Regions with significant populations | |
---|---|
southeastern Tejas, near Medina River | |
Languages | |
Coahuilteco variant | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Coahuiltecan, Pampopa, Payaya |
The Anxau people (sometimes spelled "Xauno" and "Xana") [1] were a hunter-gatherer tribe of the Coahuiltecan. [2] The Anxau inhabited the area south of San Antonio, [3] largely near the Medina River between present-day Medina and Bexar counties. [4] [5] The Anxau are believed to have been affiliated with the Pastia people. [6] [7]
In 1690, [8] early Spanish explorers and missionaries (including Damián Massanet) [9] encountered a number of ethnically distinct bands of aboriginal peoples near the Medina River who spoke a common Coahuiltecan dialect. [10] [6] [11] These tribes also shared similar societal values and traditions. [10] This group included the Anxau, Pampopa, Pastia, Payaya, and others. [11] [12] [13]
The Anxau people were largely extinct by the eighteenth century. [14]
The tribe was cited in an archaeological survey of the land of Lackland Air Force Base. [15]
In 2010, a sculpture was unveiled at the Texas State Capitol which included the Anxau among a list of extinct tribes. [16]