16th century In the 16th century, Ópata may have entered
Pima territory what is now Sonora from the northeast. At the time of first contact with the Spanish in the mid-16th century, the Opatería was a land of "statelets," a number of independent, agricultural towns scattered up and down the inland valleys of the Sonora River (statelets: Corazones, Señora, and Guaraspi),
Moctezuma River (statelets: Cumupa, Batuco, and Pinebaroca),
Bavispe River (statelet: Sahuaripa), and
Aros River (statelets: Paibatubo, and Oera). There were at least five Opata statelets, and four others which were either Opata,
Pima, or mixed. The statelets had populations of several thousand people, and consisted of towns surrounded by dispersed dwellings and irrigated cropland. The Opata grew
corn,
squash,
beans, and
cotton. The Jova, however, were a more dispersed people, living in more rugged terrain, and depended more on hunting and gathering than the other Opata groups. The Opatas traded with other Indian nations (Concho,
Zuni) to purchase turquoise in exchange for corn and cotton blankets. Animal skins and roots were acquired through trade with the Jano,
Suma (mixed with Apache),
Jumano (probably mixed with Apache and Comanche), Jocome, and
Manso. Other items were traded with
Yaqui,
Mayo, and
Seri, with whom they shared some fishing and hunting areas.
17th and 18th centuries Sisibotari ("The Great Lord") was a respected Jova chieftain known throughout Opata country who lived from the late 16th century to the mid-17th century. He served as a major intermediary between the Opatan peoples and the Spanish, which helped maintain peace between the two peoples during his time. Father
Andrés Pérez de Ribas described Sisibotari, "He was handsome and still young, wore a long coat attached at his shoulder like a cape, and his loins were covered with a cloth, as was the custom of that nation. On the wrist of his left hand, which holds the bow when the hand pulls the cord to send the arrow, he wore a very becoming marten skin". The Opata fiercely resisted the expedition of Spanish explorer
Francisco Ibarra in 1565. For several decades, the Spanish made no further attempts to conquer the Opatería. However, during that period, the statelets declined and were replaced by a "ranchería" culture of small settlements and dispersed dwellings. The drastic decline of the Ópata population is likely due to epidemics of introduced European diseases and local diseases. In 1628,
Jesuit missionaries established a mission in Opatería and encountered little opposition to their efforts to evangelize, and later, to reorganize Opata society along Spanish lines. Pedro Mendéz led the effort to convert Ópatas to Roman Catholicism. The Opata slowly became Spanish allies of convenience. Opata soldiers joined the Spanish in campaigns against their common enemy the
Apache. By 1688, the Spanish established 22 missions among the Ópata. The Ópata assimilated into Spanish society, far more than the
Tarahumara,
Mayo, or
Yaqui did.
19th century By 1800, the Opata were mostly followers of Christianity, commonly spoke
Spanish, and were largely under the rule of the Spanish government. Many Opatans became cowboys on Spanish ranches, or migrated to mining towns to work in the mines. Tension between the Spanish, the Mexicans, and the Opata manifested itself in numerous revolts in the 19th century. In 1820, 300 Opata warriors defeated a Spanish force of 1,000 soldiers and destroyed a mining town near
Tonichi. Later, they won another battle at
Arivechi, killing more than 30 soldiers. A Spanish force of 2,000 soldiers finally defeated the Opata, forcing the survivors to surrender. The Spanish executed the Opata leaders, including Dorame, a Eudeve, whose surname is still common in the Opatería region of Sonora. Revolts continued after Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821. Another Opata leader, Dolores Gutiérrez, was executed in 1833 by the Mexicans for his involvement in a revolt. Although the Opata had formidable reputations as warriors, they were never able to unite as a single people to oppose the Spanish and Mexicans. Fierce battles with the
Apache took a heavy toll on the Opata. Most of the Opata supported the French during their brief rule of Mexico from 1864 to 1867, as did most Sonoran Indians. An Opata, Refugio Tanori, became a general in the military forces supporting the Imperial rule of
Maximilian I. When Tanori's forces were defeated, he fled to Guaymas, and boarded a ship headed for Baja California. Before the ship reached the peninsula, it was stopped by Republican forces. Tanori was captured and executed. The retribution of the Mexicans against the Opata after the defeat of the French occupation resulted in the loss of nearly all of their remaining lands and the end of their resistance to Mexican rule.
20th century In 1902, American anthropologist
Ales Hrdlicka, estimated the number of "pure-blooded individuals" among the Opatas at 500 to 600. Another anthropologist,
Carl Lumholtz, commented that the Opatas had "lost their language, religion, and traditions, dress like the Mexicans, and in appearance are in no way distinguishable from the laboring class of Mexico with which they are thoroughly merged through frequent intermarriage."
21st century In the 21st century, Arizona and Sonora residents identifying as Opata, among other Mexican Indigenous communities, began seeking recognition. In 2014, an Opata man, Roy Cook, and founder of the California Indian Education site was named an American Indian Heritage Month Local Hero by KPBS. In 2018, the town of
Bacanora, whose name's etymology is derived from the Opata language, promoted the continuation of traditional Opata cultivation and processing of agave for regional liquor. == Population ==