"The Caste War of Yucatan"

Paper Summary:

The paper reviews how Nelson Reed in "The Caste War of Yucatan" explores the conflict between the indigenous peoples and the Ladino of the region following Mexico's independence from Spain and up through the beginning of the twentieth century. The paper describes how Reed compares the opposing world views of the Ladinos and Maya, the increasing conflicts over land use and abuse of the native populations at the hands of the Ladinos, the merciless tactics employed by both sides during the war and the development of the "Talking Cross" cult.

From the Paper:

"Nelson Reed's book, The Caste War of Yucatan explores the conflict between the indigenous peoples and the Ladino (or Spanish descendants) of the region following Mexico's independence from Spain and up through the beginning of the twentieth century. Using primarily Ladino sources, he addresses the cultural conflict of the opposing sides, the accumulating pressures leading up to the outbreak of war, the brutal nature of the warfare itself, as well as the development and significance of the "Talking Cross" movement among the Maya during this period. While the scarcity of Mayan sources, coupled with an absence of footnotes serves to weaken the validity of Reed's work, this weakness is countered by the author's attention to the contributing cultural factors and the influence of the "Talking Cross" among the Maya combatants."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Reed, Nelson. The Caste War of Yucatan. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1964.

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