Don Diego DeVargas
Don Diego DeVargas is an important figure in the history of New Mexico. He is mostly known for his part in the Spanish reconquest of New Mexico, 12 years after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.
DeVargas was born in Spain in 1643, a member of Spanish nobility. His titled family. however, had more powerful friends than money. When DeVargas married and quickly fathered five children, he found himself deep in debt. As a result, he left Spain for the Americas to make his fortune.
Through family connections, DeVargas was given the position of chief judge of a town in what is now Oaxaca. He sailed for the Americas in 1673, but never saw Spain again. His wife died suddenly in Spain the next year, and DeVargas started a second family in the Americas. He did well in his job, and his abilities were rewarded.
DeVargas was appointed governor of the New Mexico territory in 1688. He left Mexico City in 1691 to assume the office. There was just one problem. The Spanish no longer controlled New Mexico. A revolt had occurred in 1680. The Pueblo people of the Rio Grande Valley had rebelled. They threw out the Spanish and took back control of their land. The Spanish colonists fled to El Paso to wait for a chance to return.
The Spanish first entered the Rio Grande Valley in the late 1500s. They conquered the people of the Indian pueblos there. The Indians were forced to work for the Spanish and give up their culture. Matters became worse in the mid-1670s with the arrival of Juan Francisco Trevino. The new governor ordered the destruction of Pueblo religious buildings and objects. He arrested their religious leaders. He had them whipped in public. Several tribal leaders were hanged.
In August 1680, the people of the united pueblos revolted against the Spanish. Many of the Spanish settlers were killed. Those who could get away fled New Mexico. They remained in exile in El Paso for 11 years.
The Spanish wanted to regain control of New Mexico-before another country such as France might claim it. When DeVargas was appointed governor of New Mexico, he vowed that he would reconquer the territory for Spain.
DeVargas first met the Spanish colonists in El Paso. Eighteen months later, in August 1692, he set out for Santa Fe. With him were about 200 soldiers, settlers, and Pueblo allies. They reached Santa Fe in mid-September and found 1,000 Pueblo people living there.
DeVargas believed he could take back Santa Fe without a fight. He negotiated with the Indians holding Santa Fe. After some threats from DeVargas, the two groups came to a peaceful settlement on September 14, 1692. After securing Santa Fe, DeVargas visited several other pueblos in the Rio Grande Valley to confirm the supremacy of Spain and the Catholic religion.
DeVargas thought he had won an easy victory. But not all of the Pueblos wanted peace with the hated Spanish. The next year, 1693, DeVargas returned to Santa Fe with more settlers. But he found many of the Pueblos did not welcome him. DeVargas fought his
way north through the Rio Grande Valley and finally recaptured Santa Fe. DeVargas had 70 Pueblo men killed as punishment. Women and children were forced into servitude.
When the fighting ended, bitter feelings remained on the part of the Pueblos. Spanish rule was brutal. The Spanish demanded that the Indians adopt their religion and submit to their rule. When the New Mexico colony was short on food and supplies, the Spanish took what they needed from the pueblos without permission.
Starting in 1694, hundreds of new colonists began to arrive. DeVargas established a new settlement at Santa Cruz for them, north of Santa Fe. The people of the Tano Pueblo were removed from their land to make room for this new Spanish settlement. In June 1696, renewed fighting broke out with some of the Pueblos. It lasted until late fall. But this was the end of organized resistance to Spanish rule.
DeVargas expected a title and a large pension as his reward for returning New Mexico to Spanish control. But between 1697 and 1703 he had several difficult years. He lost his post as governor. He was then summoned to Mexico City to answer charges that he had misused his powers. He was finally cleared in 1702. DeVargas even regained his post as governor of New Mexico. He set out from Mexico City in June of 1703 and reached Santa Fe in November. But his return to New Mexico was short-lived. After falling ill, DeVargas died at Bernalillo on April 8, 1704.
After reading answer the question, Describe the two phases of the Spanish reconquest of New Mexico 2-3 sentences