IN “The Fair God” General Lew Wallace has given a somewhat fanciful but in the main faithful description of the conquest of Montezuma and the Aztecs by Cortes and his Spanish knights and men-at-arms.

The conquest of the Mayas is a similar story of blood and plunder in which the Mayas, although far outnumbering the Spaniards, were no match for the superior knowledge and weapons of the white men. And, as always, where the flag of Spain went the church followed close behind and consolidated and held the conquered as arms alone never could have done.

Bishop Landa says that GerÓnimo de Aguilar with some companions was the first to try his luck in Yucatan. He and his men took part in the destruction of the city of Darien in 1511. He accompanied another leader, Valdivia, in a caravel from Santo Domingo. They ran aground at a place called Viboras, on the coast of Jamaica, and the ship was lost with all but twenty men. Aguilar and Valdivia with the few survivors set out in a small boat without sails and without food and were thirteen days at sea, before, by chance, they reached Yucatan. In that time half of the little band died of starvation.

Upon reaching land they fell into the hands of a bad Maya chief; he immediately sacrificed Valdivia and four others to the native gods, and the people feasted upon their bodies. Aguilar, his chief lieutenant, Guerrero, and four or five others were left to fatten for a subsequent sacrifice, but they escaped and reached another tribe which was at war with the bad chief. Here they were kept as slaves, and though they were mercifully treated, nearly all of them died of disease except Aguilar and Guerrero. The former was a good Christian, according to Bishop Landa’s account, and kept his prayer-book, and in 1517 he returned to Spain with Hernan Cortes. Guerrero, however, appears to have been less pious; he allied himself with a native chief and together they conquered many native tribes. Guerrero taught the natives how to fight and how to build fortifications. He conducted himself like an Indian, painting his body, letting his hair grow long, and wearing ear-rings, and married the daughter of a chief. It is thought he became an idolator.

In 1517 Francisco Hernandez de CÓrdoba set sail from Santiago de Cuba with three ships, for the purpose, some say, of obtaining new slaves for the mines. Others say he went to discover new land. He arrived at length at the island of Mujeres (women), which name he gave it because of the native goddesses of the island—Aixchel, Ixche-beliax, Ixhunie, and Ixhunieta. The Spaniards were surprised to find the women fully clothed and to see buildings of stone and articles of gold. The latter they took with them. Sailing into the bay of Campeche, they landed upon the coast of Yucatan on the Sunday of Lazarus and called the place of their arrival Lazarus. They were well received by the natives, who were struck with awe and wonderingly touched the beards and persons of the strangers.

Near the sea the Spaniards beheld a square stone monument with steps leading up to it on all four sides. On the summit was a stone idol, with the figures of two wild animals gnawing at his flanks, and a huge stone serpent in the act of swallowing a leopard. All were smeared with blood from frequent sacrifices. A little way inland was the city of Champoton, which the chief would not permit the Spaniards to enter, bringing forth his warriors against them. This saddened Francisco Hernandez, but he put his forces in order and caused the artillery of his ships to be fired.

The natives, however, did not cease their attack, although the noise and smoke and fire of cannon must have been terrifying to them who had never seen nor heard such things before. The bloodshed was terrible, for the natives died in hundreds, but still they pressed on, driving the Spaniards back to their ships. Of the Spaniards, twenty were killed, fifty wounded, and two taken alive who were later sacrificed. Hernandez himself received thirty-three wounds.

Returning to Cuba, he told Diego Velasquez, the governor, of the richness of the land and of the abundance of gold, and Velasquez despatched his nephew, Juan de Grijalva, with four ships and two hundred men, on May 1, 1518, to undertake the conquest of Yucatan. One of the ships was commanded by Francisco de Montejo. They cruised along the whole coast and finally attempted to besiege the city of Champoton again, but with no better fortune than their predecessors. One Spaniard was killed and fifty wounded, among them Grijalva.

When the Spaniards returned to Cuba Hernan Cortes became greatly excited upon hearing the news of so much land and such riches and determined to conquer the country in the name of God and his king. He outfitted eleven ships, the largest being of one hundred tons. Among their captains was Francisco de Montejo. There were five hundred men in the expedition, horses, war-gear, and goods for trading or ransom.

