The auto de Fe of Bishop Diego de Landa

The Maya had thousands of books and were the only culture in the Americas to have true phonetic (as opposed to rebus) writing. They compiled their kings lists on stone stela and even staircases. Unfortunately, most of these books were destroyed by Bishop Diego de Landa, a Franciscan friar who arrived in the Yucatán from Spain in 1549. At first, de Landa was reported to be a kind and caring man, but as the Maya began to backslide into paganism, he declared an inquisition and jailed and tortured over 4,000 Maya for heresy. He then began his famous auto de Fe and burned thousands of Maya books and “heathen” idols. Apparently, he regretted his actions for while in Spain awaiting trial he began his famous book on the Maya called Relacion de las Cosas de Yucatan. He was later absolved by the Church and finished his work after returning to the new world and caring for his people. Most of what we know about the ancient religious rites came from de Landa's writings.

Mayan scribes were members of the elite such as priests and kings and writing was revered as a gift from the god Itzamná. In classic times, books had jaguar skin covers and were written on long pieces of bark, covered with a resin and then fanfolded. The scribes used pens made from feathers or brushes that were dipped in paint. Only four books have survived the humidity of the elements and the Spanish incursion.


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