Po'pay

Po'pay was born around 1630 in the San Juan Pueblo, in what is now the state of New Mexico; his given name, Popyn, means "ripe squash" in the Tewa language. As an adult he became a religious leader and was responsible for healing as well as for his people's spiritual life.

• He knew of his people's suffering under Spanish settlers, who forced them to provide labor and food to support the Spanish community and also pressured them to give up their religion and way of life and to adopt Christianity—those found practicing their religion were tortured and sometimes executed.
• In 1675 Po'pay and 46 other Pueblo leaders were convicted of sorcery; he was among those flogged, while others were executed.
• In 1680 Po'pay organized the Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish which helped to ensure the survival of the Pueblo culture and shaped the history of the American Southwest.
• No image or written description of Po'pay is known to exist.