“The Last Conquistador – A NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS Special”
Spanish Conquistador Don Juan de Oñate is one of the most controversial figures in the history of the Southwest, and is also the subject of a controversial and colossal statue that now calls El Paso home.That statue, and the emotions it evokes, is the subject of a new national PBS documentary, P.O.V. “The Last Conquistador” airing on Thursday, July 31, at 8:00 – 9:00 pm.
KNME looks at a community's controversy over a Hispanic heritage monument depicting a man known to have murdered and enslaved Native Americans. After screening the program, N.M. IN FOCUS held a panel discussion, which included one of the filmmakers, exploring different sides of the issue, and took questions from the studio audience (including the statue’s creator - artist John Houser), moderated by Gene Grant. Does the controversy divide solely along racial lines? Are old wounds just too deep, or are new wounds being inflicted? Can some kind of healing take place and can there be reconciliation? Tune in and decide for your self.
“The Last Conquistador – A NEW MEXICO IN FOCUS Special” airs THREE times: Friday night, July 25, at 7:00 p.m.; Sunday July 27 at 6:30 am, and again Thursday, July 31 at 9:00 p.m.
Want to See the Whole Thing? --- Due to the length of the post-screening response taped at the KNME Studios (which ran over 1 ½ hours!!), KNME has included an edited version in the broadcast program. However, if you'd like to see the complete version, including all of the taped questions, answers and comments, in their entirety, please go to:
http://www.knme.org/newmexicoinfocus/blogger/2008/07/episode-204-last-conquistador.html
posted by Evy Todd at
3:52 PM
11 Comments:
I enjoyed the Point of View of the Last Conquistador, but there was no indication of why. Why did Onate attack the Acoma Sky City? It was because of what happened there while Onate was exploring present day California. His nephew was invited to the Pueblo and while there became involved with some type of altercation. During the altercation Onate's nephew was killed while other Spaniards actually jumped from the 200 foot walls of the Sky City. The entire affair was revenge for the loss of a loved one.
The Acoma Indians have failed to forget what happened, but the decedents of Onate have not forgotten what happened either. I agree Onate went overboard by the violence, but if we are to truly free we must not hold 21st century values to what happened in the 16th century.
The Acoma Indians have a right to protest the statue, but they should also be thankful they still have a voice even after 800 years of existence. Imagine if the affair would have happened during the time of the American Wild West, there would be a very good possibility the Acoma Indian Sky City would be relegated to folk lore and history.
The present day American Spanish will always remember what happened in history and will always respect what the New Mexico Pueblo Indians have to say, after all they were recognized as civilized people by the early Spanish settlers and King Carlos of Spain.
It is sad and embarresing to see that 300 years later our socity and culture finds it nessasary to spend so much needed money on highlighting the twisted and sociopathic life work of a man who is atributed to to geniside of a whole socity rich in culture and tradition. I liken it to our great grandchildren erecting a monument to Mohamed Atta piloting a 747 waving to the people below a page ripped from the Koran. NOW THATS ART!!!!!!!
Why is it that those who minimize the horror of history remain anonymous. Could it be that they are ashamed of thier history?
The question of being ashamed of our Spanish history is rather foolish. Did you know the very first African in the Americas was killed in Zuni? Did you know some of the Spanish settlers were actually Jewish? I am an amalgam of several races, from Aryan to New Mexico Pueblo. I am not ashamed of myself and of my New Mexico Spanish culture. It's quite beautiful and I embrace my people with a great sense of pride.
And to compare Onate with the terrorist of September 11, 2001 is like comparing President Bush with Adolph Hitler in the eyes of the Iraqi people. It is just plain wrong.
After viewing the show "The Last Conquistador," a lot of mixed emotions came out. Being a member of the Acoma People, and a young adult in the American society, the balance of learning two cultures has been difficult. This is just one representation of our history, and unfortunately it has brought a negative impact on us as a pueblo. Many generations view this event in our history differently, but the pain of it all is still felt the same. As a member of the younger generation, being aware of my culture and history is important. When your people are forced to learn a new religion and are forced to live on reservations, and forced to learn a new way of life, of course there is going to be some anger in their hearts. It can be easy to forget by some, but when it happens to you or your people, there is a different perspective taken. This is not only happening with the Native American people, but with different cultures or religions. Some people can say the past is the past, but if they really look at their past and at an event that had a negative impact on their lives and how much hurt it has caused them, then maybe they can understand a small fraction of how this huge event impacted us as a pueblo. What happened in the past has shaped our future, and as long as we continue to keep our history sacred and teach to our younger generations, we will never lose ourselves as a people. This is not only for Native American people, but for all people. Acoma Pueblo is the place I call my home, and it is the place that will forever be a part of me, past, present, and future.
