Indians Catch Spaniards Napping In New Mexico

By the time the soldiers tortured the truth out of two Indian captives on Aug. 9, 1680, it was already too late for the Spaniards to stop the unthinkable from happening in New Mexico.

Halfway through the 16th century, the starry-eyed conquistador Coronado wandered the Southwest in search of gold-plated cities only to limp back to Mexico with sore feet and a sunburn. As a result of the costly fiasco, the region was written off as worthless wasteland for the next 50 years.

After the consolidation of their southern conquests, the next item on the Spaniards