Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-07-28
In SOUTHERN WATERS.
C0ASTlNG AROUND THE BORDERS
OF YUCATAN.
Cape Catoche and the Islands of
Cozumel and Mujeres-Life
of a Lone Fisherman.
Special Correspondence OF the REcoRD-US1oN

Especial Correspondence OF the RECORD UNION
YUcATAN, July IS, 1888.
Before continuing our southwark Jour-
ney through the Central American coun-
tries, we concluded to bid adios to Yucatan
by cruise around her borders. Boarding
one of the numerous small coasters that
ply the Gulf of Mexico, and proceeding
due east from Progreso, we emerged from
what is locally known as La Sonda de
Campeche out into the open sea, and
thence into the Canal de Yucatan, which,
running between Cuba and the peninsula,
connects the Mexican gulf with the Ca
ribbean sea.
On these barren coasts the harbors are
few, and for many miles there is little to
tempt landing. About all that can be
seen are blue-green, storm tossed pillows
stretching away to the horizon on
three sides of the fragile bark, and on
the other monotonous line of sandy
shore, broken occasionally by dark lines
of forest, while here and there a rugged
mound, or pyramid overgrown with verd-
ure, indicates the remains of prehistoric
cities.
We put in for an hour or two at Yala-
hau, an insignificant port, celebrated in
Mexican annals as the favorite resort of
old-ti buccaneers. Its harbor commands
view of many leagues both up and down
the gulf, so that all vessels passing between
Cuba and the Spanish Main could be criti-
cally studied at a safe distance by those
buccaneering gentlemen, most of whom
were the leading citizens of Yaahau and
owned sugar ranches in the vicinity. 1t
is said that if lured forth by vessel which
was found to be of superior force the
pirates put hastily back into shoal water.
long, low fiat extending out some dis
lance; and if pursued by boats they saved
themselves by scattering and hiding in the
interior
The village consists of one Struggling
street of cane-stalk huts elevated but few
feet above the water, both the town and
the swamp behind it being completely
hidden under groves of palm and cocoanut.
Cut OFF to a great extent from conmication
with the outer world, connected with the
interior only by dangerous and toiisome
pendent as separate republic.
Time was when golden doubloons were
more plentiful in Yalahau than its pennies
are now, for the piraticll citizens were
proverbial for prodlgality and squandered
their ill-gotten gains in gaming and rev
elry. But to-day it is about the dullest
place imaginable, few people being seen
about the streets and scarcely half dozen
canoes in the ofiug. Blood-curdling
tales Of crimes committed by the highway
men of the sea are yet fresh in the minds
of many, but / found the present inhab-
ltants extremely non-communicative on
the subject, or if they spoke at all of the
buccaneering fraternity (among whom had
been their fathers, friends and relatives),
1t was as los p0Ures-poor fellows who had
been unfortunate in business.
There is Il tumble-down and now dis
used fortress here, which the Federal Gov
eminent built and garrisoned for the sup
preston of piracy, but it is said that the
soldiers connected themselves at once
with the free-hearted fellows whom they
had been sent to capture, and shared their
pleasures and plumber. We dined in the
only stone house in the village, whose
building material was taken from the
luins of a nearby temple, and is said
to have been the headquarters of
the buccaneers, where their captiyes were
sometimes held as hostages, and which has
no doubt been the scene of many a mid
night murder. 1t stands SO close to the sea
that the restless waves have washed away
part of its foundations, and the ceaseless
whispers of the water below and around us
seemed like the voices of troubled spirits
striving to tell some tale of horror.
About days sail distant from Yalahan
is Cabo Cape de Catoche, on the extreme
northeastern corner of the peninsula-the
first point upon which the Spaniards
touched upon the then unknown king
dom of Mexico. 1t came accidentally
by its not unmusical name. \ native
invited the strangers ashore, SAYING to
them conir catOche, which in the native
language means come TO our town."
Meanwhile the Castilians were asking all
manner of questions concerning the place
and its people, and naturally mistook the
words as an intelligent answer to what was
" all Greek to the Indians
Says that rich hidalgo Of Cuba, Fran
cisco Hernandez de Cordova 1t was de-
termined by us to accept the invitation,
observing the proper precaution of going
all IN body, as we perceived the shore TO
be lined with Indians, and carried with us
fifteen cross-bars and ten muskets" They
were attacked by these first acquaintance
in the new country, and fifteen of the Span
iards were severely wounded but Indian
bows and arrows weIe no match for Eu-
ropean firearms.
To continue tho o,otopt
warriors were armed with thick coats of
cotton, and carried lances, shields and
slings, besides their bows and arrows,
wearing ornaments Of feathers on their
heads. : Near the place of their
ambuscade were three buildings of lime
and stone, wherein were idols of clay
with diabolical countenances, and also sew
eral wooden chests containing smaller idols,
vessels, diadems, and limitations of birds
and fishes in alloyed gold. The buildings
of lime and stone, and the gold, gave us a
high idea of the country we had discov-
cred. On our return to the shore we had
the satisfaction to find that, while we were
fighting, our chaplain had taken care of
these chests and their contents and carried
them off safely to our ships"
This was in the year 1917, and upon the
desolate spot where the first Spaniard set
his foot began their career Of theft and
murder. Eleven years before that day,
Don Juan Diaz de Solis-he who after
wards discovered the great Rio de la
Plata of South America-and Don Vicente
\ anez Pinzon, who commanded ship in
the first voyage of Columbus, sailed into
these waters and found the eastern coast Of
Yucatan but they departed without land
ing, lured by reports of gold to the south
ward.
Though Cordova's venture turned out 50
disastrously, it opened the way for Yucca
tan's acquisition by the Spaniards. Bernal
Diaz, in his account of the discovery of
Cape Catoche, affrms that they saw a great
town, about six miles from the shore,
which seemed to exceed in size any city OF
Cuba, and which they named Grand Cairo.
Despite his bombast and gross exagger-
ations, this stout old soldier is the best
chronicler of Hispano-American affairs of
that day, for in them all he figured as an
important factor. Undaunted by his
IS 81, L 4