On the voyage one ship was thought to be lost, and with the ten remaining vessels an attack was made on the city of Cotoch, which was captured and plundered. Later the ship that was thought to be lost rejoined the rest. Cruising down the coast from northern Yucatan, the fleet came to the inhabited island of Cuzmil.

The natives, seeing so many ships and so many soldiers, abandoned the place and fled inland. After despoiling the city, the Spaniards made a foray into the hinterland and came upon the wife of the chief and her children. They conversed with her by the aid of a native interpreter and treated her kindly. Many gifts were bestowed upon her and her children and she was induced to send word to the chief and bring him before them. When he came, he too was well treated and presented with gifts.

The chief ordered all the dwellers to return to their homes and all of the loot that the Spaniards had taken was restored to its owners and confidence and friendship were established. The natives became converted to Christianity and the image of the Virgin was set up to replace the old stone idols. From the Indians Cortes learned that some white men were near by, in the power of a barbarous native chief. The friendly Indians were afraid to venture into the domain of the chief, but Cortes finally induced them to deliver the following letter by stealth to the white men:

Noble Sirs:

I left Cuba with eleven armed ships and five hundred Spaniards and arrived here at Cuzmil, from where I write you this letter. Those of this island have assured me that there are on this land five or six cruel men and in all very similar to us. I do not know how to give or say other descriptions, but by these I guess and am sure you are Spaniards. I and these nobles who came with me to discover and populate these lands, request you that within six days after receiving this you come to us without other delay or excuse. If you come we shall all know one another and we shall reward the good work that from you this fleet receives. I send a brig in which to come and two ships for security.

This letter was carried by the natives, concealed in their hair, and it reached Aguilar, of whom I have previously spoken. He was not able, however, to make connection with the ships Cortes had sent and after six days the brig and its convoy ships returned to Cuzmil and Cortes immediately set sail with his whole fleet. Soon after embarking, one of the ships was damaged and the whole fleet returned to Cuzmil while repairs were made. The following day Aguilar arrived, having crossed the sea between Cuzmil and the mainland in a canoe. He cried for joy at finding his countrymen and knelt down and thanked God. He was taken, naked as he came, to Cortes, who clothed him and received him kindly. He told of his privations and of Guerrero, but it was not possible to reach the latter, who was then eighty leagues inland.

With Aguilar, who was an excellent interpreter, Cortes again preached the worship of the Cross and made a great impression upon the inhabitants of Cuzmil. The fleet upon its return voyage touched at Campeche and at Tabasco, where the inhabitants gave to Cortes an Indian woman who was afterward called Marina. She came from Jalisco, was the daughter of noble parents, and had been stolen when small and sold as a slave in Tabasco and later in other cities. Thus she knew the language and much of the condition of the country.

After his arrival in Cuba, Cortes and the governor determined to send Montejo to the Spanish court, to carry to the king his fifth of the treasure resulting from the expedition and to secure a grant for the conquest and settlement of Yucatan. When Montejo reached Spain, Bishop Juan Rodriguez de Fonseca was prime minister, with full power over New Spain. The reports rendered to the minister by Diego Velasquez, governor of Cuba, were by no means in praise of Cortes, and as a result Montejo, his emissary, found himself in a most unfavorable position. It was only after seven years of what must have been heartbreaking delay that he persuaded the president of the council and Pope Adrian to approve the mission. The king had been long absent in Flanders, but now an audience with his Majesty was granted and Montejo succeeded in clearing Cortes and in getting the king’s grant for the conquest of Yucatan, and with it the title for himself of governor of the new province.

As soon as possible he outfitted three ships and sailed with five hundred men. His destination was the island of Cuzmil, which was safely reached and where he was well received by the Christianized natives. After a brief time he went to the mainland, where his first act was to plant the flag of Spain with the words, “In the name of God, I take possession of this land for God and the King of Castile.” He then sailed down the coast to the city of Conil. The natives were greatly alarmed and sent word throughout the country of the advent of the Spanish. All of the chiefs for some distance about were persuaded to visit Montejo, who received them with honor and respect. But one chief of great strength was accompanied by a negro servant, who carried, concealed, a cutlass, and at a favorable moment the chief seized the weapon and tried to assassinate Montejo, who defended himself while his men disarmed the native.

