New-York tribune., 1901-07-07

.
/ News came from Mexico last month that Chan
Santa Cruz the last stronghold OF the intepen-
/ dent MayaS of TUCdtan, has at last been taken
| by the Federal troops. This marks the end OF 4
fftv wears struggle in which this remnant Cf a
once powerful nation has been struggling against
/ the oDprcsSiye rule of Mexico. at times fighting
as aeeressively and fercely did their ane-s-
tors against the Spaniard, only TO sUccunb at
last. They have held territory as th--r own
| into which TO white man dared venture "thcat
obtaining the consent OF their chiefs. am their
city has long been called the mysterious city OF
Yucatan. where, IL was said they sun prla=fFed
the rites and customs of their fOrefatheTs.
| The Mayas. OF all the races inhabitnS the
American continent. had attained the highest
state of civilization upon tAeir discovery y ----
Spaniards and fought the hardest TO na-IrteIA
it, Their great cities and temples were scat
tered throughout Yucatan, and they had L-t
orIy invented art OF reading and Wrlt-AS'
but they made paper which they bound into
books. Although they were the hrst dlscoVeEeG-
and the first whose conquest was attempJed.
| they succeeded, after persistent struggle G..
fifteen years. in driving every Spanlard OUT oI
their country. II not until many years
afterward when their cities were depopulated
their temples thrown down and their population
decimated by pestience ana famine, that they
bowed their heads To the inevitable But thtir
complete conquest by the early Spanidrcs lS
more less equlVocai
There is evidence that prOselytizing monks
were permitted 10 travel throughout the pen
insua and establish missions. but as rule the
country did not prove an attractive field for the
coIOnist. Whenever the Spaniard did succeed IN
establishing himself however, the MayaS "eIe
reduced a state OF bondage but so thorOuShly
Z
/ that their language became and is to-day the
spoken language OF Yucatan. very few MayaS
/ speak Spanish. but all natives of the peninsula
/ speak Maya. .
The Yucatan Government (Which had achieved
independence of Spain. but was disturbed by 4
Maya uprisinSl in despair appealed 10 Mexico
cor help, and upon the surrender of her inde-
pendence TO become a state of that repCnlc, RED
erai troops sent TO defend her against the
ravages of the IrGians Al first the MayaS
driven slowly back. and the centTa! gov
errment was content to establish garrisons at
iii -.I.r7 rEe hgrg
established their government somewhere within
the uneNplored wildS To the south borderIr;
Guatemala. and their stronghold became known
as Chan Santa cruz the stronghold winch W 70
the present. they have preserved invOlate. -
the Mayas themselves the present population ot
the city is estimated at ten thousand
one popularity Of the Nayas recognized by. all
travellers in Yucatan is the great preponderance
of women At a feast given at a hacienda in
the northern part of Yucatan in asScmblasc
numbering over .1.tHo people. but I,N men
fornd. IL has been estimated that five females
are born 10 every two males, yet the MayaS are
homogeneous. and their wives are kindly treated
and never required Jo either carry heavy
burdens work in the field.
Corn is the staple agricultural product of the
Coan Santa Cruz commonwealth. They clear
the forest To plant the corn. ard so to and fro
between the city and their fields every day
! The city is made UP of well constructed frame
/ houses. The MayaS manufacture their
cooking pottery
Of late years he Mexican Government has
been more or less eaergeticaIly pursuing the
conquest of the INDEPENDENT Maya country the.
objective point % her army being Chan Santa
Cruz. the stronEh IL. Now that city has fallen
Many Of the inh2 bitantS have been killed in it,
defence and the survivors who have not been
captured have retreated further in;O the wilder
ness or have sought refuge IN British Honduras.
What secrets Of ancient ciViliZtt the city NAV
have revealed = not Yet known. The Mexican
/ Government is preparing archaeological ex-
pedtion to go there
That relics of the ancient MAYA civilization
and art of great value anI interest viii he found
seems almost certain. Wherever explorers have
penetrated the widS of Yucatan discoveries If
this kind have been made Owing the de-
Struction of their books and the laying waste
and rifiinS of their cities as much is known
OF the Maya Indians as ethnolOSistS crave: but
enough of their works have defed time and tbs.
ccntIueror to- eVince their superiority over all
other Americans Indians, the Aztecs and
1ncaS.
The Mayas We're not nomadc. They lived IN
cities and derived SuStenanCe chiefly from the
cultivation of land Their private dwellings,
were substantial and permanent. and in the
midst of each settlement was a massive templc
WIN innumerable apartments. like vast tene-
ment houses. supposed to be pISes of safety in
tifheS or war. ON these structures all the in
senulty of the builder and the talent of the
artist and sculptor We're expended On the left
bank OF the River de la Passion near the city -
La Libertad. very fine city of the ancient
Mayas has been eXcavated- From surface in
dlcations IT extended over nine square miles and
Nom appearances was the most pOpuIorrs and
prosperous of all their cities.
In Guatamela. of Il total population of 7 6iO
wv. over a million are the descendants of tho
MAYA Indians Where the white man ms
gained entrance to their forest territory thew ar