ENCYCLOPAEDIA of Rebellions

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Fronteras de Colotlan revolt 1702

Synopsis
This insurrection was led by the Indians of Fronteras de Colotlán, a region on the frontier of colonization, where the control of the colonial authorities was fragile, and the pueblos of allied Indians enjoyed large autonomy and privileges due to their supply of auxiliary troops (the ‘flecheros') to the Spanish forces. The detonator of the outbreak was the abuses attributed to the capitán protector Mateo Silva, whom the Indians accused of not wanting to recognize the elected Native governors, demanding undue burdens, and favoring the usurpation of their lands by Spanish settlers. On August 1, several hundred Indians, mostly from Nostic, entered Colotlán, the county seat, and arrested Silva, who was hanged and mutilated on a neighboring hill after a ritual trial. The authorities reacted cautiously, offering a general pardon to the rebels. Most of them didn’t accept it and continued attacking Spaniards’ farms and ranches. The situation deteriorated, with rumors that the uprising could spread to neighboring regions and that they had crowned a rebel king. On September 6, the rebels besieged the town of Tlaltenango. Faced with this worrying panorama, the authorities of Zacatecas continued with their diplomatic strategy, issuing a new general pardon. This time its effect on the rebel ranks was greater and from September 25 onwards the various rebel pueblos came forward to surrender obedience to the new capitán. By the end of October, the rebellion had been brought under control.
Additional info

Starting date: . Ending: . Duration: 3 months. Name in sources: Rebelión de Colotlán. Location: Colotlán, Tlaltenango, Nostic and other neighboring pueblos Country (current): Mexico. Monarchy: Spanish. Main participants: Indigenous. Number of participants: >500. Main reasons & motivations: Anti-colonial, Others. Leadership: Unknown. Relevance: medium.

Further reading
BLOSSER, Bret (2007). “By the Force of Their Lives and the Spilling of Blood: Flechero Service and Political Leverage on a Nueva Galicia Frontier”, in L. E. Matthew, M. R. Oudijk (eds), Indian Conquistadors: Indigenous Allies in the Conquest of Mesoamerica. Norman: U. Oklahoma Press, pp. 289-315. GÜERECA DURÁN, Raquel (2022). Caciques, intérpretes y soldados fronterizos. Actores indígenas en la conquista del Nayar, siglo XVIII. Ciudad de México: UNAM. GÜERECA DURÁN, Raquel (2016). Milicias indígenas en la Nueva España. Reflexiones del derecho indiano sobre los derechos de guerra. Ciudad de México: UNAM.
Cite this entry

(2023) "Fronteras de Colotlan revolt 1702", in J. V. Serrão and M. S. Cunha (coord), Rebellions in the Early Modern Iberian World. (accessed on ).