Taos by Irwin R. Blacker (review)

192 Western American Literature Taos. By Irwin R. Blacker. (1959; rpt. Los Angeles: Brooke House, 1977. 478 pages, $8.95.) This reissue of Irwin Blacker’s 1959 historical novel will be gratefully received by readers and teachers of Western literature. Too few novels deal with the early period of Spanish settlement, and rare indeed is the one which combines well-wrought narrative, thoughtful characterization, and historical accuracy as Taos does. Blacker’s narrative deals with the period from August 2 to October 1, 1680, probably the most terrifying and telling days of New Mexican history, the days of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. Organized by the forceful Popé, the Indians from many of the pueblos of Nuevo Mexico joined to massacre several hundred Spanish landholders, priests, and soldiers and to drive the remaining Spaniards on a grim death march to El Paso. Not until 1692 would the Spaniards be able to recover the lost province. The historical conflict itself vividly illustrates the ethnic antagonisms which have troubled much of frontier settlement. In addition Blacker manages in his fictional characterizations to embody the conflicts more complexly than the simple Spanish overlord vs. abused Indian approach allows. Paul Horgan, in “The Bannerman” chapter of The Centuries of Santa Fe, chose to examine the Pueblo Revolt from one perspective, that of the governor’s flag bearer, thus restricting himself to the Spanish attitudes. Blacker, in choosing the panoramic approach for his long novel, gains the advantage of multiple perspective and makes the most of it. Although Blacker flirts with stereotyping in some of the less fully developed characters, the novel’s best effects are achieved in the interweaving of the thoughts of the central characters, both Spanish and Indian, so that their human similarities of motive and comprehension emerge from the heart of irrecon­ cilable political and cultural conflict. Although the character of the besieged and bemused Governor Otermin is most fully and sensitively developed of all the characters, he does not stand out as protagonist in the usual sense. For my taste the most com­ pelling passages in the book occur as Otermin muses over the Spanish purpose and failure in Neuvo Mexico, yet his lieutenant general at Isleta, Garcia, is the Spanish hero because of his prompt and decisive actions. Similarly, the man of contemplation and the man of action roles are divided in the Indian camp between the leader, Popé, and his highly effective war lieutenant, Juan of Taos. Juan stands out in the novel. He has been trained by a Spaniard to be a clever leader in battle, he is in love with his Spanish mentor’s daughter, and he is generally sensitive to the advantages as well as the disadvantages of Spanish influence. Unlike the other characters, most of Juan’s traits are shown to be positive; he is never cruel, he sees the motivation of others clearly, and he feels a great sense of responsibility toward other human beings. He is thus used to illustrate the best potential effect of Spanish rule on the Indians, and when as a result he becomes Reviews 193 Pope’s sacrificial offering at the end of the novel, the ambiguous balance of cultural gains and losses in the uprising is nicely suggested. Given the sparsity of historical knowledge about the period, including the deceptive (because self-protective) nature of Spanish official reports, Blacker appears to have portrayed the conflict accurately. The historian may question some of Blacker’s liberties with fact, but his additions and omissions serve good fictional purpose and do not distort the central situation. He naturally creates many characters and events to suggest the texture of settlement life, including one fictional pueblo (Santa Flora) which is used to illustrate interestingly the effect of corruption among the priests. The historian might wish the character of Pope more fully developed and that Luis Tupatu of Picuris be given the central position he held historically, but the full development of Juan’s character probably serves Blacker’s purpose more effectively here. In order to emphasize Pueblo Indian strength, Blacker also virtually removes the Apache involvement in the uprising. Otermin is probably treated more generously than most historians would allow, and the clerical...