"We Would Live Like Brothers:" A Reexamination of Diego de Vargas' Reconquest of New Mexico and the Pueblo Indian Revolt, 1692-1696

Abstract

Diego de Vargas' reconquest of New Mexico (1692-1696) and the Pueblo Revolt of 1696 is an almost forgotten episode in colonial Spanish history. While largely overshadowed by the more successful 1680 rebellion, this period is critical in understanding the cultural dynamics of Spanish power in the late seventeenth century. This paper situates the reconquest of New Mexico and the revolt of 1696 within the context of an emerging culltural consensus between the Pueblos and Spaniards. Through an extended examination of Diego de Vargas' journals and correspondence, I investigate the intersection of cultural identity and political allegiance on the fringes of the Spanish Empire.