Colonial New Mexico

NM History | The Growth of Spanish New Mexico

(1692 - 1786)

TODAY'S OBJECTIVES:

• Students will be able to examine how the Spanish were able to reconquer the colony of New Mexico.

• Students will be able to identify how relationships changed over time among Indian groups and the Spanish.

Let's Review!

Multiple Select

The colony of NM had 2 heads of government: the "custodio", who was in charge of all religious matters, and the royal governor, who was in charge of all civic matters. Why was there conflict between them? (Select all that are correct.)

• The custodio believed the church should have greater power, because God is more powerful than kings and governors.

• The governor believed he should have greater power, because he was in charge of defending the colony and keeping the colony running smoothly.

• The custodio believed he should be in charge of the Indians, because the purpose of the colony was to convert them to Christianity.

• The governor believed he should have control over the Indians because he collected taxes from them & settled their disputes with settlers.

Multiple Choice

What event angered the Pueblo people enough to finally unite against the Spanish, leading directly to the Pueblo Revolt?

• 10% of the pueblos' population had died of European diseases in a single year.

• The Spanish forced the Indians to adopt Spanish culture, like Christianity, clothes, and language.

• The governor arrested 47 medicine men from different pueblos, hung 3, and whipped and jailed the rest.

• The Spanish forced the Indians to build Christian churches.

Multiple Choice

How did Popé secretly communicate the date of the Pueblo Revolt to all of the pueblos?

• Popé & the other medicine men decided while they were in prison.

• He sent his son-in-law with coded messages.

• He ran to each pueblo himself and told the leaders of each pueblo.

• He sent runners with knotted yucca ropes, and they used the knots to count down to the day of the revolt.

Multiple Select

Eventually, Pueblo unity fell apart. This was due to:

(Select all that are correct)

• Some of the pueblos began fighting each other.

• Attacks by the Apache & Navajo became worse, especially now that they had Spanish horses.

• The rains finally came, so they could grow more food, and became independent again.

• Some people didn't like Pope's strict leadership, and wanted to keep some Spanish culture.

The Growth of Spanish New Mexico

Spain Returns to NM

• GOD - Still wanted to Christianize the Indians.

• GOLD & GLORY - Needed a "buffer zone" to protect lands claimed by Spain, their settlements, trade routes, mines, etc. in New Spain from other European colonization & from Indian attacks.

• NEW GOVERNOR - Don Diego de Vargas becomes governor of NM in 1688. He vows to retake the Pueblo country peacefully.

Multiple Select

Why did Spain see New Mexico as worth the trouble of reconquering?

• They wanted a buffer zone to protect their lands in New Spain from Canada.

• They wanted a buffer zone to protect their lands in New Spain from attacks by France & Indians.

• They felt it was a waste of time to reconquer New Mexico.

• They still wanted to Christianize the Indians.

Peaceful Reconquest?

• As Vargas traveled through NM, he found many abandoned pueblos. The Indians had moved to better-protected areas.

• Upon arrival, he found Santa Fe inhabited by a group of Pueblo Indians. The Indian people shouted that they would fight, but when Vargas wheeled his cannons into position, the Indians agreed to give up.

• Vargas entered Santa Fe & raised the Spanish banner Oñate had flown in 1598. As it was raised, the Indians were made to repeat "Long Live the King".

• The Pueblo people put up little resistance to the return of Spanish rule. Vargas reclaimed NM without a single Spanish or Indian death, no shots were fired, & no kivas or pueblo storehouses were burned.

• Vargas returned to El Paso to bring Spanish settlers back into NM. On the way back, however, he learned that many of the pueblos had become unfriendly, and Santa Fe was again inhabited by Pueblo Indians.

• On Dec 30th, Vargas & his soldiers attacked & captured Santa Fe again. A total of 81 Indians died in the fighting, another 70 executed on Vargas' orders, & 400 were taken captive. Santa Fe was once again the capital, but the remaining pueblos would have to be reconquered one-by-one.

