132 



WEALTH OF THE CHURCH. 



In 1844, when the last accurate summary of the Mexican church, 

 within our reach, was made, the following was the condition : 



Summary of Mexican Church in 1844. 



In this year the possessions in conventual establishments of the 

 Regular Orders, was estimated as follows : 



Dominicans, .... 25 Conventual establishments 



Franciscans, . . 68 " " 



Agustines, .... 22 " < < 



Carmelites, 16 " « 



Mercedarios, .... 19 u " 



Total, . . . 150 



Regular Ecclesiastics: — Monks, 



Nuns, . 



Secular Clergy, 



Total number in religious orders, 



Conventual establishments 



. 1,700 

 2,000 



3,700 



. . . 3,500 

 7,200 



The actual property of this establishment has been variously esti- 

 mated since the earliest period in which Mexican institutions have 

 been described by European writers. The church in Mexico is 

 known to be immensely rich, and that its real and personal property 

 has been carefully managed by the large body of intelligent ' men 

 who control its affairs. They prudently make no public or statis- 

 tical expositions of their interests. 



In 1807, Abad y Quiepo, in a communication to Don Manuel 

 Sexto Espinosa, estimated the wealth of the church as follows : 



Real estate, from $2,500,000 to .... $ 3,000,000 

 Personal investments for secular clergy in 9 bishoprics, 26,000,000 

 Obras Pias in the church, of ecclesiastics of both sexes, 2,500,000 

 Total fund of the churches and communities of ecclesi- 

 astics of both sexes, 16,000,000 



Total, $47,500,000 



In 1831, Don Jose Maria Mora, a Mexican writer, estimated the 

 property of the church at a valuation of at least $75,000,000. 1 



1 Mejico in 1842 by del Rivero. Madrid, 1844. 



