Revolt: an archaeological history of Pueblo resistance and revitalization in 17th century New Mexico

Abstract

Published in cooperation with the William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies, Southern Methodist University. The Pueblo of 1680 is the most renowned colonial uprisings in the history of the American Southwest. Traditional text-based accounts tend to focus on the revolt and the Spaniards' reconquest in 1692--completely skipping over the years of indigenous independence that occurred in between. Revolt boldly breaks out of this mold and examines the aftermath of the uprising in colonial New Mexico, focusing on the radical changes it instigated in Pueblo culture and society. In addition to being the first book-length history of the revolt that incorporates archaeological evidence as a primary source of data, this volume is one of a kind in its attempt to put these events into the larger context of Native American cultural revitalization. Despite the fact that the only surviving records of the revolt were written by Spanish witnesses and contain certain biases, author Matthew Liebmann finds unique ways to bring a fresh perspective to Revolt. Most notably, he uses his hands-on experience at Ancestral Pueblo archaeological sites--four Pueblo villages constructed between 1680 and 1696 in the Jemez province of New Mexico--to provide an understanding of this period that other treatments have yet to accomplish. By analyzing ceramics, architecture, and rock art of the Pueblo era, he sheds new light on a period often portrayed as one of unvarying degradation and dissention among Pueblos. A compelling read, Revolt's blood-and-thunder story successfully ties together archaeology, history, and ethnohistory to add a new dimension to this uprising and its aftermath.

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