Dr. Carlos R. Herrera, a Spanish Colonial scholar and
author, will be our featured speaker. His topic will be Juan Bautista de Anza: The King’s Governor in New Mexico.
Dr. Herrera will speak about Governor
Juan Bautista de Anza’s role in implementing policies and changes that
stabilized the fragile Spanish settlements in New Mexico between 1778 and 1788.
This volatile era, characterized by constant wars between the Spanish, Apaches
and Comanches, was one of the tipping points for changing the course of
history. Dr. Herrera will highlight how Anza, considered one of the best
governors of New Mexico and who served for ten years, implemented the Spanish
Bourbon Reforms to improve and fortify the precarious settlements. Did he
succeed? Dr. Herrera will also reveal Anza’s military strategy which ended in a
battle in Colorado between Anza, Spanish soldiers and Native American allies
versus Cuerno Verde, one of the Comanche leaders, wreaking havoc on Spanish settlements.
Cuervo Verde’s death resulted in a subsequent peace treaty which held and
helped ensure the survival of many of the cities we know today such as Taos,
Santa Cruz de la Cañada and Santa Fe.
Dr. Herrera, also an expert of the
New Mexico missionary period, will discuss the clash between Anza and the
Franciscan missionaries who resisted losing power and influence in New Mexico.
Talented and controversial, the Franciscans were fighting the tide and ideas of
the Enlightenment sweeping through the far reaches of the Spanish Empire. Dr.
Herrera will also highlight how the Franciscans changed and improved their
relations with Native Americans after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and their
return to the region after La Reconquista in 1693. How were the Pueblo Indians
treated the second time around? What lessons did the Franciscans learn? What
Franciscan influences remain in New Mexico?
Please join us for this exciting,
dramatic and memorable presentation. Dr. Carlos R. Herrera teaches at San Diego
State University and received his PhD from the University of New Mexico. He is
excited to meet GSHA-SC members and discuss his upcoming book coming out in
February via Amazon.com with the same title listed above.