The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-02-08
The Sn1ifh=MurraVCO
400 YEARS OF YUCATAN

Yucatan, the peninsular region OF
Central America which forms the
southeastern extremity Of Mexico and
comprises the states of fYucatan and
Campeche, will celebrate this month
the 400th anniversary of its discov-
cry. It was exactly four centuries
ago today, Feb. 8, 1917, that Fran
cisco Fernandez de Cordova sailed
10 men, on voyage of discovery.
Sailing around the westward end of
Cuba and across the Yucatan Chan
mel, they landed ON the coast Of Yucca
tan, where they received a warm
reception by the natives. The cara
wells first sighted land at Cape Ca
toche, the eastern point of Yucatan,
an Aztec name for the great PENN
sula. Evidently the warlike natives
did not like the appearance Of their
Spanish visitors, for, wherever they
landed, the invaders were driven off
by the naked barbarians, who used
bows and arrows with deadly taccur-
acy. At a point north of Campeche
Cordova landed at the head of forty
eight men, and a pitched battle was
fought. The natives were completely
victorious, forty-seven Of the party
being killed outright. With one
man Cordova escaped to his ship, but
he has been wounded in. a dozen
places The explorer had had enough
Of lYucatan, and fastened back to
Cuba, where he soon died of his
wounds.
The Yucatecans are the descendants
Of that same brave Maya race which
was found in possession of the land
at the time of IT'S discovery by Cor
dova. There are innumerable cvid-
ences that the Mayanas1 at one time
attained a high state of civilization,
as shown by the many magnificent
runs. About. n;ne-tenths' Of the i'm
habitants are Of almost pIrs Maya
stock and speech, and the E,estiYos
and Spaniaras arc largely confined to
Merida, Carlpeche and other ei.ies
a:,d towns. The Mayans Of Today
have coarse Il ack and straight hair,
ar:hed nose and reddish brown { I'M
plexion, but they are readily dis
inguishable from other, aboriginal
Americans by their regular features,
low cheek-bones, and an air OF refine
ment which indicates descent from
highly cultured people. Yucatan was
an independent republic from 1910 to
fS43, and, although the Mexicans sue
ceeded in suppressing the rebellion.
The Yucatecans have never been very
loyal citizens Of Mexico.
The Magyar Indians have taken lit
tie Fart in the recent revolutions Of
the Mexicars. but they have had a
revolution Of their own which has
been remarkable in it's effects. The
A,ayans, whose ancestors worsh:ppel
at the Temple of the Snail, have long
been nominal Christians, but of late
years the faith has been almost COM
pletely overthroWn, and an anti-rel-
gious movement of great strength
has sprung up. Gen. Salvador AL
varado, who became governor of Yu-
catan in 1915, initiated this social
revolution. Establishing his head
quarters in Merida-the Oldest city in
the New WOrld-he began a propa-
ganda which soon resulted in driv-
ing from the state what he described
as "the twin evils,'' rum and religion.
AS the first step in Yucatan's peace
full revolution, all the cantinas or sa-
looms and all the churches were clos
ed. Private houses were searched
and all the liquor found therein was
and destroyed, or shipped
to the United States, if found in un-
broken bottles. The Catholic church,
for centuries supreme, was complete
y OverthrCwn, and the churches were
turned into schools, in which the
teaching of religion was prohibited. :