Pueblo Contestations of Power in the Mexican Period

During the brief period of Mexican independence in New Mexico (1821–1846), Pueblo Indians participated in electoral politics in unprecedented ways. In the waning days of the Spanish empire, and then the Mexican era, colonial directives sought to bring Indians into the body politic as citizens. This meant Pueblo villages were to become part of larger municipalities with elected councils, or constitutional ayuntamientos, that included both Indians and Nuevo Mexicanos. This chapter shows that Pueblo participation on these mixed council was almost negligible. Instead, Pueblo Indians took the lead in the Río Arriba Rebellion of 1837. In this rebellion, which killed and deposed the Mexican governor of New Mexico, Albino Pérez, Pueblo Indians, Genízaros, and their allies established their own short-lived state, known as the Cantón, with an Indian, José González, as governor.