Naguatex

Naguatex was a Caddo province in the Red River valley. Its name has been interpreted as “place of salt,” recalling a resource that played an important part in exchange across the region. Caddo communities cultivated the fertile river country and lived in settlements defended against attack.

In 1542 Luis de Moscoso led the remnants of the de Soto expedition westward toward Naguatex in search of a way to Mexico. Its caddi, or chief, organized warriors from several communities against the intruders, but the Spaniards forced their way into the settlement. They demanded guidance across the Red River, whose swollen waters delayed their advance for several days. Caddo people continued to produce and trade salt in the region long after the expedition had departed.