During the time of colonial history, Spain had established an empire that stretched from Europe, to the Americas, and then to Asia. Reaching America in 1502 led to new desires such as Glory, God, and Gold. One of their main missions was to convert the people of this New World to Catholicism and grow the following of their empire. The Native Americans, however, were not pleased when in 1600 the Pueblo Indian tribe population declined from 60,000 to about 17,000 because of exploited labor and violent conversion to Catholicism. The Indians did not believe this was the “freedom” that they deserved and were offended when they were abused and forced to leave their spiritual religion. In 1680, the Pueblo Indians revolted against the Spanish empire
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The relationship between the Indians and the Spanish authorities started to decline when the Spanish elites would to harshly use the Indians for their labor and mistreat them for not converting to Catholicism. This caused many Pueblos Indians in the area to die from the harsh conditions and mistreatment. The Spanish originally believed that if they could convert the Indians to Catholicism, they would be freeing them and showing them the “best” way to live. Some of the Indians converted, but many of them continued to “practice their old religion and add Jesus, Mary, and the Catholic Saints to their spiritual pantheon.” They believed that they could serve their spiritual “God” while also incorporating this new religion. This created a problem with the Spanish and decided that those who didn’t fully convert would be punished. In an interview with Pedro Naranjo, he states “the leaders ordered all the Pueblos that they instantly break up and burn the images of the Holy Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the other saints, crosses, and everything pertaining to Christianity.” This view from the Spaniards made the Indian people look like “devil worshipers” and “savages”. The Spanish continued to push the Indians towards what they believed was freedom and advance in their goal of spreading Catholicism until the point of the Indian
The relationship between the Indians and the Spanish authorities started to decline when the Spanish elites would to harshly use the Indians for their labor and mistreat them for not converting to Catholicism. This caused many Pueblos Indians in the area to die from the harsh conditions and mistreatment. The Spanish originally believed that if they could convert the Indians to Catholicism, they would be freeing them and showing them the “best” way to live. Some of the Indians converted, but many of them continued to “practice their old religion and add Jesus, Mary, and the Catholic Saints to their spiritual pantheon.” They believed that they could serve their spiritual “God” while also incorporating this new religion. This created a problem with the Spanish and decided that those who didn’t fully convert would be punished. In an interview with Pedro Naranjo, he states “the leaders ordered all the Pueblos that they instantly break up and burn the images of the Holy Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the other saints, crosses, and everything pertaining to Christianity.” This view from the Spaniards made the Indian people look like “devil worshipers” and “savages”. The Spanish continued to push the Indians towards what they believed was freedom and advance in their goal of spreading Catholicism until the point of the Indian