SOUTHWESTERN HISTORY

Read pp. 17-28 to learn what occurred during each of the following periods/events.

1540-1821: Spanish Colonial Period was characterized by oppression based on the rendering of tribute (encomienda) and forced labor (repartimiento) of the Pueblo Indians in the Rio Grande area. There was little agreement among Spanish missionaries, representatives of the civil government, and military officials on plans, policies, and the best use of the available resources as these three groups competed for the produce and forced labor of the Indians.
1680: Pueblo Revolt
1821-1848: Mexican Period began when Mexico gained its independence from Spain.
1848-Present: American Period began with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo which added the Southwest (except for the area added under the later Gadsden Purchase) to the U.S.
1853 Gadsden Purchase added Arizona south of the Gila River and southern New Mexico to the United States.
1849 Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) moved from War Department to the Department of the Interior.
1880s: Most Southwestern Indians were on reservations by this time, and railroads linked the Southwest and the West to the East, bringing an influx of tourists and transforming the crafts of Southwestern native peoples into a marketable commodity.
1886: Apache wars ended.
1887: Dawes Severalty Act allotment of Indian lands was begun in an effort to assimilate Indians into Anglo-American society by promoting farming on family-owned plots of land; Native American children were sent away to boarding schools.
1912: Arizona and New Mexico attain statehood.
1934: Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) impetus toward self-determination by acquiring additional land for Native Americans that was then placed under federal control as allotment was stopped. Tribal councils were also established.
1944: National Congress of American Indians was formed to mobilize tribes into effective political action.
1968: Navajo Community College (Dine College), the first tribal college in the U.S., was established.
1990: Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) was passed by the U.S. Congress and took effect the following year. This act established a congressional policy for the return to tribes of aboriginal human remains, associated funerary objects, and items of cultural significance.