628 BUREAU OF AMERK'AN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 28 



military, iiiasiniu-h as they use druin and trumpet calls, etc. In 

 the district of Ixkanlia the population has also diminished, compared 

 with its former number, especially through smallpox epidemics and 

 owing to an utter lack of good medical aid, and a few years ago Gen 

 Eugenio Arana ceded the important village of Chunchintok to the 

 state of Ca]npeche. Nevertheless, the population of the independent 

 territory of Ixkanha is probably about 8,000. 



At the beginning of the rebellion the population of the Santa Cruz 

 territory was stated to be about 40,000; l)ut since then the number 

 has also greatly diminished, and is estimated by those familiar with 

 the country at <S,000 or 10,000 souls. Indeed, it seems as if the depop- 

 ulation of the forest regions of the peninsida (eastern and southern 

 Yucatan) were constantly progressing, although it is probable that 

 even before the conquest these regions were more scantily pojiulated 

 than the drier and inore salubrious districts in western and northern 

 Yucatan, The population of Chan Santa Cruz is chiefly confined to 

 the strip of territory between lake Bacalar and Ascension bay, for 

 the fierce and long wars have resulted in an ever-increasing concen- 

 tration of population on the part of the eastern Indians and also on 

 that of their enemies, in consequence of ^vhicli uninliabited tracts of 

 land lie between the two factions, in Avhich the former roads have 

 been rapidly overgrowni and rendered impassable ])y the luxuriant 

 forest vegetation. P^ven though Indians can use these overgrown 

 roads in case of need in single file, the Santa Cruz Indians will 

 ahvays be oliliged to open new roads for incursions on a larger scale, 

 which wiW serve to warn the inhabitants of the threatened district 

 well in advance. 



The state of civilization of the independent Mayas is low. There is 

 no educational system at all, and although for Ixkanha, Avhich is 

 prol)ably more directly dependent on Campeche than Icaiche, OAving 

 to its closer proximity to it, the position of schoolmaster is provided 

 for in the state budget of Campeche, nothing is gained by it, since no 

 candidate ever applies for the position. Maya is exclusively the lan- 

 guage of connuon intercourse, and in each of the three independent 

 districts the clerk who is appointed by the general as secretary and 

 interpreter is the only man in the state who speaks Spanish well and 

 can also read and write a little. In ecclesiastic matters the Mayas 

 of Santa Cruz are dependent upon Corozal, those of Icaiche upon 

 Orange Walk, and those of Ixkanha upon the neighboring villages of 

 Campeche. In Ixkanha, it is true, I saw in the church a smoothly 

 shaven Indian, not otherwise distinguished from his fellows, who, 

 morning and evening, conducted religious services, consisting largely 

 of song, in the Maya tongue; but he Avas evidently not a genuine 

 priest. 



