Published in cooperation with the William P. Clements Center for
Southwest Studies, Southern Methodist University.
The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 is the most renowned colonial uprisings in the
history of the American Southwest. Traditional text-based accounts tend
to focus on the revolt and the Spaniards' reconquest in 1692-completely
skipping over the years of indigenous independence that occurred in
between. Revolt boldly breaks out of this mold and examines the
aftermath of the uprising in colonial New Mexico, focusing on the
radical changes it instigated in Pueblo culture and society.
In addition to being the first book-length history of the revolt that
incorporates archaeological evidence as a primary source of data, this
volume is one of a kind in its attempt to put these events into the
larger context of Native American cultural revitalization. Despite the
fact that the only surviving records of the revolt were written by
Spanish witnesses and contain certain biases, author Matthew Liebmann
finds unique ways to bring a fresh perspective to Revolt.
Most notably, he uses his hands-on experience at Ancestral Pueblo
archaeological sites-four Pueblo villages constructed between 1680 and
1696 in the Jemez province of New Mexico-to provide an understanding of
this period that other treatments have yet to accomplish. By analyzing
ceramics, architecture, and rock art of the Pueblo Revolt era, he sheds
new light on a period often portrayed as one of unvarying degradation
and dissention among Pueblos. A compelling read, Revolt's
"blood-and-thunder" story successfully ties together archaeology,
history, and ethnohistory to add a new dimension to this uprising and
its aftermath.