Revolution in Art

In 1680 the Northern Tiwa, Tewa, Towa, Tano, Keres, Pecos, Zuni, and Hopi communities united and killed 400 Spanish colonizers and drove the remaining 2,000 off their lands. This uprising is now known as the Pueblo Revolt. The Pueblo Revolt was so successful that it forced the Spanish colonial government to abandon the province they called Santa Fe de Nuevo México. It took the Spanish over a decade to regroup and reclaim the territory.

The Pueblo Revolt was not just an armed uprising. The participating Indigenous communities also rejected Spanish influences and returned to pre-European contact traditions. This can be seen in the pottery created by Zuni women during and after the revolt. The first pot pictured above was made while the fighting occurred. The designs look hurried, misshapen, and simplistic, serving as visual representations of the women’s experiences of war during the revolt. But the symbols on the pot are traditional; the artist left out the crosses and other Catholic insignia that Spanish overseers demanded from Zuni craftswomen before the revolt. Thus, despite its imperfections, this pot represents the return to traditional practices that characterized the cultural side of the Pueblo Revolt and its clear defiance of Spanish influence.

The second water jug was made after the Pueblo Revolt ended. It tells the story of a healing community. The asymmetrical design is covered in clean, crisp lines, which indicates that the artist had time to perfect her work. The red, black, and brown pigments take time and effort to produce, another indication that this jug was made in an era of peace and stability. The patterns on the pot incorporate even more traditional Zuni designs and symbols, like the brown and black feather motif. This shows that Zuni artists continued to explore and honor their cultural traditions even after the initial crisis of the revolt was over.

• Catholic: A Christian who follows the pope in Rome.
• Hopi: One of the communities of people who lived in the American Southwest prior to European contact. Today there is a Hopi community in northeastern Arizona.
• Keres: One of the communities of people who lived in the American Southwest prior to European contact. Today there is a Keres community in Central New Mexico.
• Northern Tiwa: One of the communities of people who lived in the American Southwest prior to European contact. Today there is a Northern Tiwa community in Northern New Mexico.
• Pecos: One of the communities of people who lived in the American Southwest prior to European contact. Today there is a Pecos community in Western New Mexico.
• Pueblo Revolt: The 1680 uprising of Indigenous people in the American Southwest against Spanish colonizers. 
• Tano: One of the communities of people who lived in the American Southwest prior to European contact. Today there is a Tano community in pueblos along the Rio Grande.
• Tewa: One of the communities of people who lived in the American Southwest prior to European contact. Today there are Tewa communities in Central New Mexico and Northeastern Arizona.
• Towa: One of the communities of people who lived in the American Southwest prior to European contact. Today there is a Towa community outside Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• Zuni: One of the communities of people who lived in the American Southwest prior to European contact. Today there is a Zuni community in Western New Mexico