Anilco

Anilco was a populous chiefdom in the lower Arkansas River country, where the river spreads across fertile lowlands and fields of maize surround its towns. Its principal town stood among several other large settlements, and mounds rising above the floodplain marked the public and ceremonial centre of the chiefdom. In the spring of 1542 Hernando de Soto and his expedition entered Anilco. Its chief ordered the people to withdraw and hide their stores of maize, sending a substitute to meet the Spaniards. De Soto remained about two weeks, while the chief of nearby Guachoya came to visit him. The intrusion brought hunger and violence to the towns of the lower Arkansas.