Indian Uprising on the Rio Grande

This award-winning account of the Pueblo Revolt, originally published in 1973 as Red Power on the Rio Grande, is told from the point of view of the Native American villagers of the Rio Grande Valley. Folsom equates the Pueblos’ desire to control their own destiny to that of the Americans in 1776 and reveals the harshness of Spanish rule.

Not only were the Pueblos taxed and forced to labor for the Spanish, they were frequently sold into slavery and their religion was attacked and suppressed by missionaries. Under the direction of Pope, the Pueblos overcame their traditional reliance on local leadership and joined together in a brilliantly conceived and successful attack on Spanish power. This pivotal time in Pueblo history is powerfully and compelling retold here.

A fascinating account of the Pueblo Native American uprising of 1680 against Spanish control in the Southwest.–School Library Journal