Chan Santa Cruz
Chan Santa Cruz was a late 19th-century indigenous Maya state in modern-day Quintana Roo. It was also the name of a shrine that served as the center of the Maya Cruzoob[note 1] religious movement, and of the town that developed around the shrine, now known as Felipe Carrillo Puerto. The town was historically the main center of what is now the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, and it acted as the de facto capital for the Maya during the Caste War of Yucatán.
Chan Santa CruzU Noh Kah Balam Nah Chan Santa Cruz
Noh Kah Balam Nah Chan Santa Cruz
Jose Maria Barrera
Bernardino Cen
1849
1935
History[edit]
Before and during Spanish colonization[edit]
Before Spanish colonization, the people in the land that would become the Chan Santa Cruz state were predominantly indigenous descendants of the Maya. Its northern reaches were likely part of the state of Coba during the Classic Period.
After the Spanish began to occupy nearby areas, the Xiu Maya state in the western half of the Yucatán Peninsula chose to ally with the newly-neighboring Empire. The Itzá state continued to train and educate indigenous Maya leaders in the sanctuaries of the southern province, such as Lake Petén Itzá. General Martín de Ursúa invaded and sacked Nojpetén, the Itzá island capital, on March 13, 1697.
The province of Uaan remained largely unknown to the Spanish, but its provincial capital of Chable (meaning 'anteater') was mentioned several times in the books of Chilam Balam as a cycle seat.
The Spanish conquered the western half of the Itzá state during the 18th century. The most famous of the Spanish campaigns was against the indigenous Kanek (king) and his followers, which ended with the death of the Kanek and his closest followers on December 14, 1761.
Most Maya Cruzoob religious officials were — and are — unpaid, or are paid by donations from wealthy or devout members of the community. These officials are typically among the oldest and most impoverished of the community, having distributed most of their personal property to finance associated community festivals.[10]
Religious officials include or have included:
Civil officials include or have included:
Military forces were led by Ahau K'atun Kiuik, also called General de la Plaza, the supreme commander of Maya military forces.[13][3] This position was held by several different individuals. There is some evidence that the first, most effective, and longest serving General of the Plaza was Bernardino Cen.[5] The last fully recognized General of the Plaza was General May, who signed the final peace treaties with the Mexican government in the 1930s and 1940s. Subsequent attempts to revive the generalship have failed to garner the support of the community as a whole, and the military survives primarily as an honor guard for the Maya Church.
Under the Ahau K'atun Kiuik were the Ahau K'atun, the Generals. There were four of these Generals, one for each direction. Nonetheless, during the war of liberation, it was the generals of the north and of the south who garnered the most space in the Spanish and British colonial press.[13][3] The first General of the North was Cecilio Chi, who served from 1847 until his death in May 1849 and was victorious at Valladolid and Iz'amal. The second General of the North was Venancio Pec, who served from 1849 to 1852. The first General of the South was Jacinto Pat, who served from 1847 until his assassination in December 1849, and who was victorious at Peto, Tekax, and Tikul. The second General of the South was Florentino Chan, who served from 1849 to 1852. Other military ranks have included Ah K'atun (Captain) and K'atun (Private or Soldier).[13][3]
