Spanish Settlers and the Pueblo People

The biggest similarity between the Spanish settlers and the Pueblo appears to be in religion. Take for example; Christians baptized their believers. The purpose of baptism is simply a way of signifying to others your decision to accept Christ in your life. The Pueblo people have a very similar ritual; it was called head washing. Both the Pueblo's and the Spaniards used religious calendars, prayer tools like rosary beads and feathered sticks, and alters in their religions. "More intangibly, each religious system was based on beliefs that the world was ordered according to divine sanctions. The wills and wisdoms of dominions beyond human making were thought by adherents of both cultures to be actively engaged in directing the weather, fortunes of war, personal fate and national destiny" (Bowden, 27). They both believed that evil spirits or displeased god(s) would cause natural disasters upon the people and their land.

One of the biggest differences came from their views of the world. The Pueblo's believed that the "underworld" was the source of life; whereas the Spanish believed in heaven as the source of life. The Pueblo's way of life was a natural one, they used only what they needed and considered themselves part of the earth. The Pueblo's had respect for all that was upon the earth; everything had a purpose. The Spanish didn't have the same respect for natural materials or animals; they took what they wanted with no regard to the world around them. Personal identity was different too. The Pueblo's believed in community where they all where one group. Personal achievements didn't matter; survival of the entire tribe is what mattered. This differed greatly from the Spanish where everyone was out for gold, fame and riches. They did not worry if their fellow man was not surviving. They believed only the followers who were baptized would go to heaven where the Pueblo's believed that all would make it to the afterlife and eventually be reborn.