The Nuche, a Ute word meaning “the people,” lived for generations in the “shining mountains” of Colorado, southern Wyoming, northern New Mexico, and western Utah. The Ute comprised seven distinct bands that intermarried, traded, and gathered regularly for hunts and ceremonies. After obtaining horses from the Spanish in the late 1600s, they quickly became skilled horsemen, which allowed them to expand their territory and maintain a stronghold in the Rocky Mountains for nearly 200 years.