After Hernan Cortez’s victory over the Aztecs, the Spanish expeditions focused primarily on the vast territory to their north. With legends of gold and great wealth, more and more Spanish explorers launched expeditions to what is now the American southwestern region as well as Florida. Map 1 demonstrates the exploration and colonization efforts that took place in the North America from the middle of the 16th century until 1675. It is very evident that Spanish authorities put an enormous focus on the area of present day New Mexico, which they heavily settled after Juan de Oñate’s arrival in 1598. For the settlers, the territory of New Mexico was their opportunity to gain riches, but also it puts them in direct contact with the area’s native population, the American Indians. While at first, Indians and settlers coexisted without any major conflicts; soon distinct cultural and religious differences would result in a full-blown revolt by the region’s Pueblo Indians. The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 has been characterized as a landmark event of the American history and has attracted …show more content…
In his book, American Indians and Christian Missions, Bowden describes an event that took place in 1675 in which, Spanish authorities hanged three Pueblo holy men, while another one committed suicide in jail before his execution, and humiliated forty-three others by publicly whipping them for offences of sorcery and sedition. Zaragosa Vargas, a history professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara completely agrees with Bowden’s claim. In his book Crucible of Struggle, Vargas states that the Spanish destruction of kivas, the public humiliation of Indian holy men and the forced termination of Indian ceremonial practices intensified the relationship between the natives and the