CORRELATION OF MAYA AND CHRISTIAN CHRONOLOGY. 487 
Both of these agree with Events A and B already described. 
A brief résumé of what appears to have happened, based upon the foregoing 
evidence, follows. Bishop Landa tells us that in the fourteenth century and the 
early part of the fifteenth century the rulers of Mayapan, the Cocom family, became 
increasingly oppressive and tyrannical, to the point that had it not been for the 
fear of their Mexican mercenaries, whom they appear to have maintained ever since 
the fall of Chichen Itza about the beginning of the thirteenth century, the other 
Maya chieftains would have risen against them. 
About the beginning or middle of the fourth decade of the fifteenth century, 
some time during Katun 8 Ahau (1438-1458, according to the correlation suggested 
here), their rule became so burdensome that the Maya finally banded themselves 
together under the leadership of the Tutul Xiu, then reigning at Uxmal,! and attack- 
ing Mayapan, sacked the city and slew all the members of the ruling family save 
only one son, who was absent from the capital at the time. ‘This son was later 
permitted to move the remnant of his people to Tibulon and there to found a new 
capital, which became the province of Sotuta.2 This event profoundly affected the 
whole peninsula and brought about the abandonment of all the larger cities. The 
Xiu withdrew from Uxmal and founded a new capital at Mani. The Chel removed 
to Tikoch, while the Itza actually left the country, migrating southward to Peten, 
and establishing themselves around Lake Peten Itza, probably a former home of 
the tribe eight centuries earlier under the Old Empire.’ 
Landa says the hatred engendered by this war lasted for many years and gave 
rise to constant conflicts, and it supplies for us the direct historical cause of the 
tragedy of 1536. 
The Cocom had never forgiven the Xiu for the leading part they had played 
in their downfall, and, Indian-like, had bided their time to execute a commensurate 
revenge. In 1535, after the failure of the first attempt to conquer Yucatan and the 
Spaniards had withdrawn, Landa tells us there was a great drought followed by a 
greater famine, until the Maya were driven to eating even the bark of trees. 
In this national extremity Napot Xiu, then Lord of Mani, thinking the 
ancient enmities between his people and the Cocom might be suspended, asked of 
Nachi Cocom, then ruling at Sotuta, permission to pass through the Cocom terri- 
tories on a pilgrimage to Chichen Itza for the purpose of offering sacrifices at the 
Sacred Cenote to appease the offended rain deities.*| “This provided the opportunity 
the Cocom had long awaited. Permission was given, but only to further their 
long-deferred and sinister designs. The embassy was received with feasts, and 
after three days of entertainment, when any suspicions the Xiu pilgrims might 
have entertained had been entirely dissipated, and they were correspondingly off 
their guard, the Cocom fell upon them and murdered all save one or two who either 
escaped or were spared to carry tidings of the massacre to Mani. ‘This event, we 
have seen, took place at Otzmal in the Cocom seigniory in 1536. 
There has been some doubt as to whether Napot Xiu was the ruler of Mani, 
or only one of the higher Xiu officials, but the Xiu family papers (V) clearly state he 
was the leader, ahiz’un, and page 85 from the Book of Chilan Balam of Chumayel 
(XII) twice refers to him as the ruler, halach vinic. 
These, then, seem to be the principal facts regarding this important event, 
which was recorded by so many of the early authorities, and which has such an 
important bearing on the correlation problem. 

1See note 2, page 470. *Landa, 1881, p. 75. 
8The writer found two stelz at Flores in 1915 recording the dates 10.1.0.0.0 and 10.2.0.0.0, which must 
have come from nearby. See Morley, 19154, pp. 345-346. ; 
4Guthe has suggested that choice of the year 1536 for this pilgrimage may have arisen from the desire to 
have the sacrifices contemplated coincide with the ending of the current katun (13 Ahau), always an unusually 
auspicious time from the Maya point of view. 
