The Spanish first set out to settle New Mexico around 1600. Although there were a few revolts in the first half of the 17th century, Van Hastings Garner believes that the period was one of relative harmony amongst Indians, Spanish officials, and the Spanish religious presence. But in 1680, a multi-tribal revolt destroyed many Spanish towns and drove the Spanish out of the Pueblo land. The reasons for this highly organized revolt are many and complicated, but among the most important are the enslavement and exploitation of the Indians for decades, the Indians loss of interest in Spanish…
