Cuauchichil

The Guachichil, also called Cuauchichil, occupied a wide expanse of the northern Mexican plateau. Their communities ranged from Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí toward the mountains near Saltillo, rather than forming a single kingdom. Spanish observers gave the name to many groups living among dry valleys, cactus-covered plains and mountain ranges. Their knowledge of this country helped them move across the routes that later carried miners and settlers north.

From the 1550s Guachichil and other Chichimeca peoples fought Spanish expansion along the roads to the northern mines. Toward the end of the century officials increasingly sought agreements as well as military victories. Following the discovery of the Cerro de San Pedro mines in 1592, Captain Miguel Caldera and other representatives negotiated with Guachichil communities at Armadillo, offering provisions and clothing to encourage settlement. The new mining center of San Luis Potosí grew amid these changing alliances and continuing colonial demands.

The later city of Saltillo lies here.