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Show THE COMING OF THE SPANIARDS 73 learned not only about Pueblo ways, but also about the ways of the Spaniards. Slowly the People learned how to use the horse, the sheep, and the gun. Such tools would make them stronger foes of the Spaniards in the years to come. But, though they had reason to be hostile, the Navajos stayed at peace with the New Mexican settlers for the time being. The example of Acoma had taught the People the cost of fighting the strangers. War with the Invaders By 1606, however, the Navajos had decided that the Spaniards and their property, including their horses, could be attacked. The People began raiding. Though the Spaniards tried to fight back, they had little success. The Navajos raided right up to the doorsteps of Spanish homes at San Gabriel. By the first decade of the seventeenth century, the invaders were in trouble. Many had left the colony in 1601. Oriate's failure to send wealth back to the king had put him out of favor. In 1607 he resigned, and a new governor was sent two years later. By then the Indians were obtaining horses as fast as they could. With horses, they were more and more beyond Spanish control. Yet, in spite of signs that the New Mexican colony had failed, Spain would not abandon it. In 1610 the invaders moved their capital to Santa Fe, farther from Navajo raids. The search for riches had failed, but the missionary and settlement work would go on. In the next decades, a split between the missionaries and the civil leaders further weakened Spain's control over New Mexico. From 1617 to 1621, the two groups fought over Indian policy. They disagreed most about how Indian labor should be used. The governors hoped to enrich themselves. They wanted to use the Indians to obtain tribute, labor, and land. The missionaries wanted to convert the Indians to their religion. They felt that the best way to reach this goal was to maintain Indian communities beyond the control of governors, soldiers, and others. This dispute affected all of the Indians in New Mexico in some ways. But it mattered the least to the Navajos and other tribes who were beyond Spanish control. Forcing them into mission towns could not be done without their agreement or the use of force. But the People showed little interest in Christianity. And, during the seventeenth century, New Mexico's army consisted of only a handful of citizen-soldiers. These men were paid with grants of land and Indian labor. The grants were worth little as |