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The first revolution in American history took place almost 100 years before the Revolutionary War. The Pueblo Revolt in New Mexico was the most successful Native American revolt and one of the most interesting stories in American history. This is the true story of the Indian Rebellion that kicked the Spanish out of New Mexico for over a decade. Viewer discretion is advised. Spanish colonization of New Mexico began in 1598 under Juan de Onate. The colony was established along the Rio Grande corridor where Pueblo agricultural communities had existed for centuries. The Spanish settlements placed small missions and small settler populations directly within or adjacent to pueblo towns the early period of colonization was violent in 1599 after resistance at acama pueblo in which several spanish soldiers were killed bonate ordered a punitive assault spanish forces stormed the mesa top settlements hundreds of people would die during this assault surviving adult men over the age of 25 were sentenced to have one of their toes amputated, women and children were enslaved and distributed among Spanish households. The action resulted in legal proceedings against Donate in Mexico City, where he was later tried for excessive force, but the native population never forgot this. During the 17th century, Spanish authority in New Mexico rested on three components, the governor and the military garrisons in Santa Fe, the Franciscan mission system, and the encomienda-style tribute structure that required Pueblo labor and agricultural production. The Spanish population remained small. By the 1670s, estimates suggest approximately 2,000 to 2,500 Spaniards and mestizos in the province. They were dispersed in settlements such as Santa Fe, Santa Cruz de la Canada, and smaller agricultural communities. They lived among the Pueblo population that significantly outnumbered them. Each mission complex included a church and living quarters for the friars. These friars were responsible not only for religious instruction, but also for supervising moral conduct and reporting violations of Christian discipline. Naturally, this caused a lot of tension between the friars and the Puebloans. Traditional Pueblo religious practices were often prohibited. Ceremonial chambers referred to in Spanish records as estufas were periodically inspected. When suspected of harboring idolatry or witchcraft, they were often destroyed. The public dances that the Puebloans traditionally held were sometimes suppressed.

Environmental conditions in the decades before 1680 were unstable. Prolonged drought affected crop yields. Apache and other nomadic groups conducted raids that targeted both Spanish and Pueblo settlements. Livestock losses and food shortages were becoming the norm and despite these conditions the tribute obligations did not cease. In 1675 Governor Juan Francisco Trevino initiated one of the most significant confrontations between colonial authority and Pueblo religious leadership 47 pueblo religious figures were arrested on accusations of practicing sorcery and causing harm and drought through witchcraft the accused were brought to santa fe spanish records state that four were executed by hanging others were publicly whipped and flogged some were sentenced to prison and all of these punishments were visible and intended to be a deterrent shortly after delegations from several pueblos traveled to santa fe demanding the release of the surviving prisoners the governor ultimately released them among those arrested was a tewa religious leader named pope of san juan pope relocated north to taos where he began to organize a rebellion spanish sources later wrote that pope was channeling three spirits that were guiding him in this rebellion. He plotted for several years and during that time, communication between Pueblos increased. The plan was ready to be executed. Runners carried messages between communities, ropes with knotted cords were distributed, with instructions to untie one knot each day. When the final knot was untied, the rebellion would begin. By 1680, the colony was thinly defended. The military presence was limited. Reinforcements from central New Spain were infrequent. The Spanish population remained dispersed. And by August of that year, the coordination between multiple Pueblo groups had reached its final stage. The carriers of the rope of time were down to their final knots. On August 10th, the day had arrived. Violence erupted simultaneously across the different Pueblos. With the Franciscan friars being targeted for the most gruesome murders, At Jemez, Fri Juan de Jesus was taken captive by the rebels, tied to a pig's back and dragged through the village while the Puebloans mocked him. They later put him on all fours and took turns riding him as if he was a horse, forcing the old man to crawl forward. Then they killed him with a sword to the chest.

