History of the Spanish Conquest of Yucatan and of the Itzas / Papers of the Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Hard University. Vol. VII.

by Philip Ainsworth Means

INTRODUCTION

In the library of the Peabody Museum of Harvard University there is an invaluable collection of photographs of old manuscripts relating to Middle America. These photographs, made by Professor William E. Gates of Point Loma, California, were given to the Peabody Museum by Charles P. Bowditch, Esq., of Boston. One of the volumes contains a photographic reproduction of an original manuscript entitled Relación de las dos Entradas que hizé a Peten Ytza. The author, Fray Andrés de Avendaño y Loyola, of the Order of Saint Francis, will receive much of our attention later. Fortunately Mr. Bowditch and Sr. Guillermo Rivera have deciphered and translated the crabbed old text, so that we have at hand an account of the subjection of the Itzas of Tayasal, or Peten Itza, which is not only invaluable as being the work of an eyewitness of that subjection, but which also is filled with a rare charm. It was largely with a view to bringing this old manuscript to the attention of students that Mr. Bowditch and Dr. Tozzer asked me to work it up into a study of the Itzas of Tayasal. At the same time we must not neglect to notice here the translation, made by Mr. Bowditch and Sr. Rivera, of another inedited work on the same subject. I refer to the account by Fray Alonso Cano, which will be of great use to us later.

Though Avendaño and Cano are, so to speak, the prime reasons for the writing of this study, they have been supplemented in no inconsiderable degree by two other early Spanish writers on the history of Yucatan and its people, Diego Cogolludo and Juan de Villagutierre y Sotomayor. A few comments on the works of these two authors will later prove useful to the reader.

Though Villagutierre's Spanish style is far superior to that of such writers as Fernando Montesinos and Antonio de la Calancha, it is, nevertheless, atrocious. Although he wrote about 1700, Villagutierre's style is excessively archaic; his grammatical construction can hardly be called construction at all, so formless and ambiguous is it. Villagutierre never hesitates to write several long sentences without a single main verb between them, nor does he often refrain from going on and on for a page or so without using a period. In the use of capitals he is most whimsical; usually he has them when they are called for, but he has many that are out of place as well.

The style of Cogolludo, on the other hand, is very good, and that, be it noted, despite the fact that Cogolludo wrote prior to 1688. One remarks with considerable surprise that in several cases Villagutierre and Cogolludo use almost the same words. For example, in speaking of the visit which Cortes made to the island of Tayasal, Cogolludo says: "... y aun la ida de Cortes se tuvo por ossadia, y demasiada confianza...." Villagutierre, in the same connection says: "... que lo tenian a grandissima temeridad, y ossadia, y por demasiada confianza...." This is an interesting point, and perhaps it is significant that Cogolludo's book was published in 1688, whereas that of Villagutierre was not brought out until 1701. It is to be noted that Cogolludo, the earlier writer, uses only two epithets, and that Villagutierre, the later writer, uses the same two, plus a new one of his own. I know of two other cases where equally close and significant similarity exists between the two. It is possible, then, that Villagutierre copied (not to say plagiarized) the work of Cogolludo without giving credit for it. But the important point for us in this matter does not concern the personal integrity of Villagutierre. Rather does the importance of the matter lie in this: if Villagutierre was acquainted with the history of Yucatan by Cogolludo to such a degree that he frequently borrowed whole phrases from it, he must have had a very good reason for diverging widely now and again from the version of events given by Cogolludo. Such a reason could only be supplied by the fact that Villagutierre possessed information which he regarded as superior to and more official than that of Cogolludo. Therefore, since in several instances (as in his account of the events leading up to the visit of Cortes to Tayasal) Villagutierre occasionally departs from the footsteps of Cogolludo, we may safely assume that he was at once more critical and better informed than the latter, whom, however, he valued enough to be willing to draw from his work much of his information and even some of his phraseology.

The virtues and defects of Avendaño and of Cano are less subtle; so much so, indeed, that it would be absurd to attempt a criticism of them here. The reader will have ample opportunity to see their qualities for himself in the body of the book.

A word as to the method adopted in translating is in order. In the various passages taken from Cogolludo and Villagutierre I have preserved the spelling and capitalization of proper names that appear in the text. All passages from Avendaño and Cano are from the translations made by Mr. Bowditch and Sr. Rivera.

All the other works used are so well known that comment on them is superfluous.

Finally, I wish to express my gratitude to Mr. Bowditch and to Dr. Tozzer, both of whom have spent much time and thought in going over the manuscript of this work. Among the others who have shown me kindness and courtesy during the preparation of this study are Mr. Putnam of the Library of Congress; Dr. George Byron Gordon of the University Museum, Philadelphia; Professor Holmes of the United States National Museum; Dr. Edward Luther Stevenson of the Hispanic Society of America, New York; and, lastly, my mother, Mrs. James Means. These and others have generously given me much of their time and information.

