Analysis of Ramon Gutierrez Novel When Jesus Came, the...

The Intruders Ramon Gutierrez, the author of book When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away reveals through research and evidence what occurred in New Mexico during 1500-1846. The Spaniards had difficulty submitting the Pueblo Indians, living in New Mexico however it was not an easy task. In addition, the Pueblo Indians are faced with another intruder the Franciscans who claim will save the natives’ souls. This book shows the native perspective and their social lives before and after the Spaniards intrusion into New Mexico. These intruders, the Spaniards and Franciscans, forcibly alter the natives’ culture, marriage, and sexuality, claiming to civilize these savages. These events are easily comprehensible due to the structure of the book. Ramon Gutierrez’ book categorizes the information into three parts making it simpler for people to understand what transpired. The three categories are as follows: the sixteenth century, the seventeenth century, and the eighte enth century. The first category presents the Indians way of culture before the Spanish influence. The book goes into the mindset of the natives, letting the reader see the Indians in a different angle than what other presents them. Usually, the Indians are portrayed as unintelligent, uncivilized Indians without a structured society in biased books, however this book gives a more unbiased view. The beginning several pages of the first section reveals how their religion came about and how the Acoma Indians