Tiguas, the Life
The life of the ancient tribe, the Tiguas
Living in the Spotlight
The Tigua tribe lived in the southwest region of Texas including, far west Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, with bits of Colorado and Utah too.
A Tiguan child, practicing the ancient cultural dances.
The Houses of the Tigua, a Pueblo
A tapestry depicting the "magic" of the Tiguan lifestyle.
The Culinary Crafts
The Tiguan tribe ate many foods such as, berries, corn, squash, beans, and gourds. Some of the food items that they hunted were rabbit, deer, antelope, bear, and other wild game that could be found.
Obtaining the Game
You might wonder, how did the Tiguas accomplish their hungry feats of food? Well the Tigua were excellent farmers. they planted and harvested many crops such as corn, beans, squash, wheat, and many other. They even used cacti, which were abundant where they lived. They hunted using bows and arrows, along with spear, rabbits, bear, antelope, deer and more.
Dwelling Nation
The Tiguas lived in houses called Pueblos. Pueblos means "Town" in Spanish. A Pueblo is a very large house with many rooms to fit all of the tribe in. Some pueblos were built around large plaza. These plazas were used year round for cultural ceremonies.
Guns n' Roses
To "obtain the game" or catch food, the Tigua had to have weapon of choice to ring home the bacon. The Tigua used spears for fishing, or catching a running Altman. They also used bows and arrows for long distance hunting or for a sharper aim.
Cultural Ceremonies
The Tiguas had many important cultural ceremonies, but here are just a few. the Tiguas had a important ceremonial dance after each farming season began and ended. There were rain dance to celebrate the gods who bring the rain. Some of their most important ceremonies happened in the farming season!
Leading the Tribe
The Tigua had a leader of the tribe called a Cacique. The Cacique led most of the dances and festivals along with the war cheif. These two leaders are asked to respect their elders witht the culktural festivities of their ansestors.
The End of the Tiguas?
Many people believed that the Tiguas disappeared after the Spanish came to their civilization but the Tigua do still live on today. Yesleta del Sur Pueblo. As the oldest permanent settlers in the State of Texas, the Tiguas originally from New Mexico, relocated to the El Paso area after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.
Facts
The Tiguas are the oldest living civilization in the State of Texas.
The Tiguas are famous for their beautiful pottery
Spanish Disease killed off many of the Tigua forcing them to flee from their home.
Were some of the more peaceful tribes