Investor Presentaiton
The Zacatecos Indians and the Silver Mines
The Zacatecos organized themselves in groups of loose confederations of small
seminomadic settlements," which the Spaniards called rancherías. Professor Philip
Wayne Powell writes that the Zacatecos were "brave and bellicose warriors and
excellent marksmen." They were greatly feared by the neighboring tribes, in
particular the Caxcanes, whom they frequently attacked. The Zacatecos were also
reputed to be "great enemies" and "constantly at war with" their neighbors to the
east, the Guachichiles, until they both acquired the Spaniards as a common enemy in
the 1550s.
The strategic location of the Zacatecas mines made confrontation with both the
Zacatecos and Guachichiles inevitable. Early on, the Spaniards attempted to preserve
peaceful relations with the local Indians, but early indications of antagonistic intent
soon became evident. Mr. Gerhard writes that "the rush of treasure-seekers and the
opening of cart-roads from central Mexico to these mines" led to a "displacement of
desert tribes" that brought on "a fierce struggle (the Chichimec war) that kept the
northern frontier aflame from sea to sea for four decades (1550-1590)."
Copyright 2019 by John P. Schmal.
All Rights Reserved.
Source: Philip Wayne Powell, "Soldiers, Indians and Silver: North America's First Frontier War" (1973).
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