HISTORY OF QUINTANA ROO: MOST RELEVANT CHARACTERISTICS - HISTORY - 2025

The history of Quintana Roo is intrinsically linked to the Yucatan region. Although Quintana Roo became a federal territory of Mexico in 1902, it has been the home of the Mayans long before.

Along with Baja California, it represents the youngest Mexican states. Throughout its history it belonged to the neighboring state of Yucatán; during a time Yucatán and Quinta Roo were the same territorial entity.

But during the Porfiriato, Porfirio Díaz found it necessary to protect the Mexican border of Belize, which is why he created this new entity that stretches over 50,000 square kilometers.

However, in 1913 it was annexed to Yucatán, only to reverse this decision two years later. This same situation happened again years later.

It was not until 1972 that the state was able to meet all the requirements of an important territory, such as having a population of 80,000 inhabitants and producing enough profits to pay for its own public administration.

In 1974 Quintana Roo was finally designated as an independent and sovereign state of Mexico.

You may also be interested in the typical traditions of Quintana Roo.

Background

Historians believe that the first humans in the area arrived in the region around 10,000 to 12,000 years ago.

However, the Mayans moved from northern Guatemala to this territory in 250 AD. C., approximately.

Dozens of Mayan cities arose at this time. This is evidenced by the ruins of El Meco, Tixmul, Cobá and Tulum.

By the 12th century the Toltecs had moved towards Yucatán and the Mayan influence began to deteriorate.

When the Spanish arrived in 1540, they conquered the tribes in the area and took control. The region remained under the control of the landowners until 1847, when the Yucatan War occurred.

Mexico finally obtained official control of Quintana Roo in the 20th century, but still today there are groups of Mayans who refuse to recognize the sovereignty of Mexico.

Main tribes that inhabited Quintana Roo

1- Mayans

The Mayans were a civilization of indigenous Mexicans and Central Americans who continuously inhabited the lands of Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco and Chiapas.

The Mayans came to Mexico from Guatemala. During their stay in Mexican territory they built large urban centers, the ruins of which still exist. The Mayans had millions of inhabitants.

During the classical period, the power of the Mayans was consolidated in the large cities of this region.

They perfected mathematics, astronomy, architecture, the visual arts, and refined the calendar.

The Mayans practiced agriculture; They mainly grew corn, beans, and chili peppers.

They also fished and hunted animals. They had a very rich culture, they made paintings, clay sculptures and fabrics.

Its political organization was presided over by the "halach uinik", ruler, military leader and priest. This was followed by the "batab," a minor political figure.

Next were the royals, warriors, commoners, and lastly, slaves.

The reason why the Mayans abandoned their cities is not known. It is suspected that climate change and overpopulation may have had an influence.

2- Toltecs

It is believed that this civilization took control of vacant Mayan urban centers and repopulated them. The Toltecs had their roots in the Toltec-Chimimec people who had migrated from the deserts.

The Aztecs copied many of the religious aspects of this civilization; its influence is notable in architecture and sculpture. The Aztecs are believed to have descended from the Toltecs.

Arrival of the Spaniards

When the conquerors discovered the Yucatan Peninsula, this region was dominated by the Mayan civilization. The Spanish arrived in the year 1540 to Quintana Roo.

At this time the territory was divided into several provinces referred to as "kuchkabal". These provinces shared a common culture but had different socio-political organizations. The Itza ruled this part of the peninsula.

Although some natives surrendered peacefully, others engaged in bloody battles. It took the Spanish 19 years to conquer the Mayans of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Yucatan War

From 1847 to the early 1900s, this war made it impossible for light-skinned people to enter the eastern side of Yucatán or the territory of Quintana Roo.

All white or mestizo people who dared to enter were murdered; it was a safe place for the Mayans to live freely.

After Mexico achieved independence in 1821, Yucatán joined the Mexican Union.

But by 1839 the Yucatecan elites had rebelled against the new government. They allied with the Mayans, to whom they offered land, and cut ties with Mexico.

A few years later, the new government of Yucatán made some changes and made the Mayans lose control of the lands.

The Mayans were upset because their lands had been taken from them twice; all the promises they had been made were broken.

After a platoon killed one of its leaders in 1847, Mayan troops killed 85 people.

They saw this as revenge for so many evils done over the years: theft of their lands, slavery, bad practices associated with the forest and the gods, and the murder of their ancestors.

Although the war officially ended in 1855, the fighting continued well into the 20th century. This war is believed to have killed 247,000 people.

In 1915 gum began to explode. The hostility ended when a new Mayan chief took control and realized that they could use chewing gum to negotiate with the companies.

Twentieth century

On November 24, 1902, Quintana Roo became a federal territory under the mandate of Porfirio Díaz. Its first governor was José María Vega.

In June 1913, then-President Venustiano Carranza ordered Quintana Roo to be annexed to the state of Yucatán. But only two years later he reversed this decision and gave this state its autonomy again.

Despite this, the two territories became dependent again in 1931; the government believed that it was not yet a state that could depend on itself.

This period lasted 3 years, until the situation was reversed by President Lázaro Cárdenas.

All these inconveniences caused great delays in the economic and social development of Quintana Roo.

Just in 1972 this state was declared self-sufficient by President Luis Echeverría Alvarez.

Finally, in 1974 Quintana Roo was designated as a completely independent Mexican state.

References

1. History of Quintana Roo. Recovered from explorandomexico.com
2. Toltec civilization. Recovered from ancient.eu
3. Maya civilization. Recovered from ancient.eu
4. Quintana Roo. Recovered from britannica.com
5. Caste war (2003). Recovered from web.archive.org
6. Prehispanic Quintana Roo (2009). Recovered from slideshare.net
7. Quintana Roo. Recovered from gogringo.com