Historical memory of the Caste War

Abstract

This article aims to cover, in an analytical manner, the historical background of the caste war that occurred in the
municipality of Yaxcabá (1847-1901), which could rather be called the Mayan Liberation War, which began on July
30, 1847 with the attack of the Mayan leader, Cecilio Chi, on the population of Tepich, proclaiming death to the
entire white population of the town, this war lasted about 54 years. The site of the war was the Yucatan Peninsula,
which at that time was separated from Mexico, and was considered an independent republic. The caste war had
a significant impact on the municipality of Yaxcabá, as it caused the destruction of Mopilá (a town 20 kilometers
from the capital), only vestiges of what was once the Mopilá church remain, today the ruins of this temple are a
tourist attraction, and a reason to organize an annual pilgrimage every July 31, to take the virgin from her current
location to spend the night in her former home, one of the events that still prevail in the town. The investigation
was based on interviews with people in an age range, from 30 years old, and originating from Yaxcabá, to know
their point of view after the events that occurred, with the aim of knowing the historical impact on the population,
and how the information of transcendental events in the town has been preserved.