Coronado’s Querechos and Teyas in the Archaeological Record of the Texas Panhandle

Abstract

The chronicles of the Coronado expedition of 1541 record the presence of two groups inhabiting the Llano Estacado region of the southern High Plains. These groups, referred to as Querechos and Teyas, were prototypic Plains nomads, specializing in the hunting and processing of bison, whose products they traded to the Pueblo farmers of the Southwest for a variety of agricultural staples and craft items. Recent studies of archaeological remains in the Texas Panhandle have led to the recognition of two distinct protohistoric occupations, known as the Tierra Blanca and Garza complexes. The possible identification of these complexes with the Querechos and Teyas of the Coronado narratives is discussed, as is their relationship to historic Athapaskan and Caddoan peoples of the region. The significance of these interpretations to the study of protohistoric Plains-Pueblo interaction is also analyzed.