Friar serving Taos was attacked inside the mission complex. Spanish records state that he was shot with arrows and beaten. Three holy men were slain at Santo Domingo and their bodies were thrown next to the altar, rotting there for several weeks before being discovered. The priest at Pecos was beaten and killed publicly. The mission church was stripped afterwards. 21 of the 33 New Mexico friars were killed that day. After the clergy were killed, churches were dismantled deliberately. Images of saints were smashed or burned. Crosses were pulled down. Bells were removed from the towers. And in several locations, the churches were burned entirely. Christian marriages were repudiated. Baptized individuals were ordered to wash themselves to remove what the rebels considered the effects of baptism. Christian names were abandoned, and everyone was encouraged to go back to the old ways. Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go killed that day, many of them as they were attempting to flee. As these attacks spread, survivors fled towards Santa Fe. Governor Antonio de Otterman assembled roughly 100 armed men inside the capital. Spanish families gathered inside the governor's palace where they barricaded themselves in, trying to plan how they were going to escape. Pueblo forces surrounded the town. Irrigation channels feeding Santa Fe were cut, depriving the town of water. The Spanish rationed what remained in their cisterns. Governor Oderman later reported that several assaults were repelled. In his official account, he claimed that more than 300 Pueblo attackers were killed during engagements around Santa Fe, including 47 that were killed in a house where they were cornered and lanced. The siege lasted several days, but without water and without reinforcements from the south, the Spanish position became untenable. They had no choice but to retreat. In the tightly guarded column of survivors moved south through the pueblos that had already joined the uprising and eventually they reached El Paso del Norte. Spanish authority in New Mexico had ended. For the first time since 1598, the province was no longer under Spanish control. Most of the missionaries were dead. Settler communities had been destroyed or abandoned. Little is known about life in New Mexico after the revolt. A testimony was given by an Indian man named Pedro Naranjo that Pope claimed to have received instructions from supernatural beings.

Their names were given as Kadi, Tilimi, and Name. Naranjo stated that they emitted fire from their extremities and that Pope communicated with them to receive orders. Traditional ceremonies resumed openly. Ritual chambers that had been destroyed were rebuilt. agricultural rites were conducted without concealment. The province remained without Spanish presence for more than a year. During this period, Spanish survivors at El Paso organized relief efforts and petitioned for reinforcements. Reports were sent to Mexico City describing the loss of the province, the killing of the clergy, and the destruction of the missions. Eventually, Governor Antonio de Ottermen attempted to regain control of the province the following year in november of 1681 he assembled a force 146 spanish soldiers and roughly the same number of allied native auxiliaries at el paso del norte from there the expedition marched north along the rio grande

The first pueblo they came upon had been abandoned. The mission churches had been destroyed and the inhabitants had fled to the mountains or joined other pueblo groups. The soldiers discovered subterranean chambers divided into four sections. These chambers were filled with maize. Much of it was spoiled. But inside these chambers were clay storage pots. And when they inspected inside the vessels, they found powdered herbs and two pieces of human flesh. These were offerings intended to guard the stored maize. This discovery reinforced, in their view, the accusation that idolatry and sorcery had resumed openly after their departure. The Spaniards viewed this as satanic, and they burned the offering. The Pueblo of Cochiti was found fortified and well-supplied with provisions. On the following day, 56 soldiers were prepared for engagement. The rebels shouted from elevated positions. The leader at Cochiti at the moment was a man named Alonso Catiti. When they addressed him in Castilian, Catiti became emotional and replied that he had committed many sins and was condemned to hell. The chaplain that was present exhorted him spiritually, reassuring him that he had been forgiven. Catiti reportedly began to weep and begged that peace be granted for the love of God and the Virgin Mary. Peace was granted there temporarily. At the Pueblo Isleta, however, the expedition met resistance. A brief fight took place before the Pueblo surrendered. Oederman occupied the settlement and began questioning prisoners in an attempt to determine who had organized the revolt. When asked who had led the uprising, the names that the captives were giving were not human leaders, but the names of Pueblo spiritual figures. These answers frustrated the Spanish investigators. While Oederman remained in the region, the Pueblo communities were prepared to resist again. The Spaniards began to suspect that the apparent submission at Isleta was temporary and that larger forces were assembling nearby. Facing the possibility of another confrontation, and with his animals already weakened by winter travel, Oderman decided to withdraw. On January 1st, 1682, he ordered the destruction of several Pueblos encountered during the expedition and began to march south. The population of Vizleta was removed and taken with the Spanish column to prevent them from rejoining the revolt.

The expedition returned to El Paso del Norte and the first Spanish attempt to recover New Mexico ended without success. Snow fell repeatedly during the retreat, many horses collapsed and were left behind, dying along the road. At the same time, many horses abandoned or captured during the revolt spread outward. Spanish ranches and mission herds had contained substantial numbers of horses, cattle, sheep, and goats. Once the Spanish enforcement mechanism collapsed, these animals became accessible to Pueblo groups and through trade or raiding to surrounding tribes. Horse distributions expanded significantly during the 1680s while some Plains groups had already acquired horses earlier in the century. The revolt removed Spanish restrictions in New Mexico and accelerated the spread of equestrian culture. By the early 18th century mounted bison hunting and long-range raiding had transformed the Great Plains. The Comanche, who would later dominate large areas of the southern plains, emerged as a mounted power in the decades following the revolt. Apache mobility also increased. The rapid expansion of horse culture across the plains cannot be attributed solely to the pueblo revolt but it absolutely accelerated it that will be a topic for a future video but within new mexico itself pueblo communities continued agricultural production for the remainder of the 1680s there were no more attempts at spanish reconquest of new mexico for more than a decade after the revolt spanish authority did not extend beyond el paso life in the pueblos during these years were difficult crop failures occurred in some areas and raiding increased as surrounding groups took advantage of the weakened regional balance of power. Food shortages became common in several communities. Pueblo leaders also had to defend their settlements against raids while maintaining agricultural production. By the early 1690s, some Pueblo groups began

