18471847–1901 · Tihosuco, Quintana Roo

Caste War of Yucatán

The ruined colonial church of Tihosuco, its front blown away during the Caste War — Photo: Guillermo Isaac Huesca Solis. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1847 Maya peasants in eastern Yucatán rose against the Hispanic elite who had taken their land and taxed them heavily, and for a time drove them back almost to Mérida. Rebels then withdrew to the eastern forests and founded an independent state around Chan Santa Cruz, guided by a 'Talking Cross'. Mexican troops took the town only in 1901, after more than half a century.

Sites

Site 1: Museo de la Guerra de Castas, TihosucoMuseum of the war in the home town of rebel leader Jacinto Pat.Map ↗
Site 2: Santuario de la Cruz Parlante, Felipe Carrillo PuertoShrine of the Talking Cross in the former rebel capital.Map ↗
Site 3: ValladolidColonial city where the execution of Maya leader Manuel Antonio Ay in 1847 helped spark the war.Map ↗

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More from the 18th & 19th Century

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