The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-10-29


Union. The derivation of the name Uxmal
Oxmal, as some Of the early historians wrote It,
is rather obscure. "Ox" is the Maya word for
three, and NAL" in the same language means to
pass; ito pass thrice" therefore, world seem to
be the meaning of the word, though why the
Tutu Xu should have applied this name to their
capital is unknown.
Concerning the foundation of Uxmal the fol-
lowing tradition is related by Diego de Landa
the second bishop of Yucatan, who wrote in the
first generation after the conquest, and who
claims to have gathered his information from ma
tves we'll versed in the former history of their
country: After the discovery and occupation OF
Chichen Itza which seems to have been the first
place of any Importance to be settled in Yucatan,
cities sprang up everywhere, and there followed
an era OF great prosperity How long these diff
Ierent cities lived at peace with one another we
are not told, but in time dissensions arose, and
quarrels became so frequent that the different
lords of the country found it necessary to take
some concerted action in order to suppress vio.
lence and to restore order and peace IL was
then decided to build joint capital where al,
those in authority should reside, and from which
each one agreed to administer the affairs of his
own particular domain. Without loss of time
these plans were carried out. joint capital
was built in new and unoccupied region and
was called "Mayapan." meaning "the standard of
the Mayas" Thither all the lords assembled
and as the final step in the formation Of the new
confederacy, an overload, one Cocoon, was elected
and duly installed in the new capital as the
supreme ruler. These cucuts laid the foundation
for an era Of prosperity. which endured for many
years Later, after an interval not specified by
Landa in his history, there entered the country
from the south an alien people under the leader
ship of their chief, Tutul Kin. The newcomers
previous to their arrival. had wandered for 40
years in the wilderness without water other than
that which had fallen from the skies This
Incidence Of "40-years' wandering in the wilder
ness is sufficiently striking to arouse the susps
cion that the worthy bishop. in this part of his
narrative has been at some pains to force q
pous coincidence with similar episode in the
Old Testament. Immediately after their arrival
the wanderers began building In the mountains
not 80 miles distant from the capital new home
for themselves, which they called Uxmal Far
from being angered however. by this appropria-
tion OF his territory so near at hand. Cocom the
ruler Of the Mayapan, welcomed Tutul Xiu and
his people, and entered into alliance with
them. Landa thus describes the event:
THE people Of Mayapan formed a great friend
ship with the Tutu Xiu, rejoicing to see that
they cultivated the land like themselves In
this manner the Tutul Xiu became subject to
the laws of Mayapan and allied themselves with
the older inhabitants of the country. and their
lord was highly esteemed by all"
Judging from it's size and magnfcence the Xiu
capital must have played very important role
I'm the history of Yucatan before the Spanish con-
quest. Indeed. Landa says as much.
After a time. we are told, the supreme power
held by the Cocoon family seems TO have turned
their heads. They became successfully more and
more oppressive, each striving to outdo his pyede-
cessors in acts of tyranny and violence. How
ever, there came a day at last when the other
chiefs of the confederacy could no longer endure
this despotic rule, and a conspiracy hatched
TO overthrow the oppressor With one accord,
the conspirators turned to the then lord of Tx.
NAL a decendent of the original Tutu Xiu who
had founded the city, the natural leader in this
movement for liberty. in spite OF the fact that
he was OF foreign descent Me is described
having been a true friend OF the public veal
his ancestors before him. all OF whom had held
resolutely aloof from the tyrannies of the Cocoon
family. On an appointed day the consprators
| led by the lord OF Uxmal. met at Mayapan. and
entering the palace of Cocoon slew him and all
| his progeny, save one son only. who happened
| TO be absent from the city at the time on a mis-
| sion to a distant province. After this sanguin.
airy reprisal, which avenged at one blow the op-
pressions OF many years, the property of the dead
| ruler was seized and divided among his murder
! ers, and the capital destroyed. Whereupon
| each chief departed into his own country once
| more and the confsderacy was dissolved. After
| the destruction Of Mayapan, the Tutul Xiu aban-
doned Uxmal and founded a new capital some 30
| miles distant which they called Mani" meaning
J in Maya 1T is passed. emphasizing by this name
that the old order was These events oc-
Cured about the middle of the fifteenth century.