Pueblo Indians and Spanish Colonial Authority in Eighteenth-Century New Mexico

Tracy L. Brown (Author)
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Pueblo people reacted to Spanish colonialism in many different ways. While some resisted change and struggled to keep to their long-standing traditions, others reworked old practices or even adopted Spanish ones. Pueblo Indians and Spanish Colonial Authority in Eighteenth-Century New Mexico examines the multiple approaches Pueblo individuals and villages adopted to mitigate and manage the demands that Spanish colonial authorities made upon them. In doing so, author Tracy L. Brown counters the prevailing argument that Pueblo individuals and communities’ only response to Spanish colonialism was to compartmentalize—and thus freeze in time and space—their traditions behind a cultural “iron curtain.”
 
Brown addresses an understudied period of Pueblo Indian/Spanish colonial history of New Mexico with a work that paints a portrait of pre-contact times through the colonial period with a special emphasis on the eighteenth century. The Pueblo communities that the Spaniards encountered were divided by language, religion,and  political and kinship organization. Brown highlights the changes to, but also the maintenance of, social practices and beliefs in the economic, political, spiritual and familial and intimate realms of life that resulted from Pueblo attempts to negotiate Spanish colonial power.
 
The author combines an analysis of eighteenth century Spanish documentation with archaeological findings concerning Pueblo beliefs and practices that spans the pre-contact period to the eighteenth century in the Southwest. Brown presents a nonlinear view of Pueblo life that examines politics, economics, ritual, and personal relationships. The book paints a portrait of the Pueblo peoples and their complex responses to Spanish colonialism by making sense of little-researched archival documents and archaeological findings that cast light on the daily life of Pueblo peoples.
“Brown succeeds in formulating a nonlinear model for articulating a refreshing new perspective on the specifics of Puebloan responses to Spanish colonialism.”—Choice Reviews

“Brown produces an examination of Pueblo negotiations that are mostly individual stories of experience with Spanish colonial authority traversing the social arenas of politics, economics, spirituality, and intimate relations.”—Kiva Book Reviews

“Brown offers a nuanced portrait of the Pueblo peoples and their struggles, internal divisions, and desire to endure and meet the challenge of colonialism.”—Hispanic American Historical Review

“A refreshing and novel interpretation of available sources and produces salient historical interpretations.”—Catholic Southwest

“Brown’s understanding of Pueblo reactions to Spanish invasion and colonization is nuanced and sophisticated.”—New Mexico Historical Review

“Using new evidence and fresh perspectives Tracy Brown takes a richly detailed look at how various Pueblo Indian villages responded to Spanish colonists. Her conclusions are sure to stimulate discussion.”—Southwest Books of the Year

“Brown is able to convincingly give voice to the Pueblo peoples and their complex responses to Spanish colonialism—a powerful tool for understanding the multifaceted approach that both individuals and communities took to addressing Spanish authority.”—Suzanne L. Eckert, author of Pottery and Practice: The Expression of Identity at Pottery Mound and Hummingbird Pueblo

“Brown’s work is a welcome addition to the literature on Pueblo cultures and histories.  Through its focus on the eighteenth century, this book addresses a systematically neglected period and lays the foundation for a new generation of Pueblo ethnohistory.”—Matthew Liebmann, author of Revolt: An Archaeological History of Pueblo Resistance and Revitalization in 17th Century New Mexico
Pueblo Indians and Spanish Colonial Authority in Eighteenth-Century New Mexico
248 Pages 6 x 9
Published: September 2013Hardcover ISBN: 9780816530274
Published: September 2013Ebook ISBN: 9780816599066

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