Conflicts & Resolutions · War

Chichimeca War

c. 1550–1590 · 16th century

The Chichimeca War was a long conflict between Spanish colonists and the nomadic and semi-nomadic peoples of northern Mexico known collectively as Chichimecas. Sparked by the opening of the Zacatecas silver mines, it centred on raids along the road between Mexico City and the mines. Spain ended it around 1590 less by force than by a policy of food and goods, settlements of allied Tlaxcalans and missions.

Chichimeca War
Image: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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New SpainMilitary

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Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Chichimeca War. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chichimeca-war
MLA
“Chichimeca War.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chichimeca-war. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Chichimeca War.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chichimeca-war.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Chichimeca War’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/chichimeca-war (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