Navajo peach culture faced suppression during Spanish colonization. In 1680, the Pueblo Revolt saw 17,000 Indigenous people resist Spanish rule, influencing their departure from the Southwest. Despite Spanish re-establishment, Navajo adapted as skilled livestock herders. Wars and territorial changes followed, leading to the United States gaining control. The army wanted to relocate the natives and against their wishes the natives hid in canyons, caves, and crevices in the earth. Canyon de Chelly became a refuge, but the Army, during the 1849 California Gold Rush, destroyed peach orchards and livestock to coax out the natives. The U.S. Government, seeking settlement lands, coerced treaties with Native tribes through military campaigns. In 1863, the U.S. Army forced Navajo relocation to Bosque Redondo, resulting in the tragic "Long Walk," a 300 mile walk from Colorado to New Mexico where thousands perished. By 1864, 75 percent of survivors were at Bosque Redondo, while others scattered, carrying peach seeds from Canyon de Chelly as they rebuilt their lives.
