In early September, Santa Fe, New Mexico celebrates Fiesta. This event marks the “peaceful” retaking of Santa Fe by the Spanish in 1692 following the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The word “peaceful”, however, conveys a message that distorts the telling of New Mexico’s history and silences more valid interpretations.
The Entrada
The Entrada is a highlight of Fiesta. During the event, Don Diego De Vargas rides a white steed through the streets of Santa Fe. He wears a plumed helmet and is clad in armor. La Conquistadora, the statue purported to represent the religious sanctity of the conquest, rides high on a palanquin.
Spanish Atrocities Against the Pueblo People
The year after the retaking of Santa Fe, the Spanish committed untold atrocities against the Pueblo People. For example, they executed seventy Pueblo men and enslaved four hundred Pueblo women and children.
Protests Against the Santa Fe Fiesta
Some members of the Santa Fe community have suggested that Fiesta establishes a myth of intercultural harmony. Others see Fiesta as a celebration of genocide. Still others want to maintain Fiesta as a significant historical and religious event. In 2016 and 2017, protests erupted during Fiesta.
Despite ill feelings and resentments, the All Indian Pueblo Council and the Fiesta Committee agreed to abolish the Entrada as a Fiesta event. Don Diego De Vargas no longer rides a white horse or wears a plumed helmet. He walks beside the queen and carries his helmet as a sign of peace. La Conquistadora has become “Our Lady of Peace.”
Santa Fe Fiesta, 2019
Black Lives Matter and New Mexico’s History
The recent outcry regarding the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Movement have resulted in the removal of confederate monuments and statues. The cry has reached New Mexico as well. Juan de Onate, the first European to colonize New Mexico, inflicted much pain and suffering upon the indigenous people. The two bronze statues of Onate, one at Alcalde and the other in Albuquerque, have long been a source of contention. At last, this June 2020, they were removed.
The effort to tell New Mexico’s history truthfully continues to evolve. Only upon the truth, can an intercultural state stand strong, and a Fiesta worthy of celebration occur.
Our Lady of Peace in the Background