THE POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND GEOGRAPHICAL
FEATURES OF THE ITZA STATE DURING
THE PERIOD OF 1445-1697
The Significance of the Itzas. The dates of the Itza dominance over the
region around Tayasal are roughly those given above. Although the
Spaniards became a factor in the lives of the Itzas about 1525, their
presence does not alter the fact that this tribe was so powerful as to
be able to preserve its independence for a long time. The Itzas may be
considered as presenting, in diminished form, all the more important
political and social conditions that had formerly characterized the
great Maya states in the northern part of the peninsula. We will now
study these conditions so as to understand better the problems the
Spanish conquerors were called upon to meet and to solve later on. In
spite of the proximity of the Spaniards, it is doubtful whether the
Itzas changed much during the two hundred and fifty years they occupied
the Peten or Tayasal region.
The Location of Peten or Tayasal. The Itza stronghold was located at
Peten or Tayasal.[2.1] The present city of Flores, located on a small
island in the Lake of Peten, is sometimes thought to be the site of
ancient Tayasal. Others think that Tayasal was really on the peninsula
north of Flores. This latter opinion is held by Mr. Morley and Dr.
Tozzer, who have been on the spot. The former believes that the lake
was formerly higher than now, which would explain how the present
peninsula, formerly an island, attained its present condition. The
island of Flores is scarcely more than half a mile in diameter;
Avendano says that Tayasal was half a league long. The reader is urged
to compare Plates II and III for the purpose of seeing how the modern
appearance of Tayasal or Peten is different from its appearance a few
centuries ago. As visitors to Tayasal usually either came or left by
way of Tipu, the distance from Tayasal to the shore which they
generally traveled was that from the village to the eastern end of the
lake, a journey often said to be six leagues in length, which is
approximately correct. Perhaps the most important piece of evidence is
that given by Avendano's sketch map (Pls. Ia, Ib). He gives three
_cayos_ or islands in the lake. They are arranged in such a way that
the Cayo Grande (Tayasal) is to the east; just northwest of it is Otro
Cayo (Another Cayo). I believe that after the general level of the lake
fell these two _cayos_ were united and formed the present peninsula.
Flores is on the _cayo_ shown by Avendano as just south and east of
these two. Maler, who is among those who have used the name Tayasal,
says that the name means "in the midst of green waters."
Description of Peten and its Surroundings. We will now give Padre
Avendano's account of the region occupied by the Itzas and ruled by
their king, Canek: "Before we leave the said Peten Ytza, it is well to
give the clearest information about it, its territories and its people,
so that, in the future, historians may have clear light about it and
may give in full the necessary information. Peten Ytza is situated in
the middle of a great lake and there are not only this one on which the
King lives, but also four other _Petens_, or islands which also lie in
the said lake. Others say that these _Petens_ are seven in number, and
still others that there are thirty, and that this lake also surrounds
the seven, as some say, as well as the thirty which the others speak
of. What is certain is that I stopped there and asked purposely what
number of people and _Petens_ the Ytzalana nation contained, and they
told me that there were only five _Petens_. The lake which surrounds
them is large, its length I have not measured, nor have I gone over
more than the part of it by which I came, which was three leagues
across, more or less (entering it at the West and going eastward), till
one reaches the _Peten_ on which the King lives. But the length of the
said lake which runs from North to South (as far as we could see it),
although we did not succeed in seeing to its end, was probably from
eight to ten leagues.[2.2] There are some who say that the said lake is
sixty leagues long. If it is true that it surrounds the above thirty
_Petens_, it is not improbable that it is of that length. The principal
_Peten_ or island (the court where the King lives) must be more than
half a league long and is a high island from which many hills are seen
all around. The situation is very pleasant on account of these hills
being in sight, as well as the five _Petens_ which the lake encloses,
so that from the said _Petun_ any one is seen who comes across the lake
from a distance from any one of the four directions, as well as those
who go fishing on the lake...."
The Lake neither Rises nor Falls. "I asked them why they had their
houses so close to the shore of the lake, and if they had any trouble
with its risings and fallings. They told me that they had no trouble,
since the lake never rose or fell. From this it is inferred that
it is also true that no river enters it or flows out of it on the
surface,--either of rapid or gentle current, as many who speak of this
lake try to show; since, if such a stream entered it, or left it, it
could not fail to increase with the freshets, as in dry times to grow
smaller; although we should not be able to deny the hidden and
subterranean connection of this lake with other neighboring lakes,
because of its permanent preservation of level...."
The Temples of Tayasal Described by Avendano. "In order to worship the
... idols[2.3] there are nine very large buildings, made in the form of
the churches of this Province,--all new, with traces of others which
had been burned, although they built them again, as I saw in the case
of two which had been rebuilt. All such buildings have a wall about a
yard and a half high and of the thickness of six quarters; the bench or
seat all around, which stands out from the middle inwards, is three
quarters thick and the rest, which stands out above, is three quarters
thick; so that both together form two rows of seats around the said
churches, and all repainted and polished."
The Palace of Canek, Chief of the Itzas. "Of this same workmanship is
the hall[2.4] which the King or Ah Canek has as a vestibule to his
house, in which he receives his guests as he did us, although in
addition it has the floor covered with bitumen and polished, which the
said temples do not have. At the entrance of the said hall stands a
large stone table more than two yards long and proportionally broad,
placed on stone columns, with twelve seats of the same around it for
the priests. This is the table of sacrifice, which they call in their
language _Mayactun_,--the first object which our eyes perceived in that
first reception, from which, with the preceding attempts on the lake,
we were able to conjecture that they would put us to death; and the
more so when we saw that the number of people who ran together at the
novelty of seeing us was so great, that besides filling all the hall
inside, those who could not find a place there, obstructed on the
outside all the light which the hall had, and which came in all around
it, so that they left us in such gloomy darkness, that, being seated,
as I was, in the midst of my companion Padres, we could only perceive
one another by the touch; but such a thing did not come into our
minds, but rather we understood that here was the room of welcome for
all...."
The Districts of Peten Itza. "I asked them how many districts that
_Peten_ had on which we were, and counting by the fingers on their
hands and the toes on their feet, they told me there were twenty-two,
which they went on to describe by their names, and they are as follows:
"Districts of Peten Ytza on which the King Ah Canek lives--
That of King Ahcanek That of Ach Cat Baca
That of noh ah chata That of ach cat halach Vinic
That of Ah tze tzin batab That of ach cat Mulcah
That of the cacique nohche That of ach cat Kinchil
That of ach chatan ek That of ach cat Kinchan
That of ach cat Cixban That of ach cat Kayom (?)
That of noh tzo can Punab That of ach cat Cit can
That of noh tzo can noh That of ach cat Ytza
That of tzo can tzic That of ach cat Pop
That of ach can Matan cua That of ach cat Camal
That of ach cat Batun That of ach cat Mas Kin
"These towns or districts bear the names of the cacique or head who
rules them, as seen by the table above, although all have separate
names of their own, and all are subject, as are also the other
_Petens_, to the King Ahcanek, and also all the communities which are
found in Cha Kan Ytza, besides those who are found on the main land
towards the East situated around the said _Petens_. This kingdom came
to him by inheritance, and so their Kings are always Ah Can Eks. But
not because of this are all the Caneks of royal blood or relations of
one another; since also all those of his own town or district are
called Caneks, and not on this account are they his relations, since
they also bear their lawful names and only have this one because of the
chief who rules them. It is well known to the King that he holds this
place through blood, since it is certain that he and his family have a
rare character and goodness, since he is so very good that all treat
him with some boldness, so that he is not able to govern what he
possesses...."
Extent of the Itza Dominion under the Chief Canek. It is from the
Franciscan Fray Alonso Cano, who wrote about 1696, that we derive the
clearest information as to the extent of the Itza dominions. He says:
"... The other forty-five leagues from Mopan to the Lake one travels
(though with various windings) from South to North, with some little
tendency to the North-west. This land belongs to the Mopanes and
Ahizaes, and it stretches to the East as far as the sea-coast ... Of
the boundaries of the Ahiza nation on the North the men of Yucatan will
give trustworthy information."
All the foregoing leads one to believe that the influence of Canek,
petty chief of the Itzas, and of his immediate subjects was felt
throughout the region east of Lake Peten, the region in which are
located Alain (or Yalain), San Clemente, Yaxha, and Tipu. Indeed
Villagutierre (p. 460) leaves us in no doubt as to the fact that
Chamaxculu, the aged chief of Alain, was the direct vassal of Canek.
Quincanek. So far we have been considering only the political aspect of
the Itza state. There was an important sacerdotal organization as well.
As to its exact nature there is, unfortunately, some confusion.
Villagutierre says that the head of the priesthood was the oldest
brother of Canek and that he bore the title of Quincanek. Cano says
that Cuin Kenek was the chief of Peten. Pedro Sanches de Leon,
writing in the eighteenth century, says (p. 146 ff.): "In that time
(1700-1703), or a little before, the conquest of the Lake of the
Ahitzaes took place, and the Indian kings were seen to enter Guatemala
as prisoners; they were called after baptism Don Jose and Don Francisco
Canek, and with them also was the high-priest of this nation, who was
also called Canek...." Maler uses the terms Canek and Kincanek
interchangeably. The question is not an important one, and I shall make
no attempt to solve it.
Further Information about the Region. "... In the northerly direction
lies the Kingdom of Yucathan; towards the South, the road which the men
of Gautemala have opened, starting from Vera Paz; on the West, Cha Kan
Ytza and the Cehaches; on the East, slightly North, the nation of the
men of Tipu; in the direction of the South, running from East to West,
are very high ridges, which are really the Sierra Madre, from which (in
New Spain) they exploit mines, and as there are mines there, there is
no doubt that there are some here, since it is one and the same ridge.
There must be mines in the environs of this nation of the Ytzaes,
because the most of the Indians (in some large ear drops which they
wear) have roses of silver hanging down, and others of silver and gold,
and as the Spaniards do not come to this nation, nor the Indians of
this Province of Yucathan, nor of the other provinces, because they are
afraid of them, I do not know where they could get this gold and silver
unless they took it from some mine. In the said southerly direction
running towards the East, the said Peten Ytzaes have their farms and
tilled fields on the main land; and in said fields they have their
houses as in Peten, so as to live there all the time that the
cultivation lasts, so that the houses are doubled in number as well as
the families. From this, people imagine that this nation is more
numerous than it really is.
"The largest and best calculation which I can make of this nation was
from the account which the King and his chiefs gave me, and this was
that the _Peten_ in which we stopped consisted of twenty-two districts
and towns, and they did not know how to give me the count of each town,
since they know how to count only up to twenty, and in going beyond
many twenties, they do not know how to explain it, for it appears to
them an infinite number.[2.5] I did not have much time to verify this,
for I preferred to employ the little time I had in baptizing; but
nevertheless from what I saw and understood of the number of the people
of all ages, I say that Peten Ytza, with the other _Petenes_, Cha Kan
Ytzaes and Tuluncies (?), with the communities, which are found on the
main land, will all come up to twenty-four or twenty-five thousand
souls,--a thousand more or less. This computation I make from the
_Peten_ on which the King lives, for he told me that all the _Petens_
were equal in the number of people, with but little difference."
The Itzas Described. "These Ytzaes are well-featured and, like
mestizos, nearly all of a light complexion and of very perfect stature
and of natural gifts. But the Devil has compelled them, in their
weakness, to make themselves hideous and witches, because it appears to
them a greater feat to frighten by their appearance than to conquer by
their strength. And so most of them have their faces cut and rubbed in
with black, and some streaked like black negroes. And this hideousness
many women also show in their ear lobes, so that it is not possible for
them to wear ear drops or pendants. Painting themselves or cutting on
their faces the form of the animal which they have as a charm, the men
consider themselves as more genteel than the women; and as they are of
this opinion, they dress themselves in this way, tying up their hair
with bands of cotton which are made by them, woven with many curious
designs of various colors, with cords and tassels at the ends, made
very beautifully. They clothe themselves with something like jackets
with half sleeves, and all from top to bottom woven at intervals with
stripes of various designs and incorporated in the same woof,--very
lovely to look at. And with all these elegantly ornamented clothes,
they always paint themselves red and black. All this vanity and
effeminate care to decorate themselves so much is a sign of what many
believe, that it is [due to] the wicked vice which is common among
them; for the women do not go about well clothed nor do the men pay
much attention to them; for the women wear only some skirts of cotton
from their waist down, but from the waist up they go bare and
uncovered, with their hair rolled up without as much care as the men.
The latter always go with little stools under their arms to sit on
wherever they go; and at night they muffle themselves up with sheets
woven of various stripes and designs of different colors, like cloaks;
their drink is always _posole_ or _saca_, which is a drink made of
cooked maize, and they always drink it lukewarm, but they never like to
drink clear or cold water...."