Aranama

The Aranama lived near the Texas coast along the lower Guadalupe and San Antonio rivers. Their neighbors included the Tamique and other peoples of the coastal plain. Spanish mission records preserve much of what is known of their history, including their movements between the coast and communities farther inland. The Aranama were often associated with the nearby Tamique.

In 1726 Mission Espíritu Santo moved from Matagorda Bay to the lower Guadalupe to serve the Aranama and Tamique. When the mission moved again in 1749, many Aranama followed it to the San Antonio River. In the later eighteenth century some left the mission to live with northern groups, especially the Tawakoni, before Spanish officials persuaded them to return. Others lived at missions near San Antonio and the coast.