 A surge of vocations from among the "criollos" as well as a renewed influx of friars from Spain had necessitated a new alignment of responsibilities.A generation before (in 1570), numbers of friars in Nueva Galicia had fallen to 16, four of whom were elderly.In striking contrast to this long period of decline, in 1601 and 1602 alone, 14 friars had arrived from Spain destined for Nueva Galicia and 32 more for Zacatecas.