PHILIP AINSWORTH MEANS

February 23, 1917

TABLE OF CONTENTS

[CHAPTER I]

THE PRE-COLUMBIAN HISTORY OF THE MAYAS
AND OF THE ITZAS, 1445

Migratory period

The Golden Age or Old Empire of the Maya

The Colonization period

Transitional period

Renaissance or League period

The period of the Toltec mercenaries

Disintegration

Note: Cogolludo's account of the early history of the Mayas and of some of their customs

[CHAPTER II]

THE POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES OF
THE ITZA STATE DURING THE PERIOD OF 1445-1697

The significance of the Itzas

The location of Peten or Tayasal

Description of Peten and its surroundings

The lake neither rises nor falls

The temples of Tayasal described by Avendaño

The palace of Canek, Chief of the Itzas

The districts of Peten Itza

Extent of the Itza dominion under the Chief Canek

Quincanek

Further information about the region

The Itzas described

[CHAPTER III]

THE FIRST SPANISH ENTRADAS INTO YUCATAN, 1517-1526

The first Spaniards in Yucatan

Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba, 1517

Juan de Grijalva and others, 1518

Cortes in Mexico, 1519

Villagutierre's account of the entrada of Cortes, 1524-1525

Cortes starts for Honduras

Cortes arrives at Izancanac

Description of a large town

The Spaniards suspect treachery

The Indians explain why their town was deserted

Cortes takes leave of them in a friendly spirit

The deer hunt

The army of Cortes proceeds on its way

The lake

They capture an Indian

The Indian is sent to Tayasal

Some Indians come to Cortes from Tayasal

Canek himself comes and is courteously received

Canek hears Mass and promises to put away his idols

Cortes goes to Tayasal with Canek

The Itzas give Cortes news of Olid

Cortes takes leave of Canek, leaving Morzillo

Idols not burnt

Cortes arrives in Honduras

Comparison of Villagutierre with other authorities

Canek's attitude toward Cortes

[CHAPTER IV]

THE ENTRADA OF FRANCISCO DE MONTEJO AND HIS SON,
AND THE ARRIVAL OF THE FRANCISCANS, 1526-1542

Francisco de Montejo and his son

Montejo's preparations and sacrifices

He sets out

Montejo and his men go along the shore of Yucatan

Description of the campaign

Dávila and Vazquez search vainly for gold in the region of Chetemal

Foundation of Villa Real de Chetemal

Hardships of those who were at Chichen

Continual misfortunes

Chichen Itza and Villa Real both deserted

Dávila goes to Honduras

The Elder Montejo goes to Tabasco in 1535

The Franciscans enter Yucatan, 1535

Renewal of the subjection of Yucatan by Montejo, 1537

Hostility of the Indians

The Elder Montejo's instructions to his son

The Younger Montejo founds Campeche, 1540-1541

Tutul Xiu of Mani offers his aid

Foundation of Merida and of Valladolid, 1542-1543

Bishop Bartolomé de las Casas arrives in Yucatan

[CHAPTER V]

THE ENTRADA OF PADRES FUENSALIDA AND ORBITA, 1618

The name Canek

Increased power of the Itzas

The mock embassy from Tayasal

The mock embassy considered to be a rebellion

A new period in the history of the Itzas

Fuensalida and Orbita

Preliminaries to the departure of the Padres

Briceño's opposition

The Padres set out

Their route

The journey up the river from Tipu

Arrival at Tipu

Events at the village of Tipu

The friendliness of Carrillo and the Indians

Don Christoval Na, Cacique of the Indians of Tipu

Francisco Cumux goes with an embassy to Canek

Cumux returns from Canek with two chiefs of Tayasal

The two chiefs are cordially received

The Padres prepare to travel to Tayasal

Delays; the Padres' anger

The return to Tipu

All precautions taken, they set out once more

Lake Yaxha is crossed; arrival at Lake Zacpeten

The Padres camp beside Lake Peten

The Padres arrive at Tayasal and are well received

Mass is said

Fuensalida preaches; Orbita destroys an idol

The Padres urge the Itzas to be Christians

They refuse because the appointed time has not come

After a few days the Padres leave Tayasal

[CHAPTER VI]

THE ENTRADA OF PADRE FRAY DIEGO DELGADO AND THE
EVENTS THAT FOLLOWED, 1621-1624

Padre Fray Diego Delgado's offer to christianize the Itzas

Delgado travels to the convent of Xecchacan

He is well provided with guides and other Indians

Zaclun

The proposal of Mirones

Mirones and the Governor make an agreement

Mirones raises an army for his entrada

Mirones arrives at Zaclun

The wanton and foolish oppression caused by Mirones

Delgado opposes Mirones

Delgado determines to anticipate Mirones

Delgado's message to Canek

Delgado receives permission from Canek to come to Tayasal

The treachery of the Itzas

Delgado and others are put to death

Mirones sends Ek after Delgado

Revolt of the Indians

An epidemic of apostasy; the third phase of the conquest of the Itzas begins

[CHAPTER VII]

THE EARLY HISTORY OF GUATEMALA AND THE ENTRADA
FROM THAT COUNTRY, 1694-1695

The Indian tribes of Guatemala

Account of the Cakchiquel and of the Quiché

The government and the cities of the Cakchiquel and of the Quiché

Spanish conquest

Gallegos and Delgado

The Indians are friendly to them

The route taken by the two Padres

Several villages founded

The Dominicans and the Franciscans

Struggles between the Dominicans and the Indians

The inception of the plan to subdue the Itzas, 1689

Soberanis ordered to coöperate

Ursua to succeed Soberanis in office

A letter from Ursua y Arizmendi to the King of the Spains

The King grants all that Ursua asks

President Barrios aids in the undertaking

Arrangements for the entrada; supplies, etc.

