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154 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY NUMBER 23
of office. There were one hundred Chamulans who
had assembled—the black-clothed ones. They were
going to bring the staff of office from Tuxtla, but
you see they were struck a blow on the way, in
Chiapa. The soldiers were waiting in Chiapa. [The
Chamulans] fled to the woods. They passed Chiapa.
Then they were struck at the bridge in Chiapa.
Around sixty people died at the bridge. Then they
returned. Forty now came [back] in fear. The people
returned, but they were chased through the woods.
All those who escaped, hid. Those who escaped,
who didn't die, returned. When they returned they
said, "We can't win now. The staff of office can't be
taken," they said. "We'd better give up," they said.
"We can't win anymore," they said. "Let's give up.
We'd better turn ourselves in to whomever comes,
to whatever government comes in [to power] in
Tuxtla," they said.
Although Xun does not identify the Chamulan force here as
belonging to The Bird, a Chamulan reminiscence describes how
The Bird marched on Tuxtla to recover the staff of office that
had been stolen from Chamula. When they reached Jompana
near Chiapa, they were met by ladinas from Tuxtla, who offered
them a free meal. Not suspecting that they were to be victims of
Ladino treachery, they gladly accepted. The women quickly
retired, and the unfortunate Chamulans were mowed down by
the federal soldiers concealed behind the rocks (Gossen, T155).
Once a man was summoned. They wanted him in
Mexico City. A dispatch came to the magistrate,
[saying] "Have the king come to Mexico City!"
He replied. "No. There is none," said the magistrate.
He ordered a search. He heard that there was
someone lying on his stomach next to the church, at
the market. [The man] heard that he was being
sought. He went to talk to the magistrate.
"I'm going!" he said. He told the magistrate.
"You won't be received. You haven't fine
clothes," he was told.
"Who says I haven't any clothes?" he said. They
went to look at his house [to see] if he had anything.
There were his pots. They were filled with money.
But the magistrate spoke.
"But don't you go," [the man] was told. "Stay
here in our country. We'll look for somebody else to
go to Mexico City," said the magistrate. He said it
would be whomever he wanted.
"No, I'll go," said [the man] until the magistrate
sent him. The magistrate sent him. He left. He
collected together all his money, as much as he had.
He left. He left his country behind. The magistrate
sent him. "All right, then," he said. "Take care!" he
The Indian King
T34
ta Tuxta li bastone, pero k'usi 7un, 7istaik majel ta be
ta Soktom, ta Soktom malvanem li solteroetike,
7ijatavik ta te7tik, 7ijelav ta Soktom, ja7 to te majbil
ta ba k'o ta Soktom, 7ilajik komo 7ox-vinik
krixchano ta ba k'o, te 7isut, 7ixi7 tal cha7-vinik xa,
7isut tal ti krixchanoe, pero 7inutze ta te7tik, 7isnak'
sbaik li k'u yepal 7ikole, 7isutik tal li jay-vo7 xa
7ikole, muk' 7ichamik. 7Iyul yal "Mu jpastik kanal
xa," xi. "Mu xpoj li bastone," xi. "Mejor kikta
jbatik," xi. "Mu xa jpastik kanal," xi. "Kikta jbatik,
mejor kak' jbatik k'usi ta xtal, k'usi jyu7elal ta x7och
tal ta Tuxta," xi.
Historical sources mention a battle for a bridge in Chiapa
occurring on 8 October 1911, only two days before the final
defeat of The Bird in Chiapilla (L. Espinosa, 1912:56).
The San Cristobal historian Prudencio Moscoso believes that
the Indians have confused here the shifting of the state government
from San Cristobal to Tuxtla Gutierrez, by Governor
Rabasa in 1892, with the later events of the Revolution. See also
T22, T66, T116, T153, T154, and their notes.
7A ti vo7ne xtake ta 7ik'el jun krixchano, ta xk'ane
ta Mejiko, 7ital jun 7orden yu7un li presirente,
"7Ak'o taluk li reye!" xi li mejikoe.
7Iyal, "Ch'abal mu7yuk," xi li presirentee. 7Istak
ta sa7el, 7iya7i ti 7oy jun xpatet ta xxokon 7eklixa, ta
ch'ivit, 7iya7i ti tzsa7ee, 7ibat sk'opon li presirente.
"Chibat vo7on," xi. 7Iyal li presirente.
"Mu xach'ame muk' lek 7ak'u7," x7utat.
"K'u cha7al mu 7oyuk jk'u7?" xi. 7Ibat sk'elbel
sna ti 7oy k'usuk yu7un te 7oy sp'intak te noj ta
tak'in, pero 7iyal li presirente.
"Pero mu xabat vo7ote," x7utat. "Li7an no 7oxe
H7 ta jlumaltike, ta jsa7tik yan buch'u xbat ta
Mejiko," xi li presirente. 7Iyal li buch'u chk'ane.
"Mo7oj vo7on chibat," xi. 7Asta ke 7istak li
presirente ech'ele, 7istak ech'el li presirentee, 7ibat,
7istzob sba skotol stak'in k'u yepal 7oy, 7ibat 7un,
7iskomtzan slumal 7istak ech'el li presirentee. "Teuk
che7e," xi. "Te k'el abaik!" xi komel. "Teuk mi xisut