Customer Reviews

Pueblos, Spaniards, and the Kingdom of New Mexico (Penguin's Library of American Indian History)

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Written by John L. Kessell (Professor Emeritus of History, University of New Mexico) Pueblos, Spaniards, and the Kingdom of New Mexico is a narrative history of the seventeenth century of New Mexico, accurately portraying the tension between the Pueblo Indians and Spanish colonizers. Chronicling history through the relation of linked, lesser-known true stories, Pueblos, Spaniards, and the Kingdom of New Mexico offers its own interpretation and analysis of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the Spanish reconquest in the 1690s, and much more. A welcome addition to Native American and New Mexico state history shelves, especially recommended for public library collections.

Definitely an engaging work. I wanted to read this book because I was researching my family history. The Paso del Norte names I was looking for were not there, but the information on the conquest and re-conquest of New Mexico certainly made clear the events and it's people. I felt it was treated equally given the Indian-Spanish wars. Alicia. A descendent of Paso del Norte families.

This book is obviously written by a person very knowledgable about the Spanish colonial times in New Mexico. It is easy to read. It shows how all of the people groups survived resource poor New Mexico.

Kessel has again delivered a hard-to-put-down narrative of Spanish New Mexico that would serve as a perfect accompaniment to a college-level course on my favorite subject: New Mexico!

I had Dr. Kessel in a 300 level History of New Mexico class back in 1986 and this book was a bit of a disappointment compared to the class. The book is a thin summary of Colonial New Mexico History from 1598 to the resettlement in the 1690's. There is no new primary research just a re-hash of older circa pre-1950's historical interpretations and the author's older material. Dr. Kessel claims to be balanced but this book is heavily biased in favor of the Pueblo Indians and a strong Black Legend taint. Dr. Kessel characterizes the Spaniards in the tired old stereotypes and the Pueblo Indians positively despite some despicable behavior by some like Esteban Clemente (page 101). When a Spaniard does something negative he is cast as a villain and when a Pueblo Indian does the same deed he is cast positively. When a Spaniard performs an apparent good deed it is cast as though there are always bad, hidden motives. Also, when the action is between Church and State/colonists he unfailingly excuses the Priests/friars and casts the colonists as villains. I hope Dr. Kessel conducts some original research with a more temperate attitude before writing about his subject again. Example of rhetoric used: when Spaniards conduct negative activities they are described as "henchmen" (page 67, 101) and when a Pueblo Indian conducts negative activities he is portrayed as caught in a "dilemma". There are so few books on this topic it is ashamed that Dr. Kessel lacked a bit of self awareness (conscious word choices)while writing. I would recommend Marc Simmons over Dr. Kessel.