Pecos Pueblo

Pecos Pueblo was a large and powerful Indian community in the 1500s, existing at the same time with the Comanches and Apaches. It was known as Cicuye before the Spaniards started referring to the tribe as "Pe-kush", a word derived from the Jemez language. These European missionaries wanted to bring to the Indians an understanding of Christianity, and a grand church called the Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles de Porciuncula (Our Lady of the Angels of Porciuncula) was constructed and completed in 1625. Unfortunately, this stunning structure was destroyed in the great Pueblo Revolt of 1680, brought about by resentment and anger of the Indians at the oppressive rule of the Spanish authorities. The Europeans were driven out of the land and every object of Christianity was destroyed. However, by the mid-1700s, natural disasters, famine and epidemics started to take their toll on the population of Pecos, and by 1838, they ceased to exist as a functioning pueblo. The music retells this history in an accessible manner in three sections. After a brief introduction, an exciting pulse begins that engulfs the listener into the exciting world of Pecos Pueblo. The slow section provides a calmer interlude to the piece, before a beautiful climax is reached, signifying the beauty and magnificence of the great Church. Soon, war drums start the third and last section, showing the anger and triumph of the Indians in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The piece does not end in tragedy; in fact, the music wishes for the legacy of Pecos Pueblo to live on as a great monument in American history.