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 b...