The Caste War of Yucatan

by Nelson Reed

Book Overview

This is the classic account of one of the most dramatic episodes in Mexican history--the revolt of the Maya Indians of Yucat n against their white and mestizo oppressors that began in 1847. Within a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804701652
• ISBN13: 9780804701655
• Release Date: January 1967
• Publisher: Stanford University Press
• Length: 322 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Great Book

Bought and read this book for two reason, i love everything Maya and i wanted to know how much pushing it takes before people start to fight back. This book satisfied both. Read this book if your planning a trip there or you've aready been. You'll see Cancun there different eyes... which is a good thing.

A dirty Little Secret

This is truely one of the very few books available on the Caste War of Mexico.It is painstaking researched and a must read! What happened to the Maya? Why does Southern Mexico has a revolt every five or so years.Why is this item "buried", if noted at all, in the back pages of our newspapers. This Caste War is still present even today. You must think that the Magnificant Maya built great cities and then simply vanished- but did they? All the way back to Santa Anna(of the Alamo and San Jacinto )the Mayan People have been brutalized and mistreated by their own Government. Yet there is little information on this dark side of History. Here at last is THE consumate book detailing this dark time.The pent up repercussions of years of shame,torture, and exploitation when they came were horrific. Let the book itself tell you-"A paralyzed curate was macheted in his hammoc; upper-class girls were stripped and raped before their helpless relatives. then tied spread-eagled to the grillwork of windows and mutilated.." This is a must read to find out "the real story behind the story" of those glitzy tourist attractions. This is something that you will never hear! Curious? Review by Bob Wolter

A Detailed Analysis

Having recently bought property on the Maya Riviera and interacting with the Mayan construction workers I am fascinated by their culture. I like to immerse myself in the local culture and learn all I can of my new neighbors both Mexican and Mayan. It was stated in a book that the Yucatan was uninhabitable by white people until into the 1900's. Therefore I thought it worth a look at this historical event, the Caste War. This author did extensive research and he tried to include too much into the book. Rather than giving a summation of the war or providing a "big picture", this book quickly dives into every little campaign that there was some journal detailing. And this detail is very thorough. So don't get confused as to what you are reading, this is a detailed analysis, not a history book. This is a slow read and very confusing if you are not familiar with the names as they can be so similar on both sides of the conflict. So many characters and classes are fighting that it sometimes is confusing who is on what side particularly when they switch sides. But in the end, you will learn a great deal about the land, he people, and how the peninsula developed including the Governor's offer to be taken over by the United States. There are significant discussions of the crops and religion of the Mayans as well. A new "gabacho" such as me identifies the region from Cancun or the Mayan Riviera while the early history is centered around Merida and the West Coast with the Mayans seeming to control the lower East Coast. Overall, I achieved what I wanted: an understanding of the culture and how it developed. But most of what I enjoyed was in the early 1900s when he began to discuss the economic development particularly the rope material that controlled the economy, henequen (sp?). The book moves forward in this period through the 1960s and the author's first visit to the peninsula and finally to a return trip in the 1990s. In many respects, not much has changed. This is a fascinating part of Mexico and has charming, hard-working people who are currently going through an economic change that may or may not be to the benefit of the traditional Mayan people and culture. Read this book if you want to know about the area but be prepared that this is not a light reading but rather in-depth. Definitely not something to read lightly on the beach.

The Caste War of Yucatan

Nelson Reed's "Caste War of Yucatan" tells the story of an obscure Maya rebellion in Mexico in the 1840's with vigor and a style that makes this history come alive. This is a history that most Yucatecan ladinos didn't want told for many years. But in a masterful way, Reed has put life into one of the most interesting corners of the history of the Americas...the only successful native American rebellion...one that ended in disaster for all concerned. The story covers the 53 year struggle of the communities of Yucatec Maya that rebelled against intolerable oppression in 1847 and whose events snowballed to an all out race war which raged on and off until its flame was finally extinguished due more to illness and exhaustion than to the resolve of the participants. This gripping tale of battles and desperation has enough horror and action to cause the reader to ponder who these Maya are that today greet the Cancun visitors with warm smiles and hospitality.Mike Reed

Gripping true history of the Maya resistance

I'm the author of books and articles about Mexico, Cancun and the Yucatan Peninsula. I've lived in Cancun since 1983 and I find the The Caste War of Yucatan by Nelson Reed the most useful and fascinating book about this area. The modern history of the North American continent began here in Quintana Roo, the site of the first Spanish landing on the mainland. The story of Quintana Roo is the story of Mexico in miniature. Nelson Reed's book is by far the most authoritative history of Quintana Roo ever published in English. Although closely focused on the Maya rebellion that began in 1847 and continued well into the 20th Century, The Caste War of Yucatan presents a sensitive, accurate and comprehensive picture of the entire history of the Yucatan Peninsula, with many important insights into the history of Mexico as well. Meticulously researched but written in a gripping narrative style that reads like a popular novel, this book is entertaining, horrifying, sad and always profoundly fascinating. Very highly recommended. jules_siegel@cafecancun.com