ALBUQUERQUE.- All was not peaceful on the North American continent prior to the arrival of the Europeans. Tribal societies lived in harmony with land and seasons, yet there were still struggles to survive and clashes between groups were not uncommon. However, nothing could have prepared these original inhabitants for what occurred in the wake of the age of exploration begun in 1492.

The early 1600s marked the virtually simultaneous establishment of permanent centers of political and cultural influence by three major European countries–the English colonization of Jamestown (1607), the French settlement of Québec (1608) and the Spanish founding of Santa Fe (1609).

Hardship and dangerous conflicts ensued for settlers and indigenous nations alike, although this time of unrest also created new opportunities for commerce and cooperation. In the years that followed, it set in motiona series of migrations which forever changed the destiny of the continent.

To commemorate the four hundred year anniversaries of the founding of these settlements, Jamestown, Québec and Santa Fe tells the stories of a century of European expansion and its wide-ranging effects on social structures, economics, political systems and religious beliefs.

They came to rule and claim resources, not to assimilate or adapt. But the Europeans’ minority status and needs for survival required them to develop relationships with native populations and deal with multiple language barriers. In the area around Santa Fe alone, Tewa, Zuni, Hopi, Jemez and Keresan were spoken.

Tobacco fueled development in Virginia, fur was the mainstay of the French trading empire and farming and ranching became the dominant economies of New Mexico. All were able to prosper due to an abundance of labor. In some cases native North Americans became allies of the colonizers, sharing their knowledge of agriculture, hunting and community, and intermarriages took place– but a persistent European tendency toward annexing land and embracing slavery also created times fraught with hostility and revolt.

This was further complicated by orthodox theologies brought to the continent by the colonizers, with an expectation that existing residents should accept these unfamiliar precepts in place of their aboriginal beliefs. Despite the persecution of dissenters, traditional practices and identities remained strong. Many native peoples, in an attempt to be tolerant of the new teachings, simply interpreted them in light of their established cultural and spiritual customs.

The Jamestown, Québec and Santa Fe exhibition illustrates the vast complexities of this historical period through a multicultural prism, featuring rare artifacts, documents, maps and fascinating accounts of life in this important and perilous era, which also saw the settling of Plymouth, Mass. by the English and New Amsterdam (later New York) by the Dutch