Valladolid Adventures Part 7: Hacienda San Lorenzo Oxman

 

A two-wheeled carreta stands in front of the hacienda's casa grande. Carretas were the "pickup trucks" of Mexico from the colonial period well into the 20th century. They were usually pulled by a pair of oxen. I still occasionally see one when I travel along the back roads in rural areas. The hacienda's 18th century casa grande has been transformed into a boutique hotel, but has preserved many of its original architectural features. This posting will focus on the hacienda itself, while the next one will take a look at its cenote, which has become the property's main tourist attraction.

Historical information about Hacienda San Lorenzo Oxman is surprisingly scarce. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, it raised livestock and cultivated maiz (corn). However, in the mid-19th century it became a hacienda henequenera. This was the name given to haciendas in Yucatan that grew the sisal plant. Henequen fiber was extracted from the sisal leaves in order to make rope and twine. In the posting below, I'll explain what brought about the great boom in henequen production and why this "green gold" created huge fortunes as well as great abuses.

Overview

The leaves of the sisal plant are stripped to produce henequen fiber. Notice the plant's trunk where leaves have been cut in previous harvests. The use of this fiber dates back very far into pre-hispanic times, possibly even into the early days of human habitation in Yucatan. Sisal is native to Yucatan and the Maya utilized it to make cord, sandals, bags, and clothing. The sharp end of the leaf was used as a needle and the Maya also produced an alcoholic beverage by fermenting the pulp inside the trunk. 

When I first researched Hacienda San Lorenzo Oxman, some sources mentioned that agave was its primary crop, but other sources mentioned sisal. I am very familiar with the agave azul that is grown in the state of Jalisco to make tequila. I therefore assumed that both henequen and mescal (similar to tequila) were produced at the hacienda. Later, I discovered that sisal is formally known as Agave sisalana and is a distant relative of Jalisco's agave. However, unlike the Jalisco plant, Yucatan's Agave sisalana was used by the hacienda's owners to produce henequen fiber. (Photo from Wikipedia).

Google map with the route to Hacienda San Lorenzo Oxman. From the Parque Principal (Valladolid's main plaza) take Highway 295 south about 3 km (1.8 mi). Take your next right after the sign pointing toward Mérida. This will put you onto Highway 180, the Libramiento Sur de Valladolid. Drive about 2 km (1.2 mi) until you see a sign on your right for "Cenote Oxman". 

The sign doesn't mention San Lorenzo, probably because most visitors come for the cenote. Turn right on a smoothly graded dirt road and proceed for approximately 300 m (328 yds) to the parking area. Access to the hacienda is free, but there are charges to swim in the cenote. There is also a restaurant on the property restaurant. Click here for information about the cenote.

The hacienda's entrance

The main gate forms the transition from the parking area to the hacienda's grounds. The gate opens onto a broad walkway that leads to the casa grande, which can be seen in the background. A number of years have passed since our visit and recent internet photos show that both the gate and the casa grande have been repainted to other colors. However, the basic structures appear to be the same. The broad, open, lawn area between the gate and the back of the casa grande was most likely the work area where sisal leaves were transformed into henequen fiber and then into string and rope. 

When the hacienda was founded in 1746, large scale production of henequen was still far in the future. The property was initially used to raise livestock. As in the rest of Nueva España (colonial Mexico), the native population had crashed during the first two centuries after the Conquest. This created a labor shortage and cattle required far fewer workers than farming. As the population recovered, increased labor availability enabled large-scale maiz (corn) production. Valladolid and Mérida would have been the hacienda's primary markets for both cattle and maiz. However, at the beginning of the 1830s, things began to change.

A visitor walks his bicycle up toward the casa grande. People arrive at the  hacienda in a variety of ways. Some come on bikes, a few on foot, and others by car. In recent times, a lot of folks have been arriving by tour bus after visiting the ancient Maya city of Chichen Itza. This means that in the mid-afternoon, mobs of tourists show up, eager to cool off in the sparkling water of the cenote. If you want to avoid the crowds, the best time to arrive at the hacienda is during the morning. The hours are 8 AM - 5 PM, seven days a week. 

The beginning of the 19th century was full of turmoil in both Mexico and Europe. The Mexican War of Independence lasted from 1810 to 1821. Europe had been almost continuously at war from the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789 through the defeat of Napoleon in 1815. Sea trade had suffered greatly during this period. During the decade of the 1820s, trade was beginning to recover and, with it, demand for ships. In those days, sailing ships required large amounts of good strong rope for rigging. Shipbuilders looking for this essential product discovered Yucatan's henequen. A market soon developed.

The Casa Grande's work area

The ruins of a building stand off to the right of the walkway. The structure is made of limestone, the most plentiful building material in Yucatan. Notice the old wheel leaning against the front wall. It is probably a remnant of a carreta or a four-wheel wagon. 

