Discover the Coahuiltecan Connection: Top 7 Fascinating Facts About This Ancient Tribe!

1. Marriage Exchanges and Customs

Marriages in olden times could be sealed with a simple exchange: "I arrow you, you net me, and we'll be eternally bet": The Coahuiltecan tribe arranged marriages through trading goods like bows and arrows or nets, allowed divorce for any reason other than dissatisfaction, practiced female infanticide, and saw men avoid intimacy with their pregnant wives until their child turned two years old, showcasing a patrilineal descent system.
Source => tshaonline.org

2. Tattoo Time for Adulthood

When the Coahuiltecan tribe wasn't dabbling in the fine art of improv - aka "tribal affiliation and rank" - they were getting inked as if there was no tomorrow: Boys would go through tattoo ceremonies to signify their transition to adulthood, with herbs numbing the pain and charcoal and resin creating lasting designs. Tribal captives were occasionally treated to a free tattoo session, but sadly, red ochre and grease were never part of the body art palette.
Source => texasbeyondhistory.net

Did you know that ancestral Pueblo tribes, like the Hopi, Zuni, and Rio Grande Pueblos, had a clever way of staying warm and stylish? They created blankets and robes from sustainably harvested turkey feathers! One blanket required up to 10 turkeys' worth of feathers. 🦃🌿

=> Fun Facts about The-Pueblo-Tribe

3. Ancient Mixologists

Long before true mixology graced the stages of trendy city bars, the Coahuiltecan tribe was shaking and stirring up their own cocktail scene in the Rio Grande Valley: They were concocting a buzz-worthy alcoholic beverage by mixing mountain laurel with agave sap, something akin to a prehistoric pulque, and even whipping up a divine mead using the precious nectar of wild honey.
Source => beer-studies.com

4. Tribal Foodies

Talk about being a foodie before it was cool: The Coahuiltecan tribe had their gourmet game on point, munching on mesquite beans, prickly pear fruit, acorns, deer, and bison, all while not skimping on the surf 'n' turf with some fishing and shellfish harvesting on the side.
Source => tshaonline.org

5. Thriving in Arid Landscapes

When life gives you lemons, or more like mesquite beans and maguey root crowns in this case, you make the most of it - just like the Coahuiltecan tribe did: Fascinatingly, despite residing in an arid and challenging landscape, the Coahuiltecans thrived by relying on the wild plants around them for subsistence, medicine, and construction materials.
Source => tshaonline.org

6. Exotic Coahuiltecan Menu

Whoever said variety is the spice of life must have dined with the Coahuiltecan tribe, considering their palate for exotic meats, peculiar veggies, and a veritable outdoor aisle in the grocery store of life: factually speaking, the Coahuiltecans feasted on an eclectic mix of sustenance, from mesquite beans, maguey root crowns, prickly pear fruit, pecans, and acorns, to deer, bison, armadillo, rabbits, and a whole fauna of reptiles and gastropods.
Source => tshaonline.org

7. Peyote Ban and Cultural Clashes

Ever wonder why a Coahuiltecan shaman walks into a Spanish bar and the bartender says "No peyote allowed?" It's because of those pesky Catholic missionaries: The Coahuiltecan tribe, a coalition of various clans with unique cultures and languages, once practiced a religion that included the use of peyote, a hallucinogenic plant. However, with the arrival of Spanish Catholic missionaries, their religious beliefs were suppressed, and laws were enacted to ban peyote consumption.
Source => study.com