Opata Indians

The Opata (Spanish: Ópata, /ˈopata/) are an Indigenous people in Mexico. Opata territory, the "Opatería" in Spanish, encompasses the mountainous northeast and central part of the state of Sonora, extending to near the border with the United States. Historically, they included several subtribes, including the Eudeve, Teguima, and Jova peoples. Most Opatan towns were situated in river valleys and had an economy based on irrigated agriculture. They spoke the Opata language, a Uto-Aztecan language, that is now extinct. In the 16th century, at the time of Spanish contact, the Opata were the most numerous people in Sonora. Some sources indicate that as an identifiable ethnic group, the Opata are now extinct, or nearly extinct. In the early 20th century, "remnants of the Opatas [were] found principally along San Miguel river" and further west. From the 1970s to the present, some people continue to identify as Opatas and as descendants of the Opatas.