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HISTORY OF QUINTANA ROO
Welcome to the Center of the
World, this peninsula considered by the Mayans as their own
sub-continent. According to the Mayan holy book the "Chilam
Balam of Chumayel," this territory was first established
by the Itzáes, who arrived from the south in the year
435 and founded Syancan Bakhalal. The Mayan villages in what
is today called Quintana Roo were originally part of the indigenous
Confederation of Mayapán. The names of the main chieftainships
on the Yucatan Peninsula were: Ekab, Chanac Ha, Tazes and
Cupules in the north and center; Cochuah and Chetumal in the
south.
Gonzalo Guerrero and Jeronimo de Aguilar, two survivors of
shipwrecked Spanish expeditions who were the first Hispanics
to make contact with the natives of the Eastern region of
the Yucatan Peninsula were taken into captivity by Nachancán,
the Mayan cacique of Chetumal, and thereafter became the first
Mexicans, the first euro-indio, Hispanic-Mayan mix. The earliest
Spanish expeditions failed in their attempt to settle the
eastern Mayan region, and in 1527 Francisco de Montejo arrived
on Cozumel and tried to settle villages, but he also had to
retreat because of the hostility of the natives.
Later, Alonso Dávila arrived in Tulum and Bakhalal.
Davila founded a settlement called Villa Real, today called
Chetumal, but had to abandon it due to surprise attacks from
the Mayans. In 1545 the Spaniards managed to overcome the
chieftain of Bakhalal and founded the Villa of Salamanca de
Bacalar there, but up to 1639 the Mayans of Quintana Roo had
not been conquered, staying in constant rebellion, and falling
back towards the forest interior. Here they founded the famous
Chan Santa Cruz, capital of the Mayan people`s struggle, that
never has been conquered by the Spaniards.
On the 30th of July, the Mayan rebellion, called the Caste
War due to its being a civil war between classes, exploded
in Tepich. In 1848 the Mayans devastated Bacalar. This war
would last more than 50 years until 1901, and although kept
under a form of control, the fundamental problems that originated
it would continue being reason for restlessness until the
present day. The government of Yucatan has never obtained
complete control of the natives of the eastern peninsula.
These Mayans have fought continuously for the restitution
of their land and to establish their own government.
Venancio Pec, Jacinto Pat, Cecilio Chí are the names
of some of the indigenous heroes. In 1901, the federal army
managed to occupy Bacalar and Chan Santa Cruz, but the natives
fled into the forest. Othón P. Blanco, with his peacemaking
attempts, managed to approach the Mayans and make them recognize
the government of the Republic. Due to the lack of control
on the part of the government and the prior loss of Mexican
territory to Guatemala and Belize, the Mayan revolt forced
the creation of the Federal Territory of Quintana Roo. This
division of the Yucatan peninsula was created by decree on
the 16 of January of 1902, with 50.843 square kilometers on
the east of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Quintana Roo includes all the territory that had remained
under Mayan control. In the "Porfiriato," as is
called the presidency of Porfirio Diaz, the territory was
under control of several large estate owners who had enormous
land holdings. Upon the victory of the Revolution, President
Madero dismissed the "porfirista" authorities in
the territory and released the political prisoners. In 1913
the annexation of Quintana Roo was decreed to Yucatan, which
provoked the rebellion of Abel Ortiz Argumedo in 1915. This
action added to the indigenous opposition, and caused the
territory of Quintana Roo to be recovered again in 1915: General
Salvador Alvarado, military commandander of the peninsula,
went to Santa Cruz de Bravo, where the natives continued fighting
the soldiers and demanded the retirement of troops and the
restitution of lands to the Mayans. Although General Alvarado
returned their land to them, the mistrusting Mayans destroyed
the communication routes to the rest of the peninsula.
In 1931, due to the economic difficulties of the federal government,
the state of Quintana Roo was again dissolved and its territory
divided between the two states of Yucatan and Campeche. On
the 11th of January, 1935, under the direction of Jose Marrufo
Hernandez, Quintana Roo obtained from the government of General
Cardenas a newly created territory of Quintana Roo, with the
same boundaries it had in 1902. The revolutionary government
developed communications beyond those which, for centuries,
were limited to only maritime communication: the airports,
radio stations, telephones and telegraph which today unite
Quintana Roo with the rest of the republic. Electrical, educational
and health services multiplied, thus improving the lives of
the inhabitants of Quintana Roo, until finally, in 1976, the
people of Quintana Roo realize their demand and Quintana Roo
is declared a Free and Sovereign State of the Mexican Republic.
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