Natives versus Spaniards: the Tiguex War, 1540-1541
In 1540, two Spanish armies learned the hard way what happens when Native people were pushed too far. In 1540, Hernando de Soto and his men were trapped in Mabila, somewhere in present-day Alabama, surrounded by angry Mississippian Natives under Tuskaloosa. Likewise, in New Mexico, the forces of Francisco Alvarez de Coronado were battling Tiwa-speaking Puebloans on the banks of the Rio Grande near what is now Bernalillo, New Mexico. Both of these incidents would be Native victories.
The Spanish had a standard operating procedure when encountering Native peoples, capture and use as hostages any who spoke enough Spanish to act as interpreters, then demand foodstuffs, bearers and women to provide services before moving on to the next village and repeating the cycle. Coronado had come into New Mexico seeking cities of gold. He believed that the Zuni Hawikah, one of the pueblos believed to contain gold. When it was found that there was no gold, a fight broke out between the Spaniards and the Zuni, who believed he had worn out his welcome and wanted his men to move on. Other pueblos heard about the Spaniards and their rapacious appetite for gold, not to mention food stuffs and companionship. Xauian, a Tiwa leader called Juan Aleman by the Spaniards, had personally experienced the Spanish as unwelcome guests in 1540-41 and later in 1541-42. He now came up with a plan, backed by other Tiwa speaking pueblos.
If the Spanish wanted gold, the Natives would tell them where to go. A delegation from Pecos Pueblo offered to guide the expedition to the Great Plains to see the buffalo and find cities of gold. One of the Natives had a mustache, so the Spanish nicknamed him Bigotes. Little did they know that Bigotes was leading them straight into an ambush. Coronado dispatched Hernando de Alvarado and a party of men to follow Bigotes. Bigotes led them past Acoma and as far as Pecos, watching along the way as the Spanish claimed the area for Spain. Aleman's warriors harried the Spanish every chance they got. The Spanish established a forward base at a pueblo they called Alcanfor, forcing the local inhabitants to leave. As the winter wore on and foodstuffs wore out, the Pueblo refused further Spanish requests for foodstuffs. More struggles broke out and a Pueblo woman was raped.
The Tiwas killed several of the expedition's horses, mules and cattle. Infuriated, Coronado declared a war of fire and blood, and he meant it. His men attacked a pueblo they called Arenai, and killed all the male defenders. Some of them were burned alive at the stake. He next laid siege to a pueblo known as Moho. Moho's defenders attempted to escape when they ran out of water, and were killed for doing so. The women and children were enslaved. Things calmed down when Coronado set off for an expedition into what is now Kansas. However, when he returned, the Natives were waiting for him. They abandoned the pueblos and turned to guerrilla warfare, ambushing the Spanish whenever they could. They chased Coronado out of Mexico by 1542 and the Spanish wouldn't be back for almost 40 years.
The Spanish had a standard operating procedure when encountering Native peoples, capture and use as hostages any who spoke enough Spanish to act as interpreters, then demand foodstuffs, bearers and women to provide services before moving on to the next village and repeating the cycle. Coronado had come into New Mexico seeking cities of gold. He believed that the Zuni Hawikah, one of the pueblos believed to contain gold. When it was found that there was no gold, a fight broke out between the Spaniards and the Zuni, who believed he had worn out his welcome and wanted his men to move on. Other pueblos heard about the Spaniards and their rapacious appetite for gold, not to mention food stuffs and companionship. Xauian, a Tiwa leader called Juan Aleman by the Spaniards, had personally experienced the Spanish as unwelcome guests in 1540-41 and later in 1541-42. He now came up with a plan, backed by other Tiwa speaking pueblos.
If the Spanish wanted gold, the Natives would tell them where to go. A delegation from Pecos Pueblo offered to guide the expedition to the Great Plains to see the buffalo and find cities of gold. One of the Natives had a mustache, so the Spanish nicknamed him Bigotes. Little did they know that Bigotes was leading them straight into an ambush. Coronado dispatched Hernando de Alvarado and a party of men to follow Bigotes. Bigotes led them past Acoma and as far as Pecos, watching along the way as the Spanish claimed the area for Spain. Aleman's warriors harried the Spanish every chance they got. The Spanish established a forward base at a pueblo they called Alcanfor, forcing the local inhabitants to leave. As the winter wore on and foodstuffs wore out, the Pueblo refused further Spanish requests for foodstuffs. More struggles broke out and a Pueblo woman was raped.
The Tiwas killed several of the expedition's horses, mules and cattle. Infuriated, Coronado declared a war of fire and blood, and he meant it. His men attacked a pueblo they called Arenai, and killed all the male defenders. Some of them were burned alive at the stake. He next laid siege to a pueblo known as Moho. Moho's defenders attempted to escape when they ran out of water, and were killed for doing so. The women and children were enslaved. Things calmed down when Coronado set off for an expedition into what is now Kansas. However, when he returned, the Natives were waiting for him. They abandoned the pueblos and turned to guerrilla warfare, ambushing the Spanish whenever they could. They chased Coronado out of Mexico by 1542 and the Spanish wouldn't be back for almost 40 years.
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