Pueblos, Plains, and Province

New Mexico in the Seventeenth Century

By: Joseph P. Sánchez

Narrated by: Jack de Golia

In Pueblos, Plains, and Province Joseph P. Sánchez offers an in-depth examination of sociopolitical conflict in seventeenth-century New Mexico, detailing the effects of Spanish colonial policies on settlers’, missionaries’, and Indigenous peoples’ struggle for economic and cultural control of the region.

Spanish dual Indian policies for Pueblo and Plains tribes challenged Indigenous political and social systems to conform to the imperial structure for pacification purposes. Meanwhile, missionary efforts to supplant Indigenous religious beliefs with a Christian worldview resulted, in part, in a syncretism of the two worlds. Indigenous resentment of these policies reflected the contentious disagreements between Spanish clergymen and civil authorities, who feuded over Indigenous labor and encroachment on tribal sovereignties with demands for sworn loyalty to Spanish governance. The little-studied “starvation period” adversely affected Spanish-Pueblo relationships for the remainder of the century and contributed significantly to the battle at Acoma, the Jumano War, and the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.

Pueblos, Plains, and Province shows how history, culture, and tradition in New Mexico shaped the heritage shared by Spain, Mexico, the United States, and Native American tribes and will be of interest to scholars and students of Indigenous, colonial, and borderlands history.

The book is published by University Press of Colorado. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2021 University Press of Colorado (P)2025 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“A lively and contributory work.” (Deena J. González, Loyola Marymount University)

“A refreshing modern presentation...a stimulating journey to the past...” (Roundup)

“These 15 chapters...recount in detail other episodes barely outlined in most general histories of the region.” (Hispanic American Historical Review)