Story perspectives

Spaniards' 1860s Slave Trade: Benevolence or Betrayal?

2/26/2026

Summary

Story summary

In the 1860s, Spaniards attacked a Navajo settlement in New Mexico and captured Ated-bah-Hohzoni and Soledad.
They sold them into slavery, with Father Antonio José Martínez purchasing Ated-bah-Hohzoni and renaming her Rosario.
A booklet by Dora Ortiz Vásquez portrays Martínez as benevolent toward Rosario.
Vásquez recounts Martínez's efforts to reunite Rosario with Soledad.
Evidence suggests Martínez later petitioned the court to deny Rosario's freedom post-Civil War.

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Story summary

In the 1860s, Spaniards attacked a Navajo settlement in New Mexico and captured Ated-bah-Hohzoni and Soledad.
They sold them into slavery, with Father Antonio José Martínez purchasing Ated-bah-Hohzoni and renaming her Rosario.
A booklet by Dora Ortiz Vásquez portrays Martínez as benevolent toward Rosario.
Vásquez recounts Martínez's efforts to reunite Rosario with Soledad.
Evidence suggests Martínez later petitioned the court to deny Rosario's freedom post-Civil War.