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Show The Intruders, 1550-1882 29 been involved in the fighting. Many Ute slaves and servants were freed, and Spanish horses became available in large numbers.4 Spanish Alliances Spaniards succeeded in reconquering the Pueblo area in 1692, but they found their position more difficult than ever. They were surrounded by hostile tribes. They heard rumors that the French were moving into the area northeast of their settlements. To protect themselves, the Spaniards began to form alliances with the Indian peoples. They hoped that these alliances would create a buffer zone around their settlements. If one tribe threatened the Spaniards, they tried to arrange an alliance with that tribe's enemies. If that ally grew too powerful, the Spaniards would break the alliance and join with another tribe to combat their former friends. Though the Spaniards were few, they offered two important assets to their allies. Byjoining them, a tribe could obtain horses and the protection of Spanish guns. The returning Spaniards hoped to maintain good relations with the Ute People, who had been friendly to them. Spaniards considered the People as "the most valiant Indians that have been encountered in these regions."5 As enemies, the People posed a great threat to the Spanish towns. As friends, they were valuable allies against hostile tribes. But the Spaniards soon found that the once friendly Utes were joining their neighbors to raid the settlements. To the Spaniards' dismay, the Utes formed alliances with some of the Pueblo peoples and even with the Navajo, a tribe the Spaniards had thought were traditional enemies of the Utes.6 These alliances, however were temporary. Like all of the alliances among the Utes and their neighbors, these rarely involved more than a few bands. Warfare in the area did not involve large armies or pitched battles. Instead, smalj groups would ride into an enemy camp to take horses, guns, and prisoners. After the raid they would retreat quickly to their homelands, where the enemy could not pursue them. These tactics were to prove very effective for the Ute People, who grew in strength and power throughout the century.7 From 1650 Apache groups began encroaching on Ute and Comanche lands. In 1706 the Utes allied themselves with the Com- |
