Maní, Yucatán
Encyclopedia
Maní is a small city
and surrounding municipality of the same name, in the Mexican
state
of Yucatán
. It is about 100 km to the south south-east of Mérida, Yucatán
, some 16 km east of Ticul
.
Maní has been continuously occupied for approximately 4,000 years. In the postclassic Mesoamerica
n era it was home to the Tutal Xiu Maya
dynasty, which moved their capital here from Uxmal
in the 13th century. The Xiu were the dominant power in the western Yucatan after the fall of Mayapan
in 1441. A yearly festival in honor of the deity Kukulcan
was held here.
With the arrival of the Spanish
the Xiu of Maní allied themselves with the Spanish and assisted in the conquest of the rest of the peninsula.
The town has an old Franciscan
monastery
established in 1549, the Parroquia y Exconvento de San Miguel Arcangel. The large building was built using many cut stones from Pre-Columbian
buildings of Maní. Inside are some early colonial era fresco
mural
s. Restoration work on the monastery building and its artwork began in 2001.
In July 1562, Friar Diego de Landa
held an auto de fe Inquisitional cerermony in Maní, burning a number of Maya hieroglyphic
books and a reported 5000 idols, saying that they were "works of the devil". This act and numerous incidents of torture at the monastery were used to speed the mass adoption of Roman Catholicism throughout the region.
The area around Maní is largely devoted to agriculture, principally henequen
, maize
, cattle
, and fruit
. Hammock
s are made in the city.
Each 15 August to 24 August Maní holds a festival in honor of the Virgin of the Assession. Each 3 January is a festival of the Virgin of Candlemas.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and surrounding municipality of the same name, in the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state
States of Mexico
The United Mexican States is a federal republic formed by 32 federal entities .According to the Constitution of 1917, the states of the federation are free and sovereign. Each state has their own congress and constitution, while the Federal District has only limited autonomy with a local Congress...
of Yucatán
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
. It is about 100 km to the south south-east of Mérida, Yucatán
Mérida, Yucatán
Mérida is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Yucatán and the Yucatán Peninsula. It is located in the northwest part of the state, about from the Gulf of Mexico coast...
, some 16 km east of Ticul
Ticul
Ticul is one of 106 municipalities in Yucatán state, Mexico. It is located in the western part of the state at 100 km south of the state capital city of Mérida. The municipality, which has an area of 355.12 km² , in the 2005 census reported 25,621 inhabitants...
.
Maní has been continuously occupied for approximately 4,000 years. In the postclassic Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...
n era it was home to the Tutal Xiu Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
dynasty, which moved their capital here from Uxmal
Uxmal
Uxmal was dominant from 875 to 900 CE. The site appears to have been the capital of a regional state in the Puuc region from 850-950 CE. The Maya dynasty expanded their dominion over their neighbors. This prominence didn't last long...
in the 13th century. The Xiu were the dominant power in the western Yucatan after the fall of Mayapan
Mayapan
Mayapan , is a Pre-Columbian Maya site a couple of kilometers south of the town of Telchaquillo in Municipality of Tecoh, approximately 40 km south-east of Mérida and 100 km west of Chichen Itza; in the state of Yucatán, Mexico...
in 1441. A yearly festival in honor of the deity Kukulcan
Quetzalcoatl
Quetzalcoatl is a Mesoamerican deity whose name comes from the Nahuatl language and has the meaning of "feathered serpent". The worship of a feathered serpent deity is first documented in Teotihuacan in the first century BCE or first century CE...
was held here.
With the arrival of the Spanish
Spanish conquest of Yucatán
The Spanish conquest of Yucatán was the campaign undertaken by the Spanish conquistadores against the Late Postclassic Maya states and polities, particularly in the northern and central Yucatán Peninsula but also involving the Maya polities of the Guatemalan highlands region...
the Xiu of Maní allied themselves with the Spanish and assisted in the conquest of the rest of the peninsula.
The town has an old Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
established in 1549, the Parroquia y Exconvento de San Miguel Arcangel. The large building was built using many cut stones from Pre-Columbian
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
buildings of Maní. Inside are some early colonial era fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s. Restoration work on the monastery building and its artwork began in 2001.
In July 1562, Friar Diego de Landa
Diego de Landa
Diego de Landa Calderón was a Spanish Bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Yucatán. He left future generations with a mixed legacy in his writings, which contain much valuable information on pre-Columbian Maya civilization, and his actions which destroyed much of that civilization's...
held an auto de fe Inquisitional cerermony in Maní, burning a number of Maya hieroglyphic
Maya script
The Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs or Maya hieroglyphs, is the writing system of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization of Mesoamerica, presently the only Mesoamerican writing system that has been substantially deciphered...
books and a reported 5000 idols, saying that they were "works of the devil". This act and numerous incidents of torture at the monastery were used to speed the mass adoption of Roman Catholicism throughout the region.
The area around Maní is largely devoted to agriculture, principally henequen
Henequen
Henequen is an agave whose leaves yield a fiber also called henequen which is suitable for rope and twine, but not of as high a quality as sisal. Alternative spellings are Henequin and Heniquen. It is the major plantation fiber agave of eastern Mexico, being grown extensively in Yucatán,...
, maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
, cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, and fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
. Hammock
Hammock
A hammock is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two points, used for swinging, sleeping, or resting. It normally consists of one or more cloth panels, or a woven network of twine or thin rope stretched with ropes between two firm anchor points such as trees or posts....
s are made in the city.
Each 15 August to 24 August Maní holds a festival in honor of the Virgin of the Assession. Each 3 January is a festival of the Virgin of Candlemas.