The first named war between the Europeans and the Native Americans was the nearly forgotten Tiguex War. The Spaniards and their Mexican Indian allies fought it in 1540-42 against the Pueblo Indians along the Rio Grande, between present-day Albuquerque and Santa Fe in New Mexico. It is the story of a young Pueblo warrior who reluctantly steps forth after major defeats with new and successful ways to fight the Coronado expedition despite being outnumbered and with weaker weapons. Winter of the Metal People is the first account of the war written from the Puebloan point of view.

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Further Readings:

* History of Santiago Pueblo which Coronado commandeered for his military headquarters during the Tiguex War. The original Tiwa name was Ghufoor. Spaniards renamed the pueblo as Coofor and as Alcanfor. It has been known as Santiago Pueblo since 1602.

* Account written in 1539 by Friar Marcos de Niza on the discovery of Cíbola. This report of the exploration by a Franciscan friar and the African explorer Esteban is what led to Coronado's expedition into the present-day American Southwest in 1540.

* Excerpts about the Tiguex War (in original Spanish) from "Libro Segundo de la Crónica Miscelánea" written by Friar Antonio Tello in 1650. Tello had access to many original documents of the Coronado expedition that are no longer known to exist.

Last Update: 2/8/2012

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