SUMMARYMascogos: Coahuila declares Black Seminole descendants an Indigenous people (El Nacimiento, Coahuila, 1852 and 2017) [Connections: Gulf, Louisiana, Texas & Mexico, Nov 5, 2026]
RECORDThe Mascogos descend from Black Seminoles led by John Horse and the Seminole leader Wild Cat. They settled at El Nacimiento in 1852 and "worked for the Mexican government to protect against Indian raids." In May 2017, Coahuila Governor Rubén Moreira Valdez signed a decree recognizing them as a "pueblo indígena de Coahuila" (Milenio, 2017). They speak Afro-Seminole Creole in the capeyuye songs. National Geographic (2021) says that about 70 families live in Nacimiento, and quotes Dulce Herrera saying they are "one of the most invisible Afro-descendant communities in Mexico."
PATTERNAcross the border, a government recognized as Indigenous the same people the U.S. counted as Black
LENS (WW9)Called Black in the U.S. and an Indigenous people in Mexico, with the same bloodline on both sides of the river
OPENGet the decree text in the Periódico Oficial de Coahuila. Distinct from the Library's Texas Scouts card: this one is about Mexico
SOURCEMascogos (Wikipedia); National Geographic, "Just across the border...".