undertook a revitalization of the church building, painting frescoes on its walls. He was his own model for the figure of Pontius Pilate, and also used locals and three of his sisters as figure models. He also ministered to the local Indians of San Felipe Pueblo, Santo Domingo Pueblo, and the Pueblo of Cochiti. During World War II, Chavez attended the chaplaincy school at Harvard University and was placed with the 77th Infantry Division. He was present for the beach landings of Guam and Leyte. He continued his military service during the Korean War as chaplain at Fort Bliss, Texas, and Kaiserslautern, Germany. Career Upon his return from the battlefield, Chavez was appointed archivist of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and undertook the cataloging and translation of its Spanish archives. This work provided new primary sources that allowed for a reevaluation of the history of New Mexico. He wrote the definitive work on the families of New Mexico, as well as many other works of history, some of which is considered revisionist. For example, his view of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, unorthodox in its minimization of the role of Popé and its emphasis on the mestizo element, was based primarily on previously-unconsidered genealogical data. Chavez' biography of Antonio José Martínez (1793–1867), But Time and Chance, was the first of a trilogy of biographies on significant native New Mexican priests. But Time and Chance is a scholarly and balanced treatment of the Cura de Taos whose life story had been distorted by some authors. In 1846, General Stephen W. Kearny swore Martínez as the first United States citizen of the Territory of New Mexico. Within six months, however, his political enemies wrongly alleged that Padre Martinez instigated the Taos Uprising of 1847—one of the last events of the US–Mexican War. Padre Martínez was very influential in New Mexico and beyond as a religious figure, rancher, educator, author and publisher, lawyer, and politician. He was in conflict with his superior Bishop Lamy regarding the issue of tithing and other matters. As a result, Martinez suffered ecclesiastical censure in 1858. When he died in 1867, his peers in the Territorial Assembly called him "La Honra de Su Pais", the honor of his homeland. Among the general populace, Chavez is most known for the book entitled La Conquistadora, the Autobiography of an Ancient Statue. This work told the story, in a first-person narrative,