THE PUEBLO REVOLT: Revolt in America 96 Years Before the American Revolution
About
My name is Patricia Cunliffe. I am a documentary filmmaker, artist and freelance journalist. I am also a New Mexico native of Spanish (30%) and Indian (33%) descent. In 2007, I began a self-funded documentary film project about the Pueblo Revolt.
The Pueblo Revolt was the only time in colonial history where Native Peoples put aside all of their differences and banded together with the sole purpose of ousting the European invaders. And they were successful! The Pueblo Revolt was led by a man from Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo named Po'pay.
The story of The Pueblo Revolt is relatively unknown, having been ommitted entirely, or presented as a mere footnote in US History. The Pueblo Revolt took place in the area surrounding Santa Fe, NM. That these people had the forsight to devise such a plan makes me extremely proud of the culture that I come from!
The documentary has already been shot. I was allowed access and have footage of many dances and ceremonies at the various Pueblo’s, including the Po’pay Run, honoring Omtua and Catua, the first two native casualties of the revolt. I have much of the same of the Spanish Catholic side and interviews with historians and scholars from both sides.
In 2008, the economy took a downturn and in 2010 I brought my mother, who had dementia, to live in my home and cared for her until she died; while we were on vacation in Santa Fe in 2015.
I also took time to production manage two projects about former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, the first African American Mayor of a predominantly white city, Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race for PBS and Tom Bradley’s Impossible Dream for LAUSD; among other projects that I have taken on, in order to earn a living.
In late 2018, I was approached by several people who have moved into New Mexico, who have far more resources than I, inquiring about my Pueblo Revolt project. God bless Mark Mitchell, at Tesuque Pueblo, who told them about my project when they began inquiring about the possibility of making their own documentary. This made me realize, once again, the value of my project and the fact that I cannot do this alone. I need your help to be able to complete this film.
On March 8, 2019, I presented publicly for the first time, the story of the Pueblo Revolt at the Pasadena Public Library, titled Revolt in America 96 Years Before the American Revolution, in conjunction with ArtNight Pasadena.
