 Acaxee territory circa 1500 | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Extinct | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mexico (Sinaloa andDurango) | |
| Languages | |
| Acaxee language andSpanish | |
| Religion | |
| Acaxee mythology andAnimism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Xiximes,Achires,Tarahumara,Tepehuanes, andCahita |
TheAcaxee orAcaxees[2] were a tribe or group of tribes in theSierra Madre Occidental in easternSinaloa and NWDurango. They spoke aTaracahitic language in the SouthernUto-Aztecan language family. Their culture was based onhorticulture and the exploitation of wild animal and plant life. They no longer exist as an identifiable ethnic group.[3]
BeforeSpanish Colonization, the population of the Acaxee was roughly 20,000 organized into many smaller independent chiefdoms. They lived in very low-density farms with homes separated by up to half a kilometer.[4] Early accounts by Jesuit missionaries allegecontinual warfare andcannibalism among the Acaxee,Tepehuan, andXixime who inhabitedNueva Vizcaya.[5]
The Spanish conquered Sinaloa from 1529 to 1531 which included conquering the Acaxee. They were devastated by Spanish introduced diseases and theencomienda system.[4] In December 1601, the Acaxees, under the direction of an elder named Perico, began an uprising againstSpanish rule. This revolt was called theAcaxee Rebellion. And eventually ended in a defeat of the Acaxee.[5]
They are said to have been converted to theCatholic faith by the society ofJesuits in 1602.[5] Over the centuries of Spanish rule, the Acaxee were gradually assimilated into Mexican society, and while no longer a separate ethnic group, many in Sinaloa are descendants of the Acaxee.[4]
EthnographerRalph Beals reported in the early 1930s that the Acaxee played a ball game called "vatey [or]batey" on "a small plaza, very flat, with walls at the sides".[6]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
