The History of Yucatán

The most important findings in Yucatán were found in the grottos of Loltún, which help us to imagine the first humans in the region, around 8,000 BC, where vestiges and tusks of mastodons were found in their caverns. These inhabitants had a nomadic lifestyle, seeking food and shelter, forcing them to move from one place to another. It was then that they began the development of agriculture that allowed them to stay longer. Later, the territory was populated by the Mayans. Its culture had its maximum splendor in the postclassic period, corresponding to the year 900 AD. even what was the Spanish conquest. This period is known for the uprising of cities that marked the history of the Mayans such as Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Labná, Mayapán and Chichén Itzá. This last city was one of the most important Mayan centers in Yucatán. With its almost 1,000 years of history, Chichén Itzá became one of the most powerful cities of the Mayans, expanding from Yucatán to Guatemala.

What was the development of one of the most important cultures in the world, was interrupted by the conquest, before this, it is believed that the first Spaniards to arrive in the Yucatan peninsula were Gonzalo Guerrero and Jerónimo Aguilar, the only survivors of the Valdivia’s expedition that left Panama for Santo Domingo in 1511. With no intention of reaching the Mayan territories, they were received by the community, and ended up adopting their language and customs. Later, after several months sailing across the Atlantic, the expedition led by Don Francisco Hernández de Córdoba reached the Yucatecan coast in 1517. The mission of this vessel was to search for indigenous people to work in Cuban lands underneath Spaniards who were settling your life there. This expedition is considered as the discovery of what we know today as the Yucatán peninsula, made up of the states of Campeche, Quintana Roo and Yucatán.

Almost 10 years passed since the discovery of the peninsula when on December 18, 1526 Francisco de Montejo was appointed Adelantado de Yucatán in Granada, Spain, in order to colonize the lands and have control over Yucatan and the island of Cozumel. The expedition started in 1527 with 4 ships, about 500 men were on board. Upon reaching land, he went to the city of Chichen Itzá, where he encountered fierce resistance by its inhabitants. Having been defeated, he began the battle in the east of the region, while his son, Francisco de Montejo el Mozo, continued the fight achieving the victory of the conquest and founding the city of Mérida, named after the city of his native Spain.

The conquest brought with it a fusion of cultures in which, for many years, the Mayans resisted, but were subjected to the customs of their conquerors. The Franciscan religious brought with them the new faith, erected majestic churches that would replace the temples of the ancient gods and great convents in the most important cities such as Izamal, Valladolid and Maní. One of the greatest contributors at this stage in the history of Yucatan was Fray Diego de Landa, who dedicated himself to forming a legacy of history with his writings on life in the region and was elected to lead the Yucatan church at the end of the First Provincial Chapter of the Order of the Franciscans on September 13, 1561.

On July 12, 1562, the auto da fé (act of faith) took place in the town of Maní, where sculptures and manuscripts that reflected the greatness of the Mayan culture were burned, a punishment imposed by Fray Diego de Landa on the indigenous people who still idolized their ancient gods. This was one of the many struggles of the people to preserve their customs and ideals, until in 1697 the last breath of the Mayan resistance with the conquest of the indigenous people of the Petén Itzá region, concluding the period of struggle for the Spanish conquest in Mayan lands.

Several years of adjustments passed between conquerors and colonized, until on October 14, 1812 the Political Constitution of the Monarchy was applied, which was promulgated in the port of Cádiz, Spain, being the first constitution applied in the province that contained important political reforms. A month later, thanks to pressure from the group of liberals known as “Sanjuanistas”, the Cortes de Cádiz decreed the abolition of personal services that weighed on the indigenous people, demanding equity in the payment of contributions among all the social castes and the distribution from lands to Mayans over 25 years old.

Thanks to them, little by little more rights and freedoms were gained, until on March 31, 1841 the Yucatecan constitution was reformed, whose author was Cresencio García Rejón, who demanded the freedom of cults, of the press and the constitutional bases and legal of the amparo trial. During this period, very important moments were experienced in the state, such as the first of October 1841, the draft of the independence act of the state of Yucatán was presented, in order to be regulated by a federalist system, remaining in the Mexican Republic. The centralist government of the country did not agree with this separation, so it sent a military outpost to confront the separatists and the Mexican ports against Yucatan were closed, which affected the state’s economy in large part.

Finally, on December 5, 1843, President Antonio López de Santa Anna signed the agreements that allowed Yucatan its full autonomy, declaring itself independent for about 2 years. In 1847 one of the most important conflicts in the history of the state occurs, known as the Caste War. In this rebellion the Mayans decided to rise up in arms against the “whites”, fed up with the mistreatment and humiliation they received from them, a multi-stage war that would last more than 50 years, concluding in 1901. When asking for support from the center of the country to control this fight, it had as a consequence the reintegration of Yucatan to the Mexican republic.

The golden age in Yucatán falls on the shoulders of the henequen era. Built between the 17th and 19th centuries, the haciendas are considered the architectural treasures of the state of Yucatán. Thanks to the fact that the vast majority of the haciendas are preserved as originals, they allow us to travel a little through time and live a unique experience through the history of the region. The henequenera industry, the commerce and services like the railroad turned this state into one of the richest.

Great works of art represent what Yucatán has lived through for so many years, and many of these are found in the Yucatan Government Palace, such as the Mural of the conquest of Yucatán, painted by Fernando Castro Pacheco. Today, Yucatán is a state rich in culture, history, gastronomy and tourism, being one of the most visited destinations in Mexico and the world, as its people await with open arms tourists who want to know a little about how much it has to offer.