El caso del mulato Juan Thomas y la Conquista de El Petén (1695-1704)

Abstract

In 1697 Noj Peten Island, the capital of the Itza, was conquered by the Spaniards, thus completing the conquest of the Peten and marking the end of the last great independent Maya group. This conquest had been achieved by one of the biggest undertakings in the early colonial Yucatan Peninsula: the opening of the Camino Real between Campeche and Guatemala. This route completely changed the history of the region: it initiated profound changes in Spanish colonial organization as well as in the life of remote Maya villages. Through an analysis of colonial documents several observations on the history of the Camino Real are presented, concerning not only the history of the opening of the same, but also incidents in the surrounding area. We present the case of the mulatto Juan Thomas, who was taken prisoner at the Presidio of El Petén and days later, was killed by the independent Maya. This incident provides us with information relevant to the understanding not only of the history of the region, but also of the organization and practices of the Maya and of the problems that the Spanish conquerors fought unsuccessfully.