Rocky Ford enterprise., 1915-10-29

OF Nils, WnlCn crosses the state OF
f@N-1 Yucatan from east to west, and is
about 100 miles from Chichen liza
writes Sylvanus G. Morley in Pan American
Union The derivation of the name UxmaI
Oxma1, some of the early historians wrote it,
Is rather obscure. OK is the Maya word for
three. and NAL in the same language means to
pass:"to pass thrice" therefore. would seem to
be the meaning of the word. though why the
Tutul Xiu should have applied this name their
capital Is unknown.
Concerning the foundation of UxmaI 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 well versed in the former history of their
country: After the discovery and occupation of
Lhicheh itZa, which seems to have been the first
place OF any importance TO be settled in Yucatau
cities sprang up everywhere. and there followed
an. era of great prosperity How long those diff.
terent cities lived at peace with one another we
are not told. but in time dissensions arose and
quarreis became so frequent that the different
lords OF the country found IL necessary 10 taka
some concerted action in order to suppress yIo.
lence and to restore order and peace II was
then decided to build Joint capital wber. ,Il
those in authority should reside. and from which
each one agreed to administer the affairs of ,ie
own particular domain. Without loss of time
these plans were carried out. Joint capitaI
was buiit in new and unoccuDied region and
was called Mayapan. meaning the standard of
the Mayas. Thither all the lords asseu,b,ad
and as the final step in the formation of the new
confederacy, an overload, one Cocoon was elected
and duly installed in the new capitaI as the
supreme ruler. These cucuts laid the foundation
or an era OF prosperity which endured for mauy
wears. Later. after interval net specified by
Landa in his history. there entered the country
from the south an alien people under the leader.
ship of their chief Tutul Nu. The newcomers
previous to their arrival, had wandered for IN
years in the wilderness without water other than
that which had fallen from the skies. This co.
Incidence of "iO-years wandering in the wilder
ness is sufficiently striking TO arouse the suspi-
cion that the worthy bishop. in this part of his
narrative. has been at pains to force
pious coincidence with a similar episode in the
Old Testament Immediately after their arrival
the wanderers began building in the mountains
not 30 miles distant from the capital a new home
for themselves which they called Uxmal. Far
from being angered. however. by this appropra-
tion of his territory at hand. Cocom the
ruler of the Mayapan. welcomed TutuI Xiu and
his people, and entered into an alliance with
them. Landa thus describes the event:
The people of Mayapan formed a great friend
ship with the Tutul Xiu. rejoicing to 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 highly esteemed by all
Judging from its size and magnfcence the Xiu
capital must have played very important role
in the history of Yucatan before the Spanish
quest. Indeed Landa says as much
After 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 prede
in acts of tyranny and violence How
ever. there came day at last when the other
chiefs of the confederacy could no longer endure
this despotic rule. and conspiracy was hatched
to overthrow the oppressor. With one accord,
the conspirators turned the then lord of Tx
NAL a decendent of the original Tutul %iu. who
had founded the CITY, TIE natural leader in this
movement for liberty. in spite of the fact that
he was of foreign descent. He is described
having been a true friend of the public veal.
his ancestors before him. all of whom had held
resoutely aloof from the tyrannies of the Cocoon
family On an appointed day the conspirators,
led by the lord of Uxmal. met at Mayapan, and
entering the palace of Cocoon slew him and all
his progeny save only, who happened
TO be absent from the city at the time OH a mis-
sion to a distant province. After this sanguin-
srv reprisal. which avenged at one blow the op-
nressions of many yeats. 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 Confederacy dissolved. After
tho destruction of Mayapa the Tutul Xiu aban-
doned Irxmal and founded capital some 80
,,iIes distant which they called Mani" meaning
q MAYA 1T is passed" emphasizing by this name
that the old order was These events
,,,rr.d about the middle of the fifteenth century.