Reading and Writing Workshop

Reading and Writing Workshop: Spanish Colonization and Mission System

Session 1: Early Spanish Exploration — Coronado, Oñate, and the Search for Cíbola
Reading:

• Excerpts from Pedro de Castañeda’s account of Coronado’s expedition.
  • Source: Narrative of the Coronado Expedition (1896, George Parker Winship, ed.)
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45451

Key Topics:

• Coronado's expedition across the American Southwest.
• Oñate’s colonization efforts and treatment of Indigenous peoples.
• The myth of the Seven Cities of Cíbola.

Writing Activity:

• Write a historical fiction diary entry from the perspective of a Spanish explorer or Indigenous observer encountering Coronado’s or Oñate’s expeditions.
• Include details about the challenges, expectations, and cultural misunderstandings present during these explorations.

Session 2: The Establishment of Missions, Presidios, and Encomiendas
Reading:

• Excerpt from The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) on Spanish missions.
  • Source: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 10 (Robert Appleton Company)
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38492
• Bartolomé de las Casas' "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies" (1542).
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20321

Key Topics:

• Purpose and structure of missions and presidios.
• The encomienda system and its exploitation of Indigenous labor.
• The role of Franciscan missionaries.

Writing Activity:

• Argumentative essay: Was the Spanish mission system primarily a religious, economic, or political institution? Support your argument with evidence from the readings.

Session 3: The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and Indigenous Resistance
Reading:

• Excerpt from Bandelier’s Final Report of Investigations Among the Indians of the Southwestern United States (1890) regarding the Pueblo Revolt.
  • URL: https://archive.org/details/finalreportofinv01bandrich/page/n5/mode/2up

Key Topics:

• Causes and events of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.
• Leadership of Po’pay and the unification of Pueblo peoples.
• Aftermath and long-term effects on Spanish colonial practices.

Writing Activity:

• Write a historical analysis explaining how Indigenous resistance, particularly the Pueblo Revolt, challenged Spanish dominance and altered colonial strategies.
• Include at least two quotes from the primary source to support your analysis.

Session 4: Cultural Syncretism — Blending of Indigenous and Spanish Traditions
​Reading:

• Selections from The Mythology of the Pueblo Indians by Elsie Clews Parsons (1915).
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55552
• Excerpts from Spanish Missions of the Old Southwest by George Wharton James (1907).
  • URL: https://archive.org/details/spanishmissionso00jameuoft/page/n5/mode/2up

Key Topics:

• The fusion of Catholic and Indigenous spiritual beliefs.
• Syncretic art, architecture, and ceremonies.
• The duality of resistance and accommodation in Indigenous responses to colonization.

Writing Activity:

• Creative nonfiction: Write a scene describing a syncretic ceremony blending Pueblo and Catholic practices.
• Reflect on how these cultural blends reflect both survival and adaptation.

Optional Enrichment Reading:

• The Old Franciscan Missions of California by George Wharton James (1913) for additional background on the broader mission system.
  • URL: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46008