  We present an extensive archaeoastronomical study of the orientations of
seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Jesuit churches in the lands of the
historic viceroyalty of New Spain. Our sample includes forty-one chapels and
churches located mainly in present-day Mexico, which documentary sources
indicate were built by the Society, and for which we measured the azimuths and
heights of the horizon of their principal axes using satellite imagery and
digital elevation models. Our results show that neither the orientation diagram
nor the statistical analysis derived from the sample declination histogram can
select a particular orientation pattern with an adequate level of confidence.
We suggest some possible explanations for our results, discussing these North
American churches within a broader cultural and geographical context that
includes previous studies involving Jesuit mission churches in South America.
Based on the analysis of the data presented here, we conclude that the
orientation of Jesuit churches in the viceroyalty of New Spain most likely does
not follow a well-defined prescription.
