It has an area of 30,680 sq. km. with a population of 385,086 inhabitants, of whom 322,627 are Catholics. The diocese comprises 8 parishes, served by 10 diocesan priests and 1 religious priest; it has a seminary, 4 male religious communities and 4 female religious communities (Ann. Pont. 1953, p. 413). The bishop resides in San Juan Bautista, founded in 1598 under the name of 'Villa Filippo II', known as 'Villa Hermosa' until 1826, when it assumed its current name.
The diocese was erected on 25 May 1880 by Pope Leo XIII, by separating territory from the dioceses of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Yucatán. It was suffragan to the archdiocese of Mexico until 1891; from 1891 to 1906 it became suffragan to Oaxaca, and finally from 1906 to the diocese of Yucatán.