A member of nomadic indigenous peoples of northern Mexico who were fierce warriors and hunters, sometimes portrayed as uncivilized by Spanish colonizers.
From Nahuatl Chichimeca; the Spanish used this term in colonial records; refers to various nomadic groups distinct from settled agricultural peoples.
The Chichimec are a fascinating example of how colonial powers used names as labels—Spanish writers called them 'wild' and 'barbarous,' but they were actually sophisticated warriors who resisted conquest for decades.
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