New Spain and the Pueblo Indians
Convert and Absorb
From the moment the first European settlers set foot on the continent of North America, the differences that separated them from indigenous tribes became apparent. European missionaries, concerned that the peculiar cultural traits demonstrated by indigenous societies were an indicator of savagery, undertook the dubious task of introducing Christian values into native religious practices. The results were devastating on a cultural level and resulted in a series of armed conflicts--of which the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 was among the most violent.
Although the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 was hardly the first armed conflict between European and indigenous forces, it was the first demonstration of collective resistance against European efforts to undermine native religion. This conflict’s causative factors stemmed from the desire by Spanish colonial authorities to convert native tribes to Catholicism. The rationale behind this desire came from the belief that these tribes were uncivilized by European standards and lacked the necessary refinement to make them less of a threat to colonial authorities. The introduction of European religious practices was seen by many as the most expedient means of “civilizing” native tribes, thereby making it easier to control trade with them.
While each of the European nations that eventually colonized North America had its own particular methodology with respect to religious indoctrination of indigenous tribes, it was the Spanish missionaries who were the most effective. The Spanish missions of the American southwest were highly symbolic of Spain’s effort to minister to native tribes. These buildings were far more than mere repositories of Catholic doctrine. They were, in fact, the headquarters of the Spanish effort to restyle and supplant native customs. The missionary zeal with which the settlers embraced their objective was fully supported by the military garrisons that had accompanied them to the continent.
Spanish colonial authorities wasted no time in declaring the native communities that surrounded their settlements to be wards of New Spain. It did not matter that the tribes themselves had not agreed to this distinction. Beginning in 1598, Spanish expeditions made forays into indigenous communities (organized into self-governing pueblos) and demanded that they abandon their pagan ways and submit to a new order. The native communities in these pueblos (who have historically been classified as Pueblo Indians despite the fact that they represent a variety of nations) resisted this edict and were put down by force.
The leader of the Spanish efforts to colonize New Mexico, Juan de Onate, declared all pueblos to be under the authority of New Spain and all natives subject to colonial authority. Vassals in their own territory, the pueblos could put up no more than a token resistance. All efforts to shake off Spanish authority were greeted with brutal reprisals and enslavement of entire communities. Once brought under heel, the native communities in New Mexico were subject to colonial policies. After establishing a more permanent presence in Santa Fe, the colonial government adopted a policy of convert and absorb with respect to the native communities within the pueblos.
Franciscan Friars quickly moved in the pueblos and began preaching to the native populations. Traditional religious practices were declared illegal and the practitioners were subject to arrest. Many were forced into hiding. With the support of colonial authorities in Santa Fe, missionaries even managed to criminalize traditional medicinal practices as barbarism. Many of the practitioners of traditional medicine became wanted fugitives and were forced into hiding in order to practice their skill. Only away from the watchful eye of the colonial government could the traditional ways be practiced. Once such practitioner would not remain in the shadows, however, and he soon emerged as the primary leader of an organized movement to resist Spanish rule.
Sources:
Mark C Carnes, U.S. History. (New York: MacMillan Library Reference, 1996).
Peter Nabokov, Native American Testimony: A Chronicle of Indian-White Relations From Prophecy to Present. (New York: Penguin Book, 1978).
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2000).
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006).
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