Salinas Pueblo Missions

Today we visited several sites of the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. The Native Americans who lived in many of the pueblos of New Mexico were indeed befriended and then conquered and subjugated by Spanish Conquistadores in the 16th century. They were also Christianized---often against their will---by Fransiscan friars, and enslaved to grow food for their conquerors. All of this ended with the great Pueblo Revolt of 1680, but not before thousands of Native Americans endured whippings, forced labor, loss of cultural continuity, the destruction of sacred religious objects, famine, disease, and untimely death.

The ruins tell the story of a people who had highly organized villages, deep spirituality, economic savvy, large interconnected families, and a rich cultural life. And for this, they suffered......