Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-11-14
HISTORY OF THE AMATECAS
AN ISOLATED AND sELF-GOvERNING
TRIBE IN MEXICO.
Indians who Have Maintained Their
Independence for Many
Centuries.
From Modern Mexico.

From Modern Mexico.
Buried in the heart Of a civilized, power
full and progressive foreign people little
handful of Indians have lived for 800 years,
and have contrived to keep, during all that
time. their national characteristics. their
traditions and their individuality. If you
seek them you will find them in Anatlan
de los Reyes, a village In the state of Vera
Cruz, Mexico. They are known as the
Amatecas. A visit to Amatlan will well
replay any one who has any interest what
ever in seeing curious people with indi-
vidual habits, customs and civilization.
1t is no uncommon thing in Mexico to
find tribe of Indians that has made
determined effort to maintain its indiyid-
uality against the encroachmentS of
higher civilization. But the Amatecas are
perhaps the only people in the republic who
have succeeded in retaining for them
selves what is practically seIf-government.
1t must not be understood that they make
any pretensions Of being Independent of the
control of the federal authorities in Mexico
City. They long ago gave up as hopeless
any struggle against the power of the
Spaniard, and later on the Mexican nation,
and this submission is responsible for the
fact that they have been able to retain
their ancient customs, habits and modes of
government.
Mystihed by the Spaniards.
When the Spaniards, under the conqueror
Herman Cortez, landed in Mexico, near Vera
Cruz, and began the march to the Aztec
capital, the emperor, Montezuma, sent sew
eral messengers and spies to bring him
news of the mysterious strangers. Among
others sent was Ocelotl, or the Tiger Prince,
as he was known in. history and legend.
Ocefetl was one of the best Aztec artists,
and the emperor commissioned him to make
sketches of the invaders, SO that he might
juoge of them by their appearance. He
also to bring back detailed report OF
the strength of the forces of the SpanIardS,
VINO were believed to be the warriors Of the
Fair God, who had come from the Land Of
the Sun, as they were to do, according to an
Old and universally beIleved TRADITION.
Oceiotl brought back a complete report
to the emperor, and gave it his opinion,
from what he hau seen Of the strangers,
that it would require all the strength and
cunning of the Aztec empire to contend
against them. MOnteZuma was so angry at
TINS unfavorable report that he ordered
Ocelotl to be publicly burned as coward
who wished to frighten with childish tales
the courage of his warriors, who had until
then been ever successful. Ocelotl, how
ever, had many friends at the court of the
emperor, and through their aid he succee l.
ed in escaping from prison and in Citing
to the land of 1laXcala, which was the
hereditary enemy of the Aztec empire
Now there is curious legend still told
by the Amatecas to the effect that Ocelou
stopped at Amatlan, on his way pach from
Vera Cruz, and that the people Hooked
about him to hear what he had to say.
Ocelotl told them of the fair faces OF the
strangers, their garments, which Shons as
bright as the sun itself; the great beasts
they rode. and how they came armed with
the weapon of the god of thunder and
lightning. The people of Amatlan held a
meeting in the public square, and w-len the
chiefs had heard the story of Ocelotl they
decided that the newcomers were indeed the
warriors of the emperor Of the sum- and
that there was, therefore, no use whatever
in opposing them. So they sent d message
to CorteZ saying that they had decided to
become his friends.
Whatever truth there may he in This leg
end it might well have been true, for it
has embodied in it the characteristics o.
the Amatecas as people They haV.' ever
been clever diplomatists. When the Aztecs
were at war with all the people around
them the Amatecas succeeded in making
treaty of peace with them, which proceed
them from invasion by the Aztec army. Al
the same time they had treaties with two
other rude nations to the south and east
that were at war with the Aztecs.
There is another legend among the Aztecs
to the effect that the people of Tlaxcala
did not treat Ocelotl, the tiger prtace, well,
and that he soon left their city and wan
dered south until he came to Amauan
where he was warmly welcomed by the
people. He remained with them many years
and became their chief not their king, Cor
Amatlan had always been, in it's form of
government, republican, and is still so to-
day.
Their Independence.
The people of Amatlan practically govern
themselves today without any interference
on the part of the Mexican government
They pay their federal taxes promptly, as
they have done for the past 800 years, I'M
lN,,+ %lnt,r
duties stop. They may be said to consti-
tute little Aztec nation in the heart of the
Mexican republic. They have their own
hereditary chiefs, their own aristocracy in
direct line, reaching back beyond the Span
ish conquest They retain their own GUS
toms, habits, manner of dress and modes
of thought They are nominally Catholic,
but the ancient Aztec mythology is largely
mixed with their religious beliefs They
have hundreds of charms which are sup
posed to be effective against certain dis
cases. dangers or accidents. And there is
a spirit of some kind connected with al
most every charm. This spirit was, not
so many years ago. an Aztec god or demi-
god The Amateca is therefore most GU
rious combination of Christian and pagan,
civilized citizen and savage He has his
own schools, but his teachers are all Anna
teca Indians; he has his own churches, but
his priests are also Amate6as
Amatlan Is little piece of China in the
heart Of Mexico. 1t has built Tartar
wall around itself, and no man may pass
that wall without the permission of the au-
thorities. In Amatlan strangers are looked
upon with suspicion and mistrust to such
an extent that not even traders are al
lowed in the city without a special permit
from the authorities. All these things have
contributed to keep Amatlan the curious
community 1t is. 1t cannot be called ma
ton or even tribe, for the estimate Of the
size of the population of the whole people
Is Variously put at from 5000 to Is 900 The
town itself is not over 3,OOO but consider
able territory around it is, in a tribal sense