Table Of ContentY
YAXCABÁ
ArchAeology n Mexico a
T x
he Caste War of Yucatán (1847–1901) is widely regarded as the most successful Indian c
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rebellion in the New World. An attempt by the Maya to rid themselves of foreign domi-
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nation and revitalize their traditional culture, the conflict led to successful agrarian
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reform and the reassertion of traditional land use by the Maya. It also generated a new
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religion with its own priesthood and cultural practices focused on the worship of a prophetic n
“talking” cross. This war’s economic and cultural transformation provides blueprints for d
understanding present-day Mexico and the expansion of capitalism to rural areas worldwide. t
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Although important in its consequences, the origins of the war and its interpretations
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remain controversial. Rani Alexander’s interdisciplinary study uses archaeological evi dence
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along with ethnography and history to understand the nature of the region’s agrarian system
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and the processes of resistance. Yaxcabá and its environs, caught in the crossfire of the conflict, s
were attacked and burned nine times in the course of the war. In view of the enormous loss t
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of life and destruction of property, the postwar agrarian reform seems to be a consequence of
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economic ruin rather than successful resistance. Only an interdisciplinary approach to these
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complex events can produce the complete picture that Alexander’s work provides.
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Rani T. Alexander
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is assistant professor a
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of sociology and
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New Mexico State
University,
Las Cruces.
and the Caste War of Yucatán
ISBN 0-8263-2962-4
ËxHSKIMGy329622zv*:+:!:+:!
JACKET PHOTOS: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
front courtesy of Jeanne Randall, University of New Mexico Press
back courtesy of Rani T. Alexander
unmpress.com • 800-249-7737 Rani T. Alexander
JACKET DESIGN: Kathleen Sparkes
Yaxcabá and the
Caste War of Yucatán
Yaxcabá and the
Caste War of Yucatán
An Archaeological Perspective
Rani T. Alexander
UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO PRESS • ALBUQUERQUE
00_Yaxcaba_FM_ppi_xiv_FIN 2/24/04 8:18 AM Page iv
© by the University ofNew Mexico Press
All rights reserved.
First Edition
--
Alexander,Rani T.,1962–
Yaxcabá and the caste war ofYucatán :an archaeological perspective
/ Rani T.Alexander.— 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8263-2962-4 (cloth :alk.paper)
1. Mayas—Mexico—Yaxcabá—History—19th century.2. Mayas—Mexico—
Yaxcabá—Antiquities.3. Excavations (Archaeology)—Mexico—Yaxcabá.
4. Ethnoarchaeology—Mexico—Yaxcabá.5. Yucatán (Mexico :State)—
History—Caste War,1847–1855.6. Yaxcabá (Mexico)—Politics and
government.7. Yaxcabá (Mexico)—History—19th century.8. Yaxcabá
(Mexico)—Antiquities.9. Mexico—History—Spanish colony,1540–1810.
I.Title.
F1435.1.Y27A54 2004
972’.6500497’427—dc22
2003018564
(cid:1)
All drawings are by Rani Alexander,unless otherwise noted.
Interior design and typesetting:Kathleen Sparkes
Body type:Minion 10 / 13
Display:Akzidenz Grotesk
00_Yaxcaba_FM_ppi_xiv_FIN 2/24/04 8:18 AM Page v
Contents
List of Figures vi
List of Tables vii
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xiii
CHAPTER ONE
Legacies of Resistance 1
CHAPTER TWO
Agrarian Change and the Caste War 15
CHAPTER THREE
The Political Economy of Yaxcabá 37
CHAPTER FOUR
Archaeological Settlement Patterns 69
CHAPTER FIVE
Archaeological Site Structure before the Caste War 117
CHAPTER SIX
Yaxcabá and the Caste War in Archaeological Perspective 151
Glossary 163
Notes 169
Works Cited 183
Index 201
List of Figures
Figure .: The Study Area,
Figure .: (a–d) Yaxcabá Town Center, ,
Figure .: Population ofYaxcabá,–,
Figure .: Population ofMopilá,–,
Figure .: Population ofYaxcabá Parish,–,
Figure .: Geomorphology in the Yaxcabá Region,
Figure .: Settlements in Yaxcabá Parish,
Figure .: Features ofCategory I Sites,San Francisco Yaxcabá,
Figure .: (a–c) Features ofCategory II Sites, ,
Figure .: Retablo ofthe Iglesia de San Mateo,Mopilá,
Figure .: (a–c) Features ofCategory III Sites, ,
Figure .: (a–c) Features ofCategory IV Sites, ,
Figure .: (a–g) Settlement Patterns by Phase, ‒
