Two important reform movements in Spain had, by the beginning of the sixteenth century, attained enough strength to influence missionary developments. Cardinal Francisco Ximénez de Cisneros was the zealous promoter of one of these reform efforts. A Franciscan himself, he had a clear idea of the significance of the original Franciscan charism. With all the authority he enjoyed as Archbishop of Toledo, the most important diocese in Spain, he strove to restore the strict observance of the Franciscan Rule in all the friaries of the kingdom. One of the most trusted counselors of Queen Isabel la Católica, he had a large part in the founding in I 505 of the first missionary province in the New World, that of Santa Cruz in Hispaniola (Dominican Republic), and in the selection of the early missionary group coming to this province. ⁶

Another reforming movement came from below, from small groups of friars who were looking for isolated and poor places where they might practice the cherished Franciscan ideals of a poor life, coupled with contemplation and preaching to the humble folk of towns and villages. Particularly important among these groups were those of southern Spain, some of whom – as the friars of La Rábida – became greatly involved in the activities of Columbus. There is no doubt that the reports from the lands recently discovered referring to the multitudes there waiting for the Christian Faith had a strong impact in some of the Franciscan communities of southern Spain.⁷

Possibly the best example of this influence is the case of the two sister-provinces of Extremadura in southern Spain. The Province of Los Angeles and that of San Gabriel were both renowned for their ideals of strict observance, and both became especially notable in the evangelization of the Americas. From the Province ofLos Angeles came one of the best-known promoters of the early missions in Mexico, Fray Francisco de los Angeles Quinones. Being about to embark in the first missionary group to that country, he was elected Minister General of the Order, and with the power of that office he was able to select very worthy friars for that mission. His hand-picked friars were from the Province of San Gabriel.⁸ Much of the later very notable Franciscan missionary activity in the Americas was undoubtedly due to the dedication and the exemplary life of these first missionaries in Mexico.

In Spain the Franciscan ideal for the renewal of the original spirit of the Order continued to be strong for most of the sixteenth century. Out of this movement there were born various provinces, the so-called discalceati provinces of stricter observance. The flourishing condition of the provinces in Spain was a strong factor for the numbers of friars coming to the Americas.⁹