page_title: Tecuexe
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Tecuexe / History
caption_attribution_description: Tecuexe Masks from a museum in Zacatecas, Mexico near la Quemada. Photograph by: Veronica Cuellar-Hernandez (October 25, 2007)
context_page_description: The Tecuexe were an indigenous peoples of Mexico, who lived in the eastern part of present-day Guadalajara.
context_section_description: It is believed that the Tecuexe derived from the dispersion of Zacateco groups from La Quemada. Like the Zacatecos, the Tecuexe were a tribe belonging to the generic "Chichimeca" peoples. It is known that they settled next to rivers which they used to their advantage to grow beans and corn. They were also expert artisans, carpenters and musicians. Toribio de Benavente Motolinia wrote "in any place… all know to work a stone, to make a house simple, to twist a cord and a rope, and the other subtle offices that do not require instruments or much art." The Tecuexe were known for their fierceness and cruelty towards their enemy. They were known to be so brave, it is said, that once, when the Mexica (Aztecs) came from Chicomostoc, Zacatecas to take control of Xolotl, (and course on to the lagoon where they found an eagle devouring a serpent) they attacked the settlers of Acatic, Teocaltiche, Mitic, Teocaltitán and Xalostotitlán, but in Tepatitlán, when they encountered the Tecuexe, having heard of their legendary cruelty, the Mexica avoided facing them.
  The Tecuexes wore dresses with classic tilmatl (tilma) and huipilli, worn with comfortable cactlis and adorned their bodies with necklaces, bracelets, earrings and nose rings that they themselves made. They liked to make their houses in valleys and gorges near rivers, always in a position ready to battle. They also had temples in Teocaltiche, San Miguel el Alto, Jalostotitlán, Teocaltitan de Guadalupe and possibly in Tepatitlán.
  The Tecuexes brought agaves from the wild, and cloned and grew them in open air settings to produce Tequila among other things (called pulque back then and stored in jugs).
  According to Spanish missionary Juan de Padilla, Tonallan (Tonalá, Jalisco) was the biggest town under Tecuexe ruling. Tecuexe warriors had horizontal black bands tattoos right below their eyes. The Tecuexes were cannibals and didn't perform any specific ceremony to the Gods when eating human meat. Tonallan was led by a woman, Chihualpilli (meaning queen) Tzpotzinco (meaning distinguished and fine zapote fruit), that Padilla described as tall and very beautiful, and who resided in a palace on the hilltops of Tonallan (Xitépec hill). It was during a dinner at her palace that the Mixtón War broke. Padilla attributes the victory of the Spaniards to the divine help of Saint James Matamoros, which explains why the first chapel built by the Tecuexe Catholics was named after Santiago.
caption: Tecuexe Masks from a museum in Zacatecas, Mexico near la Quemada.
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