This event was disquieting; Montejo realized that in spite of his conference with the natives, they were unfriendly and that it would be unwise to risk his little army against their combined strength. And so he weighed anchor and proceeded farther down the coast, seeking the largest sea-coast city, which proved to be Tecoh. Here, either by friendly overtures or by threats, he gained permission to establish a city which he intended to make the capital of his new dominion. Traveling about the country, he came upon Chi-chen Itza, which seemed to him an ideal location, probably because of its stone buildings and its plentiful water-supply. He at once set about the task of making it habitable. Houses of wood with thatched roofs were put up and with the assistance of friendly natives he began the task of subduing surrounding tribes, placing some one or another of his men in charge of the villages as they were conquered, until he had two or three thousand natives in his power.

By this time the natives awoke to the fact that they were fast becoming slaves to the Spaniards, and rebellion set in everywhere. For a time Montejo with his men was able, by cruel and bloody treatment, to keep the people in subjection; but at last they forced him to draw in all his forces to Chi-chen Itza, where they besieged him. Each day the armed and mailed Spaniards took heavy toll of their besiegers; and each day the Indians were reinforced, while the Spaniards counted every victory a defeat which lost them even a few in killed or wounded. And the food-supply was nearly exhausted.

Finally Montejo perceived that he and his men must escape and return to the island of Cuzmil or they would all be slain. Through the day they wearied the native besiegers with skirmish and sortie and that night they tied a famished dog to a rope attached to a bell and just out of reach placed some food. All night the dog tried in vain to reach the food and all night the natives heard the sound of the bell and thought the Spaniards were preparing a night attack. But the wily Montejo and his followers had escaped from the rear of the ancient “Nunnery” and it was several hours before the besiegers discovered what had happened.

Not knowing which road the fleeing enemy had taken, the Indians set out at once by all the roads to the sea-coast. Some of them actually caught up with the retreating forces, but were too few in number to attack successfully. The Spaniards reached safely the town of Zilan and the Christianized tribe of the Cheles (Bluebirds) and from there they easily made their way to Ticoh, where they were secure for some months.

Montejo saw that conquest to the southward was blocked, and, with the aid of the friendly Cheles and taking the chief of the town of Zilan and two young nobles, the sons of a still greater chief, he traveled with his force up the coast, the young natives of his escort obtaining safe conduct for him through the various tribes. Thus he reached Mexico, which was held by the iron hand of Cortes.

Montejo was next sent to Honduras as viceroy, but the project of subduing Yucatan seems always to have been his dream. Some years later he went to the city of Chiapa and from there despatched his son, at the head of an expedition, to Yucatan, in a further effort to conquer it. The younger Montejo had in the meantime traveled through Mexico and even into lower California and had been made viceroy of Tabasco.

In the years since the attempt of the elder Montejo to subdue the Mayas, Yucatan had suffered greatly, first from internecine strife and then from a famine, so that the younger Montejo found almost no organized resistance. The city of Champoton, where the Spaniards had twice suffered defeat under Hernandez de CÓrdoba and under Grijalva, and where the first Montejo had not dared to risk a conflict, now offered no battle at all. From there the younger Montejo went to Campeche and established friendly relations, so that with the aid of Champoton and Campeche, gained by promises of rich rewards, he reached the city of Tiho, meeting with almost no resistance.

Here he established his capital, renaming the city MÉrida, and so it has remained to the present time as the seat of government of Yucatan. The army of a few hundred men was quartered in MÉrida and the subjugation of the country was carried on from there. Captains were sent to different towns as local governors. The young Montejo sent his cousin of the same name to Valladolid, to govern that important city and subdue the surrounding territory. When things had pretty well settled down, the elder Montejo came from Chiapa, first taking up residence in Campeche, which he renamed San Francisco in honor of himself. A little later he moved on to MÉrida and became governor in fact, as well as in name, of the land of Yucatan.

