Boca Iglesia Photographs

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Metadata

Core Title Boca Iglesia Photographs

Collection description "Boca Iglesia (bow-kah eeglay-see-ah)"
"Mouth of the Church (or water channel entryway to the church)"
"The location of the first footsteps by Europeans on the American mainland is one of the least visited, difficult to find and historical Archaeological sites on the Yucatán Peninsula. This remote piece of shoreline has been known by many names in different eras, including Gran Cairo, Ekab and Boca Iglesia. It is located along the far northern coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea. I visited the site in the early 1990’s by hiring an Indian fisherman to take me to it in his small outboard-driven Panga (small fishing boat) during my retracing of John Lloyd Stephens’ 1839-1842 expeditions through Central America, Chiapas and the Yucatán. The site was hidden among a morass of seawater inlets, small bays and low jungle-covered islands. Only a local fisherman who knows the tides, channels and sand bars, could have led me to it. It was an important experience for me knowing that even Stephens and Catherwood had been unable to land and explore the historic site in 1842, because of extreme low tides. The old Spanish church tower is easily visible at sea for more than a mile away but the water entry is hidden. We cruised for hours through a network of salt water lagoons, landed in the shallows, waded ashore, and cut our way through the tropical forest around the ruins of the old church and convent. I was pleased to have been one of few who have landed at the place where the first Europeans had come ashore on the New World mainland."
"The first landing on the Yucatán Peninsula was accomplished by Francisco Hernandez de Córdoba, who had been sailing along that unexplored coast for many hours while searching for fresh water supplies during the first days of March 1517. When they were about six kilometers south of Cabo Catoche (the north-east corner of the peninsula), they viewed some low stone-built structures on a point of land. Córdoba and his men disembarked in small boats and were met on shore by Indians who gestured to the Spanish with their arms as if inviting them to enter their beachfront village. When the Spanish crewmen arrived at the village, they discovered that they were being ambushed and were suddenly attacked with spears and arrows, causing them to retreat and rapidly return to their ship. This was the first landing by the Spanish on the mainland of the new world. They gave the place the name, 'Gran Cairo,' which in later years changed to 'Ekab,' a Maya Indian word."
"The site had not been considered to be worthy of becoming a settlement at that time by the explorers, but by 1519, the Spanish Crown, feeling pressure to expand the religious conversion of the Indians, allowed the Holy Catholic church to establish their presence in the region. In the next few years the Spanish used stones from the Indian structures, to build a small roofless church and convent, and added thatched palm branches as a roof cover and began to instruct the Indians on the Holy Catholic religion. The area became known as 'Boca Iglesia,' (mouth of the church) to describe the narrow entrance channel leading to the landing place of the church and convent. The Spanish also built long low walls to protect and defend the settlement."
"Due to the low level terrain in the area, the tall church tower and belfry could be easily seen and became known by ships sailing along the coast and in 1571, the French pirate, Pierre Sanfroy, landed there with twenty other pirates and captured the village by surprise, during Holy Week. He was intent on seeking loot, and offending the Catholic Church. The pirate used the church altar for his bedroom and damaged its walls and fine ornaments during his attack. Soon after, Sanfroy was pursued by the Yucatán government and captured on the island of Cozumel, where most of his men were killed. Sanfroy and three of his men were then taken to Yucatán capital of Merida, to be tried by for the Holy Inquisition, which condemned the men for their desecration and damage to the church and they were subjected to prison terms."
"In 1842, American explorer John Lloyd Stephens, his English artist companion, Frederick Catherwood and naturalist, Samuel Cabot described seeing the Church at Boca de Iglesia from their ship and attempted to land there. But due to the low tides at that hour, the explorers sailed on to land at other nearby islands including Isla Contoy, Isla Mujeres and Isla Cozumel. From Cozumel, they sailed to the Yucatán coast to explore and sketch the Maya walled city of Tulum, which was later described and illustrated in Stephens’ book, 'Incidents of Travel in Yucatan,' Volume Two, published by Harper & Brothers, NYC, in 1843."
"During ensuing centuries, the small village of Boca Iglesia remained in use by the Spanish church and then became known by the Indian names of 'Boxchen' and 'Hon Hon.'"
"The site was finally abandoned during the 'War of Castes,' in 1847 and 1848, when the Maya Indians rose up in rebellion against the Yucatán Spanish Government."
"Now known only as 'Boca Iglesia,' and seldom visited, the historic and archaeological site has suffered complete abandonment and continuing destruction by the sun and rain, as well as having its entrance waters choked by mangrove plants and the steady growth of tropical plants. In addition, in recent years, treasure hunters seeking hidden gold, have dug holes in the walls and foundations of the old church looking for easy riches." -- Payne Johnson.
“See also John Lloyd Stephens, 'Incidents of travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan,' with numerous engravings. Revised from the latest American edition, with additions, by Frederick Catherwood. London: Arthur Hall, Virtue & Co., 1854. https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/asset-management/2A3BF1QKX7SV5?WS=SearchResults.”

Creator Johnson, Payne B. (photographer)

Publisher University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Date Created 1992-02

Coverage Temporal 1992-02

Place Name Boca Iglesia (archaeological sites), Central America (regions), Mexico (countries), North America (continents), Yucatán (states)

Subject Archaeological site location (lcsh)

Tags OAI-PMH Harvest

Format 11 photographs (extent), ruins (aat)

Internet Media Type multipart/related

Type images

Source 20210812-johnson-meso-shoaf (batch), Boca Iglesia Photographs (subcollection), Payne B. Johnson Latin American Photographs (collection), University of Southern California (contributing entity)

Identifier 2 (box), 0550 (collection number), johnson-bci (filename)