Native American tribes that were abused and demolished, one tribe stands out and will be the focus of this story

The Yaqui Indians once of the Northwestern Area of what is Modern day Mexico were terrorized by the foreigners who penetrated Mexico. Many tribes of Indigenous people in Mexico may have had interactions with the new foreigners occupying their lands, but the Yaqui were historically the tribe that suffered extremes.

When Mexico gained it’s independence from Spain, many foreigners moved into Mexico. There was tremendous natural resources in Mexico. The climate provided great agriculture, there is petroleum, plenty of minerals and metals.

In the traditional Yaqui region of Mexico, the Yaqui Indians have always proved to be protective to their lands. All the way back to the Spanish explorers the Yaqui would refuse food to them and would even fight to keep foreigners from trespassing on their lands.

To get a better idea of this we can read an excerpt from The Indian in Latin American History: Resistance, Resilience, and Acculturation,“Stories about the real or alleged wealth of the Yaqui territory were particularly attractive. Americans were interested in the carbon fields, salt pits, and oyster beds of the Yaqui.42 In November 1882, the Mexican secretary of development granted a contract to the American Robert Symon to build a short railroad “from the carboniferous fields of the Rio Yaqui to a point called El Morrito on the Bay of Guaymas.”43 Moreover, Mexicans and foreigners alike were obsessed with the thought of discovering large mines in Yaqui-controlled land. Rumors circulated of fabulously rich silver mines in the Sierra de Bacatete, jealously guarded by Yaquis who could not be persuaded to divulge their exact locations; nor would Cajeme permit his people to exploit these mines themselves.44 There was also the unsubstantiated item carried by the Arizona Daily Star of February 14, 1883, on a Mr. Huller of New York selling Yaqui mines to English speculators.” (1)

 

So you have a long established Indian tribe on the Pacific side of Mexico. It was a slow process for the Spaniards to explore all of Mexico, however when they did, they were met with resistance. It is quite possible that word had traveled all the way to the land of the Yaquis. The Yaquis were prepared, and they met with resistance.

The Northwestern part of Mexico really hadn’t been focused on until the times of the revolutionary war. Around this time Mexicans and even foreigners had interest in Mines in the Yaqui territory. As Mexican government and political control grew, focus on Resources and riches to gain political control resulted in the appropriation, and redistribution of the Yaquis by military force.

“The Yaqui have proved to be warlike and have opposed encroachments on their lands. In the late 19th cent. under the Mexican dictator Porfirio Díaz they were ruthlessly persecuted and many were deported to plantations at Yucatán and Quintana Roo, over 2,000 mi (3,200 km) away. Some escaped and returned on foot to Sonora. ” (2)

To summarize the rest of the story, the Yaqui tribe was utterly demolished, their lands were stolen, and most of the Yaqui died in the hot and humid conditions of the Atlantic or Yucatan. The survivors of the hundreds of years of war were said to have immigrated to the U.S. yet some still remain in Mexico relocated.