The Twelve Apostles of Mexico or Twelve Apostles of New Spain were a group of twelve Franciscan

Franciscan

Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....

 missionaries

Missionary

A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...

 who arrived in the newly-founded Viceroyalty of New Spain in May 1524, with the goal of introducing

Religious conversion

Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...

 its indigenous population

Indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

 to the Christian faith. The group consisted of Martín de Valencia (their leader), Francisco de Soto

Francisco de Soto

Francisco de Soto was a Spanish composer and organist. He worked in the Royal Court at Madrid. He was one of the Franciscan Twelve, a group of twelve Franciscan missionaries who arrived in the newly-founded Viceroyalty of New Spain in May, 1524 for the purpose of the conversion of its indigenous...

, Martín de Jesús, Juan Juárez, Antonio de Ciudad Rodrigo

Antonio de Ciudad Rodrigo

Fray Antonio de Ciudad Rodrigo was a Franciscan friar. He was one of the first twelve to come to New Spain in 1524, and the second provincial of the province of the Holy Gospel....

, Toribio de Benavente Motolinia

Toribio de Benavente Motolinia

Fray Toribio de Benavente also known as Motolinia was a Franciscan missionary and among the first 12 clerics to arrive in New Spain in May 1524.-Life and times:...

, García de Cisneros, Luis de Fuensalida, Juan de Ribas, Francisco Jiménez, Andrés de Córdoba, and Juan de Palos.