Notable people & Events

Piro Pueblos

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Piro Pueblo /ˈpɪroʊ/: The Piros (not to be confused with the Piros of the Ucayali basin in Peru) were a Native American Pueblo people that lived in a number of pueblos in the Rio Grande Valley around modern Socorro, New Mexico, USA. The now extinct Piro language was in the family of Tiwa languages. Whether voluntarily or not, some Piros were hospitable to the first Spanish colonists who arrived in 1598. As a result, the Spanish gave first one, then another, Piro pueblo the name Socorro, which means aid or help.

In later years, however, the Piros like most other Pueblo groups suffered increasingly from the strains of colonial rule. Local rebellions broke out on several occasions in the 1660s and 70s, but the Spaniards always retained the upper hand. By the time of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the Piro communities had declined to such an extent that the famous rebellion took place without them. Several hundred Piros accompanied (again voluntarily or not) the fleeing Spaniards south to El Paso del Norte (present-day Ciudad Juárez, Mexico); others scattered and joined other Pueblo groups. None of the Piro pueblos was ever resettled by the original inhabitants.

Very little is known about the Piros. Currently there is an archaeological excavation which is actively pursued annually in June and July, in a location near Luis Lopez, five miles south of present-day Socorro.