Hawiku

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Hawiku was the first city of the Pueblo Indians to be conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century.

Before the Spanish attack, people made a living from agriculture, hunting, and trading with other tribes. Buffalo hides and the leather of the buffalo hides were a popular commodity . The inhabitants also traded turquoise , corn , beans and melons.

This is a picture of today's Taos Pueblo. The town of Hawiku may have looked similar.

The battle

Rumors and misinterpreted information about a rich country in northern New Spain ( Mexico ) triggered the Coronado campaign in 1540 . With fewer than 100 exhausted soldiers, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado faced an overwhelming force of several hundred Zuñi warriors. They had expected a rich, big city and were now standing in front of a village of multi-storey mud houses. But the Spaniards had no choice; they had to conquer this place if they didn't want to starve. As was the custom at the time, the Spaniards read the Requerimiento , which explained to the locals an abridged history of the world as God's creation, Adam and Eve, Saint Peter and the Pope as his successor, who made the New World including theirs Place legitimately transferred to the empire of Emperor Charles V for mission. They should keep peace and accept the Christian faith, then nothing would happen to them because if they peacefully recognize the Spanish crown as "kings and lords", they should be received "with affection and mercy". If they did not do so, they were threatened with war, slavery, devastation and death. But the Zuñi Indians listened neither to the Spaniards nor to the interpreters. They threatened the strangers with their weapons and let out their war cries.

After the proclamation was read and a priest's robe was struck by an arrow, the Spaniards attacked. They forced the numerical superiority to withdraw. They killed several Zuñi in the process. The defenders barricaded themselves in their pueblo and threw stones from the flat roofs at the attackers. Her main focus was on the Spanish leader Coronado, who was easily recognized by his gold-plated armor. He was hit by stones and arrows several times. Only his good helmet and the personal commitment of his officers García López de Cárdenas and Hernando de Alvarado saved his life. No Spaniard was killed in this fight. After a few hours the battle was decided and the locals fled. The Spaniards occupied Hawiku and looted the houses, discovering the residents' supplies. The Indians came back to negotiate, gave gifts to the Spaniards and asked for peace.

Coronado quickly recovered from his wounds and used Hawiku as a base for exploring the area. The Spaniards conquered almost the entire southwest of what is now the United States. Coronado divided the small group more often and sent out horsemen in all directions. García López de Cárdenas reached the Grand Canyon and Hernando de Alvarado the valley of the Rio Grande . The army spent the winter in Tiguex , another Pueblo city. The following year they left the Hawiku area and returned to New Spain. Only a few priests and a few Indians from the south stayed there. Most were killed by the Zuñi after the army withdrew.

history

Hawiku has been a National Historic Landmark since October 1960 . The hawiku ruin was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a protected site in October 1966 . Since February 1974 it has been the Contributing Property of the Zuni-Cibola Complex ; this is a Historic District located 20 km southwest of Zuñi, ( New Mexico ) on the Zuñi Indian Reservation. Hawiku was the largest settlement of all Zuñi pueblos. It was founded in the 11th century. In 1680 , the Spaniards established a mission here that they called La Purisima Concepcíón . This mission was destroyed during the great pueblo uprising when the Pueblo Indians rose against the Spaniards. After this event, Hawiku was left.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tony Horwitz: The true discoverers of the New World - from the Vikings to the Pilgrim Fathers Pieper Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-492-25462-5 , p. 193
  2. ↑ Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: New Mexico. National Park Service , accessed August 17, 2019.
  3. ^ Hawiku in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed November 13, 2019.
  4. ^ Zuni-Cibola Complex in the National Register Information System. National Park Service , accessed November 13, 2019.

literature

  • Hans Otto Meissner: I didn't find any gold in Arizona .

See also

Web links

Coordinates: 34 ° 55 '56 "  N , 108 ° 59' 4.4"  W.