It has an area of 67,703 sq. km. with a population of 800,000 inhabitants, almost all Catholic; 72 parishes served by 30 diocesan priests and 18 religious; 4 male and 5 female religious communities (Ann. Pont., 1951, p. 326).
The diocese was erected by a bull of Pius IX on 7 Oct. 1861. The first bishop was Mariano Chacón y Becerra, who resigned and was succeeded by Juan Ambrosio Huerta, appointed in 1865.
BIBL.: anon., s. V. ENOCH. Eur. Am., XLVIII, pp. 560-563; J. Moreno-Lacalle, s. V. in Cath. Enc., XII, pp. 569-570.