Franciscan priests came to the Pueblos as agents of both God & state. They sought to convert the Indians to Christianity & to make them obedient to the Spanish king. They enlisted Indians to build mission churches & to join the Spaniards in wars against unconquered tribes.
The priests taught new skills & tried to shield the Indians from harsh government policies.
Submitting to Spanish power, the Pueblos found the new domestic animals & food plants desirable & the church ritual good but were confused & dismayed to be punished for practicing their own religion.
Some Indians met the Spainards with friendship, others with hostility. In 1598, the Acoma attacked Captain Gasper de Villagra. Losing his horse, he fled on foot & reached El Morro. In his epic poem, The History of New Mexico, he wrote:
By great effort I arrived at some lofty cliffs.
At which place I saw a tank of cold water,
above whose crystalline waters, almost blind,
I barely overcame the fury of the insatiable
thirst which overwhelmed me,
When trembling , all exhausted,
I drank eagerly of the wet liquid.
A few days later, the Acoma ambushed a Spanish detachment. The Whites responded with the sword, killing hundreds of Indians & destroying Acoma Pueblo. Many Indians were captured & given severe punishment, but they eventually returned & rebuilt their homes.
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