Francisco May Pech (1884 - 1969) Was an indigenous Mayan Soldier and Commander who served as the last Supreme Commander of the Mayan forces in the
Caste War of Yucatán
The Caste War of Yucatán (1847–1915) began with the revolt of Native Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula against Hispanic populations, called ''Yucatecos''. The latter had long held political and economic control of the region. A lengthy w ...
.
[Casares G. Cantón, Raúl; Duch Colell, Juan; Antochiw Kolpa, Michel; Zavala Vallado, Silvio et ál (1998). ''Yucatán en el tiempo''. Mérida, Yucatán. ISBN 970 9071 04 1]
Biography
He was born in 1884, in
Yokdzonot, in the
Mayan Free State, during The
Mayan Caste War. One of the commanders of the Mayan forces named Felipe Yam married Pech's Mother and tutored Pech. Pech first became prominent after assaulting a military railway and became leader shortly after the death of Felipe Yam.
In 1915, The Governor of
Yucatán,
Salvador Alvarado, ordered the Garrison Of
Chan Santa Cruz to withdraw from the city and hand over military control of the area to Pech.
Pech would continuously extract concessions from the
Mexican Government
The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republi ...
over the following years, before attempting to retire in the late 1920s but was convinced to remain at a conference organized by the Governor
Jose Siurob to obtain Pech's backing and administrative support.
He was later expelled from the area in the 1932 and moved to
Oxkutzkab, though he would move back to
Chan Santa Cruz a few years before his death on March 31, 1969.
Legacy
In
Felipe Carrillo Puerto there is a monument in his honor.
On October 30th, 2006, his great-grandson Francisco J. Rosado May became rector of the intercultural Maya University of Quintana Roo.
[Everton, Macduff (2013) The Modern Maya. Incidents of travel and friendship in Yucatan. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-72693-2]
References
{{reflist
1884 births
1969 deaths
Maya people