New Mexico : Religion

The first religions in New Mexico were practiced by Pueblo and Navaho Indians. The first Roman Catholic Church was established in 1598 after Coronado’s conquest. Though Roman Catholicism was the dominant religion though from the mid-1800s, New Mexico has also been a steady increase in the number of Protestants. The first Baptist missionaries arrived in 1849, the Methodists in 1850, and the Mormons in 1877.
The state's Roman Catholic churches had about 670,511 members in 2000. Protestants included 132,675 Southern Baptists, 41,597 United Methodists, 22,070 members of Assemblies of God, 18,985 members of Churches of Christ, and 13,224 Presbyterians (USA). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints reported about 42,261 members. The Jewish population was estimated at 10,500 and the Muslim congregations had 2,604 adherents.

As of 2000, an estimated 19,255 Asians, 1,503 Pacific Islanders, and 34,343 black Americans lived in the state.