Four hundred years ago, Juan de Oñate y Salazar, jouneyed onto our homelands, a time our elders remind us that would change the course of our lives and our history.

The establishment of the first capital at San Juan de los Caballeros and the settlement of New Mexico by Spaniards and other Europeans caused great conflict and suffering among all our people, both Spanish and Indian. But it also was the beginning of the merging of two cultures with mutual benefits in art, agriculture, trading, framing of government, and the introduction of Catholicism.

In March 1998, the San Juan Pueblo Tribal Council met with the Honorable Rafael Conde, Minister of Counsel, Chief of Mission of Spain and the Honorable Maria Bossols, Counselor, for the Embassy of Spain. It was a historic day for all of us, because for the time since that first encounter at Ohkay Oweingeh 400 years ago, the descendants of our respective peoples met to reflect on the past, the present, and together plan on the appropriate commemoration of that historic moment to set the course for the relationship of our children and their future.

On March 18, 1998, a formal presentation was made by the Pueblo of San Juan to the All Indian Pueblo Council Governors. Formal action was taken by the Council to pursue a meeting with Spain. On April 3, an official invitation was sent by myself, Governor Salazar of San Juan Pueblo, on behalf of the 19 Pueblos to Francisco Alvarez Cascos, First Vice President of the Government of Spain. Spain officially accepted the invitation on April 15, 1998.

We must take advantage of this occasion because not only does it provide an opportunity to re-establish our historical relationship, but it allows us to establish and create an enduring relationship based on mutual respect, trust, and honor to successfully sustain us for the next 400 years.

The Government of Spain recognized and acknowledged the strength of our forefathers in their spirit and resolve to preserve their traditional customs. Hence, Spain issued a silver-headed cane with the marking of a cross as a symbol of the power of authority and sovereignty of each Pueblo Nation and their right to self-government. This form of government was also recognized by the sovereign nation of Mexico in 1821, and by President Abraham Lincoln on behalf of the United States in 1863. They too issued canes of authority to the 19 Pueblo Nations.

So 400 years later, in the midst of the worst of what any people could be subjected to, we have survived. The 19 Pueblo Nations still carry the sacred canes as a symbol of their sovereignty. As a direct result of the strength and perseverance of our forefathers, and their adherence to our native culture and traditions:

• We still have our remaining homelands
  
• We still have our language
  
• We still have our religion
  
• We still have our traditional form of government

In commemoration of the 400th anniversary of European and Indian encounter in the Southwest, we renew our mutual recognition and acknowledgment of our status as sovereign nations and pledge to build upon the government-to-government relationship.

San Juan Pueblo, along with the other Pueblo Nations, pledges to work with the All Indian Pueblo Council, the political organization of the 19 Pueblo Nations, and the Government of Spain to:

• Continue the nation-to-nation relationship recognizing and respecting the sovereignty of Pueblo Nations;
  
• Establish a process of reconciliation aimed at educating the public and healing the people;
  
• Develop a plan to conduct educational and cultural exchange programs; and
  
• Explore areas where joint ventures might occur in economic, commercial and business developments.