The voluntary contributions

Quarrels between Soberanis and the Bishop of Yucatan

President Barrios decides to join the entrada in person

The expedition sets out from Guatemala City

Events at Huehuetenango

Ursua's activities

An army sets out from Yucatan for the Montaña

Padres Cano and Avendaño y Loyola

Cano's account of the entrada from Guatemala

The route followed by Cano

The Chols and the Mopanes

From Mopan to the lake

Cano advises return

Explanations of their withdrawal sent to Guatemala

The decree of the General Assembly

Quarrels among the soldiers and the officials

The writers of the decree punished

[CHAPTER VIII]

THE FIRST AND UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT MADE BY FRAY ANDRÉS
DE AVENDAÑO Y LOYOLA TO REACH THE ITZAS
OF TAYASAL, 1695-1699

Preamble

Preparations for the journey

The start

Indian singers

Arrival at Cauich

Departure from Cauich

Aguada of Hobon Ox; Chunzalam, Vecanxan

Nohhalal, Th[=a] Ayn, Sucte

Ix Kata-Kal

Nohku

Nohvecan

Hardships suffered by the Padres

Oppol; a bridge built across a river

Tanche

Deserted village of Temchay

Nohpek

Nohthub

Bacechac

Buete

Lack of supplies

Paredes seizes some farms

Fifty-one Indians of Buete surrender

Avendaño argues with Paredes about his plundering

The royal decrees are mentioned by Avendaño

Paredes promises to return the plunder

Paredes fails to keep his word

Tzucthok, once before reduced, had rebelled

The Padres endeavor to instruct the Indians

The captains promise to give warning before fighting

A skirmish

The avarice of Paredes

Chunpich is reached

Zuviaur goes to the Itzas; the Padres return

Further troubles

The Padres determine to get to the Itzas some other way

Letter to the captains

Governor Ursua vexed by the captains' letter

Return to Merida

[CHAPTER IX]

THE SECOND ENTRADA OF PADRE AVENDAÑO

Orders of the Governor

Departure of Avendaño

The same route followed as before; Batcab is reached

Chuntucí

The hardships of the journey

Approaching the Itzas

Tan Xuluc Mul; temples on a great height

Chakan Itza

The Chakan Itzas

Treatment of the natives

The Padres please other Indians by means of little gifts

The Padres renew their march

Nich

Indians arrive from Tayasal

Bravery of Avendaño

The landing at Tayasal; the idol

At the temple

The Padres read the letters

The curiosity of the Itzas

A baptism performed

Other Caciques arrive

The Caciques in war paint

Avendaño makes inquiries as to their manner of reckoning time

Avendaño explains the prophecies

Objection of Covoh

Discussion with Canek and others

Friendliness of Canek

Demonstrations against Canek

Leniency promised by the Padres

Avendaño takes steps to protect the Itzas from further molestation

The letter of counsel

Before leaving Tayasal, Avendaño shames Covoh

The hatred of the Chakan Itzas for the Padres increases

Canek helps the Padres to escape

Paredes' stupidity; the plot of the Chakan Itzas

The Chakan Itzas are foiled by God

The departure of the Padres from Tayasal

Avendaño goes eastward to Yalain

Trouble with soldiers

The Padres suffer hardships and lose their way

Hard travel in the wilderness for fifteen days

Miracle of the bent branch

An uncomfortable night

Great want of food

The situation grows still worse

They find some miraculous honey

Two Padres go ahead

A desperate situation

They find some edible thistles

Some hills are reached

Deserted buildings

False hopes; further hardships

They face starvation

A sign from our Lady of the Apparition

They climb some high hills

Avendaño left alone

The miracle of the sapote

Rescued

What had happened to the Indians whom Avendaño sent off

The messenger from Tayasal

Reasons for Avendaño's distrust

[CHAPTER X]

THE CONSUMMATION OF THE CONQUEST OF TAYASAL
BY THE SPANIARDS, 1695-1696

The expedition from Guatemala reaches Cahabon

Preliminary movements and plans

The fate of Diaz de Velasco; Amezquita follows him

Conclusion of the subjection of the Itzas begun

Paredes is ordered to march to Los Dolores

Canek's ambassador, Can, arrives at Merida

Zuviaur goes to the lake

Ursua determines to take vigorous measures

Lawsuits between Soberanis and Ursua

Captain Paredes at Tzucthok

Captain Hariza at Tipu

The Cacique Cintanek's villages

Can's report

The commands of King Charles II

Soberanis and Ursua in agreement at last

The part to be taken by Indian villages

The road completed as far as the lake

Quincanek feigns friendliness

The hostilities begin

The captains urge Ursua to fight; the battle

Tayasal becomes a Spanish possession

Later history of Tayasal