The Witches of Abiquiu: The Governor, the Priest, the Genizaro Indians, and the Devil

The little-studied witchcraft trial that took place at Abiquiu, New Mexico, between 1756 and 1766 is the centerpiece of this book. The witchcraft outbreak took place less than a century after the Pueblo Revolt and symbolized a resistance by the Gen zaros (hispanicized Indians) of Abiquiu to forced Christianization.

The Abiquiu Gen zaro land grant where the witchcraft outbreak occurred was the crown jewel of Governor V lez Cachup n's plan to achieve peace for the early New Mexican colonists. They were caught between the Pueblo Indians' resistance to Christianization and raids by the nomadic indio barbaros that threatened the existence of the colony. Thanks mainly to the governor's strategy, peace was achieved with the Comanches and Utes, the Pueblo Indians retained their religious ceremonies, and the Abiquiu Pueblo land grant survived and flourished.

The Witches of Abiquiu is the story of a polarizing event in New Mexico history equal in importance to the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692.

Author: Malcolm Ebright, Rick Hendricks
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
Published: 08/16/2006
Pages: 360
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780826320322