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At this time, the climate of the region also changed. When the Spanish first arrived, during what has been called "the little Ice Age," they found rich grasslands in south Texas, and a cooler and wetter climate than today. Around the end of the 1700s, it began to get drier and hotter. Streams began to dry up and grass was unable to grow. Buffalo and other animals left, and there was much less food for the Coahuiltecans to hunt or gather.
After the Spanish Conquest, the Coahuiltecans were perpetually travelling. They were continually in search of food, water and protection from the stronger tribes that were moving into the area, many chose to move into the Spanish missions, where they worked as laborers.
As a native people, the Coahuiltecans disappeared before the end of the 18th century. In 1967, the Catholic Church gave permission for the bones of Coahuiltecans that had been buried in the mission cemetery to be unearthed for scientific examination. Indian groups fought for the right to rebury the bones and were finally successful. [more]
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