Quilmes people facts for kids
The Quilmes people, sometimes called Kilmes, were an indigenous group from Argentina. They lived in the western valleys of what is now Tucumán Province.
The Quilmes were very brave. They fought against the Incas in the 1400s. Later, they resisted the Spanish invaders for 130 years. They were finally defeated in 1667.
After their defeat, the Spanish forced about 2,000 Quilmes survivors to move. They had to walk 1,500 kilometers (about 930 miles) to a special settlement near Buenos Aires. Many Quilmes people died during this long, hard journey. By 1810, this settlement was almost empty. The few remaining survivors eventually settled in the area that is now the city of Quilmes.
Today, only a small number of Quilmes people live in Tucumán Province. They are remembered for their strong spirit and resistance.
Contents
Quilmes Ruins: An Ancient City
On the way to Cafayate, about 182 kilometers (113 miles) from San Miguel de Tucumán, you can see the Ruins of Quilmes. This was a strong, fortified city built by the Quilmes people. It is one of the most important old sites in Argentina.
An ethnographer and historian named Samuel Lafone Quevedo found these ruins in 1888. They were later restored in 1978 so people could visit them. As of 2007, the land with the ruins is privately owned.
Quilmes Population Over Time
At the start of the second half of the 1600s, there were about 2,000 Quilmes families. This was roughly 10,000 people. After the Calchaquí Wars ended in 1665, only about 2,000 people survived.
These survivors were taken prisoner and sent to a special settlement near Buenos Aires. However, only about 200 families, or 1,000 people, actually made it to the settlement. By 1726, only 141 people were left.
When William Beresford visited the settlement in 1806, it was almost a ghost town. The last Quilmes people in the settlement likely died by the late 1700s. Many died from diseases and high rates of babies not surviving. The government officially declared the group extinct in 1812, and the settlement closed.
Names Honoring the Quilmes
The Quilmes people are honored in the names of some animals. A type of lizard found only in Argentina is called Liolaemus quilmes. There is also a dinosaur named Quilmesaurus.
See also
In Spanish: Pueblo quilme para niños
