Reports on the Maya Indians of YucatanGarcía Cubas, Antonio
History
Reports on the Maya Indians of Yucatan
García Cubas, Antonio
Indians of Mexico -- Mexico -- Yucatán (State); Mayas
Of real savage tribes there are none in Yucatan. After the greater
part of the peninsula, cities as well as villages, had been
reconquered from the possession of the Indians who had taken them
during their insurrection in 1847, which was general, the most
tenacious and unruly ones among them settled in the eastern part of
the peninsula, where they have built several towns, the principal one
being Chan-Santacruz. From these fastnessess they frequently sally
forth to attack and even to raze our absolutely defenseless villages.
These attacks cause frightful suffering not only to members of other
tribes and races, without regard to sex or age, but they are at times
even greater among those of their own race, who at one time or another
have either absolutely refused to join their ranks, or, after
following their lead for some time, have deserted, and returned to
live in peace among the white people.
Another and by far the most numerous band of those rebellious Indians
went to settle in the south of the peninsula, and by virtue of the
treaty they celebrated with General Vega have given up all
hostilities, although they remain in complete independence of national
as well as of state authorities, and in peaceful business intercourse
with this city (Mérida), and also with Campeche and other points in
close proximity to their abodes. Colonel Juan Sanchez Navarro drew a
map, which he presented, together with his report, before the
government of Yucatan on April 12 of the present year, on which map he
gives an approximate idea of the localities on the peninsula still
occupied by rebellious Indians who maintain a hostile attitude and
those who have agreed to peaceful intercourse. The first mentioned he
calls the eastern group, and the last named the southern one.
SANTIAGO MENDEZ.
Mérida, _October 24th, 1861_.
NOTE BY ANTONIO GARCÍA Y CUBAS
After having written about several groups of aborigines who inhabit
the central part of the republic, I wish to extend these notes with
the aid of documents in my possession to the Indians of Tabasco and
Chiapas.
The customs, habits, and inclinations of all those Indians in general
do not, with any certainty, evoke any hope for the improvement of
their race and their subsequent utility and usefulness to the nation.
The task I have set for myself is a very delicate one, and there may
exist a great many people who will attribute to lack of patriotism the
frank statement of many defects in our population; but I observe that
our nation is not moving toward its aggrandizement with the alacrity
and speed which the progressives among the authorities wish to see.
Therefore I consider it necessary to study and point out the defects.
I do not wish it to appear as if the conceptions expressed in these
lines were imputations of my own imagination, and I wish to state,
therefore, that whatever is said in this report is extracted from
official documents in my possession.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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