Iron County register., 1915-10-28


about 100 miles from Chichen Itza.
writes Syivanus G. Morley in Pan American
Union. The derivation of the name Uxmal or
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;'to pass thrice" therefore, would seem to
be the meaning of the word, though why the
Tutul Xiu 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
nrst generation after the conquest and who
claims to have gathered his information from ma
elVes well versed in the former history of their
country; After the discovery and occupation of
Shlchen ltza which seems to have been the first
pace OF any importance to be settled in Yucatan
cltles sprang up everywhere, and there followed
an era OF great prosperity. How long these DIFF.
ferent cities lived at peace with one another we
are not told, but in time dissensions arose and
quarres 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 II was
tnen decided to build Joint capital whara ali
those in authority should reside, and from which
eacn one agreed to administer the affairs of lis
own particular domain. Without loss of time
tnese plans were carried out. Joint canital
was built in new and unoccupied region and
was called Mayapan, meaning the standard of
the Mayas Thither all the lords assembled
ana as the final step in the formation of the new
confederacy, an overlord, one Cocoon. was elected
and duly installed in the new capital as the
supreme ruler. These cucuts laid the foundation
Ior an era OF prosperity, which endured for many
years Later, after an interval not specified bv
Landa in his history there entered the country
from the south an alien people under the leader.
ship OF their chief, Tutul Xiu 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 CO.
incidence of "40-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 some pains to force a
pious coincidence with similar episode in the
Old Testament Immediately after their arrival
the wanderers began building in the mountains
not 30 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 at hand Cocoon, the
ruler of the Mayapan, welcomed Tutul 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 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 magnifcence the Xiu
capital must have played very important role
in the history of Yucatan before the Spanish con-
quest. Indeed. Landa says as much.
After time, are told the supreme power
held by the Cocoon family seems to have turned
their heads. They became successfully more and
oppressive, each striving to outdo his prede-
cessors 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 Matched
to overthrow the oppressor. With one accord,
the conspirators turned to the then lord of Ux-
NAL decendent of the original Tutul Xiu, who
had founded the city as the natural leader in this
movement for liberty in spite Of the fact that
he was Of foreign descent He is described as
having been true friend of the public veal, as
his ancestors before him, all of whom had held
resoutely aloof from the tyrannies of the Cocom
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 one son only, who happened
to be absent from the city at the time on mis-.
sion to distant province. After this sanguin-
ary 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 was destroyed. Whereupon
each chief departed into his own country once
more and the confederacy was dissolved. After
the destruction Of Mayapan the Tutul xiu aban-
doned Uxmal and founded new capital some 80
miles distant which they called Mani" meaning
in Maya 1t is passed. emphasizing by this name
that the old order was over. These events oc-
Cured about the middle Of the fifteenth century.
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