Editing History of Guatemala (section)

==== Caste War of Yucatán ====
{{Main|Caste War of Yucatán}}

In Yucatán, then an independent republic north of Guatemala, a war broke out between the Maya and the criollo people. This conflict appeared to stem from the defense of communal lands against the expansion of private ownership, exacerbated by the boom in the production of [[henequen]], an industrial fiber used to make rope. After realizing the plant's value, wealthier Yucateco criollos began cultivating it on plantations starting in 1833. Shortly after the henequen boom, there was a surge in sugar production, generating even more wealth. Both the sugar and henequen plantations encroached on indigenous communal lands, and Maya workers recruited to labor on the plantations were mistreated and underpaid.{{sfn|Rugeley|1996}}

However, in their correspondence with [[British Honduras]], rebel leaders frequently pointed to taxation as the immediate cause of the war. For instance, in 1848, Jacinto Pat wrote, "What we want is liberty and not oppression, because before we were subjugated with the many contributions and taxes that they imposed on us."{{sfn|Rugeley|2001|p=51}} Pat's companion, Cecilio Chi, added in 1849 that Santiago Imán, the rebel leader, had promised to "liberate the Indians from the payment of contributions," which was a reason for resisting the central government. However, in practice, he continued imposing taxes.{{sfn|Rugeley|2001|pp=53–54}}

In June 1847, Méndez discovered that a large force of armed Maya, along with supplies, had gathered at the Culumpich, a property owned by Jacinto Pat, the Maya ''[[batab]]'' (leader), near Valladolid. Fearing a revolt, Méndez arrested [[Manuel Antonio Ay]], the principal Maya leader of Chichimilá, accused him of planning an uprising, and executed him in the town square of Valladolid. Méndez also searched for other insurgents, burning the town of Tepich and repressing its residents. In the following months, several Maya towns were looted, and many people were arbitrarily killed. In his 1849 letter, Cecilio Chi noted that Santiago Méndez had come to "put every Indian, big and little, to death," but the Maya had retaliated, writing, "It has pleased God and good fortune that a much greater portion of them [whites] than of the Maya [have died]."{{sfn|Rugeley|2001|p=54}}

Cecilio Chi, the Maya leader of Tepich, along with Jacinto Pat, attacked Tepich on 30 July 1847 in response to the indiscriminate massacre of Mayas and declared war on the entire non-Maya population in the region. By the spring of 1848, Maya forces had taken control of most of Yucatán, except for the walled cities of [[Campeche, Campeche|Campeche]] and [[Mérida, Yucatán|Mérida]], and the southwestern coast, where Yucatecan troops maintained control of the road from Mérida to the port of [[Sisal, Yucatán|Sisal]]. The Yucatecan governor [[Miguel Barbachano]] had prepared a decree for the evacuation of Mérida, but was delayed in publishing it due to the lack of suitable paper in the besieged capital. However, the decree became unnecessary when republican troops unexpectedly broke the siege and launched a major offensive, making significant advances.{{sfn|Rugeley|2001|p=58}}

Governor Barbachano sought allies wherever he could, including Cuba (on behalf of Spain), Jamaica (for the United Kingdom), and the United States, but none of these foreign powers intervened, though the matter was taken seriously enough to be debated in the U.S. Congress. Consequently, Barbachano turned to Mexico and accepted a return to Mexican authority. Yucatán was officially reunited with Mexico on 17 August 1848. Yucateco forces, aided by fresh guns, money, and troops from Mexico, rallied and pushed the Indigenous people back from more than half of the state.{{sfn|Rugeley|2001|p=59}}

By 1850, the Maya occupied two distinct regions in the southeast, inspired to continue their struggle by the apparition of the "Talking Cross." This apparition, believed to be a divine communication with the Maya, dictated that the war should persist. ''Chan Santa Cruz'' (Small Holy Cross) became the religious and political center of the Maya resistance, imbuing the rebellion with religious significance. It also became the name of the largest independent Maya state and its capital, which is now [[Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo]]. The followers of the Cross were known as the "Cruzob."

The Yucatán government declared the war over in 1855, but hopes for peace were premature. Regular skirmishes and occasional major deadly assaults into each other's territories continued from both sides. The [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] recognized the Chan Santa Cruz Maya as a "de facto" independent nation, partly due to significant trade between Chan Santa Cruz and [[British Honduras]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Still relevant today : Chan Santa Cruz and the British-Mayan Alliance of the Nineteenth Century |url=https://www.defenceviewpoints.co.uk/articles-and-analysis/still-relevant-today-chan-santa-cruz-and-the-british-mayan-alliance-of-the-nineteenth-century |website=Defence Viewpoint}}</ref>