Bachíniva is a town and county in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. The town serves as the county seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name]]. It was founded by Franciscan missionaries on September 8th 1660 as Santa María de Nativitas Bachiniva. Bachiniva is a Raramuri native indian word which means the place of the wild pumpkin flower. With the arrival of the Franciscan missionaries to the area, most natives left their settlement rejecting the evangelization process of the catholic church. Some of the natives however were converted to the new religion and the mission of Santa Maria de Nativitas Bachinva was founded with a church that still stands today. Later on, Spanish and Mexican immigrants from Spain and the south of Mexico settled in the area along the fertile lands of the