CONQUEST OF YUCATAN: STAGES AND MAIN CHARACTERS - HISTORY - 2024

The c onquista Yucatan was one of the phases of the conquest of America by the Spaniards. The peninsula had been discovered in 1517, although the movements for its occupation did not begin until ten years later, in 1527. In contrast to other areas that were more easily conquered, Yucatán presented difficulties for the Spanish.

In fact, it took 20 years of attempts to end the strong resistance presented by the Mayans, a people who inhabited the area. The conquest process is usually divided into three distinct stages; each one of these supposed advances of the Spanish positions that, little by little, were taking control of the entire area.

Even after the formal occupation of the peninsula, Yucatán continued to be a focus of indigenous resistance for centuries. The main Spanish protagonist was the advance Francisco de Montejo, who had fought alongside Cortés on other expeditions. Cortés's conflict with Velásquez gave Montejo the possibility of leading this conquest.

Stages

Background

The conflicts that arose between two of the first conquerors who reached the coasts of that area of ​​Mexico gave the opportunity to a third, Francisco de Montejo, to be the one to lead the definitive expedition.

Montejo thought that in Yucatan he could find the same wealth as in the Valley of Mexico and asked King Carlos V for permission to begin the conquest of the peninsula.

The monarch and the Council of the Indies approved his proposal, although on the condition that Montejo advance the money necessary for the expedition.

Thus, the Capitulations of Granada were signed, in which the conditions of the conquest and subsequent colonization were detailed. Montejo was named advance, governor, and captain general and was granted a license to import cattle from America.

These documents also included a requirement for the Indians to come under the power of the Crown, as well as for them to agree to convert to Christianity.

Finally, in 1527 the advance Montejo gathered all the necessary permits to begin his project of conquest. The expedition left the port of Sanlúcar de Barrameda with everything necessary to be successful.

First stage

As had happened on previous expeditions, Montejo's ships reached the island of Cozumel first. From there, crossing the canal, they reached Xel Há, founding the first Spanish city in the area. They called it Salamanca, in honor of its Hispanic namesake.

At first the expedition members received help from the indigenous people they found there. Despite this collaboration, the Spanish immediately established a tribute on the native population.

Peace was short-lived in the area. The natives carried out a strong attack on the newly founded town where a group of men had stayed, while the rest, led by Montejo, had embarked on an expedition through the interior of the peninsula.

Without knowing what had happened in Salamanca, the rest of the conquerors found several peaceful native populations. However, upon reaching Chauac Há, a Mayan army surprised them by attacking them. The battle lasted two days, ending with the victory of the Spanish.

Despite the defeat, the Mayans managed to force Montejo's troops to retreat, fleeing towards Tecoh. There, the cheles received them in a friendly manner.

Second stage

The second phase of the conquest began approximately in 1530 and lasted for about five years. The Spanish got the cheles, traditional enemies of the Maya, to support them against the common enemy. Montejo then divided his forces, placing them under the command of his son nicknamed "el Mozo."

The confrontations with the Mayans escalated during the following dates. The support of the cheles was not enough to defeat them and the Mayans forced the Spanish to abandon various positions already won. This caused some internal problems in the expedition and many soldiers decided to abandon Montejo.

The advance himself received a serious wound in one of the indigenous attacks. In view of how the situation was developing, Montejo ordered the withdrawal, ending this second stage of the conquest.

The conqueror decided to request help from the capital of New Spain and the Crown, to make a new attempt to control the territory and defeat the forces of the Mayans.

Third stage

The definitive phase took place between the years 1540 and 1545. On this occasion, the advance gave the military and civil command to his son, the Mozo. Likewise, he transmitted the rights that appeared in the Capitulations that regulated the conquest.

Following parental advice, the Mozo first tried to find allies in Yucatán. He went to various indigenous communities facing the Mayans; however, he failed to convince a good part of them.

The Spanish were able to attract various peoples to help them. This common front was managing to subdue the Mayan power little by little.

Furthermore, Spanish reinforcements soon arrived from other parts of New Spain, making the assembled military force nearly unbeatable.

On January 6, 1542, the Mozo founded Mérida, established as the capital of Yucatán. His cousin, the nephew of Montejo Sr., undertook the conquest of the eastern part of the peninsula, founding Valladolid in 1543.

From that moment on, the Spaniards dedicated themselves to consolidating what they had conquered, defeating the groups that tried to resist. The violence they exercised in their campaign ended up eliminating all traces of rebellion.

Main characters

Hernan Cortes

Despite the fact that Cortés did not participate in the definitive conquest of Yucatán, he had been among the first to reach Cozumel. Before him, Pedro de Alvarado had arrived, who undertook several looting of indigenous populations, causing them to flee into the interior.

It seems that Cortés tried to stop Alvarado's actions, promoting reconciliation with the natives. Of course, as part of the policy of religious conversion, he ordered the destruction of several indigenous places of worship, as well as the sacred objects that were there.

Francisco de Montejo

Born in Salamanca in 1479, Francisco de Montejo was the main protagonist of the campaigns undertaken to conquer Yucatán. He was able to take advantage of the conflicts between Cortés and other conquerors and to convince the king to appoint him in advance.

According to experts, Montejo was totally convinced of the existence of innumerable riches in the peninsula and was willing to advance the money necessary to pay for the expedition.

Francisco de Montejo (the Mozo)

The son of the conqueror, with whom he shared the name, founded San Francisco de Campeche in 1540 and, two years later, the city of Mérida.

He joined his father's company from the beginning, accompanying him since they embarked in June 1527 for Yucatán.

Francisco de Montejo (the nephew)

The third Francisco de Montejo who participated in the conquest of Yucatán was the advance's nephew. He was only 13 years old when he accompanied his uncle and cousin on one of the ships heading to America.

In 1543 he was the founder of Valladolid, although a year later the town was moved from its original location to Zaci.

References

1. Ruz Escalante, José Luis. The Conquest of Yucatan. Obtained from quintanaroo.webnode.es
2. Wikipedia. Francisco de Montejo. Obtained from es.wikipedia.org
3. EcuREd. Yucatan State (Mexico). Obtained from ecured.cu

4. Athena Publications. The Spanish Conquest of Yucatán (1526-46). Retrieved from athenapub.com
5. OnWar.com. Spanish Conquest of Yucatan. Retrieved from onwar.com
6. de Landa, Diego. Yucatan Before and After the Conquest. Recovered from books.google.es
7. History.com Staff. Yucatan. Retrieved from history.com