There is nothing to indicate what the building was used for, but it was almost certainly involved in the henequen operation. One possibility is that this was a supervisor's office. It is certainly too small to fit all of the machinery needed for processing henequen fibers. 

In addition to space for a supervisor, it might also have contained the tienda de raya (company store). That was where workers were paid, usually in script or coinage produced by a hacienda. This "money" could only be spent for goods sold in the tienda de raya. Thus, a highly profitable closed system was developed, one which was widely employed among the haciendas. An additional benefit of this closed system is that it helped stabilize the labor pool, for reasons I will explain below.  

A doorway opens into one of the ruined structure's rooms. Plaster still coats the interior walls. The rooms were empty of furniture or other remains. If this was a tienda de raya, it would have contained the daily necessities for a worker and his family. Since he was paid very little, he soon had to rely on credit to make his purchases. The tienda de raya would have kept the records of his pay and any debts owed. Most of the workers were illiterate and had no way of knowing whether or not these records were accurate.

A worker could not legally leave the hacienda while owing money. If he ran away, the rurales (rural police) would hunt him down and return him to the hacienda. Once back, he might be flogged and/or thrown into the jail that many haciendas maintained. If the worker became disabled or died while owing money, the debt passed to his wife and children. This kind of debt-slavery helped maintain a stable work force. Altogether it was an excellent and profitable arrangement, as long as you were on the right end of it.

A sisal worker struggles under the crushing weight of his burden. This painting is part of a series of murals in the Palacio Gobierno (Government Palace) in Mérida. The various murals highlight the oppression experienced by the Maya in the colonial period and later, during the henequen boom. In the mural, a heavily muscled worker strains to lift the bale of henequen, while shadowy figures reach their hands toward it. Perhaps these are the ghosts of former workers trying to help him in his struggle.

While hacendados (hacienda owners) began to cultivate sisal in the 1820s to meet the demand for ship's rope, the real boom was launched in 1831. In that year a blacksmith in the US named Cyrus McCormick invented his famous McCormick Reaper. For millennia, wheat had been harvested by teams of men wielding hand scythes in the fields. McCormick's machine cut, thrashed, and bundled the wheat, and tied it in sheaves. This reduced the time required to produce a bushel of wheat by 95%, from slightly over 3 hours down to 10 minutes. Instead of a field full of workers, only two men and a team of horses were required.

A row of machines turn henequen fiber into twine. Large numbers of machines like this would have filled much of the work area. The early versions were probably hand-cranked, then later driven by steam engines. Toward the end of the 19th century, electrical power was introduced. The work area would have swarmed with men and bustled with activity from dawn to dusk. (Photo from Yucatan Living website)

Twine was the connection between the haciendas henequeneras and the farmers in the US who were avidly adopting the McCormick Reaper. However, a major problem emerged when the Reaper was first put to use. Metal wire for binding the sheaves was tried, but it proved too stiff. Twine made of mixed fibers was also attempted, but it had weak spots and tended to bunch up in the machinery. Also, mixed fiber twine could be damaged by weather and insects. The men working with the Reapers soon discovered that twine made from the henequen was smooth, strong, didn't bunch, and was resistant to insects and weather.

A carreta stands on the lawn near the casa grande. Carretas were so ubiquitous a feature of Mexico that B. Traven (author of "Treasure of the Sierra Madre") gave one of his books the title of "The Carreta". It was about a young man who left the hacienda where he was born to make his way in the world. He eventually acquired a carreta and became a transporter of goods. Unfortunately, back at the hacienda, his father fell ill. Because the father was heavily indebted to the tienda de Raya and couldn't work, the young man had to give up his promising business and return to the hacienda to work off the family debts.

The McCormick Reapers were the beginning of industrialized agriculture, resulting in massive farms operating numerous Reapers. All those Reapers required huge amounts of henequen twine. Yucatan's haciendas were transformed from sleepy local operations into economic powerhouses, reaping millions of dollars for their owners. Splendid mansions in Mérida still display the opulence of that time. Of course, the tens of thousands of Maya workers saw barely a trickle of all that wealth. Hennequen demand resulted in more seizures of Maya land. Labor shortages led to one of the most shameful chapters in Mexican history.

Yaqui people being marched into slavery at the haciendas henequeneras. Yaquis were the last indigenous tribe to be conquered in Mexico. Their homeland is in the Sierra Madre Occidental in northwest Mexico. The Yaquis had resisted conquest from their first encounter with the Spanish in the 16th century until their final defeat by the Mexican government in 1927. During the regime of the dictator Porfirio Diaz (1876-1911), the government pursued a policy of enslavement. The owners of the henequen haciendas were eager for cheap labor and Yaqui men, women, and children were sold to them at 60 pesos per head. By 1908, at least 5000 had been sold, in spite of the abolishment of slavery in Mexico back in 1829. 

