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| Santa Elena, Near Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico: A Village History Maya migration, Stephens & Catherwood, Spanish Caste Wars, escape tunnels, burning of the village, foreign colonization, the Maya people today. |
| A view of "downtown" Santa Elena, as seen from the church roof in April 2005, with the zocalo and Palacio to the right . The flat expanse of the Yucatan Peninsula extends to infinity in the distance, artificially curved by this panoramic photograph. |
Santa Elena, A Village History:
Over many centuries native Maya people migrated northward from Guatemala where they had created their first settlements as
early as 900 BC. By 550 AD they had established major cities in the southern area of the Yucatan Peninsula. Some of the ruins
of the Ruta Puuc Route that surround Santa Elena date as far back as 600 A.D. The village of Santa Elena itself was settled by a
combination of Maya, Mestizo, and Spaniards and was originally called Nohcacab. The sanctuary portion of Santa Elena's
Catholic fortress church was constructed in the 1500's, atop an imposing mound of pre-Columbian origin, as a primitive chapel for
the native Mayas who were also known as Indios. It is believed that at one time the village's population was as high as 27,000.
Santa Elena is the village where John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood brought to world attention the names and the
splendor of the ancient Maya cities of Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, and Labnah, and the famous cave illustrations of Xtakumbixunaam
with its steep descending wooden ladder. Stephens and Catherwood were here before the Caste Wars broke out in 1847, so they
saw the way the people were living before the long 50+ year bloody rebellion on the peninsula. Using the village as a base and
staying in the convent part of our Catholic church, they explored the surrounding area, writing about and illustrating the various ruins
and caves as they rediscovered them, first in 1839 and later in 1841. They also detailed village life and customs as they saw and
experienced them. Many of our village traditions, from dances to religious processions and foods, have changed little since then.
There is a well in the village square in the center of Santa Elena. This is not actually a well, but a tunnel-like entrance down which
you descend. The people say the tunnel went all the way to Mani, about 40 kilometers away, and that the Maya used it to escape
the Spaniards during the Caste Wars.
In 1865, 213 German speaking people, (men, women, and children), from the area of Hamburg, were brought specifically to the
village of Nohcacab. This was a project of foreign colonization promoted during the reign of Emperor Maximillian of Hapsburg
with the governing body of the state of Yucatan. The majority of these people were farmers and craftsmen: wheelwrights,
shoemakers, cabinet makers, etc. The German names that remain today are Holtz and Ditrich, among others, and there are
still some descendants of those European immigrants that formed relationships among the village inhabitants. Very little
survived of their influence, at least that is known. No strudel, no wiener schnitzel, just some old photos. There are stories
of a fiery liquor called Schnapps, so maybe something remained. But take a look at the interior of our huge Catholic church
some time, and ask yourself why it is so different, painted in an almost whimsical manner - much like Northern
German/Scandinavian tole painting. Perhaps something besides the memory of Schnapps did remain. I have seen nothing
else like this painting anywhere else on the peninsula.
During the Caste Wars, native Mayans fled from Nohcacab to escape the Spaniards by seeking refuge in the nearby hills.
The village was burned during the war. Upon returning and seeing the condition of their village, the native Mayans were said to
have exclaimed "elelnaj" (the j pronounced like an h, making the word sound like Elena) which means "burned house" in Mayan.
In the late 1800's a petition was granted to change the village's name to Santa Elena.
In August of 1980, while remodeling the tile floor of the church, 12 coffins were discovered containing the mummified corpses
of infants and young children of the German settlers. Each of the bodies still retain their hair, nails, eyelashes, and skin, plus
various clothing affects. These date to the 19th century. Some of these mummies are on display in the museum located
adjacent to the church, the same place that Stephens and Catherwood stayed.
Of the original German immigrants, nothing remains except a few distant descendants - blue eyes, lighter hair. They were not
prepared for life here. Not in clothing, climate, crops that could be raised, nor skills that could be used. On top of that, they
hit the Caste War years. Tropical infections would have taken a stiff toll also. The few that remained dispersed to various parts
of the peninsula, leaving the village once again to the Mayas. Today, the village population is about 4,000 people.
The Mayas, their language and customs, are alive and well here today. Mayan customs still being performed in the village
today include Je'ets Lu'um, an earth calming ceremony. You can read about our lively annual celebrations in honor of our village
Saints in our story on El K'oche.
Kristine,
Flycatcher Inn, Santa Elena
10 minutes southeast of Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico Click here for photographs of our village, or our celebrations.
Over many centuries native Maya people migrated northward from Guatemala where they had created their first settlements as
early as 900 BC. By 550 AD they had established major cities in the southern area of the Yucatan Peninsula. Some of the ruins
of the Ruta Puuc Route that surround Santa Elena date as far back as 600 A.D. The village of Santa Elena itself was settled by a
combination of Maya, Mestizo, and Spaniards and was originally called Nohcacab. The sanctuary portion of Santa Elena's
Catholic fortress church was constructed in the 1500's, atop an imposing mound of pre-Columbian origin, as a primitive chapel for
the native Mayas who were also known as Indios. It is believed that at one time the village's population was as high as 27,000.
Santa Elena is the village where John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood brought to world attention the names and the
splendor of the ancient Maya cities of Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, and Labnah, and the famous cave illustrations of Xtakumbixunaam
with its steep descending wooden ladder. Stephens and Catherwood were here before the Caste Wars broke out in 1847, so they
saw the way the people were living before the long 50+ year bloody rebellion on the peninsula. Using the village as a base and
staying in the convent part of our Catholic church, they explored the surrounding area, writing about and illustrating the various ruins
and caves as they rediscovered them, first in 1839 and later in 1841. They also detailed village life and customs as they saw and
experienced them. Many of our village traditions, from dances to religious processions and foods, have changed little since then.
There is a well in the village square in the center of Santa Elena. This is not actually a well, but a tunnel-like entrance down which
you descend. The people say the tunnel went all the way to Mani, about 40 kilometers away, and that the Maya used it to escape
the Spaniards during the Caste Wars.
In 1865, 213 German speaking people, (men, women, and children), from the area of Hamburg, were brought specifically to the
village of Nohcacab. This was a project of foreign colonization promoted during the reign of Emperor Maximillian of Hapsburg
with the governing body of the state of Yucatan. The majority of these people were farmers and craftsmen: wheelwrights,
shoemakers, cabinet makers, etc. The German names that remain today are Holtz and Ditrich, among others, and there are
still some descendants of those European immigrants that formed relationships among the village inhabitants. Very little
survived of their influence, at least that is known. No strudel, no wiener schnitzel, just some old photos. There are stories
of a fiery liquor called Schnapps, so maybe something remained. But take a look at the interior of our huge Catholic church
some time, and ask yourself why it is so different, painted in an almost whimsical manner - much like Northern
German/Scandinavian tole painting. Perhaps something besides the memory of Schnapps did remain. I have seen nothing
else like this painting anywhere else on the peninsula.
During the Caste Wars, native Mayans fled from Nohcacab to escape the Spaniards by seeking refuge in the nearby hills.
The village was burned during the war. Upon returning and seeing the condition of their village, the native Mayans were said to
have exclaimed "elelnaj" (the j pronounced like an h, making the word sound like Elena) which means "burned house" in Mayan.
In the late 1800's a petition was granted to change the village's name to Santa Elena.
In August of 1980, while remodeling the tile floor of the church, 12 coffins were discovered containing the mummified corpses
of infants and young children of the German settlers. Each of the bodies still retain their hair, nails, eyelashes, and skin, plus
various clothing affects. These date to the 19th century. Some of these mummies are on display in the museum located
adjacent to the church, the same place that Stephens and Catherwood stayed.
Of the original German immigrants, nothing remains except a few distant descendants - blue eyes, lighter hair. They were not
prepared for life here. Not in clothing, climate, crops that could be raised, nor skills that could be used. On top of that, they
hit the Caste War years. Tropical infections would have taken a stiff toll also. The few that remained dispersed to various parts
of the peninsula, leaving the village once again to the Mayas. Today, the village population is about 4,000 people.
The Mayas, their language and customs, are alive and well here today. Mayan customs still being performed in the village
today include Je'ets Lu'um, an earth calming ceremony. You can read about our lively annual celebrations in honor of our village
Saints in our story on El K'oche.
Kristine,
Flycatcher Inn, Santa Elena
10 minutes southeast of Uxmal in Yucatan, Mexico Click here for photographs of our village, or our celebrations.
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