Yucatan caste

[Benjamin Preciado]

The Maya did not have any caste system. The New Spain society was divided in
castes by the europeans and this system was not taken from indigenous
peoples. It was applied all over the territory and not only in Yucatan. It
was based on race lines and the europeans had the highest ranking,
indigenous peoples, african slaves and all the posible intermarriage descent
coming in the lower rankings.
The indian revolt of Yucatan in the mid XIX century was called the Caste War
because this division of society was still remembered then.
Benjamin Preciado
-----Mensaje original-----
De: N. Ganesan [mailto:naga_ganesan at HOTMAIL.COM]
Enviado el: Martes, 13 de Febrero de 2001 10:55 a.m.
Para: INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK
Asunto: Yucatan caste


The Indian caste system and untouchability appear to have
an independent comparable system in Japan. In the end, similar peoples
came to be cast as untouchables, those who worked on leather
and carcasses of dead animals in both the countries. Ancient Japanese
notions of Sacred power called "imi" and purity/pollution concepts
have something similar in Indian society also.

What about caste among the Mayas in Yucatan? Do they have
Purity-Pollution polarities as in Indian caste? Since Mayas are well
known practicioners of human sacrifice, where are the animal and human
scarificers situated in the Yucatan Mayan society? At the top
or bottom of the hierarchy?

Thanks,
N. Ganesan

------------

Reed, Nelson. The caste war of Yucatan, Stanford University Press,
1964.

Rugeley, Terry, Yucatan's Maya peasantry and the origins of the Caste
War, University of Texas Press, 1996.
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