Figure .: Locations and Sizes ofVillage Ejidos in Yaxcabá Parish,
Figure .: Locations and Sizes ofBaldío Claims in Yaxcabá Parish,
Figure .: Site Plan ofMopilá,
Figure .: Site Plan ofCetelac,
Figure .: Site Plan ofCacalchén,
Figure .: (a–g) House-Lot Features, , , , ,
Figure .: House Lot D,Cetelac,
Figure .: House Lot H,Mopilá,
Figure .: House Lot K,Cacalchén,
vi
List of Tables
Table .: Population Distribution by Settlement Class in Yaxcabá Parish,–,
Table .: Ethnic Change in Yaxcabá,–,
Table .: Population Distribution in Yaxcabá Parish,–,
Table .: Census,
Table .: Occupational Information Cabecera and Pueblos,,
Table .: Occupational Information for Haciendas,Sitios,and Ranchos,,
Table .: Events ofthe Caste War in Yaxcabá,
Table .: Census of,
Table .: Attributes ofArchaeological Site Types in the Yaxcabá Region,
Table .: Population,Age,and Architectural Features ofSettlements in
Yaxcabá Parish,
Table .: Population,Age,and Architectural Features ofCategory III
Sites (Haciendas) in Yaxcabá Parish,
Table .: Distribution ofSites and their Population over Time,
Table .: Property Ownership and Investments ofSpanish Creoles in Yaxcabá Parish,
Table .: Numbers ofFarmers and Village Ejido Sizes in the Yaxcabá Region,
Table .: Numbers ofFarmers and Livestock for Haciendas in the Yaxcabá Region,
Table .: Claims ofTerreno Baldío in Yaxcabá Parish,
Table .: Amount ofLand Needed by Farmers for Each Settlement in Yaxcabá Parish,
Table .: House-Lot Configurations in Mopilá,Cetelac,and Cacalchén,
Table .: Comparison ofPopulation,Land Pressure,House-Lot Size,Ancillary Features,
and Size ofHouse-Lot Components among Three Sites in Yaxcabá Parish,
vii
Preface
I
n I was working on the Yaxuná Archaeological Survey, km south of the site of
Chichén Itzá on the Yucatán Peninsula.At that time the project’s objectives were to acquire
a greater understanding ofthe tenth- and eleventh-century conflicts that occurred between
the city ofChichén Itzá and its east-coast rival,Cobá.The site ofYaxuná is connected to
Cobá via a -km-long causeway,yet it is actually closer to Chichén,an observation that
has led to archaeological speculation about the competitive relationship between the two cen-
ters.Ethnohistorians identify the site ofYaxuná with a place called Cetelac mentioned in the
books of Chilam Balam,where it is said that the leaders of Chichén and Cetelac “agreed in
their opinions”and thus established a boundary between the two polities. Cetelac,which
appears on two early colonial maps,the Map ofMani and the Map ofthe Tierras
de Sotuta,also figured prominently in a sixteenth-century border dispute between the provinces
ofSotuta and Cupul. One day when we were mapping,I asked Emeterio Tamay,the comis-
ario ejidal(a municipal official charged with overseeing the distribution,use,transfer,and
cultivation of communal lands),if he knew of a place called Cetelac.“Ceteac,”he corrected
me,and offwe went with our crew and the project director.
A few hundred meters beyond our last grid-marker,we entered a corral enclosure containing
a number ofwooden beehives that were set in rows.A buckskin mare calmly grazed the zacate
near the well outside the main gate.At the far end ofthe corral,an empty corn crib made of
wood poles and tar paper and surrounded by corn husks was nestled into the corner ofa large,
vine-covered masonry structure.A few minutes of work removing the vegetation revealed a
surprisingly ornate,two-story house ofa landed estate,or hacienda,along with its noria(well)
and water troughs.As we poked around,Don Emeterio commented,“En el tiempo de esclavi-
tud[in the time ofslavery],this hacienda and three others were owned by the same family,a
group ofbrothers.Now,ofcourse,it belongs to us;it is part ofour ejido.”
The nineteenth century in Yucatán was the crucible that fused agrarian change to Maya social
identity.When people in Yaxuná and surrounding villages talk about “el tiempo de esclavitud,”
they are referring to the early nineteenth century,before the onset ofthe Caste War ofYucatán
(–).It was a politically turbulent era,one which saw independence from Spain;attempts
to establish an independent republic of Yucatán; conflict between elites in Mérida and
Campeche;and the extension ofSpanish-Creole entrepreneurial ventures to the countryside.Most
important for the rural Maya were the changes created by the growth ofthe haciendas and new
legislation governing land tenure.Following independence,Spanish Creoles came to dominate
the local ayuntamientos(town councils),effectively disenfranchising Maya from most political
ix
Description:The Caste War of Yucat?n (1847-1901) is widely regarded as the most successful Indian rebellion in the New World. An attempt by the Maya to rid themselves of foreign domination and revitalize their traditional culture, the conflict led to successful agrarian reform and the reassertion of traditional
