Cáhita language

The Cahita language is part of the Uto-Aztecan language family and was spoken by approximately 115,000 people when first encountered by the Spanish in 1533. The Cahita people inhabited the northwest coast of Mexico along several rivers, including the Sinaloa, Fuerte, Mayo, and Yaqui rivers. They spoke about 18 closely related dialects of the Cahita language.12

By the 17th century, most speakers of Cahita dialects had been assimilated. The only surviving Cahita-speaking tribes in the late 20th century were the Yaqui and Mayo peoples. The Cahita were subsistence farmers who cultivated corn, beans, and squash, and also gathered wild foods. They lived in settlements called rancherías, which were loose clusters of houses.1