The rule of the Spaniards was exceedingly brutal for some years, but it is believed that most of their cruelties were committed without the knowledge of Montejo and certainly not at his command. There is the well-worn excuse that the conquerors were few in number and the conquered numerous, and that diabolical treatment was sometimes necessary, to hold the masses in check. Rebels were burned alive and hanged in great numbers. The important people in the town of Yobain were gathered together in a large house and locked in stocks, then the house was set on fire, so that all perished horribly.

Diego de Landa himself saw a tree upon which were hanging many Indian women from whose feet their little children had been hanged. In another city two Indian women, one a maid, the other newly married, were hanged for no other reason than that they were beautiful and the Spanish captain feared that his men might seek their favor and thereby stir up trouble with the natives.

Perhaps the greatest cruelty of all was the deportation of the natives of the thickly populated provinces of Cochua and Chectemal. Hands and arms and legs were lopped off. Women had their breasts severed and, with gourds tied to their feet, were thrown into the lagoons. Children were stabbed because they could not walk as fast as their captors, and men, women, and children were slain without excuse.

Because of this treatment the native population decreased very rapidly and the towns and cities were abandoned. A serious outbreak occurred in Valladolid, where the natives slew seventeen Spaniards and four hundred natives who were servants of the Spanish. Hands and feet of the slain were sent through the country as a signal for a general uprising, but none took place.

Evidently the priesthood complained to the king regarding the atrocities that were being committed and of the making of servants or virtually slaves of many of the natives. An edict from the king deprived all governors of native servants. Montejo was impeached and sent to Mexico for a hearing, and from there to the royal council at Madrid. And there he died, as Landa says, “full of days and work.”

The younger Montejo left the imposing gubernatorial mansion which his father had built in MÉrida and resided for some time in the city merely as a private citizen, much respected by all. After a time he went to Guatemala and then returned to Spain, where he eventually died after a prolonged illness.

As has been said, the church followed close upon the heels of the conquerors and there seems to have been little love lost between the priests and the soldiery, both jealous of power and wealth. With the forces of the elder Montejo was only one cleric, Francisco Hernandez, chaplain of the expedition, who later attributed the failure of the venture to the lack of priests. Before the real conquest by Montejo the younger, it became necessary for Antonio de Mendoza, who was viceroy of all New Spain, to carry out the orders he had long before received from Queen Juana to the effect that priests should be sent to Yucatan—one of the conditions upon which the province had been granted to Montejo.

Mendoza had no choice but to send priests from other Spanish possessions under his command, as there were none in Yucatan. For this duty Fray Jacobo de Testera, who held a high clerical office in Mexico, volunteered. In 1531 he and three other priests arrived at Champoton and, having asked leave of the Indians to enter the country, made an auspicious beginning. But they soon lost the good-will of the natives because they insisted on burning the idols, and, on finding they were making no progress, became disgruntled and returned to Mexico. In 1536 another band of friars essayed the task of Christianizing Yucatan, but after proselyting for two years they returned to more settled Spanish dominions.

The conquest actually effected, after the founding of Valladolid in 1541 and MÉrida in 1542, a church was built in the latter city and in 1544 Bishop BartolomÉ de las Casas and his Dominican friars came to Yucatan and gradually spread the creed of the Cross throughout the land. But while we speak of the conquest as becoming an accomplished fact with the founding of the two principal cities of Valladolid and MÉrida, it was not until more than eighty years later that the whole country was pacified, and during this time the Itzas in the southern part of the country remained unconquered and un-Christianized. These eighty years constitute a long period of guerilla warfare and sporadic attempts on the part of the Spaniards to conquer the stubborn Itzas and efforts of the priests to convert them, and, throughout, showed a lack of concord between the military and the church. At one time two native Christians set up claims as pope and bishop respectively and gained a considerable following.

As has been mentioned earlier in this work, some of the Maya tribes never were conquered; they do not, to this day, pay taxes to or otherwise concern themselves with the Government of Mexico. Catholicism, generously mixed with the old paganism, has, however, permeated their villages.

Whatever we may think now of the means and methods followed by the old padres in bringing the heathen to the Christian faith, we can but admire and reverence their motives, for no earthly reward could possibly compensate for the incredible hardships despite which these zealots persevered. Only a stanch, all-abiding faith, supreme over mundane things, could have carried on.