Trading Area of Jose Tafoya and other Comancheros
Quitaque, Briscoe County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In Quitaque area, Comancheros (peddlers in Comanche domain) from New Mexico traded flour and other goods to Indians. The barter (begun in 1700's) reached peak in 1864-1868, when Apaches, Comanches and Kiowas rustled horses and thousands of cattle "down in Texas", to use in trades. Jose Tafoya, who had wagons as well as pack mules, sold guns to Indians until U.S. Army caught and threatened to hang him in 1874 unless he enlisted as a frontier scout. There were many other Comancheros. Tafoya is an example of one who helped rid Texas of Indian marauders. (1969)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the Quitaque area, New Mexican traders called Comancheros ventured deep into Comanche country to barter flour and goods, a trade that began in the 1700s and peaked from 1864 to 1868. In those years Comanches, Kiowas, and Apaches drove stolen horses and cattle up from Texas to exchange for guns and supplies. José Tafoya ran wagons and pack mules until the U.S. Army caught him in 1874 and pressed him into service as a frontier scout.
Why it matters
The Comanchero trade reveals the complex frontier economy that bound Plains Indian nations, Hispanic New Mexico, and the Texas cattle range together before the Army closed it down.
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Related people
- · Jose Tafoya
Themes & tags
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