They left it for stupid white people to suffer with.
I’m one of those stupid white people buying/dragging dirt into my Hill Country plot, hilariously trying to retain it when it does rain, washing it off, lol...
I believe coastal southern California defines the origins of the phrase, "Nice place to visit but you really don't want to live there"
Native cultures describe the region closely to that description.
Like Florida's Seminoles, they lived inland around the central forests and plenty of reliable fresh water.