reopening contact with the spaniards according to pueblo traditions and later spanish reports delegations from several communities traveled to el paso to negotiate the discussions did not immediately restore spanish rule but they helped open the door for a new expedition the decision to return to new mexico was also influenced by broader strategic concerns spanish officials feared the expansion of french exploration in the mississippi valley which threatened spain's northern frontier they were also concerned about the rise of the apache and other nomadic groups that continued to raid new mexico so in 1692 governor diego de vargas led a new expedition north and unlike oderman's previous attempt at reconquest vargas advanced cautiously and emphasized negotiation when he reached santa fe in september of 1692 he encountered about a thousand Pueblo inhabitants. He only had 60 soldiers and 100 Indian auxiliaries but he also had several small cannons. Vargas did not attempt an immediate assault. Instead he offered clemency and protection if the inhabitants would accept Spanish authority and return to Christianity. After negotiations the town agreed to submit. On September 14th 1692 Vargas formally proclaimed the restoration of spanish rule in santa fe over the following weeks he traveled to several other pueblos receiving similar declarations of submission over the next few years different rebellions would rise up fade away and rise up again in december of 1693 approximately 70 pueblo warriors and several hundred family members refused to allow the spaniards to reoccupy the town so the spanish attacked and took back the settlement under force after a short but violent fight which included combat on the rooftops. 70 defenders were executed on December 30, 1693 and roughly 400 women and children were sentenced to 10 years of servitude and distributed among Spanish households. In 1696, 14 Pueblo communities organized another revolt. Several missionaries and more than 30 settlers were killed in renewed fighting. Spanish forces under Vargas responded with a prolonged campaign, attacking resisting Pueblos and carrying out more executions. By the end of the 17th century, the last organized resistance had been suppressed, Spanish rule was re-established across the region. Even so, the revolt permanently altered relations between the Spanish and Pueblo communities. After the reconquest, colonial authorities granted formal land titles to many Pueblos. Franciscan missionaries returned but never again attempted to impose religious control with the same intensity seen before the revolt. But others moved, forming new alliances and seeking safer territory beyond the reach of the Spanish.

One of the most remarkable examples of this migration occurred farther to the northeast on the Great Plains in what is now western Kansas. There, near present-day Scott County Lake, Pueblo refugees established a small settlement known as El Cortalejo Pueblo. This is the furthest eastern Pueblo ever recorded. The settlement was created in the late 17th century by Pueblo people who fled New Mexico after the Spanish began their attempts to reconquer the province in the 1690s. The Jicaria Apache groups that lived near Scott Lake accepted them and allowed them to stay as refugees. They offered protection and formed a partnership with the Pueblo people. In return, the Pueblo migrants brought with them agricultural knowledge, pottery traditions, and architectural practices from the Rio Grande Valley. The ruins of El Cortaleo Pueblo are still there today, and is a very unique place, and is something rarely seen so far out on the Great Plains. But the settlement did not remain hidden forever. Spanish authorities in New Mexico continued to receive reports that Pueblo refugees had fled far to the northeast. In 1706, a Spanish expedition traveled onto the plains and located the settlement of El Cortaleo. The Pueblo refugees were forced to return to New Mexico. The Pueblo Revolt left New Mexico permanently changed. Although Spanish rule eventually returned, the revolt proved that Pueblo peoples could organize across many villages and languages to drive out a colonial government that had dominated the region for generations. The revolt also reshaped the wider southwest, sending refugees across the plains and accelerating the spread of horses and new alliances among indigenous groups. In that sense, the uprising did more than expel the Spanish for a time. It altered the balance of power in the region for generations. get to see behind the scenes on what I'm working on each week, as well as learn my workflow and how I'm able to generate these AI cinematic videos. I have nine courses on the science of storytelling, narration, AI images, and video generation. You can cancel anytime. So if you just wanted to buy a month to see how it was, but it wasn't for you, that's totally fine. cancel anytime and that's my ai cinematic directors community at school.com another great way to support my channel is to buy a mirror way map made in the usa go search your home state at mirror way maps and see what kind of 3d relief maps they have they also have 3d relief maps of national parks if you'll use the link in my description and give me credit in the post purchase survey it would be much appreciated please like and subscribe and stay tuned for my next episode. Thanks everybody. Take care.