While I can't definitely say that Yaqui slaves worked at Hacienda San Lorenzo Oxman, their use was widespread at henequen producing haciendas throughout northern Yucatan. After all, what hacendado could pass up something as cheap as slave labor when demand for henequen was so high? The Yaquis were forced to work from dawn to dusk in harsh tropical heat to which they were unaccustomed. They were given little food and locked up at night. They were trapped far away from their homeland, so escape was almost impossible. Two-thirds of the Yaquis died in their first year of captivity. (Photo from the Palacio Gobierno)

Casa Grande

View from the back terrace of the casa grande toward the main gate. Several staircases like the one above lead up from the broad lawn where the work area once stood. Carretas full of harvested sisal leaves once passed through the gate in one direction. Others full of finished twine would have passed through in the opposite direction, on their way to the port of Sisal on Yucatan's north coast.

On June 4, 1910, only two years after the peak of Yaqui enslavement, an insurrection broke out in Valladolid against the Porfirio Diaz dictatorship. It has been described as "the first spark of the Mexican Revolution", which didn't formally begin until five months later on November 20, 1910. Over the previous 35 years, Diaz had held a series of rigged elections which he always won. Those who opposed him rallied behind the Anti-Reelection Party. In Valladolid, this was led by Maximiliano Bonilla, a Yucateca (non-Maya Mexican). 

The back terrace and rear side of the casa grande. This terrace would have provided additional space for work as well as a good place to view the operations being performed below. The rear side of the casa grande is rather plain. There are doors on either side which lead into two wings, each having two stories. The two arched openings in the middle lead into an arcade which opens onto a terrace facing out into the front yard of the building.

Although Maximiliano Bonilla and the other leaders were Yucatecas, the Maya laborers on the haciendas surrounding Valladolid rallied to the cause. It is very likely that some of them came from Hacienda San Lorenzo Oxman. As I have shown, the Maya on the haciendas had been brutally oppressed for centuries. However, they also had a long history of resistance against their oppressors. The Caste War (1847-1915) had been going on for more than 60 years by 1910. Most of eastern Yucatan (now the State of Quintana Roo) had been under Maya control during that time. The Maya around Valladolid were more than ready to act.

View through one of the arched openings toward the front staircase. The arcade and its terrace run along the front of the casa grande and the staircase leads down to the front yard. The architectural floor plan of this casa grande is unusual. I have never encountered one like it among the several I have seen in Yucatan nor in any of more than 100 that I have visited elsewhere in Mexico. 

Initially, the revolt was a success. The Anti-Reelectionistas seized the city, tore up the railroad tracks to Mérida, and entrenched themselves. Luis Felipe de Regil, the chief local politician, was killed along with several soldiers. Porfirio Diaz saw the revolt as a dangerous development, so he sent 600 troops to Valladolid to crush the uprising. In spite of their superiority in numbers and armament, it took Diaz' troops four days to recapture Valladolid. The untrained Maya fought bravely, although most were armed only with machetes. They were finally defeated, leaving dozens of Maya fighters and Diaz soldiers lying dead in the streets.

View of the front side of the casa grande. While the back side has no windows, the front does. The upper parts of the structures on either side of the central arcade have two windows each, with balconies. Below the windows on each side are what appear to be bricked up doors, or possibly floor-to-ceiling windows. Why they were closed up is a mystery to me. I am assuming that the upper floors contain bedrooms. The lower floors may contain a kitchen and dining room and possibly a salon, but I could not determine that at the time.

After Valladolid's Anti-Reelectionista revolt was crushed, things settled down in Yucatan for several years. However, in the rest of the country, they were heating up. Within a year Porfirio Diaz was defeated and driven out of the country. This was followed by several years of conflicts among the revolutionary leaders. During this period, a young man named Salvador Alvarado steadily rose in rank from captain to general. In 1915, after Venustiano Carranza consolidated power and became President of Mexico, Salvador Alvarado was sent to Yucatan as Military Governor. Along with him, the Revolution arrived.

General Alvarado was a true social revolutionary, unlike many of his contemporaries who were essentially opportunists out for themselves. Alvarado was from Sonora, in northwest Mexico, and knew little about Yucatan. So, he spent his first six months studying the situation and consulting with people of all social classes. His first act was to liberate the Maya from serfdom. He cancelled their debts, outlawed debt-slavery, set minimum wages,  and established laws for health, safety, and child labor. Alvarado's goal was to end the feudal system under which the haciendas had operated for centuries.

In a far corner of the front yard is a large well. It stands near the entrance of the tunnel that descends into the cenote. Over the opening of the well there is a rusty mechanism that contains a wheel which probably functions in some way to bring up water. As I have mentioned previously, water is a critical issue in northern Yucatan. Without above ground rivers or lakes, the only sources are the cenotes and the wells dug following the Spanish Conquest. Hacienda San Lorenzo Oxman has the benefit of both.

