Frontier cuirass c. 1720 believed Pueblo Indian in Spanish Style

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you so much guys! This is very important.
I have browsed through everything I can find online, but absolutely nothing I can find comes close to this unusual example. It has a long history in the American Southwest, but was only rediscovered in recent years in an obscure estate sale, and has since been both on display in several venues as well as enduring notable controversies.

As there is not a single example of comparable armor anywhere of this material and from the Spanish frontiers of the 17th into 18th c. it is not possible to evaluate on this basis. The Philippine suggestion I take as rather a 'drawing at straws' solution which has yet to offer any supported evidence.

The most important comparison, virtually the only one, is depictions of Spanish soldiers and Pueblo allies in an obscure event in 1720 in Nebraska (the Villasur expedition) where they were massacred by Pawnee and Oto warriors under French forces. These type cuirasses with skirted rawhide in place of tassets are seen in the Indian produced hide painting. There are numerous details in these iconic works which were unknown in America until the 1980s when they were brought back from their holding in Lucerne, Switzerland since 1750s.
This is why this form of cuirass in cuir boulli has remained unknown, as the first notable reference to Spanish colonial arms and armor I am aware of is Curtis (1927). Obviously the well known cuera jackets (sewn hides) are described in various sources since, but this rare form has never been noted.There are few references on these topics, so this is most important.

[Jim McDougall]

Amazing, do we have more detail on this? period etc.
What type of leather?

[Rick]

Possibly a comparison of the chest plate and pueblo designs might be in order here.
Or has that already been done?

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Rick

Possibly a comparison of the chest plate and pueblo designs might be in order here.
Or has that already been done?

Thank you Rick. Actually thanks to Jose showing that particular armor, which does of course appear to be leather, I cannot make out construction features nor material used(what type of leather) .

The frontier example is made using the cuir bouilli process ,which is boiling raw hide, drying, and shaping.
This is contrary to leather which is tanned and supple but not in solid hard product as cuir boulli.

I have references which indicate the Pueblos allied to Spaniards were instructed by the then governor of Santa Fe to make boiled hide armor for their planned attack to retake Santa Fe in 1681. The Pueblo uprisings in 1680 had caused the Spanish to flee the city as many tribes had formed a coalition against them.

What is important here is design features, and it is noted that the triangular fixture on the Moro armor is compellingly similar to the frontier example.
Also the triangular elements along the waist demarcation are similar.
I am thinking this brings a strong possibiity that the Pueblo design may have diffused to the Philippines via the Spanish presence there in later years.

I am under the impression that the Moro examples of armor known come from later periods than the frontier example, from mid to late 19th c.
The influence of the espasda ancha for example occurs in numbers of Philippine bolos of these later periods, while the espada ancha was of course from mid 18th into mid 19th c.