hiding in the trees?’
‘Where did the Maya go when they left the cities?’
Hamilton shrugged. ‘Somewhere. Nowhere. Everywhere in between. Our best guess is that they moved from place to place for a hundred years or so before they grew in numbers and re-emerged as a force in the mid-tenth century.’
‘They abandoned their cities but re-emerged as a force? How is that possible?’
‘What do you know about Mayan politics?’
‘Absolutely nothing.’
He figured as much. ‘Unlike the Roman Empire, the Maya were never a unified nation. Instead, they were a series of tiny kingdoms that sometimes fought one another. A typical kingdom was usually nothing more than a city-state, headed by a hereditary ruler known as an
ajaw
. These kingdoms were generally small in size, consisting of a capital city and the nearby villages. Despite the geography involved, a kingdom was identified by the name of the ruling dynasty, not by its territory. Therefore, when the royal family was captured or killed, the kingdom ceased to exist.’
‘Did that happen often?’
He nodded. ‘Eventually the kingdoms became bigger and bigger until they grew into powerful city-states that spread to all corners of Mesoamerica. This proved to be problematic for the Spanish. Without one true government to overthrow, they had to endure a brutal campaign against the Maya that lasted the better part of two centuries.’
‘Two centuries? I didn’t know it lasted that long.’
‘One hundred and seventy years to be precise.’
Francisco de Montejo, a Spanish conquistador who had petitioned the King of Spain for the right to conquer the Yucatán, arrived on the east coast in 1527. Remarkably, the last Mayan stronghold – the Itzá capital of Tayasal in Guatemala – didn’t fall until 1697. By comparison, Cortés and the Spanish conquered the Aztec Empire in a mere two years.
Hamilton continued. ‘During that time, the Spanish did everything they could to sever the Maya’s connection with their past, including the burning of all Mayan texts. Not surprisingly, they did this in the name of God.’
Maria shook her head in frustration. As a historian, one of the things that pissed her off more than anything else was the purposeful destruction of ancient documents. If it hadn’t been for the burning of the Library of Alexandria, the House of Wisdom in Baghdad and countless other libraries around the world, many of the mysteries of the past could be solved. She also realized most of the burnings had been done to promote a new ideology to a conquered civilization. In the case of the Maya, it was the introduction of Christianity.
‘Are you familiar with Diego de Landa?’ he asked.
She nodded. ‘He was a Franciscan monk who came here in the mid-1500s to teach the natives about Christ. At least I think that’s when he arrived. According to your timeline, the Spanish Conquest was just warming up, so I might be wrong.’
‘No,’ he assured her, ‘you are correct about the date. Landa arrived here in 1549 to encourage the Maya’s conversion to Catholicism, while the conquistadores continued their campaign in other parts of the Yucatán. By order of the Spanish Crown, the Franciscans were granted a spiritual monopoly over the entire region, and Landa was one of the leaders.’
As a practising Catholic, Maria frequently found herself embarrassed by the violent history of the Church, and this was one of those times. Although the term ‘spiritual monopoly’ was new to her, she knew exactly what it meant. When it came to religion, the Maya had no choice in the matter. If they didn’t convert to Catholicism, they were punished or killed.
Over the years, she had come across dozens of historical events when the Vatican or its representatives had encouraged similar acts of conversion. Some of the incidents were so abhorrent that they forced her to seriously question her devotion to a Church that had empowered such behaviour. In the end, though, she
‘Where did the Maya go when they left the cities?’
Hamilton shrugged. ‘Somewhere. Nowhere. Everywhere in between. Our best guess is that they moved from place to place for a hundred years or so before they grew in numbers and re-emerged as a force in the mid-tenth century.’
‘They abandoned their cities but re-emerged as a force? How is that possible?’
‘What do you know about Mayan politics?’
‘Absolutely nothing.’
He figured as much. ‘Unlike the Roman Empire, the Maya were never a unified nation. Instead, they were a series of tiny kingdoms that sometimes fought one another. A typical kingdom was usually nothing more than a city-state, headed by a hereditary ruler known as an
ajaw
. These kingdoms were generally small in size, consisting of a capital city and the nearby villages. Despite the geography involved, a kingdom was identified by the name of the ruling dynasty, not by its territory. Therefore, when the royal family was captured or killed, the kingdom ceased to exist.’
‘Did that happen often?’
He nodded. ‘Eventually the kingdoms became bigger and bigger until they grew into powerful city-states that spread to all corners of Mesoamerica. This proved to be problematic for the Spanish. Without one true government to overthrow, they had to endure a brutal campaign against the Maya that lasted the better part of two centuries.’
‘Two centuries? I didn’t know it lasted that long.’
‘One hundred and seventy years to be precise.’
Francisco de Montejo, a Spanish conquistador who had petitioned the King of Spain for the right to conquer the Yucatán, arrived on the east coast in 1527. Remarkably, the last Mayan stronghold – the Itzá capital of Tayasal in Guatemala – didn’t fall until 1697. By comparison, Cortés and the Spanish conquered the Aztec Empire in a mere two years.
Hamilton continued. ‘During that time, the Spanish did everything they could to sever the Maya’s connection with their past, including the burning of all Mayan texts. Not surprisingly, they did this in the name of God.’
Maria shook her head in frustration. As a historian, one of the things that pissed her off more than anything else was the purposeful destruction of ancient documents. If it hadn’t been for the burning of the Library of Alexandria, the House of Wisdom in Baghdad and countless other libraries around the world, many of the mysteries of the past could be solved. She also realized most of the burnings had been done to promote a new ideology to a conquered civilization. In the case of the Maya, it was the introduction of Christianity.
‘Are you familiar with Diego de Landa?’ he asked.
She nodded. ‘He was a Franciscan monk who came here in the mid-1500s to teach the natives about Christ. At least I think that’s when he arrived. According to your timeline, the Spanish Conquest was just warming up, so I might be wrong.’
‘No,’ he assured her, ‘you are correct about the date. Landa arrived here in 1549 to encourage the Maya’s conversion to Catholicism, while the conquistadores continued their campaign in other parts of the Yucatán. By order of the Spanish Crown, the Franciscans were granted a spiritual monopoly over the entire region, and Landa was one of the leaders.’
As a practising Catholic, Maria frequently found herself embarrassed by the violent history of the Church, and this was one of those times. Although the term ‘spiritual monopoly’ was new to her, she knew exactly what it meant. When it came to religion, the Maya had no choice in the matter. If they didn’t convert to Catholicism, they were punished or killed.
Over the years, she had come across dozens of historical events when the Vatican or its representatives had encouraged similar acts of conversion. Some of the incidents were so abhorrent that they forced her to seriously question her devotion to a Church that had empowered such behaviour. In the end, though, she
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