This Week in History: 1680 Capture of Sante Fe and a 115th Birthday

Notable events for the week of August 21-27...

August 21, 1680:

On this day in 1680, the Pueblo Indians capture the city of Sante Fe, New Mexico, during a revolt against Spanish rule in the New Spain territory of the Spanish Empire.

The Pueblos had become increasingly disenchanted in the 1670's with the lack of protection offered by the Spanish army against attacks by other Indian tribes. The Pueblos also sought a return to the worship of their own gods rather than the worship of the god of their colonial masters. This infuriated the Franciscan missionaries, who retaliated with repressive measures, including the arrest of 47 Pueblo medicine men on the charge of witchcraft in 1680. Several were hung and the rest flogged in public and imprisoned. Word of this reached the leaders of the Pueblo Indians, who arrived at the prison in large numbers and forced the release of the imprisoned medicine men.

One of those released was Popé, who then launched a successful campaign against the Spanish known as the Pueblo Revolt, which resulted in the capture of Sante Fe and the retreat of the Spanish from New Mexico. Popé orchestrated the removal of all things related to the Spanish culture and Catholic religion.

After Popé's death in 1688, quarrels among the various Pueblo tribes broke out and led to a weakening of their unity. Then in 1692 the Spanish, under Diego de Vargas, returned to retake Sante Fe and all of New Mexico.

August 21, 1891:

Born on this day in the late 19th century is Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico. Del Toro is the oldest documented person alive today, and attributes his long life to his daily consumption of boiled corn, cod and milk. He is also the oldest veteran of World War I still alive and is old enough to be able to recall clashes between soldiers in Puerto Rico during the Spanish-American War in 1898.

The oldest person ever to have lived was Jeanne Calment of France, who was born in 1875 and lived until 1997, aged 122 years, 164 days, and who met Vincent Van Gogh at the age of 14 in 1889.