Salvador Alvarado also set up a system of military courts to mete out justice swiftly and fairly. He legalized unions and halted abuses of the Sedition Law, historically used against workers who questioned their working conditions. Agrarian Committees were set up to oversee land reform and farm worker issues. Government agents were appointed to report abuses against common people by the landed class. Education became mandatory, secular, and free. Schools for agriculture and the arts were set up, along with a free institute for teaching law. The list of reforms is long. Amazingly, Alvarado did it all in under three years!

Presidente Carranza recalled Alvarado in 1918 for another assignment. After he left Yucatan, one of his supporters named Felipe Carrillo Puerto carried on the work. Carrillo Puerto, was of mixed Maya and Yucateca blood. He  become Governor of Yucatan in 1922 and gave his first speech in the Maya language. During his tenure, he returned land to the Maya that had been illegally seized by hacienda owners, promoted new farming techniques, gave women political rights, started family planning programs and opened 417 public schools. Unfortunately, Mexico was plagued with revolts in the 1920s. During one of them, Carrillo Puerto was captured by rebels and, in 1924, was executed by firing squad.

Above the well is a large windmill tower. The windmill provides the power for lifting water from the depths of the well. It wasn't apparent to me whether this windmill mechanism was still functioning. There may have been a more modern system somewhere out of sight, but I didn't see it. Fortunately for henequen growers, sisal required very little water since it is native to Yucatan and grew in the wild before it was ever cultivated for profit.

Both Salvador Alvarado and Felipe Carrillo Puerto attempted to reform the hacienda system, while still keeping the henequen business functioning. However, decline set in when some hacienda owners abandoned their properties rather than accede to reforms. Others had borrowed and over-invested and went out of business in the 1929 Depression. The end of the haciendas henequeneras came in 1937 when Presidente Lazaro Cardenas initiated land reforms which turned the haciendas over to ejidos (farmworkers' collectives). The final blow to the henequen business itself came when synthetic fibers replaced henequen in the 1940s.

This completes Part 7 of my Valladolid Adventures series. I hope you enjoyed seeing this old hacienda and learning about the role it played in the henequen business. Please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please include your email address so that I can respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim

Valladolid Adventures Part 6: Mesón de Marqués, once a Spanish colonial mansion, now an excellent hotel

Entrance to Hotel Mesón de Marques. A mesón is a colonial-era mansion. Marqués refers to a rank within the Spanish nobility, second only to a duque (duke). The mansion, built in the 17th century, once belonged to a very important man among the colonial-era Spaniards of Yucatan. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to identify exactly who this person was. However, I do know something about the Spanish nobility in colonial Mexico.

While some men were already members of the nobility when they arrived from Spain, others were elevated from the status of commoner. This would happen after they had performed an important service for the Spanish king. In fact, Spanish commoners often emigrated to the New World in hopes of gaining a fortune and a title. So, while the hotel's Marqués could have been a noble when he got to Mexico, if he was a commoner any service provided would have had to be extraordinary to be given that rank.

After the 1810-21 War of Independence, much of the Spanish elite class, including members of the nobility, were expelled from Mexico. It is likely that the Marqués and his family departed at that time. The méson was then acquired by a wealthy Mexican family who passed it down from generation to generation until 1967, when the old mansion was converted into a hotel. 

Foyer of the hotel. While Mesón de Marqués has many modern amenities, much of its original colonial character has been maintained. Upon entering, we were greeted by a lovely woman dressed in traditional colonial fashion. The floor's stone tiles and the rough wooden rafters are both original features. The arch in the background leads into the restaurant, which surrounds what was originally the méson's courtyard. 

When the hotel was first established, it had only six guest rooms, a kitchen, and a courtyard. Today, the hotel has ninety rooms and a restaurant. Carole and agree that this is one of our all-time favorite hotels in Mexico. That's saying a lot because we have stayed in many of them. Hotel Méson de Marqués is centrally located, has great charm and architectural beauty, is efficient and comfortable, has an outstanding restaurant, and is reasonably priced. We could hardly ask for more.

Colonial-era painting of an angel holding a palm frond. Many antique furnishings and decorations can be found in the part of the hotel that was once the colonial mansion. This old painting hangs on the wall of the foyer. The unnamed angel holds a palm frond, which is a symbol of peace. As far as I can tell, only archangels like San Miguel were given names. I searched the internet for images of angels with palm fronds, but could find none that were named. This fellow must be a rank-and-file angel, the type who just runs heavenly errands.

The formal dining room has rough rafters like those in the foyer. The far wall contains a painting of Mexico's Patron, the Virgen de Guadalupe. She has been widely revered since the 16th century. This room was probably used by the early hotel to feed the guests. Today, it is reserved for private dinners or meetings. When the méson was used as a residence by the Marqués and later by the family that bought it in 19th century, every seat would have been filled by their large families.

In addition, special guests would have been invited to dine with them. These would have included officials of the government and the Church, wealthy local merchants, and important travelers passing through through the area. The conversations around the table would have included local political news, the progress of Yucatan's many wars and uprisings, and upcoming fiestas.

A charming display of local produce stood in one of the hallways,  Included are locally grown pineapples, papaya, watermelon, pumpkins, and chiles. Overhead, dried gourds hang in a bundle, ready to be used as containers. Produce like this depends upon the availability of water, which is scarce in much of Yucatan. In the northern part of the Peninsula there are no above-ground rivers or lakes. Water can be found in underground in aquifers, but these can only be accessed from cenotes and wells. Cenote Zaci, located near the hotel, was once the main water source for the pre-hispanic city of Zaci, Valladolid's predecessor.

The hotel restaurant is called Hostería del Marqués. Diners include not only those from the hotel but also from the local community. One of the nice amenities offered by the hotel to its guests is a free breakfast each morning. Upon check-in, you get a series of tickets according to the number of mornings you will be here. The Hostería's tables line both sides of the arcade that surrounds what was once the courtyard of the colonial-era méson. Diners can enjoy fresh air with their meal, while being protected from the sun or rain. 

The columns of the arcade support arches called portales. In the center of the Hostería's courtyard is a fountain, surrounded by a lush garden. I noticed that all three people in the foreground appear to be completely absorbed in their electronic gadgets. I have been guilty of this upon occasion, but I try not to do it except when I am alone. When others are present, I generally put my iPad or smart phone away.  The social impact of electronics, especially smart phones, seems very detrimental to interpersonal relations. I also find it annoying when people in a place like this talk loudly into their phones, acting as if they are alone.

In the rear, another courtyard is surrounded by guest rooms rising four stories. On the roof is an open deck with a panoramic view. The original méson had only one story. Sometime later, probably in the 20th century, four stories of rooms were added in back. Thankfully, the builders maintained a colonial style of architecture. This includes arcades with portales along each floor and balconies with french doors on the rooms overlooking the courtyard. The courtyard itself has trees and a garden, as well as a pool. At the rear of the hotel, secure off-street free parking can be accessed from Calle 37 (37th St).

The balcony door is framed by artfully-carved cantera stone. Cantera is a light stone that has been quarried since pre-hispanic times because it can be easily carved. The wooden balcony has only enough room to stand on, but it still would be nice to have one of these attached to your room. We have learned through long experience to avoid rooms that face onto the street. There is often far too much noise at night, particularly if you are overlooking a plaza, or are near one. A room will tend to be quieter if it faces an interior courtyard, like this one, or faces out from the rear of your hotel, . 

Our room was attractive, comfortable, and functional. We were charmed to find the towels on the bed arranged into the form of a swan. There are rooms with a greater level of luxury in this hotel, but this one had all we really require. A comfortable bed, plumbing that works, hot water, and a functional TV remote is enough to make us happy. 

We don't spend a lot of time in hotel rooms, except to sleep, or change clothes. To us, it makes no sense to spend a lot of money on luxurious extras that we barely use. Our real purpose is to explore the outside world, not hang out in our room. This being the case, an in-room safe is another essential item to us. We use it to safeguard important documents like passports, all of our money except what's needed for that day, and our camera and iPad. Each room at this hotel is equipped with a safe. 

A couple of guests chat by the courtyard's pool. The presence of a pool can cool down an area when the weather is overly warm, even if you don't use it to swim. This would be a nice spot to sip a cup of coffee in the morning or enjoy a glass of wine on a balmy evening. We only visit Yucatan during the winter, because we find the summer weather to be humid and hot. In addition, although mosquitoes are not completely absent during winter, they are less bothersome in that season.

This completes Part 6 of my Valladolid Adventures series. I hope you enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question, please include your email address so that I may respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim

Valladolid Adventures Part 5: Templo San Servacio

Valladolid's Templo San Servacio is one of  the city's most recognizable features. Photos and paintings of the church appear everywhere. There are other colonial-era churches in Valladolid that are as old as this one, and some of them have interesting histories. However, none are as grand, beautifully proportioned, or are as historically important as San Servacio. The Templo stands opposite the south-eastern corner of the Parque Principal Francisco Candón Rosado, the main plaza of Valladolid. San Servacio's twin towers are visible from almost anywhere near the plaza.

In this posting, I'll first show you some of the interesting exterior features, before venturing inside to check out the mix of Baroque and Neo-Classical elements of the interior. As we move through the photos, I'll tell you the extraordinary history of the Templo. It is a story that goes back to the earliest days of the conquest of Yucatan and includes important events in the early 18th and the mid-19th centuries.

