The massive influx of people into El Paso del Norte created tensions between multiple parties. Not just natives versus colonists, but also from previous inhabitants and exiled newcomers. Some northern indigenous prisoners were judgmental of natives in the El Paso del Norte area who had cohabited with the Spanish. The most disgruntled of the group would abscond and create a blended faction of Apaches and Comanches. The aggravated natives would create a barrier surrounding our region and would act on their animosity for centuries. Other indigenous coalitions began rebuilding their communities in El Paso del Norte, with Spanish assistance as a truce. Such is the case with the oldest community in Texas, the Tigua tribe of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo.

The tolerance shown to natives in the El Paso area by Juan de Oñate and his people did not last long. By the time his caravan met the Acoma tribe (southwest of Albuquerque) it disappeared altogether. Mainly because the northern pueblo resisted the colonizer’s invasion and theft.

Indigenous tribes in northern New Mexico had armed conflicts with wandering colonizers about 40 years before Oñate’s expedition. Possibly prepared for future invasions or protecting their supplies for the approaching winter, their resistance lead to an armed conflict. Nearly a dozen of Oñate’s men died, including the conquistador’s own nephew.

In the year that followed, Oñate and his men laid siege on the Acoma Pueblo. It is still considered one of the most deadly attacks in present day United States land. Nearly 800 Acoma natives were killed and others were prisoners and sentenced to slavery. Many of the men even had their bodies mutilated to prevent them from being able to run away. Despite setting up the foundation of Santa Fe in 1606, this abuse of power resulted in Oñate being exiled from the new viceroyalty and province he was trying to create, New Mexico. Even though he lived his final days back on Spain’s mainland, it can be assumed that tensions among the region’s natives never subsided.

By 1680, indigenous tribes in northern New Mexico attempted to regain control of their land. In what is now known as the Pueblo Revolt, indigenous leader Po’pay united tribes in the north to expel colonizers from their land. The first successful indigenous revolt kept the Spanish from the capital city for nearly 12 years. During that period, all Spanish inhabitants from the Santa Fe region retreated to El Paso del Norte and created a makeshift capital.

The tolerance shown to natives in the El Paso area by Juan de Oñate and his people did not last long. By the time his caravan met the Acoma tribe (southwest of Albuquerque) it disappeared altogether. Mainly because the northern pueblo resisted the colonizer’s invasion and theft.

Indigenous tribes in northern New Mexico had armed conflicts with wandering colonizers about 40 years before Oñate’s expedition. Possibly prepared for future invasions or protecting their supplies for the approaching winter, their resistance lead to an armed conflict. Nearly a dozen of Oñate’s men died, including the conquistador’s own nephew.

In the year that followed, Oñate and his men laid siege on the Acoma Pueblo. It is still considered one of the most deadly attacks in present day United States land. Nearly 800 Acoma natives were killed and others were prisoners and sentenced to slavery. Many of the men even had their bodies mutilated to prevent them from being able to run away. Despite setting up the foundation of Santa Fe in 1606, this abuse of power resulted in Oñate being exiled from the new viceroyalty and province he was trying to create, New Mexico. Even though he lived his final days back on Spain’s mainland, it can be assumed that tensions among the region’s natives never subsided.

By 1680, indigenous tribes in northern New Mexico attempted to regain control of their land. In what is now known as the Pueblo Revolt, indigenous leader Po’pay united tribes in the north to expel colonizers from their land. The first successful indigenous revolt kept the Spanish from the capital city for nearly 12 years. During that period, all Spanish inhabitants from the Santa Fe region retreated to El Paso del Norte and created a makeshift capital.

Along their trek south, Spanish forces sacked indigenous pueblos and brought native prisoners with them. The Isleta Pueblo (south of Albuquerque) was on that path, but the Tiwa people were not the only natives there. The indigenous people of the Quarai Pueblo had left their home due to a drought and were refugees at the Tiwa’s home. Regardless of the intricacies, when the Spanish arrived, all natives became prisoners and started walking south.

The massive influx of people into El Paso del Norte created tensions between multiple parties. Not just natives versus colonists, but also from previous inhabitants and exiled newcomers. Some northern indigenous prisoners were judgmental of natives in the El Paso del Norte area who had cohabited with the Spanish. The most disgruntled of the group would abscond and create a blended faction of Apaches and Comanches. The aggravated natives would create a barrier surrounding our region and would act on their animosity for centuries. Other indigenous coalitions began rebuilding their communities in El Paso del Norte, with Spanish assistance as a truce. Such is the case with the oldest community in Texas, the Tigua tribe of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo.