The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1848-05-27
From the North American.
TUTUL XIU.

The Indians of Yucatan, when Mr. Stevens
visited, for the second time, In 1912, their sim
guIar country, covered with the ruined cities
of their ancestors, presented the same appear
ance of mild temper, submissiveness, apathy,
and disregard for the past, which were consid-
cred the proper characteristics of the Peruvians
before their Instruction in 1880, under the
Inca, Tupac Amaru: and such degeneracy of
spirit might be esteemed less extraordinary on
the part OF the Peruvians, peculiarly gentle
and docile race originally, than on that of the
Indians of Yucatan, who three hundred years
ago, were among the bravest and most warlike
OF all the civilized-or OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
of America.
When the Spaniards first discovered Yucca
tan, in the beginning of the 9Th century, they
were surprised to find it densely occupied by
a people who were clad in woven garments
who cultivated the earth-who lived i'm towns
and cities built chiefly of stone, with palaces,
| temples, pyramids, and other public buildings
of vast size and extraordinary style of archi-
lecture, wholly unlike any other style-out of
America, at least-in the known world,-and
divided into petty states or palities-cd-
ciguGsgos, as the Spaniards called them-each
ruled by an independent hereditary chief, who
was a monarch within his little domain. All
the inhabitants, however, were of one race,
calling themselves Maceguales, and their coun-
try, Maya: to this day, the Indians know no
other names. About century before the Span
iards came, the whole peninsula formed sim
gle kingdom, the metropolis of which was
Mayapan, whose ruins are still in existence;
but metropolis and kingdom were both destroy
ed BY a revolution, In which the petty princes
united their arms against the ruling power, and
so established the separate independence of
their cicaquasgos Divided as they were, how
ever, they met the bearded invaders with spi-
rit which surprised the latter as much--and
far more disagreeabl y-than their civilized APP
pearance had done; contending against the
Spanish cross bows and muskets, even against
the horses and artillery, with resolution and
fury worthy even of the Mexicans under Qua
| timozin,-and with, perhaps, better prospects
Of success, for the Spaniards were repeatedly
| repulsed we might say, beaten-in various
battles, with heavy loss, and greatly disheart-
ened; when it suddenly pleased one of the
princes 10 offer to Montejo, the Spanish Cap
tain, peace and alliance, with the assurance of
his desire TO be baptized and become Chris
tian. This prince was Tutul Kin, lord of a
city and territory called Mani, and what may
be considered peculiarly interesting, he was
also the lineal descendant Of the last king OF
| Maya. And thus the heir of the old monarchy,
Il
sert the cause and the paganism of his country,
and clasp the hand of stranger whose embra-
ces were destined to be followed by the degra-
dation of his race and the demolition of all the
monuments, and, to appearance, of even the
memory of his fathers. And yet how strange
a revival of the Maya recollections, and the
Maya nature. According to the intelligence
which we mentioned on Saturday, of the cleo
| ton of king by the Yucaan Indians, the new
monarch has been crowned under the name of
Tutul Aiu-as il Tutul Kin, alive again, and
| tired of the peace and alliance which had pro-
fted hi m so little, had returned to the wrath
the ferocity, and the idols of his ancient peo-
pie.
Ii was the horrible barbarism of Tupac ANA
| ru-or, rather, OF his frantic subjects-which,
as We mentioned on previous occasion, caused
the failure of the Peruvian instruction of 1880.
The same barbarism WILL doubtless, cause
failure OF the MAYA instruction. Had there
been anything like moderation practised by the
Yucatan insurgents--had they exhibited any
of the ordinary feelings of humanity, and a
willingness to fight as men fight, instead OF
| revealing like wild beasts in carnage and cru
city, sla ying women and torturing babes, like
our own tiger-hearted savages of the North
| there can be no doubt, from the known con-
| stitution OF the human mind, the sympathies
| of the world would-or might-have been with
them, as with people rising, even after the
| tenth generation, to recover the homes and
hearths of their fathers from the possession Ct
the stranger whose own sires had taken them
away with The strong hand. We say might
have been with them; for there NAV be a yer,
just doubt OF the sympathies OF the world fol-
lowing insurgents who rice without proveca-
ton and strike without cause.