Meet the Southwest Native Americans

The Spaniards claimed sovereignty over the vast land of the Southwest, settlements and people.  They saw the native tribes as incapable of assimilating true civilization and therefore easily exploitable.
Oh not so fast Spain!

These Native American tribes included:
*Pueblo - sedentary with terraced towns and well-tended farms.  Predates the Spanish arrival.
*Apache, Navajos - nomadic, raiders
*Comanche - nomadic, raiders and greatly feared by both Spanish and other tribes
*California tribes and Coahuiltecans (Texas) - primitive hunters of small game and plant gatherers who adapted rather easily to mission life.  Disease virtually wiped these peoples out in later years.

The Pueblo lived in what is now is Arizona and New Mexico and had a well-developed culture and extensive agriculture even before the Spanish arrived.  Tribal name - Hopi (peaceful ones).  The Pueblo taught the Navajo farming, herding and weaving. 

In August 1680 they finally rebelled against the Spanish rulers in one of the truly successful Indian rebellions in North American history.  Led by obscure medicine man Pope` Tewa who had ben publicly flogged twice for speaking out against Spanish rule, the rebellion exploded, routing the Spanish in a few weeks and sending those not killed back to Mexico.  The revolt had enormous significance to the nomadic for the tribes of the Southwest...

Next time...the significance of that victory
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Today in Pioneer History: On June 23, 1878, Martin Sweeny, a former Indian agent and Arizona mining entrepreneur, is murdered near Tombstone, Arizona, in a dispute over a mining property.