Querecho Indians facts for kids

The Querechos were a group of Native American people. They lived on the Great Plains of North America. These people were skilled hunters, especially of bison (also called buffalo). Historians believe the Querechos were early groups of the Apache and Navajo tribes.

In 1541, a Spanish explorer named Francisco Vázquez de Coronado led his army. They traveled east from the Rio Grande Valley. Coronado was searching for a rich land called Quivira. As they passed through what is now the panhandle of Texas, they met a group of people. Coronado called these people the Querechos.

This journey was the first time Europeans explored the vast Great Plains of the United States. Coronado and his writers were the first Europeans to describe the buffalo-hunting people of the Plains. These Querechos were Apache Indians.

When Europeans Met the Querecho

Coronado and his army found a Querecho settlement. It had about 200 "houses." This settlement was on the Llano Estacado, a flat area in the Texas Panhandle and nearby New Mexico. In this area, they also saw huge herds of bison.

How the Querecho Lived

Members of Coronado’s group described the Querechos' way of life. They lived in tents made from tanned bison skins. These tents are called tipis. The Querechos traveled around, following the bison herds. They hunted bison for food.

They moved like the Arabs, with their tents and groups of dogs. These dogs carried poles, which were part of a travois. A travois is a frame used to carry belongings. The Querechos ate raw meat and drank blood. They were described as kind and faithful friends. They could talk to the Spanish very well using signs.

They dried meat in the sun, cutting it very thin. This dried meat is called jerky. When dry, they ground it into a powder. They could then make a soup from it. They also added fat to their food. They would fill a large animal gut with blood and carry it to drink when thirsty.

Later Encounters with the Querecho

This early description shows many typical features of Plains Indians culture. These include skin tipis, dog-pulled travois, sign language, jerky, and pemmican. Pemmican is a food made from dried meat, fat, and sometimes berries.

In 1581, other Spanish explorers met the Querechos again. This was the Chamuscado and Rodríguez Expedition. They found a large "rancheria," or settlement, with 400 warriors. It was located on the Pecos River, likely near modern-day Santa Rosa, New Mexico. The Spanish were very interested in the Indian dogs. These dogs pulled travois loaded with all their belongings. The Querechos told the Spanish that the bison herds were two days to the east. They said there were "as numerous as grass in the fields."

In 1565, Francisco de Ibarra met a bison-hunting group he called Querechos. This meeting was near Casas Grandes, Mexico. This was hundreds of miles from where Coronado had met them. There were about 300 men, women, and children visiting the area. They were likely there for trading. They said large bison herds could be found four days' journey to the North. This meeting shows that the Querechos traveled far, even before they had horses.

In 1583, the explorer Antonio de Espejo met Querechos in the mountains. This was near Acoma. These Querechos traded salt, game, and deerskins. They exchanged these items with the townspeople for cotton blankets. Espejo described them as warlike and numerous. These were the people who would later be known as the Navajos. The Navajos are related to the Apache.

Who Were the Querecho People?

Experts agree that the Querechos were early groups of Apache and Navajo Indians. The Apache were somewhat new to Texas. They had arrived on the Llano Estacado less than 100 years before the Spanish visited them.

A farming culture once lived in the Texas Panhandle. This was the Antelope Creek phase. It disappeared around 1450. The Apache might have taken over their land. Or, the climate might have become drier, making farming harder. By the time Coronado arrived, the Apache seemed to be the main group. They lived over a large area of the Great Plains. This area stretched north from the Llano Estacado to Nebraska.

The name "Querecho" soon stopped being used. The Spanish started using other names for the Apache and Navajo tribes in the centuries that followed.