Tihosuco - worth the trip!
About an hour north of the Na'atik Language and Culture Institute in Carrillo and another hour south of Valladolid sits the town of Tihosuco. Driving past on the road you might be forgiven for not thinking there's much in town. From the main road you can't see much other than a few houses and shops. But if you get off the busand head into town you'll find a small and welcoming community that may not be a tourist destination but is proud of its history.If Tihosuco is known for anything its, the old church that sits on a hill in a center of town. Underneath there are supposedly a series of tunnels and underground caverns. But you'd be hard pressed to find someone to take you down there. No, instead most people come to see the church itself. Far larger than the size of the town would suggest, the church casts a striking outline with the front facade and much of the roof in ruins. Inside you'll find the back half of the church restored and still in use with hand-painted alcoves telling the stories from the Bible and the lives of the saints.Why preserve the church in this half-ruined but picturesque state? It speaks to the town's deep sense of history and its role in the Caste War that shook the peninsula for over half a century. In 1847 Tihosuco was a large colonial town with a large church appropriately sized for it's future ambition. While not a principal city of the colonial establishment like Valladolid or Merida, Tihosuco's elite were part of the same racial caste system where white Mexican's of European descent ruled over those with indigenous heritage. At the bottom of this pyramid were the families that were still purely Maya and now were forced to work on large farms for wealthy land owners. The system was unjust and since the arrival of the Spanish the local communities had been in conflict with the invading authorities. But this time was different.Violent internal political conflict after gaining independence from Spain had weakened the Mexican central authorities and given the local Maya population opportunities to train with and acquire weapons. In 1847 they saw their chance and launched a full scale revolt. Two armies formed from Tihosuco one marching north to Merida the other west to Campeche. At their height they had tens of thousands of men each. Nearing both cities it seemed as if they would be able to achieve their goals but internal disagreements over whether to accept peace offerings from the Mexican government, the onset of heavy rains, and a turn of fortune on the battlefield forced them to retreat to the eastern side of the peninsula. In fact our town of Carrillo was born, as Chan Santa Cruz, in this retreat as the Maya forces sought to establish a new principal headquarters. The ensuing stalemate would split the peninsula until 1901 with continual skirmishes and assaults throughout the decades.Tihosuco ended up in a border area between Mexican and Maya forces and was nearly destroyed in one battle, leaving the church with is fascinating scars. Eventually the town was abandoned not to be resettled till the 1930s. But in the process of rebuilding the new occupants decided to keep the church partially destroyed in honor of the town's history. They also turned one of the old colonial buildings into el Museo de la Guerra de Castas where you can still come today and learn more about the conflict.The museum is small and simple but well done. You can feel the pride the community takes in their history, and they've had great support from the University of Pennsylvania's Cultural Heritage Center. Together with a local staff - who are friendly and excited to greet you when you enter the museum - they've uncovered not only the history of the conflict but created a space where the community can preserve their own history since that time.Tihosuco probably won't be popping up in the guidebooks anytime soon, and in fairness you'll be done with the museum and church in just a few hours. But it's worth the trip to connect with this community and its fascinating history.
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