Case file · Witch trials
The witches of Abiquiú
From 1756 the priest of Abiquiú, a frontier town of genízaros (detribalized Native captives and their descendants), claimed that he and others were bewitched; a decade of accusations, exorcisms and trials followed under governors Vélez Cachupín and Marín del Valle.
1756 CE · 36.21, -106.32 · status: official
The account
Accused genízaros were jailed and some were sentenced to servitude; the authorities also destroyed rock carvings and shrines. Historians Malcolm Ebright and Rick Hendricks reconstructed the case in 'The Witches of Abiquiú' (2006).
The sceptical view
The episode reflects the clash between Catholic authorities and the persisting Native religion of a marginalized, enslaved-descended community.