Moreover, the Mexican Church was by law dedicated to the cultivation of the treasury of sacred music. Sacred polyphony was not only permitted, but it was to be fostered. For Easter, particular law required its use. Thus, polyphony and plainchant were regarded not only as distinct but as complementary musical forms suited to the temple, and legal provisions were made for both. Moreover, to ensure that the treasury of sacred music was cultivated, chapelmasters who excelled in composition as well as performance were forbidden to restrict their choirs merely to their own compositions.
History says it was.
The literary evidence sings the praises of the church music of baroque Mexico. In 1568, the inspector of the Council of the Indies, the board that governed the colonial empire of Spain, reported that even the merest hamlet with a resident clergyman had two choirs of fifteen members each which in alternate weeks sang Mass and vespers daily. Churches in larger centers had quite magnificent musical establishments. When the Cathedral of Puebla was consecrated in 1649, there was a fortnight of sacred music to mark the event. It was attended by some 1200 clergy from as far away as Manila.