La Gran Chichimeca
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La Gran Chichimeca was a term used by the Spanish in the 16th Century to refer to an area of Mexico primarily made up of the states of Jalisco, Aguascalientes, Nayarit, Guanajuato and Zacatecas. They derived the term from the Aztec who referred to the nomadic tribes of the area as “chichimeca”, a derogatory term that translates as “the sons of dogs”.
Seventy years after the fall of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) in 1521, the Spaniards had failed to subdue the north of New Spain, La Gran Chichimeca. This meant they were unable to exploit the rich silver deposits in the region. Recruiting auxiliaries from among the local tribes led by the warlords of Tlaxcala the Spanish were eventually able to subdue the region.
During the 1920s and 1930s archaeologists, anthropologists, and cultural geographers began to devise the boundaries of what was thought to be Mesoamerica, the Southwest, and the area between known as the La Gran Chichimeca. Based upon language groups, iconography, trade items, and architecture, the boundaries have moved around over the years as a result of new evidence. Adding to this confusion not all researchers agree the specifics of the boundaries.
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