Tomoacas people
Extinct North American Indigenous people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tomoacas (sometimes spelled "Omotomoacos", "Amotomanco," "Otomacos," or "Otomoaco") were an Indigenous people who lived in the region known as present-day southwest Texas.[1] The Tomoacas are believed to have been affiliated with the Jumanos.[2]
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Otomoaco, Amotomanco, Omotomoacos, Otomacos | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| Extinct | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Southwestern Texas, USA (La Junta de los Ríos, Big Bend area) | |
| Languages | |
| Amotomanco language | |
| Religion | |
| Indigenous religions (unspecified) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Jumanos, other La Junta tribes | |
Sometimes referred to as "Patarabueyes" by Spanish explorers |
History
In the 1500s, the Tomoacas and Jumanos were main tribes in the area of western Texas that is now Big Bend Ranch State Park western Texas.[3][4][5] In 1583, early Spanish explorers (including Antonio de Espejo) encountered the Tomoacas at La Junta de los Ríos,[6] a regional hub of Indigenous settlement and agriculture.[7][8][9] Spanish chroniclers described the Tomoacas as wearing only well-tanned buffalo hides for clothing, and as skilled bow-and-arrow hunters of the buffalo.[8]
The Tomoacas were believed to have spoken a variation of Nahuatl (an Aztecan language).[4][10] They and their neighbors were collectively termed "Patarabueyes" by Spaniards, indicating they were seen as a confederation of closely allied peoples.[8]