HISTORY OF THE SPANISH CONQUEST OF YUCATAN AND OF THE ITZAS

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Struggles between the Dominicans and the Indians. We have already
noticed how, as early as 1533, the King had expressed a wish to know
everything possible about the dwellers in Guatemala. In 1555 the
Lacandones and Puchutla put to death the good Dominican missionary.
Fray Domingo de Vico. From that time there was a constantly growing
wish on the part of the Spaniards to conquer those people, not only
because they were not Christians and ate human flesh, but because they
were a constant menace. On January 22, 1556, a cedula was dispatched
ordering that the trouble-makers be reduced to obedience. (Remesal,
lib. x, cap. 11.) For a long time after that bitter struggles between
the Dominicans and the Indians lasted, struggles which caused the
Spaniards to give the name of Tierra de Guerra to the region. One of
the missionaries in this region. Fray Diego de Ribas, had some success
in the region north of Huehuetenango in 1685. (Villagutierre, p. 176
ff.) He and his men opened up a road that led from Huehuetenango into
the regions north and east of there. They got on very well until they
came into contact with some Lacandones, who proved to be spies. From