Judgment Passed on Survivors at Acoma

By Miguel Encinias
For the Journal
Full-scale fighting broke out Jan. 22, 1599, between the residents of Acoma Pueblo and Vicente de Zaldivar and his 70 soldiers.
Gov. Juan de Oñate had sent Zaldivar to the pueblo to investigate the killing the month before of Juan de Zaldivar and 12 others at the pueblo and to arrest those responsible. His requests for submission on Jan. 21 were rebuked.
Zaldivar considered an attack the next morning on a group of his men who were watering horses a declaration of war.
On Jan. 23, the second day of fighting, he ordered the use of two small cannons against the pueblo. Each was fired only once.
After the two field pieces had taken their toll, and the defenders lay in disarray, the Spaniards charged into the village and began setting fire to the houses.
When Zaldivar called upon the Acomans to surrender, some came to him with offerings of blankets and corn as a sign of submission.
Zaldivar refused the offerings, saying that he had not come for blankets and corn but to find out who had killed his brother and the soldiers with him.
The defeated survivors retired to their pueblo, where they remained through the night, with the Spaniards keeping watch.
The next day Zaldivar entered the village and arrested several Indians, putting them in an estufa, or kiva. Later, when asked to come out, they refused, and started throwing sticks and stones.
Soldier Juan Medel said in his testimony later, "It therefore became necessary to kill them ... since ... they made it clear they wanted to die there."
Another witness, Juarez de Figueroa, gave essentially the same testimony. He added that upwards of 500 persons -- mostly women and children -- were taken prisoner.
The pueblo was torched before the Spaniards left with their prisoners for Santo Domingo. They arrived there on Feb. 9, 1599.
Oñate immediately ordered a trial and appointed Capt. Alonso Gomez Montesinos as defense attorney.
The trial began with the testimony of six Acomans. Some said they were not present when the original group of Spaniards was killed. Others said that some of the villagers wanted to make peace, but went along with those who did not.
Four Spanish soldiers gave consistent testimony about the salient aspects of the battle.
The next day, Montesinos delivered a petition to the governor seeking acquittal based on the contention of some of the defendants that they were not present at the time of the original attack.
On Feb. 12, the governor notified the defense attorney of his decision and sentence. Later that day, he announced it publicly.
The verdict was guilty, and the sentence was as follows:
* Males over 25 years of age to have one foot cut off and 20 years of servitude.
* Males between the ages of 12 and 25, 20 years of servitude.
* Women over 12, 20 years of servitude.
* Two Indians from Moqui (Hopi) who were present and fought, right hand cut off and set free.
All the children under 12 declared free and innocent. The girls were placed under the care of the Father Commisary. A short time later they were sent to a convent in Mexico City. The boys were to be under the supervision of Zaldivar.
The old men and women were freed, but sent to live with the Querecho (Plains Apache) Indians.
NEXT: Internal troubles.

Miguel Encinias is an Albuquerque historian. His novel, "Two Lives for Oñate," was published this year by the University of New Mexico Press.