Coyame

Coyame lies in the desert country east of Chihuahua, near the Río Conchos. The region was home to Cholome and other Concho communities before a Spanish mission was established there. In 1715 an expedition encountered a settlement led by Andrés Coyame, described as a Concho leader and captain of the Cholomes. Suma people from a mission south of El Paso had also recently joined the community. The mission of Santiago de Coyame was founded in this frontier setting, where different peoples and colonial authorities negotiated their place along the river.