‘Our history begins with them’: Native Texan tribes a big part of Tejano history Tejano Moments: Native Texas Tribes Tags: Several different tribes inhabited the area and others migrated here as the area was being developed. In the late 1600s as Spanish explorers set their sites on the new land north of Mexico, they first encountered tribes like the Caddo, Karankawa and Coahuiltecans. These tribes were settlers in the southeastern part of the state and known as the first people of Texas. “The Coahiltecans lived primarily from the Balcones fault south and along the Rio Bravo and San Antonio River, where are probably as closest as San Antonio and their history and contribution as we’re going to get to any other tribe,” TexasTejano.com historian Rudi Rodriguez said.