The Pueblo Revolt Drives the Spanish from New Mexico

In August 1680, Indigenous Pueblo communities across the northern reaches of New Spain launched a coordinated uprising against Spanish imperial rule. Spanish authorities had governed the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo Mexico since 1598, imposing the encomienda tribute system and demanding native labor, foodstuffs, and textiles. At the same time, Franciscan friars attempted to dismantle traditional religious life by outlawing kachina ceremonies, confiscating ceremonial masks, and forbidding customary practices. Longstanding resentment deepened during severe droughts and famines in the 1670s, during which Spanish forces proved unable to shield the Pueblos from intensifying regional raids.

Tensions peaked in 1675, when colonial governor Juan Francisco Trevino ordered the arrest of forty-seven Pueblo traditional healers, charging them with sorcery. After several executions and public floggings, an armed delegation of Pueblo leaders marched on Santa Fe to demand the release of the remaining captives. Among the freed prisoners was Po'pay, a religious leader from Ohkay Owingeh. Relocating north to Taos Pueblo, Po'pay spent the subsequent five years coordinating an alliance that brought together dozens of autonomous villages across multiple language groups, including Tewa, Tiwa, Towa, Tano, and Keres communities, alongside Zuni and Hopi towns.