Project Maya

“Oh Lord, my God, the light, being, and life of my soul, holy guide and true path of my habits, consolation of my afflictions, inner joy of my sorrows, refreshment and rest from my labors!  Why do you command me, Lord, to do what is better called work than rest?  Why do you oblige me to do that which I cannot complete?” - Diego de Landa

As I have stated previously, the goal of this video is to understand the myriad psychological, political, and spiritual motivations behind Diego de Landa's infamous inquisition of the Maya in the summer of 1562.

"More than 4,500 Indians were put to the torture during the three months of the inquisition, and an official inquiry later established that 158 had died during or as a direct result of the interrogations. At least thirteen people were known to have committed suicide to escape the torture, while eighteen others, who had disappeared, were thought to have killed themselves. Many more had been left crippled, their shoulder muscles irreparably torn, their hands paralyzed 'like hooks'." - Ambivalent Conquests by Inga Clenninden

On the board you can see are the 6 primary motivations I have decided on.

This project took far longer than I wanted it to. During the course of writing it, several issues popped up which I didn't expect. The largest has been structural. I wanted to weave the narrative of what occurred into the discussion of de Landa's motivations. The image in my mind I keep coming to is a tension building throughout the video, like the tension in a bow being drawn over the course of an hour, until it is loosed at the conclusion. I believe I have accomplished that, although I do hate how long it's taken me to get there.

Another issue is Diego de Landa's "book". Unbeknownst to me at the beginning of the project, it is actually of somewhat dubious authorship. I wanted to use it as a window into his mind, and at points it is, but it's hardly as clear as I imagined it would be. It's complicated, and we'll get into it.

The only saving-grace has been that many academics have sought to understand de Landa's mind as I have. His actions not only inflicted unspeakable pain upon the Maya themselves, but has also impacted generations of Mayanist scholars who have had to depend on Landa's notes as a window into Maya culture, while also knowing that during his inquisition (and for years thereafter) he burned hundreds if not thousands of artifacts and codices.

Thank you for your patience, I do believe the finished product will be worth the wait as the sheer madness of Diego de Landa lends itself well to my own flavor of lunacy. I'd like to leave you with the quote which the video will open with, and hope to see you soon.

“Filled are the bowels of the earth

with pestilential dust once flesh and bone,

once animate bodies of man who sat upon thrones,

decided cases, presided in council, commanded armies,

conquered provinces, possessed treasure, destroyed temples,

exulted in their pride, majesty, fortune, praise and power.

Vanished are these glories, just as the fearful smoke vanishes

that belches forth from the infernal fires of Popocatepetl.

Nothing recalls them but the painted page."

 - “All the Earth is a Grave and Nothing Escapes it” , attributed to Nezahualcoyotl