Kwatsaan

Kwatsaan is the homeland of the Quechan people near the junction of the Gila and Colorado rivers. Here a crossing of the Colorado linked routes across the desert, while the river’s floodplain supported fields and settlements. The Quechan controlled this important passage between Sonora and California. In 1774 Juan Bautista de Anza crossed with Quechan assistance while seeking an overland route to California. Spanish settlement and attempts to control the crossing strained relations; in 1781 the Quechan rose against the newcomers, destroyed the missions at the crossing and closed the route to Spanish travel.