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 or ''ba'atabil kichkelem Yúum'' (1847–1915) began with the revolt of Indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous Maya peoples, Maya people of the Yucatán Peninsula against Hispanic populations, called ''Yucatecos''. Th ...

.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 Yucatán, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises 106 separate municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. ...

Salvador Alvarado Salvador Alvarado Rubio (September 16, 1880 – June 10, 1924) was a general and politician during the Mexican Revolution. He served in the Constitutional Army under President Venustiano Carranza. Alvarado was the Governor of Yucatán from Februa ...

, ordered the Garrison Of

Chan Santa Cruz Chan Santa Cruz was a late 19th-century indigenous Maya state in the modern-day Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It was also the name of a shrine that served as the center of the Maya CruzoobAlso spelled ''Cruzob'' or ''Crusoob''. religious mo ...

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 republ ...

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

Oxkutzcab Oxkutzcab () is a small city and the municipal seat of the Oxkutzcab Municipality, Yucatán in Mexico. As of 2015, the city has a population of 33,854. Oxkutzcab is an agricultural center, focused mainly on the production of tropical fruits such ...

, though he would move back to

a few years before his death on March 31, 1969.

Legacy

Felipe Carrillo Puerto Felipe Santiago Carrillo Puerto (8 November 1874 – 3 January 1924) was a Mexican journalist, politician and revolutionary who served as the governor of Yucatán from 1922 until his assassination in 1924. He became known for his efforts at rec ...

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