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New Mexico and the Pimería Alta: The Colonial Period in the American Southwest
Winner of the 2017 Arizona Literary Award for Published Nonfiction
Focusing on the two major areas of the Southwest that witnessed the most intensive and sustained colonial encounters, New Mexico and the Pimería Alta compares how different forms of colonialism and indigenous political economies resulted in diverse outcomes for colonists and Native peoples. Taking a holistic approach and studying both colonist and indigenous perspectives through archaeological, ethnohistorical, historical, and landscape data, contributors examine how the processes of colonialism played out in the American Southwest. Although these broad areas—New Mexico and southern Arizona/northern Sonora—share a similar early colonial history, the particular combination of players, sociohistorical trajectories, and social relations within each area led to, and were transformed by, markedly diverse colonial encounters. Understanding these different mixes of players, history, and social relations provides the foundation for conceptualizing the enormous changes wrought by colonialism throughout the region. The presentations of different cultural trajectories also offer important avenues for future thought and discussion on the strategies for missionization and colonialism. The case studies tackle how cultures evolved in the light of radical transformations in cultural traits or traditions and how different groups reconciled to this change. A much needed up-to-date examination of the colonial era in the Southwest, New Mexico and the Pimería Alta demonstrates the intertwined relationships between cultural continuity and transformation during a time of immense change and highlights contemporary thought on the colonial experience. Contributors : Joseph Aguilar, Jimmy Arterberry, Heather Atherton, Dale Brenneman, J. Andrew Darling, John G. Douglass, B. Sunday Eiselt, Severin Fowles, William M. Graves, Lauren Jelinek, Kelly L. Jenks, Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa, Phillip O. Leckman, Matthew Liebmann, Kent G. Lightfoot, Lindsay Montgomery, Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman, Robert Preucel, Matthew Schmader, Thomas E. Sheridan, Colleen Strawhacker, J. Homer Thiel, David Hurst Thomas, Laurie D. Webster
Focusing on the two major areas of the Southwest that witnessed the most intensive and sustained colonial encounters, New Mexico and the Pimería Alta compares how different forms of colonialism and indigenous political economies resulted in diverse outcomes for colonists and Native peoples. Taking a holistic approach and studying both colonist and indigenous perspectives through archaeological, ethnohistorical, historical, and landscape data, contributors examine how the processes of colonialism played out in the American Southwest. Although these broad areas—New Mexico and southern Arizona/northern Sonora—share a similar early colonial history, the particular combination of players, sociohistorical trajectories, and social relations within each area led to, and were transformed by, markedly diverse colonial encounters. Understanding these different mixes of players, history, and social relations provides the foundation for conceptualizing the enormous changes wrought by colonialism throughout the region. The presentations of different cultural trajectories also offer important avenues for future thought and discussion on the strategies for missionization and colonialism. The case studies tackle how cultures evolved in the light of radical transformations in cultural traits or traditions and how different groups reconciled to this change. A much needed up-to-date examination of the colonial era in the Southwest, New Mexico and the Pimería Alta demonstrates the intertwined relationships between cultural continuity and transformation during a time of immense change and highlights contemporary thought on the colonial experience. Contributors : Joseph Aguilar, Jimmy Arterberry, Heather Atherton, Dale Brenneman, J. Andrew Darling, John G. Douglass, B. Sunday Eiselt, Severin Fowles, William M. Graves, Lauren Jelinek, Kelly L. Jenks, Stewart B. Koyiyumptewa, Phillip O. Leckman, Matthew Liebmann, Kent G. Lightfoot, Lindsay Montgomery, Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman, Robert Preucel, Matthew Schmader, Thomas E. Sheridan, Colleen Strawhacker, J. Homer Thiel, David Hurst Thomas, Laurie D. Webster
452 pages, Hardcover
Published March 1, 2017
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June 16, 2025
A simply excellent book for anybody who wants the most recent research and insight on post-Spanish entrada history and development of American Indians — and colonizers as well — in both Spanish New Mexico and in the Pimería Alta on both sides of the Arizona-Sonora border. Two brief add-on chapters compare and contrast these places in general versus first, Spanish Alta California, and second, the Spanish Southeast, mainly greater Florida.