Exterior 

Main entrance of the Templo. It is framed by double pilasters on either side and an arched doorway, all decorated with a series of small crosses. Aside from these decorations, the rest of the facade is decidedly austere. The exterior of the church resembles some of the early-colonial "fortress churches" in central Mexico. This impression is confirmed by the two tall towers, one on either side of the facade. These contain narrow vertical openings forming gun slits as a defensive measure during recurrent periods of Maya unrest. At those times, the church was used as an actual fortress. I will talk about this further along in this posting.

The original church which once stood on this spot was demolished in 1705 and replaced by the one you see today. The former structure was built using stone from the large Zaci pyramid that once occupied the space where the Parque Principal is today. It is very probable that many of the limestone blocks originally looted from the Maya pyramid were salvaged in 1705 and re-used to build the current structure. I base this on the fact that the Spanish practice was to re-use building materials when they could. Quarrying, shaping, and transporting new limestone blocks from elsewhere would have been excessively expensive. 

Floral decorations cover the pilasters and the arch over the door. These decorative elements are among the few Baroque features of the otherwise austere exterior. The original Templo San Servacio was built on this site in 1545, after Valladolid was moved here from the city's original location a few miles to the north. The earlier church faced west, while the one you see today faces north. Why the original church was replaced and the new one geographically reoriented is a fascinating story. It involved sex, violence, politifcal intrigue, and retribution, all played out at the and of the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century. 

Near the end of the 17th century, a man named Fernando Hipólito de Osorno was appointed as Mayor, Lieutenant Governor, and Captain General of Valladolid. This was largely due to his close relationship with Pedro de los Reyes Rios del la Madrid, the Bishop of Mérida. As the story goes, Mayor Osorno was "a bright eye". This is another way of saying he was avid in his pursuit of beautiful women, regardless of any other relationship they might already have. As it turned out, the lady in question was the girlfriend of Miguel de Ruiz Ayuso, another important man. Ayuso felt that his honor had been outraged and he vowed revenge.

The twin towers viewed from the right rear. There are two levels on top of each tower and spaces for four bells on each level, amounting to sixteen bells in total. Quite a cacophony, if they all rang at once! There was at least one occasion when this actually happened, which I will relate later in the story of the church. The side walls of the church are more than 10m (30+ft) high, furthering the fortress appearance. Along with that are the circular openings in the railing along the top of the wall, which would have provided protection for marksmen should the church be attacked.

The jealous Miguel de Ruiz Ayuso also had political connections. These included Martin de Urzúa y Arizamenid, the Captain General of the Province of Yucatan. Ayuso claimed that Mayor Osorno had committed irregularities and mismanagement while in office. Osorno's friend and lawyer Pedro Gabriel de Covarrubias was also charged. Osorno was removed as Mayor and he was subsequently arrested and imprisoned on these fabricated charges. However, he soon escaped from the jail and took refuge in Templo San Servacio, where he was later joined by Covarrubias.

Rear of the church and a view of the circular wall surrounding the dome. The circular wall may have been intended to function as a last bastion, sort of like a castle's "keep". All these fortress features provide a sense of power, but also indicate an underlying insecurity and fear of attack. Except for the finials on the corners of the towers and atop of the railings and the circular walls, there are almost no decorative features.

Ayuso got his friend the Captain General of Yucatan to appoint him as Mayor of Valladolid.  For good measure, Ayuso's henchman Fernando de Tovar y Urquiola was made Second (Deputy) Mayor. Since the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church had traditionally offered sanctuary to fugitives. Ayuso chose to ignored this and, along with the Second Mayor, he incited and led a group of eight men to break into the Templo. Osorno and Covarrubias were wounded and dragged out to the front of the church. There, Osorno was beaten to death. Covarrubias was then taken to the jail where he too was killed. Both men's bodies were hung from the jail's window. Ayuso had savagely restored his honor.

This door on the west side of the church was once the main entrance. Two pilasters support an arch over the wooden door. The pilasters and arch are decorated with a series of small crosses, but the walls surrounding them are covered with rough stone. This original entrance faced west because, ever since the 4th century AD, Catholic churches have been built with their main door facing west. This was so that worshipers who entered would be facing east, the direction that symbolizes renewal, warmth, and the light of Christ. West is the direction of the setting sun, darkness, gloom, and death. 

The murders, which were committed on July 12, 1703 are known as "the crime of the mayors". Osorno's benefactor, the Bishop of Mérida, was outraged not only by the crime, but by its commission within the Templo. Blood was actually splashed on the altar. He complained to the Viceroy in Mexico City, who then removed Ayuso's protector, the Captain General of Yucatan. Mayor Ayuso and his Second Mayor, along with the other perpetrators, were arrested and tried. One of the gang, Roque Gutiérrez, falsely testified that Osorno had tried to shoot him with a rifle. However, he was not believed and all were convicted.

