Mission San Jose de la Laguna

 (1699-Present) - A Spanish mission established about 1699 by Fray Antonio Miranda in present-day Laguna Pueblo, Cibola County, New Mexico. Only the Church and Convento remain today.

The Spanish Period (1769-1821)
The Mission San Jose de la Laguna was founded on about 1699, by Fray Antonio Miranda, as one of the twenty-one Spanish missions founded in New Mexico.

On 4 Jul 1699, the people of Laguna took the oath of allegiance and obedience to Spain and received the name of San Jose de Laguna from the Spanish Governor. They then petitioned Governor Pedro Rodriguez de Cubero for a priest and he required them to build a church. They immediately built the front part of the present Convento as a residence and soon Friar Antonio de Miranda was sent and work was begun on the present church building.

The church was completed by the Laguna Indians under Friar Antonio and Holy Mass was celebrated in the church before the end of 1699.

The Church was reroofed and in general renovated in 1818 by Don Jose Manuel Aragon, alcalde of Acoma and Laguna.

Mexican Period (1822-1846)
Because of the Mexican Secularization Laws (1820), the Convento and other structures adjoining the Mission church could not be used by the Priest and they fell into private hands.

The American Period (1846-Present)
In 1936 the restoration work began on the west wing of the Convento and this two-story building is the only part of the old Convento completely restored. Originally the entire Convento was two stories high. Two Sisters moved into this building in 1937. By this time the Plazita was cleared and the Monastery garden was also restored.

Current Status
Active church in Laguna Pueblo, Cibola County, New Mexico.

Sources:
 * Library of Congress - HABS NM-3 Survey
 * Hammons, Suzanne, “San Jose De La Laguna”: A History of The Church at Laguna Pueblo, Diocese of Gallup, 2014, online.
 * Hammons, Suzanne, “San Jose De La Laguna”: A History of The Church at Laguna Pueblo, Diocese of Gallup, 2014, online.

Links:
 * San Jose de la Laguna Wikipedia - Mission San Jose de la Laguna
 * NPS - Mission San José de Laguna