The Chichimeca

   

Who are the Chichimeca? The term Chichimeca is one that is not usually heard. It is Nahuatl, and it is liberally interpreted to mean "barbarians of the North" (Castile, 2). It refers to the native indigenous populations of North America, specifically those of the United States, Canada, and Northern Mexico. These include groups that range from the Aztec in Mesoamerica to the Paquimé in Northern Mexico, to the Eskimo in Alaska (Castile, 3).

In the study of any group of peoples, the question of "where did they come from" is one of the first to arise. In studying the Chichimeca, the origins are found in the distant past. It is thought that the first individuals who migrated to the New World came across a land bridge that appeared between Alaska and Asia located in the Bearing Strait (Castile, 24). A second theory cited by George Castile, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Whitman College, in his book North American Indians: an Introduction to the Chichimeca, and which has resurfaced recently in anthropological circles, is that migration to the New World was accomplished by individuals traveling from the Old World (Europe) in boats (24).

How long have the Chichimeca been here? Evidence found in places such as Friesenhahn Cave (Texas) and Santa Rosa Island (California) has been dated to between 25,000 and 30,000 years ago (Castile, 33). Artifacts are defined as "A product of human workmanship. Commonly used by archaeologists in speaking of prehistoric tools, implements, etc…"(Wormington 170). These finds show the movement southward of early man into the desert southwest of the United States and Northern Mexico.

As the early man reached the desert southwest of the United States and Northern Mexico, what is known as "Desert culture" developed Desert culture is broadly defined as "an apparent similarity of adaptation to the conditions of aridity existing in a wide area"(Castile, 44). Although similar in many respects, the different locations sought out by each tribe allowed for variation. Some developed fishing or farming while others continued to be gatherers and small game hunters.

While the term Chichimeca refers to all of the native peoples of North America, current usage confines it to those indigenous peoples located in the southwest part of the United States and Northern Mexico. In Webster's "New Standard Dictionary," the definition of Chichimeca is "An Indian of the Nahuatalan or Pima tribes of Mexico before the Aztec invasion and loosely any of the less civilized tribes of Northern Mexico."(Di Peso, 56). Dr. Charles Di Peso, of the Amerind Foundation, in his 8 volumes Casas Grandes: A Fallen Trading Center of the Gran Chichimeca argues that validity of Webster's definition is based on a definition given by a Franciscan monk Father Sahagún, around the year 1569, limiting the use to the peoples of Northern Mexico (50). This definition is consistent with other written records of the period, as found in the writings of a Dominican Father Diego Duran (Di Peso, 51). The definition is limited, because of the lack of knowledge concerning Indian tribes, to the north of Mexico.

The term "Gran Chichimeca" was adopted when the classification of "Greater Southwest" was dropped. It refers to a geological zone that is bordered on the east by the Gulf of Mexico and the 97th degree of west longitude, on the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the Tropic of Cancer, and on the north by the 38th degree of north latitude (Di Peso, 53).

So who are the Chichimeca? They are Native Americans with a rich history and culture that deserves respect and further study.