1. WHAT CAUSED THE
PUEBLO REVOLT OF
1680?
Readings Selected and Introduced by David J.
Weber

2. Introduction
 The book is a compilation of historical essays
offering theses on what event(s) caused the
Pueblo Revolt of 1680
 Authors: Henry Warner Bowden, Ramon A.
Gutierrez, Van Hastings Garner, Angelico
Chavez, and Andrew L. Knaut
 The editor, David J. Weber, poses 5 questions,
each possible causes for the revolt. The five
essays answer each question and give a
unique perspective on the events.

3. Did the Pueblos Revolt to Save
Their Traditions?
 Henry Warner Bowden “Spanish
Missions, Cultural Conflict, and the Pueblo Revolt
1680”
 “The major theme in historical writing…has been
to interpret Indian rebellion as an expression of
economic and political self-determination.” These
interpretations, however, “…have been
overemphasized.”
 Bowden contends that it was the dispute over
religion that was the catalyst for the rebellion.
 He states, the uprising was “…deliberately anti-
ecclesiastical…[and] the clergy were usually the
first to die.”

5. Did Franciscans Invite
Martyrdom?
 In “Franciscans and the Pueblo Revolt”, Ramon A.
Gutierrez makes the argument that the Franciscan
monks responsible for missionizing the Pueblos
welcomed martyrdom.
 Gutierrez claims that some even made the trip to
the New Mexico with martyrdom in mind, such as
Fray Jose Trujillo, whose “lifelong quest for
martyrdom” culminated at the revolt in 1680.
 “Their suffering was „the sure road to life; because
the better title corresponding to such deaths is to
call them lives‟”.

6. Did Pueblos Revolt to Save Their
Lives?
 Van Hastings Garner offers the most impressive
account for the revolt and the most compelling case
for causation.
 His study gathers many of the themes addressed by
previous/future historians and presents them as a
holistic/multi-causation event.
 Rather than point to one cause Van Hasting Garner
points to many:
1. Antagonistic imperialism
2. Reciprocating reliance between Pueblos and Spaniards
that eventually fell apart
3. Drought and famine
4. Suppression of the Natives
5. Important role of Mestizos

8. Did the Right Leader Make the
Revolt Possible?
 Angelico Chavez “Pohe-yemo‟s
Representative and the Pueblo Revolt of
1680”
 The important mestizo, Domingo Naranjo, was
a prominent individual in the Revolt. His name
appeared frequently in multiple essays and the
current author, Angelico Chavez, gives special
credit to his leadership abilities in leading the
rebellion.
 Chavez argues that Naranjo is the
“Representative of Pohe-yemo”, which was
apparently the divine being who was behind

9. Did the Spaniards‟ Loss of
Authority Encourage the Revolt?
 Andrew L. Knaut, in “Acculturation and Miscegenation” makes
a compelling argument that the interbreeding of Natives and
Europeans eventually led to a people difficult to control by the
Crown‟s bureaucracies.
 “As a mestizo, Aguliar [a mestizo], represented what had
become, by the time of his birth in the third decade of the
seventeenth century, a large proportion of the Hispanic
population in the province.”
 “Mestizos found themselves pushed in different directions by
the deep seated ambivalence prevalent among the Spanish
settlers. Such social pressures could prove explosive and
give rise to frequent incidents of violence and confrontation.”
 The large number of Mestizos along with the frequent harsh
treatment they underwent at the hands of Europeans
provided the prime ingredients for rebellion.

10. Conclusion
 Clearly, there are many interpretations for causations
of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The conclusions of each
historian depend on the questions first asked before
their research begins, and these are the questions
influenced by some of their deepest biases.
 One thing can be considered objective, however. To
point at any one “thing” and say “that‟s what caused
the rebellion” is foolish. As with most historical
events, the situation is complicated and a variety of
factors were responsible for the Pueblo‟s revolt.
 David J. Weber compiles 5 well-written essays that
give the student-reader a firm grasp on why the
Europeans were overthrown by the Pueblos in 1680
New Mexico.