Abstract

A major feature of colonization of the Americas is the myth of complete pacification. In the Yucatán Peninsula, this idea was spread to enhance the influence of colonial powers. However, this notion and power was challenged by the Maya during the Caste War through resistance against the Spanish Yucatecos. At the center of this movement was the Cult of the Talking Cross, a resistance movement that fused Christianity and traditional Maya beliefs and practices that revitalized Maya culture heritage and brought numerous people together in their effort to seek reform and access to agricultural land. In the century since the time of the conflict, between 1901 and 2023, despite the best efforts of the Yucatec Maya people today, the larger tourism industry has simplified symbols of Maya culture heritage for the palatability of tourists in the historically colonial western region of the Yucatán Peninsula. My project involves the analysis of the archaeological roots of the spirituality surrounding the Talking Cross from the early 1850s to 1901 paired with a consideration of how this narrative of resistance is presented and effects tourism-driven discourses seen across the peninsula today. Utilizing archaeological, primary, and secondary textual sources, I argue that the utilization of Indigenous ideals during the Maya Caste War unified the Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula and reshaped understandings of cultural heritage. I further argue that some of these ideals are present and vividly accounted for along the less tourist frequented sites on the peninsula, particularly in areas where the resistance to Spanish Yucatecos was strongest. My goal is to highlight past and present Indigenous perspectives on the Caste War.

Advisor

Navarro-Farr, Olivia

Department

Archaeology

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities

Keywords

Maya Culture, Culture Heritage, Tourism

Publication Date

2023

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2023 Alyssa Henss