Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-04-21
In YUCATAN.
THE UNCONQUERED TRIBIs OF A
MEXICAN STATE.
Some Interesting and Curio as Facts
About Portion of Our South
western Neighb'Jrs,
Correspondence of the 2Roons.us1os.l

the United States, within lew days Jour-
ney from New York or Chicago, is sec
ton OF country almost ssaknown to Euro
peans, whose unconquered tribes still live |
in the same wild way as their ancestors
before the Christian era but even more |
Incredible does it appear that the Mexi-
cans, who claim to possess that bit ofterri- |
tory, know as little about it as their
Northern neighbors, and wisely keep at a
respectful distance.
The greater portion of this Yucatan pc
ninsula is perfect terra i,cogRito, of which
white men know absolutely nothing be-
yond what may be seen along the coast and
gathered from Indian traditions-and of
the latter, nobody knows where to draw
the line between history addiction, fact
and fable.
For many years Yucatan has been the
Siberia of Mexico, whittier are exiled the
offenders of whom the Government does
not know what to do with, since the
amended Constitution Of the Liberal party
practically does away with capital punish
ment. 1t is handy in case of political
criminals and troublesome people gener-
ally-who might turn up again If banished
| elsewhere-for from that bourne none have
ever returned 1t has been the fashion to
conduct such obnoxious persons, under
military guard, to the frontier of Yucatan
civilization, or to some out-of-the-way
| landing-place along the coast-and simply
| let them go. What becomes of them none
can tell. The interior is known to be pop
ulated by warlike people, who have
| towns and cities and certain degree of
| semi-barbaric civilization. Whether they
enslave newcomers. or naturallze and
make citizens of them, or put them to
DEATH is food for conjecture. Probably the
mystery of it adds to the punishment its
| greatest terrors. However, it is we'll
| known truth that among the unfortunates
condemned to Yucatan, few reach their
| destination, the soldiers in charge having
secret orders to give the prisoners opportu-
mites to escape, and to shoot them down
the instant the seeming chance Is acted
upon.
| Especially dangerous is the eastern shore
of Yucatan, and should any traveller be so
mad as to land there, it would as certainly
be the end of him as if he were suddenly
| dropped into Hades As for redress, his
friends might as well appeal to the winds
as to the Mexican Government, the latter
having even less control. The chief tribe
of Eastern Yucatan Indians are known as
the Chan Santa Cruz, having city of that
name in the southeast part of the PENN
sular, about sc miles west of Ascension
Bay, and some 60 miles below Lake Baca
lar. The lake is about 10 miles long, and
on its western shore the Indians have their
seaport-also named Bacalar-whence they
90 to trade with British Honduras, via the
Hendo river.
Your scribe has never risked her life
among the fierce Chan Santa Cruzans, nor
does she intend to. The account of their
doings has been gathered from the natives
of upper Yucatan, from history, and from
Nine Alice D. lie Plongeon, wife of the
eminent explorer who accompanied her
husband in all his travels, and is herself a
no less Jealous archeologist. In order that
we may understand what has lately taken
place among these Indians and see how
exactly history has repeated itself, 1t will
be necessary to take a backward look of
three centuries or more.
The Spanish conquest, which made most
unhappy slaves of the once proud Yucca
tecos, occupied twenty years, and would
never have been accomplished had not the
inhabitants been divided among them
selves. In the year 154l, Tuteel Nee,
Lord of the Province of Mani, surrendered
to the Spanish leaders, stating that he did
so simply because he admired the courage
and perseverance of his enemies and
therefore wished to become their friend
and embrace their religion. Thereupon
he assembled his yassals and informed
them that he had allied himself to the
Spanish, expecting them to be faithful to
him. Tuteel Xiee represented the Nault
element of the population, Nault hordes
having invaded Yucatan in the early part
Of the Christian era.
Having won the assent of his own peo-
pie, Tuteel next sent an embassy to other
Chiefs who had united with him in
allegiance to the Spaniards, and together
they sent ambassadors to the Lords of
Satuta, the Cocomes who represented the
true people OF the country, the Mayas-to
beg that they also join their neighbors in
obedience to Spain.
When this joint embassy reached Sa-
tuta, in central Yucatan. the great lord
Nachicocom listened with profound atten-
ton to all the messenger had to say, and
replied that in four days he would give
them an answer. Meanwhile he called
meeting Of all his feudal lords They
agreed to make great hunt, as if in hon
or of the ambassadors, to be followed by
splendid feast. So they conducted the
ambassadors to place called Otzmal,
where for three days they RECALLED them
with the best of the land On the fourth
day they held the banquet out of doors,
under a huge zupote tree probably not
wishing to spill bleed noon their polished
concrete floors, and there the dancing and
| rejoicing continued. But when the last
course was served, at given signal, the
attendants cut the threats of the embassa-
doris, all but one, named All kin-Chi-the
most intelligent of the lot-whom they
spared, that he might carry back the
news of what had occurred. They put his
eyes out and escorted him back to his own
territory, with instructions to tell Tuteel
Nee that ne was a great coward.
Well, repetition of all this took place
only few months ago among descendants
of Cocoon an Tuteel Xiee, the Chan Santa
Cruz indians of Eastern Yucatan. The
city bearing the name of this tribe was
founded only about forty years ago by
few Thousand natives, who after more than
800 years Of cruel subsection to the Span
| iards, whom Tuteel Nice had so much ad-
mired, determined to free themselves, once
| for all, from Spanish Mexican control.
They named their stronghold CAon Santa
Crrz Little Holy Gross J, and chose its
site because, near spring of clear, cold
water they found great tree upon whose
bark small cross had been carved The
i leader of the revolters, priest-wise, in
duced the others to believe that the cross
was of heavenly origin, cut by an angel
who had descended for the express pur-
pose of guiding them in their continue
ton of hostilities against the Mexicans.
Being so fortunate asao discover ventril-
oqnist among his followers, the cunning
leader took him into confidence. A big
church was built, a great cross set I'D
| within it, and the ventEiIoquist directed to
throw his voice SO that j. would sound rs
coming from the wood thereof, urging the
people On TO bloody deeds against the
Mexicans. Relieving that the mandates
Issued vertically from the eress and mus
Therefore be of divine origis, the people
blindly obeyed them
But in the very next battle the ven
triloaBist was Filled. and for q lone time