Española Valley - New Mexico Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

When Gaspar Castano de Sosa arrived in the Española Valley in 1591, he discovered around ten Tewa-speaking pueblos who were far more advanced than many of their Native American neighbors. They had learned the art of agriculture from the people of Mexico centuries before and utilized the bow and arrow. They lived in one and two story mud huts and practiced their religion daily.

When Oñate arrived, the Native Americans received his expedition in friendship. However, this slowly eroded as they were forced to provide food and supplies for the Spanish while the friars taught Christian doctrine and attempted to eliminate practice of the old religions. Other atrocities only served to erode relations further, including slave trade of Native Americans with Spain, public whippings of prominant local leaders, and mutilation of captives when the Native Americans would rise up against the Spanish. This, coupled with the Spanish inability to protect the local tribes from attacks by neighboring Navajo and Apache raiding parties, culminated in the successful Pueblo revolt of 1680. In the aftermath, the Native American self-rule deteriorated due to infighting between pueblos and, in 1692, the area was re-conquered by Diego de Vargas.

In 1880, when the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad were building the "Chili Line", a restaurant emerged that fed many of the railroad workers. This restaurant was called Española. It wasn't long before the railroad started calling the area Española and the name stuck.

History:: See also: http://www.epcc.edu/nwlibrary/borderlands/17_pueblo_revolt.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueblo_Revolt Link to History,Plaque or Sign:: [Web Link] Additional Point: Not Listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/23/2011 leadhiker visited it