This book takes seriously Indigenous oral traditions and histories, whether their contents fall on the period before or after the Entrada, then in New Mexico, whether before or of after the Pueblo Revolt.
Several great chapters. One, from the paragraph above, is chapter 5, about the "fractiousness" of 1680-1700 Puebloans. This fractiousness was within individual pueblos at times as well as one entire pueblo versus another.
Ditto on the next two chapters. Chapter 6 overviews the first real archaeological study of Comanches in this era, and ties it to The Comanche Empire by Pekka Hämäläinen.
Chapters 7-8 looks at "vecino" culture in New Mexico, the first on one particular land grant, the other in general. One of my few small complaints is that the chapters could have had a bit more explaining of the background of the word and the people.
Chapter 9 was powerful, a look at Hopi oral traditions about 17th century Franciscan abuses. The nuanced handling of this was also, indirectly, a rebuke to an older generation, or even more, two generations ago, of anthropologists.
At the same time, this is NOT a "romantic" treatment of the Puebloans. Fans of David Graeber and David Wengrow, or of David Roberts, will get a recalibration. Though not detailed, things like pre-entrada inequality among Puebloan peoples get mentioned.
Chapters 10-13 do a good job on the diversity of natives' reactions — and why there was a diversity — within the Pimería Alta. Very recommended, even, or especially, for people wanting this book for just the Puebloan world.
In both main sections, as with "The Comanche Empire," all authors note the various American Indian peoples retained a sense of agency and regularly used it. For example, by the end of Coronado's first winter? Tiguex Province Puebloans had adjusted offensive and defensive warfare tactics, developed ideas for how to steal Spanish horses, and started trying out those ideas, with at least occasional success.
Even after Americans, more numerous on the ground than Spanish or Mexican controllers, came into play, that sense of agency remained.
Then comes the last two chapters mentioned at the start.
This book takes seriously Indigenous oral traditions and histories, whether their contents fall on the period before or after the Entrada, then in New Mexico, whether before or of after the Pueblo Revolt.
Several great chapters. One, from the paragraph above, is chapter 5, about the "fractiousness" of 1680-1700 Puebloans. This fractiousness was within individual pueblos at times as well as one entire pueblo versus another.
Ditto on the next two chapters. Chapter 6 overviews the first real archaeological study of Comanches in this era, and ties it to The Comanche Empire by Pekka Hämäläinen.
Chapters 7-8 looks at "vecino" culture in New Mexico, the first on one particular land grant, the other in general. One of my few small complaints is that the chapters could have had a bit more explaining of the background of the word and the people.
Chapter 9 was powerful, a look at Hopi oral traditions about 17th century Franciscan abuses. The nuanced handling of this was also, indirectly, a rebuke to an older generation, or even more, two generations ago, of anthropologists.
At the same time, this is NOT a "romantic" treatment of the Puebloans. Fans of David Graeber and David Wengrow, or of David Roberts, will get a recalibration. Though not detailed, things like pre-entrada inequality among Puebloan peoples get mentioned.
Chapters 10-13 do a good job on the diversity of natives' reactions — and why there was a diversity — within the Pimería Alta. Very recommended, even, or especially, for people wanting this book for just the Puebloan world.
In both main sections, as with "The Comanche Empire," all authors note the various American Indian peoples retained a sense of agency and regularly used it. For example, by the end of Coronado's first winter? Tiguex Province Puebloans had adjusted offensive and defensive warfare tactics, developed ideas for how to steal Spanish horses, and started trying out those ideas, with at least occasional success.
Even after Americans, more numerous on the ground than Spanish or Mexican controllers, came into play, that sense of agency remained.
Then comes the last two chapters mentioned at the start.
Displaying 1 of 1 review