Over the door is a relief carving of St. Peter and St. Paul. I at first thought the the object between them was a bell, but my friend Richard Perry, an expert on colonial Mexico's religious architecture, tells me  that it is a papal tiara. Richard further explained the objects each of the saints is carrying. St. Peter (left), is balancing a large key over his shoulder, symbolizing biblical passage where Jesus gives him the keys to heaven. St. Paul (right) holds a sword, symbolizing the "sword of the spirit, which is the word of God". Below them is the door's arch, on which you can see the small crosses I mentioned before.

All total, the investigation and trial of those who committed the "crime of the mayors" took almost two years from the date of the murders. At the urging of the Bishop of Mérida, Don Alvaro de Rivaguda was appointed by the Viceroy to replace the former Captain General of Yucatan. Finally, on May 28, 1705, Rivaguda hanged Ayuso and Tovar y Urquiola (the Second Mayor). The fate of the other perpetrators is not clear, but it is probable that they too were executed. 

That same year, the Bishop of Mérida ordered the demolition of the original Templo because it had been profaned by the murders. Before this, as penance, all the bells of the old church were vigorously rung, along with those in many of Valladolid's other churches. The orientation of the new church was changed from west to north so that the new altar would not be in the same place where the old one had been splashed with blood. To this day, the Templo is still known as "the church punished in Yucatan".

Interior

The nave, looking toward the retablo in the apse at the far end. While the retablo has some Baroque features, the rest of the nave is spare and simple. There are statues in the several niches along the walls, as well as side chapels with altars. Oddly, several descriptions in tourist literature speak of three naves, separated by columns. As you can see above, there is only one, with no columns. I have found many different errors in tourist literature over the years. It appears that an initial error will be copied and then re-copied by other writers, many of whom may never have actually visited a particular site. I work hard to make this blog as accurate as possible and always welcome corrections.

Following their initial subjugation by the Spanish in 1545, the Maya of the northeastern parts of the Yucatan Peninsula remained restive. This increased as time went by because of the seizure of the Maya's traditional lands to create haciendas and the mistreatment of the dispossessed people who sought work there. Ships of the time used large amounts of rope in their rigging and it was discovered in 1833 that hennequen fibre was excellent for that purpose. The fibre came from Yucatan's native sisal plant, which soon became a major product of the haciendas. This resulted in more land seizures with more discontent.

The retablo has six niches containing statues and a seventh with a sunburst. The only two statues I can definitely identify are Jesus on the cross in the bottom center and San Servacio in the niche just above. Three of the other statues are of women cradling infants and may represent various versions of the Virgin. The fourth statue, in the upper right, is of a male in clerical garb. Below the crucifix is a reliquary (container for holy relics), guarded by angels at either side of the retablo. As Churrigueresque retablos go, this one is fairly restrained in its decoration. 

By 1847, the situation in Yucatan was boiling. The Maya were gathering arms and supplies for a revolt and sought official recognition from the British. The non-Maya Yucatecos had, themselves, recently revolted against the government in Mexico City. On top of everything else, the Mexican-American War had broken out in 1846. Santiago Méndez, leader of Mérida's Yucatecos, decided to pre-empt a Maya revolt by seizing one of their key leaders and executing him in Valladolid. He also burned several Maya towns and arbitrarily executed many people. This was the flash point that started the Caste War of 1847-1933.

The Maya attacked on July 30, 1847, seizing Valladolid and laying seige to the cities of Mérida and Campeche. The Yucatecos of Mérida decided to evacuate but couldn't find paper for the official decree. During the delay, planting season arrived and the besieging Maya went home to tend their crops. Hardly believing their luck, Mérida's Yucatecos quickly made peace with the central Mexican government. Méndez then counterattacked, and took back Valladolid in 1848. Templo San Servacio was a focal point in the battle and one of Méndez' cannons is still located inside one of the church's two towers. However, the Caste War dragged on for many decades, with a final skirmish as late as 1933.

San Servacio is the central figure of the retablo. He is dressed in his bishop's robe and mitre (hat). In this right hand he holds a shepherd's crook, symbolizing his relationship with his Christian "flock". His left hand holds a key, a reference to a legend that St. Peter gave him the keys to heaven. The top of the niche behind him is scalloped, a symbol of Santiago  Apóstol (St. James the Apostle). Two columns frame the niche. The bottoms of these have Solomonic spirals which, along with the relief-carvings of foliage, provide some Churrigueresque touches.

San Servacio (St. Servatius) was a 4th century bishop who was born in Armenia on an unknown date and died in 384 AD in Maastricht, in today's Netherlands. He was the Bishop of Tongeren (today's Belguim), as well as being a diplomat. A participant in various Church Councils, he vocally opposed Arianism, a doctrine that denied the divinity of Christ. According to one legend, he was warned in a vision by St. Peter about the Hun invasion of Europe (370 AD). Fearing the destruction of Tongeren, Bishop Servacio rescued the holy relics from the Tongeren Cathedral and took them to Maastricht, where he eventually died. 

 

A pink-gowned Virgin Mary stands to the right of the rebablo. Below the Virgin's statue is a crescent moon, a symbol often associated with her. In Mexico, the Virgin of Guadalupe is he nation's Patron and is always shown standing on a crescent moon. In the Bible, there is a passage from Apocalypse 12:1 where St. John refers to "a woman clothed in the sun, and the moon was under her feet." In fact, images of a crescent moon occur in a variety of ancient religions, including the Babylonians and the Phoenicians. Luna, the Roman goddess of the moon, is sometimes shown with a crescent moon. 

In the 12th century AD, during the Crusades, Christians noted that one of the symbols of Islam was the crescent moon.  The ancient passage from Apocalypse then took on a new meaning. The crescent became associated with evil and began to appear under the feet of the Virgin as a symbol of defiance toward the hated rival religion. This gained even more emphasis after the famous victory of the Christian fleet over the Ottoman Muslims at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571.

Catholic images of Jesus are often full of gory details. This one is no exception. Images of other human or humanlike figures (angels for example) often seem somewhat bland and anodyne. Images of Jesus, by contrast, are usually incredibly detailed and often quite bloody. Look at the gaunt, half-starved figure above. The ribs and muscles and even the toenails are intricately detailed. Blood flows down from the wounds on his hands, feet, knees and forehead, as well as the wound on his side. The emphasis is on suffering. In the Presbyterian church that I attended while growing up, Jesus never appeared on the crosses displayed and he was often shown in peaceful settings, surrounded by children. As a non-religious person, I take no stand on which is the better image.

Although there was no explanatory sign, the statue above appears to be one of the famous corn-paste figures first produced in the 16th century by Purépecha craftsmen in Michoacan.  They were then sold to churches throughout Nueva España (Mexico). In pre-hispanic times there had been a long tradition of producing images of gods made of corn paste, and then carrying them about in religious processions. Bishop Vasco Quiroga of Michoacan persuaded a master craftsman, who was also converted pagan priest, to start making corn paste statues of Jesus in order to create a local industry, while also spreading the faith. 

Santo Niño de Atocha. The Holy Child of Antocha is shown above as he is usually depicted, wearing a brown cloak with a white lace collar and a blue gown. On his head is a broad-brimmed hat with a plume and he wears open sandals on his feet. Santo Niño carries a pilgrim's staff in one hand and a basket of bread (and flowers in this case) with the other. Attached to the staff is a gourd of water. The staff, gourd, and bread basket are an important part of his legend.

The legend of Santo Niño de Atocha grew out of the 700-year struggle between the Christians and the Muslims in Spain, known as the Reconquista (Re-Conquest). The Muslims had invaded in 711 and were finally driven out in 1492. In the 13th century, prior to their final defeat, the Muslims had captured Antocha, near modern Madrid, along with a large number of Christian war prisoners. Probably for security reasons, the Caliph ordered that only children under 12 years old could bring food to them. Prisoners without young children of their own were out of luck. Then a miracle happened.

A beautifully crafted altar stands in a side chapel. In front is a statue of Jesus, carrying the Crusader banner and raising his hand to the heavens. Behind him is the Virgin Mary, with a halo behind her head and cradling a cross in her arms. The style of this lovely wooden structure is clearly Neo-Classic.

In the 13th century, the Virgin of Antocha was revered by the local people of the town. With the community's childless men imprisoned and on the verge of starvation, the people knelt before the Virgin's statue, praying for her to ask her son Jesus for help. Soon, reports began to filter out of the prison camp that an unknown child under 12 was bringing food and water to the childless men. When the women of Atocha went to the church to thank the Virgin, people were amazed to see that the infants's sandals were worn and tattered. Thus began the legend of Santo Niño de Atocha.

Over time, more legends about Santo Niño circulated in Spain. There were reports of an unknown child who helped foodless travelers and offered to guide those who were passing through dangerous country. In 1554, the original statue of Santo Niño de Antocha was brought from Spain to Zacataecas, in Mexico. In Fresnillo, near Zacatecas, a silver mine exploded, trapping a group of miners. The miners' wives went to the church where the Santo Niño was kept and prayed for help. An unknown child then appeared to the miners and showed them the way out of the mine. Later, the statue in the church was found to be covered with mine dust! 

This concludes Part 5 of my Valladolid Adventures series. I hope you enjoyed the photos and history of the church and the legends about Santo Niño de Atocha. Please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question in the Comments, please include your email address so that I can respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim