7.9a.3 A Chontal Maya Account of the Conquest, Excerpted from the Title of Acalan-Tixchel, 1612

In 1550, a Spanish friar came to the Chontal Maya town of Acalan-Tixchel on the Yucatan Peninsula. The friar had come along with the Spanish colonial army that was conquering the Maya lands. The friar’s mission was to begin converting the Chontal Maya to Christianity. First the friar preached to the Chontal Mayan leaders about Christianity. He told them to bring him their “devils,” statues of Chontal Mayan gods. The friar gave the leaders new, European names. After that meeting, the friar ordered the leaders to search for hidden statues of gods. If a Chontal Maya person tried to hide a statue, the leaders punished them by beating them in public. What did the friar do with the statues? Why? Vocabulary Fray; Brother; the title of a Spanish friar. Friars were intense believers in Catholic Christianity who traveled from Spain to Mesoamerica to be missionaries. They took vows not to marry, to remain poor, and to live very simply. They dedicated their lives to their Catholic religion and had no tolerance at all for the Mesoamerican religion. Sometimes friars tried to protect Mesoamericans, but friars also punished Mesoamericans who didn’t follow the rules of Christianity. the Paternoster: the “Our Father” prayer the Ave Maria: a prayer to the Virgin Mary often recited aloud in Catholic churches Don: the title of a noble

Although this source does not directly concern the Nahua, the Spanish followed a similar process in all their colonies. One significant difference is the date — 1550, roughly 25 years after the conquest. Even though some Mesoamericans continued to resist Spanish control violently, the colonial army had suppressed many rebellions and executed many resisters by that point. So, while this document states that the leaders of the Chontal Mayan community of Acalan-Tixchel had asked the friar to come to their town, the threat of violent repression by the Spanish was always present. Students should understand the friar burned the statues to destroy Mesoamerican religion. They should also recognize the threat of Spanish force supporting the friar and use of violence to speed conversion.

"[Fray Diego de Béjar said:] … I have come to tell you, to explain, that the one single God is three in one person – God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit – who created the invisible heaven.” …. I wish you all to come and show me your devils”… [All the statues of gods] were brought before fray Diego de Béjar – who burned them. Then he began to teach them to recite and sing the Paternoster [and] the Ave Maria…. Then they were given their names. The ruler was named don Pedro Paxtun… And thus they became Christians. The devils which had been buried in secret places by the people… were sought out in all the towns…. The guardians of the devils went to fetch them to be burned, for those men who kept them were imprisoned and beaten before the eyes of all the people…."