| Acoma Massacre |
|---|
| Part of the Conquest of New Mexico |
A lithograpgh of Acoma Pueblo made in 1848. |
| Date | January 22-24, 1599 |
|---|
| Location | |
|---|
| Result |
Spanish victory in battle, civilians massacred. |
|---|
|
| Belligerents |
|---|
 Spain |
Acoma |
| Commanders and leaders |
|---|
|
Vincenti de Zaldivar |
Zutacapan |
| Strength |
|---|
~70 conquistadors
1 artillery piece |
~2,000 warriors |
| Casualties and losses |
|---|
|
unknown |
~500 killed |
|
Civilian Casualties ~300 killed |
The Acoma Massacre, or the Battle of Acoma Pueblo, was fought in January of 1599 between Spanish conquistadors and Acoma, or Keres, native Americans of New Mexico. After the killing of twelve soldiers at Acoma Pueblo in 1598, the Spanish retaliated and it led to the deaths of around 800 men, women and children during a three day battle. Several hundred survivors were also enslaved or punished in a similar manner.[1]
Background
In the late 1500s the Spanish began their conquest of the Pueblo people in northern New Spain and in 1595 the conquistador Don Juan de Oñate was granted permission from King Philip II to colonize the present day New Mexico, then known as Santa Fé de Nuevo México. The Spanish first came into contact with the Acoma people around 1540 and for several decades relations were mostly peaceful. Then in 1598 the leader Zutacapan discovered that the Spanish intended to conquer Acoma Pueblo. Initially the natives planned to defend themselves, but the belief that the Spanish were immortal and known to have committed atrocities in the past, led the Acoma to try and negotiate a peaceful solution to the conflict. Accordingly, Don Oñate sent his nephew, Captain Juan de Zaldivar, to the pueblo in order to consult with Zutacapan. It was December of 1598 when Zaldivar arrived and one the first things he did was take sixteen of his men up the mesa, on which the pueblo was located, to demand food from some of the natives. The Spaniards were denied the food they had demanded and they allegedly attacked some Acoma women. A fight then ensued, leaving Zaldivar and eleven of his men dead. When Don Oñate learned of the incident, he ordered Juan de Zaldivar's brother, Vincenti de Zaldivar, to launch a punitive expedition against the Acoma. Taking about 70 men, Vincenti Zaldivar left San Juan Pueblo in late December or early January and arrived at Acoma Pueblo on January 21, 1599.[2]
Massacre
The battle began on the following morning of January 22 and for the first two days the Spanish and Acoma skirmished until Zaldivar concocted a plan to breach the pueblo using a small cannon. So on the third day Zalvidar and twelve of his men ascended the mesa and opened fire on the pueblo with the cannon. After some time several Acoma homes caught on fire and were destroyed while the conquistadors stormed through the settlement. There was an estimated 6,000 natives living at or around the Acoma Pueblo in 1599, at least 2,000 of whom were warriors. Of the 2,000, about 500 were killed in the battle with about 300 women and children. Some 500 prisoners were also taken and later sentenced to a variety of punishments. Don Oñate ordered that every male above the age of twenty-five would have their right foot cut off and be enslaved for a period of twenty years. However, only twenty-four men actually recieved this treatment. Males between the age of twelve and twenty-five were also enslaved for twenty years along with all of the females above the age of twelve. Many of these natives were dispersed among the residences of government officials or at Jesuit missions. Sixty of the youngest women were deemed not guilty and then sent to Mexico City where they were "parceled out among Catholic convents." Two Hopi men were taken prisoner at the pueblo, both had one of their hands cut off and then released to spread the word of Spain's resolve.[3]
Aftermath
When King Philip heard the news of the massacre, and the subsequent punishments, Don Oñate was banished from New Mexico, for his cruelty towards the natives, and he later returned to Spain to live out the remainder of his life. Several Acomas escaped capture by the Spanish in 1599 and by 1601 they had rebuilt their pueblo which still stands today. The massacre is still a sensitive issue in the United States. In 1998, during the 400 year anniversary of Spain's founding of New Mexico colony, a group of Acomas cut off the right foot of Don Oñate's twelve-foot statue in Santa Fe. They later issued a statement about the incident; "We took the liberty of removing Oñate's right foot on behalf of our brothers and sister of Acoma Pueblo..... We see no glory in celebrating Oñate's fourth centennial, and we do not want our faces rubbed in it." One Acoma man, named Darrell Chino, said; "It was funny when it happened to the statue, but it wasn't funny when it happened to the real people." At the Oñate Monument and Visitors Center, Estevan Arrellano, the director of the site, supervised the attachment of a new foot to the statue. He later said; "Give me a break - it was 400 years ago. It's okay to hold a grudge, but for 400 years?" On April 21, 2007 an eighteen foot tall statue of Don Oñate was erected at El Paso and is the largest bronze equestrian statue in the United States. Members of the Acoma tribe attended the dedication ceremony and protested against the statue's construction.[4][5][6]
