| Type: | Native American |
| Tahquitz | |
| Deity Of: | Spirit of Evil or Death |
| Abode: | Mount San Jacinto or Tahquitz Canyon |
| Gender: | Male |
| Region: | Southern California, Riverside County |
| Ethnic Group: | Native American |
Tahquitz (sometimes) is a spirit found in the legends of the Cahuilla, Kumeyaay and Luiseño Native American people of Southern California. Accounts of the legend vary significantly, but most agree that Tahquitz represents evil or death, and his spirit makes its home on Mount San Jacinto. Some accounts report that he steals people and/or their souls and devours them on the mountain. Tahquitz manifests himself in the form of fireballs, lightning, meteors and thunderous sounds on the mountain and in the canyons.[1] [2]
Some accounts of the legend state that Tahquitz Canyon played a key role in the story. The canyon is located on the Agua Caliente reservation lands, and is an important cultural site. The tribal group's web page dedicated to the canyon describes The Legend of Taquitz as follows:
Author Lowell John Bean, in his book Mukat's People; The Cauilla Indians of Southern California, applies a different orthography, rendering the name as Taqwuš instead of Tahquitz. He describes Taqwuš as one of the nakutem, those who were created in the beginning by Mukat and Temayawt. Specifically, Taqwuš is the first Puul, or Shaman, and he manifests himself as a meteor or a human-like form that emits blue sparks. Taqwuš lived on San Jacinto Peak and was the cause of misfortune. He was most active at night and would travel about stealing souls.[3]
In the Luiseño language the word Tahquitz derives from the word Takwish, meaning "electric fireball" or "meteor". However, it is thought that the Luiseño adopted the story from the Cahuilla.[4] The spelling of the word Tahquitz varied, until it was standardized by the 1897–1898 U.S. Geological Survey of the San Jacinto quadrangle. Alternate spellings include:
Several peaks on Mount San Jacinto have been named for Tahquitz:
Additional features on Mount San Jacinto include:
Beyond the mountain, the name Tahquitz has been applied to: