onzo Xiu, governor of Tekit, with the other governors of
his suite, Don Juan Cacom, governor of Tekoh, with Don Gaspar Fun, Don
Juan Camal, governor of Nunhini, Don Francisco Ciz, other governor of
Cosuma, Don Juan Cocom, governor of Zotuta, Don Gonzalo Fuyu, governor
of Tixcacaltuyu, Don Juan Han, governor of Yaxcaba; those were brought
to this chief village of Mani _from_ Vxmal, with the others named, and
the judge Felipe Manrique, with Gaspar Antonio, commissioned
interpreter." Of this, too, the rest is omitted, not being relevant to
this subject.

The reader will observe that, fifteen or sixteen years after the
foundation of Merida, Mani had the same pre-eminence of position as
when Tutul Xiu went up with his dependant caciques to make submission
to the Spaniards. It was the "chief village," the central point for
meeting and settling the boundaries of villages; but it appears, on the
face of these documents, that great changes had already occurred. In
fact, even at that early date we see the entering wedge, which, since
driven to its mark, has overturned all the institutions and destroyed
forever the national character of the aboriginal inhabitants. The
Indians were still rulers over their villages, and meet to settle their
boundary lines, but they meet under the direction of Don Felipe
Manriques, a Spanish officer, specially commissioned for that purpose;
they establish their boundaries by planting _crosses_, symbols
introduced by the Spaniards; they have lost their proud and independent
national title of cacique, and are styled _Dons_ and _Gobernadores_;
under the gentle patting of the hand destined soon to crush their race,
they have abandoned even the names received from their fathers, and
have adopted, either voluntarily or by coercion, the Christian names of
the Spaniards; and the Lord of Mani himself, the lineal descendant of
the royal house of Maya, either that same Tutul Xiu who first submitted
himself and his vassals to the dominion of Don Francisco Montejo, or
his immediate descendant, in compliment to the conqueror and destroyer
of his race, appears meekly and ingloriously under the name of _Don
Francisco Xiu_.

But it is not for the sake of this melancholy tale that I have
introduced these documents; they have another and a more important
bearing. By this act of partition it appears that, in 1667, "the judge
_arrived at Uxmal_, accompanied by his interpreter Don Antonio Gaspar."
And by the agreement i