The Cross of Coronado

I’ve been to New Mexico, but it never occurred to me that it might have an interesting past.  When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away suggests that it does.  Gutierrez tells a colonial narrative unlike any other I’ve encountered.  The establishment of a Franciscan theocracy, a successful native revolt, a reconquista, and the eventual position of importance in the great game of European empire-building in North America is a gripping tale, and I put the book down wanting to know more.  In part, though, my desire to know more stems from a sense of disappointment in the book’s narrow focus on marriage.  Part III seems especially entrenched in a host of statistical analyses that do anything but paint a portrait of the society of eighteenth-century New Mexico.  While I actually found these analyses intriguing, ultimately I had trouble incorporating them into a broader understanding.  With that in mind I think Gutierrez may have been better served by writing a book solely about the social history of eighteenth-century New Mexico, using marriage customs as the centerpiece of a larger discussion.

Regardless of its merits and flaws, When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away has altered the way I think about the colonial experience in North America and the trajectory of US history.  In particular, if I ever find myself teaching high school again and stuck with an American history class, I may very well start the year by exploring the Spanish colonial experience in California, New Mexico, and Florida before ever getting into the extent of Massachusetts’s awesomeness and Tea Parties and democracy and stuff.