High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Beginning in 1493, the Kingdom of Spain maintained a number of missions throughout Nueva España (New Spain, consisting of Mexico and portions of what today are the Southwestern United States) in order to facilitate colonization. The Spanish Missions in New Mexico comprise a series of religious outposts established primarily by Spanish Catholic Franciscans, to spread the Catholic faith among the local aboriginal people. This produced the added benefit of giving Spain a cultural toehold in the frontier land. The missions introduced European livestock, fruits, vegetables, and industry into the Southwest region.