Mission San Esteban del Rey is a Christian religious center that was established by a Spanish Roman Catholic priest at Acoma Pueblo in New Mexico. The Franciscan priest Juan Ramírez founded the mission in 1629 to convert the Acoma Indians to Christianity. The Acoma village, built on a mesa (flat-topped hill) in west-central New Mexico, probably dates from at least 1200. Today, historians recognize Acoma Pueblo as one of the oldest continuously inhabited settlements in North America.
Beginning in the mid-1500’s, Spanish missionaries worked to convert Indians to Christianity in what is now the southern United States. Spain’s government hoped the converted Indians would become loyal Spanish citizens and help secure Spain’s claims in North America. In the late 1500’s, the Spanish began to build missions in what is now New Mexico.
The Spanish explorer and New Mexico governor Don Juan de Oñate led a group of soldiers, settlers, and missionaries to northern New Mexico in 1598. That year, the group established Mission San Gabriel, north of present-day Santa Fe. In 1599, Oñate directed his nephew Vicente de Zaldívar to attack the Acoma to avenge Spanish losses in a skirmish the year before. A small but well-equipped force of Spanish soldiers easily defeated the Acoma and destroyed much of the pueblo. According to many accounts, more than half of the Acoma were killed. Oñate punished many of the survivors, enslaving some and separating children from their families.
For a number of years after the battle, the Spanish had little direct contact with the people of Acoma Pueblo. In 1629, the Franciscan priest Juan Ramírez traveled to Acoma and gained the Indians’ trust. Ramírez converted many Acoma and taught them skills in agriculture, construction, and pottery. Beginning in 1629, under Ramírez’s direction, the Acoma built Mission San Esteban del Rey. The mission was probably originally named for Saint Stephen, the first Christian martyr—that is, a person who is punished or killed because of his religion. But the mission now celebrates an annual feast day for Saint Stephen the King, the first king of Hungary. The mission included a convento, or priests’ quarters, and a church that is still in use today.
The religious buildings at Acoma Pueblo were among the few to survive an Indian rebellion in 1680 that drove the Spanish from New Mexico. The mission church has been restored a number of times. Today, it represents a fine example of traditional building methods in the Spanish colonial era. Other attractions at Acoma include the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak`u Museum.
