Jacinto Pat (1797 − September 8, 1849) was a

Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...

leader and '' batab'' best known for helping lead the rebels 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 ...

Early life

According to the ''Encyclopedia of Quintana Roo'', Pat is an ancient Mayan surname that means "to invent", "to create" and "to make things with clay or wax". Before the Spanish invasion, the Pat family ruled the Mayan chiefdom of

Ekab Ekab or Ecab was the name of a Maya civilization, Mayan chiefdom of the northeastern Yucatán Peninsula, before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century. In the fifteenth century most of Yucatán was controlled by the Leag ...

and held power on the island of

Cozumel Cozumel (; ) is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen. It is separated from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel and is close to the Yucatán Channel. The ...

. Ah Naum Pat was the

Halach Uinik Halach uinik or halach uinic (Yucatec Maya:'real man') was the name given to the supreme ruler, overlord or chief, as they were called in the colonial period of a Maya ''kuchkabal''. Most ''kuchkabal'' were run by a halach uinik, who ruled on beh ...

of Cozumel, and when the Spanish invaders arrived, many inhabitants of the island moved to the Yucatán peninsula. More than 70 families with the last name Pat lived in

Cochuah Cochuah (also Kock Wah) (in the Mayan language: toponymic; ''K-'': our + ''Och'': food + ''Wah'': bread. "Our food of bread"?) is the name of one of the sixteen Maya civilization, Mayan provinces into which the central Yucatán Peninsula was div ...

, especially in Tihosuco. Pat was from Tihosuco in present-day

Quintana Roo Quintana Roo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, constitute the 32 administrative divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into municipalities of ...

. He was a landowner; his properties included Culumpich hacienda and Rancho Panabá.

The Caste War

In 1847, a rebellion against the

criollo Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to: People * Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish colonial system. Animals * Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South America. * Criollo cattle, a group of cattle bre ...

government broke out when Pat joined with Cecilio Chi, a Maya ''batab'' from Tepich. After helping to lead the sack of

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

, Pat was given charge of the area south of Tihosuco. He was also in charge of procuring gunpowder and lead from

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

to supply Chi's troops. Eventually, Pat and Chi clashed over opposing views. Pat wanted to focus on political negotiations to establish a Mayan state while Chi preferred to keep fighting until there were no criollo or white residents left in Yucatán. Pat signed the Tzucacab Treaty with the government of Yucatán in April 1848. The treaty established him as the Grand Cacique of Yucatán over the indigenous population, decreased mandatory marriage and baptism fees levied on the indigenous population and provided for the return of weapons confiscated from the Maya population. However, Chi did not recognize the treaty's validity and continued fighting until his murder in December 1848.

Death

After the death of Cecilio Chi, Maya

caudillo A ''caudillo'' ( , ; , from Latin language, Latin , diminutive of ''caput'' "head") is a type of Personalist dictatorship, personalist leader wielding military and political power. There is no precise English translation for the term, though it ...

José Venancio Pec declared Pat a traitor for signing the Tzucacab Treaty. On September 8, 1849, Pat was assassinated by Pec in the village of Holchén.

Legacy

After his death, Pat became a folk hero among the Maya and many legends appeared regarding his life. A statue of Pat by Mexican sculptor

Antonio Castellanos Antonio Castellanos Basich (born 5 March 1946) is a Mexican sculptor. He is probably best known for his large sculpture of Antonio de Montesinos delivering his sermon at the seafront of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic (1982) and the geomet ...

is located outside of the Museo de la Cultura Maya in

Chetumal Chetumal (, , ; , ) is a city on the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. It is the capital of the List of states of Mexico, state of Quintana Roo and the municipal seat of the Othón P. Blanco, Quintana Roo, Municipality of Othón ...

. There is also a statue of Pat in his hometown of Tihosuco at the Caste War Museum and one in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

on the

Paseo de la Reforma Paseo de la Reforma (literally "Promenade of La Reforma, the Reform") is a wide avenue that runs diagonally across the heart of Mexico City. It was designed at the behest of Maximilian of Mexico, Emperor Maximilian by Ferdinand von Rosenzweig d ...

Personal life

Pat was married to Feliciana Puc and had three sons, Esteban, Silvestre and Marcelo, who fought in the rebellion with him. The couple also had two daughters. Pat's son Marcelo was killed in the battle of

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 ...

References