I am an artist from N.Y.and attended the Art Student' League and the National Academy. When I saw the statue North of S.F. After the N.A. Had cut off the foot, I thought. What arrogance the artist had. I knew about the horrors done to the Native Americans and thought how ignorant the people of New Mexico were not to think about what the Spanish had done and even so erected the statue.Now there is another Big and more arrogant just like Texas: bigger better,wider stronger as some Texans like to think themselves. When a piece of art is larger than life size it takes on another role,like the Statue of Liberty,which takes on the idea of liberty. The large statue of Onate expresses the Conquistadors'
torture and opression of the indigineous peoples.The size alone represents this character trait.
I guess it is arrogant to think that in all the world there are only 20 Pueblos and 19 are in New Mexico. The person from New York should know all about the arrogance of conquering peoples, because in all of New York there are NO indigenous people still living on their own lands. The Pueblo Indians of New Mexico were NEVER sent to reservations, so I guess it is arrogant to think that New Mexico is still civilized.
Well being proud of your spanish background and being iggnoant to the brutalty and pain it brought to our region is another, I too am a mixture of many cultures but german being one of them but you wont catch me teaching my children that adolf Hitler was a distiguished conoror that should be reviered for his patiqularlly crule and visious historical controbutions. nor would you catch me erecting a staue in his honor and wearing nazi clothing and parading myself around drinking wine and donating 6000 or more to perserve his image. Make exsusses ignorance is bliss! We all get whats coming to us just like the artist he's going blind maybe its all those ancient anssors clouding his vision or maybe he never had any vison to begin with because if he had he would hang a dead indian mother over his horse and dangle aputated feet around his neck. but that wount look good for the photo opps. would it?
You said it, Ingrid, ignorance is bliss. To condemn the entire American Spanish people as brutes is so easy to do, as well as convenient. Some of the contributions by the early Spanish settlers are still evident to this day, you don't believe? Ask the Navajo about their beloved sheep, or the Apache or Comanche about their horses. Maybe you should spend some time taking a long hard look around New Mexico and you will appreciate this Land of Enchantment. Visit Shalako or go to Gallup during ceremonials. You will learn the name of the "spirits" that you talk about when referring to the artist of the statue. Karma is a strong thing and what goes around comes around.
Well if you want to talk about contributions by geniside lets look at al the work done by Dr. Migele. medicin today would not have the advances it has without the horrific torture of twin jewish children. What a great argument for elevating a terrorist like Onate. By the way I lived my entire life in New Mexico and am well awear of the plit of our native americans who still live in reservatins without electicity or running water. what happened to the suppiorority of the spanish. for all their historical donations to cicilization i would like to remind you that Native Americans had a calender while the spanards were eating with their bare hands. Tonichilan was far FAR FAR MORE advanced then the spanards that arived. take your sheep and horses and stick them where the Aztecan sun dont shine. The native americans were doing just fine before you elitist arrived and they will continue to survive the butality and arrogance of your ancessors. Their cultur and pride superseed you and all you have to show is your narsistic immaturaty of "MY GUN IS BIGGER THAN YOURS" Your children are growing up ingnorant of your history and have learned nothing!!!! from their past they to will be like dust in the wind only they will die never knowing the gifts that the natives might of brought to them had they not been wiped out.
Aryan? Please do not used some fictionalized mythology in determining your ethnic background. Aryan is NOT what those under Hitler tried to set forth in their society's view of race. The people that may claim Aryan decendency are those that are the remanants of the people that invaded Northern India. In truth - Aryan was just a name that meant "noble" and was a class distinction among those people. So unless you are related to Iranians (Aryan = Iranian) then I would suggest you allow yourself a different classification, unless ignorance of truth is something to be strived for?
In any case this is an interesting subject, two groups of people having two differing views of history. All I can say is that people will one day realize that the social constructs they hold so dear are in non existent. We are all mixed with each other, if you don't think that your people will ever mix with another group - wait a few generations. There is only one race and that is human, the rest of these distinctions is self imposed standards that were man made.
People are the same, one heart, one mind, one breath.
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