The Xixime were an indigenous people who inhabited a portion of the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American C ...

mountains in the present day states of

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

and

Sinaloa Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales. It is located in northwest Mexic ...

, Mexico. The Xixime are noted for their reported practice of

cannibalism Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is also well document ...

and resistance to Spanish colonization in the form of the

Xixime Rebellion The Xixime were an indigenous people who inhabited a portion of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains in the present day states of Durango and Sinaloa, Mexico. The Xixime are noted for their reported practice of cannibalism and resistance to Spa ...

of 1610.

Language

The Xixime spoke Xixime, a poorly documented, now-extinct

Uto-Aztecan The Uto-Aztecan languages are a family of native American languages, consisting of over thirty languages. Uto-Aztecan languages are found almost entirely in the Western United States and Mexico. The name of the language family reflects the common ...

language. Dialects of Xixime included Hine and Hume (to the north and south of the Xixime territory, respectively). The exact classification of the language is unknown although it may belong to the Taracahitic branch.

Cannibalism

A considerable amount of the scholarship and media attention devoted to the Xixime has focused on the group's reported practice of cannibalism. While a variety of colonial Spanish accounts of the Xixime report the culture engaged in frequent, ritual consumption of enemy peoples, the historical accuracy of the allegations is disputed. A number of historians including Susan M. Deeds apply theories developed by

Gananath Obeyesekere Gananath Obeyesekere (2 February 1930 – 25 March 2025) was a Sri Lankan anthropologist of religion and professor of anthropology at Princeton University. His research focused on psychoanalysis and anthropology and how personal symbolism is rel ...

on Aztec sacrifice to suggest that the practice of cannibalism was "exaggerated or contrived" by the Xixime to intimidate their Spanish enemies. In 2011 José Luis Punzo argued that newly discovered bones from

Cueva del Mague Cuevas or Cueva (Spanish for "''cave(s)''") may refer to: Places * Cueva de Ágreda, a municipality located in the province of Soria, Castile and León, Spain * Cuevas Bajas, a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, part of the autono ...

, Durango constituted proof of the practice, citing evidence of "boiling and defleshing."

Relationship with the Spanish

Impressions

Conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

Nuño de Guzmán Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán (1558) was a Spanish conquistador and colonial administrator in New Spain. He was the governor of the province of Pánuco (province), Pánuco from 1525 to 1533 and of Nueva Galicia from 1529 to 1534, and president of the ...

first documented the existence of the Xixime via reports collected by scouts during a 1530 expedition. In comparison with their neighbors, the Xiximes were regarded as relatively civilized by the Spanish given their urban settlements and stone buildings.

Xixime Rebellion of 1610

Despite initially tolerating the presence of Spanish missions in neighboring territories, the Xiximes, in 1610, began organizing violent resistance to colonial incursions. The Xiximes solicited help from the

Acaxee The Acaxee or Acaxees were a tribe or group of tribes in the Sierra Madre Occidental in eastern Sinaloa and NW Durango. They spoke a Taracahitic language in the Southern Uto-Aztecan language family. Their culture was based on horticulture and the ...

s (their northern neighbors and historical enemies) and

Tepehuán The Tepehuán are an Indigenous people of Mexico. They live in Northwestern, Western, and some parts of North-Central Mexico. The Indigenous Tepehuán language has three branches: Northern Tepehuan language, Northern Tepehuan, Southeastern Tepe ...

arguing that Jesuit churches were "temples of

disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that adversely affects the structure or function (biology), function of all or part of an organism and is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical condi ...

" and that destroying them would bring immortality. In response to Acaxee unwillingness to cooperate in anti-Spanish rebellion, the Xiximes began organizing attacks on Acaxee villages. Francisco_de_urdinola

To fend off the attacks, the Acaxee requested protection from the Spanish. In response, Francisco de Urdiñola attempted to secure peace through diplomatic means, though such efforts were spurned by the Xiximes. Aided by 200 Spanish soldiers and 1,100 indigenous allies, Urdiñola attempted to quell the Acaxee-led. By October, the surrender of key rebel leaders had effectively ended the uprising.

Tepehuán Revolt

The

Tepehuán Revolt The Tepehuán Revolt broke out in New Spain in 1616 when the indigenous Tepehuán attempted to break free from Spanish rule. The revolt was crushed by 1620 after a large loss of life on both sides. Tepehuán people The Tepehuán people lived on ...

of 1616, which proved significantly harder to contain than the Xixime Rebellion, enjoyed widespread Xixime support.

References

{{Reflist Indigenous peoples of Aridoamerica Extinct Indigenous peoples in Mexico Cannibalism in North America