Pueblos, Spaniards, and the Kingdom of New Mexico (review)

20ogBook Reviews255 In his telling of the history ofwestern North American cities, Abbott breaks litde new ground. Interestingly, there is not only inevitability to Abbott's urban West, but also the notion that western urban development is a positive good, despite sometimes negative social and environmental consequences. In terms of time and space, the book's innovation lays in its broad sweep and narrow scope, synthesizing copious city histories and larger western studies into a cohesive narrative. The author winds his story effordessly through western urban history—from Larimer's swindle for the future site of Denver in 1858 to the Riverfront for People's rally for park areas along Pordand's waterfront in 1969. Still, much goes unsaid. From the perspective ofTexas history, there is litde discussion ofSpindletop and its early influence on urban development (especially Houston) and little credit is given to Texas cities for Progressive innovations in city government (like the Galveston Plan) or the role of Texans in die founding of La Raza Unida. Of course, these criticisms are typical ofa bold synthesis: everyone wants a little more on their area of interest. University ofTexas-Pan AmericanLinda English Pueblos, Spaniards, and the Kingdom ofNew Mexico. By John L. Kessell. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2008. Pp. 238. Illustrations, map, notes, bibliography , index. ISBN 9780806139692, $24.95 cloth.) In early 1998, as New Mexico prepared to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Spanish settlement, vandals or activists—depending on one's perspective—amputated the foot of a bronze statue honoring conquistador donjuán de Oñate. The New York Times reported that the Indian "commando group" responsible for die statue's maiming had issued a statement indicating "We took the liberty ofremoving Oñate's right foot on behalf of our brothers and sisters ofAcoma Pueblo. We see no glory in celebrating Oñate's fourth centennial . . ." (The New York Times, February g, 1998). The protest enacted upon this monument generated much discussion from northern New Mexico to El Paso as communities debated how best to honor the 400-year anniversary. The discourse reminded the public that late sixteenth-century events continued to have repercussions and meaning. Given this protracted and often heated discussion, it is in some ways surprising that until now, no single scholarly work has existed to which the general reader can turn for insights into this period in New Mexico's history. Pueblos, Spaniards, and the Kingdom ofNew Mexico remedies this by offering a concise, neat narrative history of seventeendi-century New Mexico. Drawing from archaeology as well as history, this nicely illustrated, slim volume syndiesizes die research on this period in New Mexico. While relying heavily on the field's standard texts, historian John Kessell also incorporates recent scholarship byJames Brooks, Steven LeBlanc, Carroll Riley, and others to consider the many aspects of conquest, coexistence, and conflict. Conflicts that emerge are not only the obvious ones between Pueblos and Spaniards, but also those among Pueblos and between Franciscans and civil authorities, for example. The familiar competing motives—souls or profit—form the basis of tension between die blue- 256Southwestern Historical QuarterlyOctober clad friars and New Mexico's governors, for example, and manifest diemselves in different approaches to native religion, native labor, and other key issues. Kessell takes care not to present either the Spaniards or New Mexico's Indians as homogenous , acknowledging the diversity within these populations. Despite dieir differences, all of New Mexico's residents faced numerous common trials during the century in question. The 1660s exemplified the century's many challenges. Drought led to poor harvests and hunger, which in turn exacerbated the impact of epidemic disease, especially among native populations. NonPueblo Indians responded in part by attacking their erstwhile trade partners, and Spaniards and Indians alike found themselves forced to consume the cowhides they had used in their homes. Though they beseeched the heavens for rain, each additional day of hardship further undermined die Spanish deity's appeal. The resurgence of Pueblo religions represented a logical response to these trying circumstances , and ultimately set the stage for the chain of events that would lead to die Pueblo uprising and attendant massacre of Spanish colonists and friars. The book's trajectory...