Open Ended

OPINION - Can the conquest of a people ever be truly "peaceful"? Why or why not? (Be sure to support your answer with reasons or examples!)

Pueblo Division

• From 1694-1696, there were 3 separate revolts against the Spanish, but the unity among pueblos that had made the Pueblo Revolt possible was gone, and the Spanish put down each resistance.

• After 1696, the Spanish had again conquered all of the Rio Grande Pueblos. They never rose up against the Spanish again, but there was lingering unrest.

• Some pueblos sided with the Spanish, but many did not. The pueblos did not trust each other. Several thousand Pueblo Indians left their homes & joined the Hopi, Navajo, or Eastern Plains Indians.

Change & Impacts

• The Spanish sent out more and more mission priests, who built new churches. However, the priests stopped raiding the kivas and destroying Pueblo religious objects.

• Most Pueblo peoples seemed to accept Christianity, but they hid their own religious rites from the Spaniards.

• By 1800, the Pueblo population was only half. Of more than 60 pueblos, only 19 remained. Many left, and many died from repeated outbreaks of smallpox or continued raids by other Indian groups.

Multiple Select

Why were the Pueblo Peoples never able to repeat the victory they had during the Pueblo Revolt? (Select any that are correct.)

• The pueblos were no longer unified because they didn't trust each other anymore.

• The different pueblos were not allowed to speak to each other anymore.

• Some of the pueblos sided with the Spanish.

• Their numbers were decreased due to many Pueblo Indians leaving or dying from disease.

Multiple Select

Why was it easier for the Pueblo Peoples to accept Christianity when the Spanish took control of New Mexico again?

(Select any that are correct.)

• The priests stopped raiding the kivas and destroying religious objects important to Pueblo culture.

• Most Pueblos decided Christianity was a better religion.

• Some Pueblos continued to celebrate their own religions in secret, and only pretended to accept Christianity to appease the Spanish.

Spanish NM Grows

• After 1693, the Spanish population in NM grew rapidly, & more Spanish "villas" (towns) were built. Villas were important centers of defense & trade.

• In 1706, 35 Spanish families set up a villa south of Santa Fe on the banks of the Rio Grande. It had good soil, grasslands, timber, & a steady water supply. This villa became the modern city of Albuquerque. It's purpose was to protect the Rio Abajo from Indian attacks.

• By 1817, more people lived in NM than in all of California, Baja California, Arizona, & Texas!

FUN FACTS!

• Albuquerque was named for a Spanish nobleman, the Duke of Alburquerque (spelled with an extra "r").

• This is why Albuquerque is called "Duke City", and why our old baseball team before the Isotopes were called "the Dukes".

• The Spanish spelling was changed in the 1800s by Anglo-Americans, who dropped the first "r". Today we generally use that spelling (Albuquerque), but either is considered correct.

Multiple Choice

Why were Spanish villas important?

• They helped Christianize the Pueblo Peoples.

• They were important centers of defense and trade.

• They were old abandoned pueblos that the Spanish took over.

• They were built out of wood instead of more traditional adobe.

Indian Raids

• 1706 - The Comanche arrive in NM.

• The Comanche join the Ute Indians to raid in NM, forcing the Apache to move.

• By 1770, the raids were so bad, they threatened the survival of NM as a Spanish colony.

• Juan Bautista de Anza - a known Indian fighter - is appointed governor of NM in 1776. He, along with a force of 600 soldiers of Spanish & Pueblo men, force the Comanche north.

Changing Relationships

• By 1786, Comanche & Spanish leaders meet at Pecos Pueblo & declare peace.

• The Spaniards and Comanche begin trading year-round, rather than only once a year at trade fairs.

• The Comanche join the Spanish in their fight against the Apache.

Multiple Choice

In the 1700's, the _______ moved south into New Mexico and threatened the survival of the Spanish colony.

• Apache

• Comanche

• Navajo

• Acoma

Multiple Choice

By 1786, the Comanche and Spanish declared peace. The Comanche then joined the Spanish and Pueblo Indians to fight against raids by the

• Navajo

• Ute

• Apache

• Zuni