutor bishop

* Crescencio Carrillo y Ancona (1884–1887)

Auxiliary bishops

* Manuel José Pardio Lizama (1840–1861) * Manuel Castro Ruiz (1965–1969), appointed Archbishop here * Domingo Jafet Herrera Castillo (1978–1981) * Ramón Castro Castro (2004–2006), appointed Bishop of Campeche * José Rafael Palma Capetillo (2004–2016), appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Jalapa (Xalapa), Veracruz *

Fabio Martínez Castilla Fabio Martínez Castilla (20 July 1950 – 25 November 2023) was a Mexican Roman Catholic prelate. He was bishop of Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas from 2007 to 2013 and archbishop of Tuxtla from 2013 until his death. He died due to ischemic crisis ...

(2017–

Other priests of this diocese who became bishops

*Luis Miguel Cantón Marín, appointed Bishop of Tapachula, Chiapas in 1984 * Lázaro Pérez Jiménez, appointed Bishop of Autlán, Jalisco in 1991 *

, appointed Bishop of Ciudad Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán in 2007 *

Jorge Carlos Patrón Wong Jorge Carlos Patrón Wong (born 3 January 1958) is a Mexican people, Mexican archbishop who worked in the Roman Curia as Secretary for Seminaries of the Congregation for the Clergy from 2013 to 2021, when he was appointed Archbishop of Roman Cat ...

, appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Papantla, Puebla in 2009

References