Mayas, corsairs and collective fears. An approximation from the case of Hunucmá, 1571

Abstract

In this paper we analyze, through collective fear, the relationship between the Yucatec colonial society, in particular the Maya, and the phenomenon of piracy. The convergence of both historical processes has been scarcely studied. First we propose a historiographic synthesis about the role of Maya and the activity of corsairs and pirates in colonial times. Then, we offer a perspective about collective fears, specially the Hispanic fear of natives and foreign navigators, as well as the hypothetical union between them. The third part is dedicated to a specific event: the arrival in Hunucmá of a group of corsairs Gauls in 1571. We reconstruct the Mayan action and perspective facing that group of french people. The natives expressed their support for Catholic religious values when they pointed out the transgressions carried out by the Gauls; however, this attitude contradicted the Spanish imaginary regarding the Mayas. In few words, we found a regional context where collective fear was an axis and, on the other hand, we shed light on a position that the Yucatec Maya kept facing the piracy phenomenon.