About the Tigua Indians

One of the Pueblo tribes of the southwestern United States, the Tigua Indians are first noted in history in 1540, mentioned by those who recorded Spanish conquistador Francisco Vazquez de Coronado y Lujans's expedition into New Mexico and other parts of the Southwest. Today, the Tigua Indian reservation, Ysleta del Sur Pueblo is the oldest community in Texas, settled in 1681 by refugees from a Pueblo uprising.

History

The history of the Tigua Indians is a long and varied one, from the height of civilization when they inhabited the fabled city of Gran Quivira, to near extinction. Gran Quivira covered 17 acres in 800 A.D., and during its most prosperous years, the late 1500s, the city had more than 20 towering residential buildings. Built between these were terraces, workshops, kitchens and churches. The Tigua craftsmen were very skilled, the masons needing no mortar to lay their stones and the carpenters creating beams that needed no nails. The Spanish, when they found this city that inspired legends at a time when most other civilizations were still very primitive, found it so impressive that they called it Pueblo de los Humans, The City of Human Beings. Then, they set about destroying it, forcing its inhabitants to flee. Strife between the Pueblos peoples and Europeans continued until the Pueblo finally revolted against the Spanish in 1680, and the Tigua tribe fled to the site that became the Mission Church at Ysleta in Texas, where the remaining population of the Tigua is largely centered today.

Misconceptions

While many accounts throughout history depict the Tigua Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of El Paso as traitors to their people who sided with the Spanish during the Pueblo revolt, that assumption has been largely discredited. While the Tigua did not participate in the revolt for the most part, the reason for this was not loyalty to Spain, but due to their location. As the Pueblo group furthest to the south, the news of the revolt did not reach them until they were already overrun by retreating Spanish troops, too many of them to have any real chance of winning a battle. In fact, at one point Tigua people were rounded up and shackled to be used as a human shield for the Spanish troops to give them protection against Pueblo attack during the retreat to El Paso del Norte.

Size

Today, the Tigua Ysleta del Sur Pueblo of El Paso reside within trust land that totals approximately 26 acres. Housing has been built on the reservation and in neighboring communities with government loans. Approximately 15,00 members are registered on the Tigua tribal roster.

Significance

The history and culture of the Tigua and other Pueblo groups stretches back through the centuries, with those who remain able to trace their heritage back to the earliest recorded civilizations. Despite the near eradication of the Tigua people and culture throughout many periods of their history, they have managed to survive, continuing to keep their rich traditions alive to pass them down to generations of descendants.

Potential

The Tiqua have come a long way towards reclaiming their culture, many aspects of which were banned in the nineteenth century by the church, who interpreted their ceremonies as devil worship. The Tiqua community has also gained a measure of prosperity in recent years through a number of business ventures. These factors and many more have given the resilient Tigua the potential of building a brighter future for their people.