In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Military Service Records 231 Document 50 Second Memorial of Juan Domínguez de Mendoza [Mexico City], November 18, 16851 Maestre de Campo Juan Domínguez de Mendoza states that he has served His Majesty in the provinces of New Mexico for forty-two years at his own cost and expense with his arms and horses. During the aforesaid time he has exercised military offices from the rank of simple soldier to those of alférez, captain, sargento mayor, maestre de campo, and governor ad interim for a period of one year and four months, inflicting punishments on the rebels, pacifying the disobedient and winning them to friendship with us, and surveying all those provinces and places. This is all of record in papers and certification which he has presented to Your Excellency. Finally, in the entrada which was made in the year 1681 for the purpose of pacifying the apostate, he was appointed lieutenant general of cavalry by order of don Antonio de Otermín, who was governor at that time. On this occasion he performed and fulfilled all the orders which were issued to him as a loyal vassal of His Majesty, as is of record in a certification which the aforesaid don Antonio de Otermín gave him, in which he attested to his conduct as well as in other certifications and appointments [issued] during the period of his government and afterward.2 The aforesaid pacification and settlement which His Majesty had ordained to be made, subsidizing one hundred fifty settlers, was undertaken. When they sighted the first pueblo, which is Senecú, the aforesaid don Antonio de Otermín ordered that it be burned along with three other pueblos which were farther on. In his company of the aforesaid governor the supplicant went on to the pueblo of Isleta where the Indians gave themselves up with great docility. One, who was very ill, asked for confession, and, having received the holy sacrament, he rendered his soul to God the following day. By order of the aforesaid governor I was appointed leader of sixty men, and I went on to the pueblos of Alameda, Puaray, and Sandia, whence I sent reports to the aforesaid governor together with many silver valuables which the aforesaid Indians had preserved with great decency and cleanliness, and told him that he should make his headquarters between Puaray and Sandia because there were in the aforesaid pueblos more than ten thousand fanegas 232 Part One of maize, beans, wool, hides, and other necessities of life with which the aforesaid army could maintain itself for two years, even if it should be active in war. After sending the aforesaid reports, as is of record in letters signed by my name, I went on to the pueblo of Cochiti where I found the majority [of the Indians] of the kingdom assembled with all their leaders and chieftains. And when I had reproved them as His Majesty commands by repeated cédulas, they appealed to me three times for peace in the name of God and His Most Holy Mother, and of the king, our lord. And when I granted it to them in the name of the royal and Catholic Majesty, everyone was joyful over the happy outcome and both Spaniards and apostates wept. The aforesaid apostates took off their leather jackets and voluntarily presented them to many soldiers. The supplicant sent many apostates to their pueblos with letters. [At this juncture], an Indian came from the pueblos down [river] to give the news that the governor was burning the pueblos of Alameda, Puaray, and Sandia. This stirred up the whole community, which had already been pacified, and when the supplicant saw the state of affairs, he came to remonstrate with the governor for his blunder in having burned all those pueblos and supplies, for the king, our lord, had sent them to settle, not to despoil, and he had contravened royal cédulas. As a loyal vassal of His Majesty the supplicant was ready to lose his life over the matter, since the Catholic zeal had come to naught and so many souls3 . . . [illegible] . . . now reduced to Satan’s power. And when the aforesaid governor took a formal juridical statement from them, the supplicant stated that the Indians said they had risen in revolt because they were not treated with justice and on account of three individuals , lieutenants of the aforesaid governor. And this was the public report and opinion current among them. And by this...

Share