El Cuilón, also known as Juan Rodriguez (born about 1680) was a leader of the

Ervipiame The Ervipiame were an Indigenous people of what is now northeastern Coahuila and southern Texas. They were a Coahuitecan people, who likely merged into the Tonkawa. Name The Ervipiame were also known as the Chivipane, Cibipane, Hierbipiane, Hu ...

during the 18th century and, at least by Spanish standards, the overall leader of the Rancheria Grande, a large and numerous collection of Native American tribes between the

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

and the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

in what is today eastern

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

in the United States. El Cuilón was born in what is today

Coahuila Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza, is one of the 31 states of Mexico. The largest city and State Capital is the city of Saltillo; the second largest is Torreón and the thi ...

, probably between the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( or ) in the United States or the Río Bravo (del Norte) in Mexico (), also known as Tó Ba'áadi in Navajo language, Navajo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the Southwestern United States a ...

and the Rio Salado. He spent some time at Mission San Francisco Vizarron in about 1699 before moving north-eastward to join other Ervipiame who had already migrated to eastern Texas. El Cuilón was given a baton of command by

Martin de Alarcón Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * Mart� ...

in 1719, indicating that at least the Ervipiame held him in high respect. In 1721 El Cuilón was the lead negotiator for the Rancheria Grande tribes with the

Marques de Aguayo Marques or Marqués may refer to: * Marques (grape), another name for the Spanish Portuguese wine grape Loureira * Bark ''Marques'', a tall ship People * Marques (surname), a Portuguese surname *Marqués (surname), a Castillian and Catalan sur ...

. In 1722 El Cuilón was the leader of the Ervipiame and associated tribes who settled at Mission San Francisco de Najera, in the general vicinity of modern

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

Sources

*Barr, Juliana. ''Peace Came in the Form of a Woman: Indians and Spaniards in the Texas Borderlands''. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuilon, El 1680s births Native American leaders Year of birth uncertain Year of death unknown