Comancheria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Comancheria Nʉmʉnʉʉ Sookobitʉ  (Comanche)
Comanchería prior to 1850.
Common languages	Comanche language
Succeeded by United States
Today part of	United States

The Comancheria (also spelled Comanchería) was a large area of land in what is now the southwestern United States. It was the home of the Comanche people before the 1860s. The Comanche people called their land Nʉmʉnʉʉ Sookobitʉ, which means 'Comanche land'. This region included parts of modern-day New Mexico, west Texas, and nearby areas.

Geography of Comancheria

The exact borders of Comancheria changed over time. But generally, it stretched from the Balcones Fault in the south, near San Antonio, Texas. It went north along the Cross Timbers and included the Cimarron River and the upper Arkansas River. To the west, it was bordered by the Mescalero Ridge and the Pecos River. It also touched the edge of Spanish settlements in Santa Fe de Nuevo México.

Today, this historic region covers many different places. These include West Texas, the Llano Estacado, and the Texas Panhandle. It also includes the Edwards Plateau (like the Texas Hill Country). Other parts are Eastern New Mexico, western Oklahoma (including the Oklahoma Panhandle and the Wichita Mountains), southeastern Colorado, and southwestern Kansas.

History of the Comanche People

Early Times in Comancheria

Before the Comanche people moved into this area in the early 1700s, many other Native American tribes lived there. The Apaches were one of the most important groups. Because of them, much of the region was once known as Apacheria.

The Comanche's Stronghold

From the 1750s to the 1850s, the Comanche were a very powerful group in the Southwest. The land they controlled was known as Comancheria. Historian Pekka Hämäläinen calls their control an "empire" because they grew so much. They faced Spanish, Mexican, and American groups on their borders. The Comanche worked to keep themselves safe, rich, and powerful.

One big challenge for Native Americans was disease. The Comanche were good at avoiding diseases, which gave them an advantage over other tribes like the Apaches. They also traded with Europeans, especially for horses. Horses made the Comanche stronger in battle and helped them hunt more buffalo. The Comanche used their power to get more supplies and help from Americans, Mexicans, and other Native American groups. They did this through trade, tribute, and sometimes by taking people captive.

Even though they were powerful, the Comanche's strength came mostly from their strong trading network. This network helped them trade goods over long distances. They also spread their language and culture to other tribes they interacted with.

By the early 1830s, resources in Comancheria started to become scarce. The Comanche began to raid deep into Mexico to get what they needed. They even formed a settlement in Mexico called the Bolson colony. However, a severe drought hit both Comancheria and the Bolson colony. The Comanche's power also weakened when many people died from smallpox and cholera epidemics in the late 1840s. Their population dropped from about 20,000 to only a few thousand by the 1870s.

Dealing with Neighbors

The Comanche were very clever in how they dealt with challenges in the 1830s. They had a flexible plan for different groups.

Relations with New Mexico

To their west, New Mexico was a Mexican province. The Comanche had friendly trading relationships with them. New Mexico was more helpful than threatening to the Comanche. New Mexicans tried to avoid war with the Comanche. In 1841, the Mexican government told Governor Manuel Armijo to fight the Comanche. But Armijo refused, saying war would "bring complete ruin to the Department of New Mexico." In 1844, New Mexican officials even knew about a Comanche raid on Chihuahua but did nothing to stop it.

Agreements with the U.S. and Other Tribes

With their western side secure, the Comanche focused on their northern and eastern borders. In 1835, they met with U.S. soldiers and eastern Native American groups in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma. They made a peace agreement. This agreement allowed eastern Native Americans and Anglo-Americans to hunt on Comanche lands. It also allowed the Comanche and their allies (the Kiowa and Kiowa-Apache) to continue fighting Mexico.

After securing their eastern border, the Comanche made a peace agreement in 1840 with the Southern Cheyenne and Southern Arapaho. These tribes were moving in from the north. This agreement was very good for the Cheyenne and Arapaho. They could live and hunt on the Comanche lands, which were rich in buffalo and horses. The wealthy Comanche also gave them gifts, sometimes as many as six horses to every Cheyenne and Arapaho man. The Comanche welcomed these tribes, who had about 4,000 people. This showed that the Cheyenne and Arapaho were strong rivals. It also showed that the Comanche needed more people and resources to keep control of Comancheria.

Dealing with Texas

South and southeast of Comancheria were the fast-growing Anglo-American communities in the Mexican territory of Texas. In the 1820s and 1830s, most Comanche raids happened in southern Texas. They affected the mostly Hispanic people around San Antonio, Laredo, and Goliad.

After Texas became independent from Mexico in 1836 (the Texas Revolution), the Comanche had to deal with the new Republic of Texas. Texas's first President, Sam Houston, knew a lot about Native Americans. He wanted to work peacefully with the Comanche.

However, continued Comanche raids led to the election of Mirabeau B. Lamar as president in 1838. Lamar wanted a tougher approach. In March 1840, a violent event happened during peace talks in San Antonio, where several Comanche leaders were killed. This led to many bloody fights and attacks. Hundreds of Comanches attacked and destroyed the towns of Victoria and Linnville in 1840 (this was called the Great Raid of 1840). Even though Texans showed they could defeat the Comanche (like in the Battle of Plum Creek), these military actions cost Texas a lot of money. So, Texas became more willing to compromise. In 1844, Texas and the Comanche made an agreement. This agreement recognized Comanche lands and left Comancheria mostly untouched.

Raids into Mexico

With agreements made with the United States and neighboring tribes, and a break in fighting with Texas, the Comanche were free to focus on the Mexican provinces south of the Rio Grande. By the 1830s, it was clear that Texas, the U.S., and nearby tribes could invade Comancheria. But Mexico was rich in horses and could not easily counterattack. This was because of the long distance and because any Mexican army would have to pass through Texas, which Mexico did not recognize as independent. The Comanche seemed to attack Mexico for opportunity, economic reasons, and revenge. Their dislike for non-Comanches had grown stronger after decades of war. So, their raids on Mexico became more violent and destructive.

Neighboring Peoples and Trade

To the west, southwest, and southeast of Comancheria were the large lands of different Apache groups. These areas often overlapped and were fiercely fought over by the Comanche and Apache. The Comanche also had to travel through Apache lands to reach Mexico for raids and to return with their goods.

The Oklahoma and Texas panhandles were home to the Comanche's allies: the Kiowa and Kiowa-Apache. To the northwest of Comancheria lived the rival Ute and Shoshone. To the northeast were the powerful and enemy Osage, and to the north were the also unfriendly Pawnee.

Inside and near Comancheria lived allied tribes like the Wichita, Tawakoni, Waco (a subtribe of the Wichita), and Hasinai. To the east lived the Caddo and later the Cherokee. In the southeast lived the Tonkawa, who were once allies but became rivals after the Apache were driven from the Plains. In the north, the Southern Cheyenne and Southern Arapaho forced the Comanche to accept the Arkansas River as their northern border.

The Comanche also did a lot of trading with the Pueblo in New Mexico and with Spanish settlements near San Antonio, Texas. In this trade of guns, horses, captives, and other goods, the Comancheros (traders from Pueblo and New Mexico) acted as go-betweens. The Ciboleros also competed with the Comanche when hunting bison. The Comanche language became the main language used for trade and communication across the Southern Plains.

Images for kids

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  This map shows the true size of Comancheria.

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  A rare old map of Comancheria. Maps often made Comanche strength seem smaller.

See also

In Spanish: Comanchería para niños