PXL_20250418_184530178

Sat, 14 Feb 2026 07:49:23 +0100

The execution of Jacinto Canek

On November 19th 1761, an uprising of Mayan Indians broke out in the village of Cisteil, headed by Jacinto Canek. This uprising was a response to the deplorable conditions in which the natives lived during the Colonial period. Although fate seemed to smile on the rebels at first, the Europeans' superiority in weapons and tactics soon prevailed over those disorganised men who only had their arrows and a few old guns to defend themselves. Canek was taken prisoner and condemned to death, along with several of his followers.

The execution was carried out in the Main Square of Merida, right in front of Montejo's House, on the 14th of September 1761, at eight o'clock in the morning. The bloody act was witnessed by the Governor, the most distinguished captains and the richest landowners of the province. Canek was quartered with red-hot pokers and pincers; his remains were then burned and his ashes thrown to the winds.