The Mayo Tribe is a tribe that little is known about but has more population in Mexico than the tribes in the United States.
The tribe is a Southwest Indian tribe that is located in southern Sonora and northern Sinaloa states in Mexico.
Spanish Conquest of Mexico
When Hernan Cortes came to the New World, his ambition was gold. He did not realize that his actions would change the course of history for so many people.
When he came to the New World, he encountered the Aztec empire and realized he would need allies if he wished to defeat them. He recruited other tribes that despised the Aztecs and wished to see them fall. This would be the story of how Mexico changed.
The Spaniards would employ the same tactics against other tribes. The Mayo tribe would ally themselves with the Spanish in order to defeat the Yaqui tribe. The alliance was a success, but after a century of Spanish dominion, the Mayo saw their lands begin to be encroached on.
The University of Arizona says this about the Mayo Revolt:
The revolt was a costly one for both Spaniards and Indians. Over a thousand Spaniards were killed, and more than five thousand Indians. Every mine and hacienda in the Lower Pima, Yaqui, and Mayo territories was abandoned except Alamos itself. All the missionaries had been forced to leave. Large numbers of cattle and horses had been killed or driven off. And a new atmosphere of suspicion and distrust had been created.
This led to decades of hard rule by the Spanish. The quarrel eventually ended with the Mexican government pacifying them in the 1880s
Modern Day
Today, the Mayo tribe lives in the fertile irrigated valleys of the Mayo and Fuerte rivers.
They work the land and grow crops of corn, beans, squash, cotton, wheat, and safflower. These resources support them and are also sold.
Many have converted to Roman Catholicism, with some of their original religious traditions blended into the religion.
Those that have Mayo ancestry in Mexico are about 80,000.