Xuxub Must Die

The Lost Histories of a Murder on the Yucatan

Nonfiction, History, Americas, Central America
Cover of the book Xuxub Must Die by Paul Sullivan, University of Pittsburgh Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Paul Sullivan ISBN: 9780822973164
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press Publication: April 25, 2004
Imprint: University of Pittsburgh Press Language: English
Author: Paul Sullivan
ISBN: 9780822973164
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Publication: April 25, 2004
Imprint: University of Pittsburgh Press
Language: English

Today, foreigners travel to the Yucatan for ruins, temples, and pyramids, white sand beaches and clear blue water. One hundred years ago, they went for cheap labor, an abundance of land, and the opportunity to make a fortune exporting cattle, henequen fiber, sugarcane, or rum. Sometimes they found death.

In 1875 an American plantation manager named Robert Stephens and a number of his workers were murdered by a band of Maya rebels. To this day, no one knows why. Was it the result of feuding between aristocratic families for greater power and wealth? Was it the foreseeable consequence of years of oppression and abuse of Maya plantation workers? Was a rebel leader seeking money and fame—or perhaps retribution for the loss of the woman he loved?

For whites, the events that took place at Xuxub, Stephens’s plantation, are virtually unknown, even though they engendered a diplomatic and legal dispute that vexed Mexican-U.S. relations for over six decades. The construction of "official" histories allowed the very name of Xuxub to die, much as the plantation itself was subsumed by the jungle. For the Maya, however, what happened at Xuxub is more than a story they pass down through generations—it is a defining moment in how they see themselves.

Sullivan masterfully weaves the intricately tangled threads of this story into a fascinating account of human accomplishments and failings, in which good and evil are never quite what they seem at first, and truth proves to be elusive. Xuxub Must Die seeks not only to fathom a mystery, but also to explore the nature of guilt, blame, and understanding.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Today, foreigners travel to the Yucatan for ruins, temples, and pyramids, white sand beaches and clear blue water. One hundred years ago, they went for cheap labor, an abundance of land, and the opportunity to make a fortune exporting cattle, henequen fiber, sugarcane, or rum. Sometimes they found death.

In 1875 an American plantation manager named Robert Stephens and a number of his workers were murdered by a band of Maya rebels. To this day, no one knows why. Was it the result of feuding between aristocratic families for greater power and wealth? Was it the foreseeable consequence of years of oppression and abuse of Maya plantation workers? Was a rebel leader seeking money and fame—or perhaps retribution for the loss of the woman he loved?

For whites, the events that took place at Xuxub, Stephens’s plantation, are virtually unknown, even though they engendered a diplomatic and legal dispute that vexed Mexican-U.S. relations for over six decades. The construction of "official" histories allowed the very name of Xuxub to die, much as the plantation itself was subsumed by the jungle. For the Maya, however, what happened at Xuxub is more than a story they pass down through generations—it is a defining moment in how they see themselves.

Sullivan masterfully weaves the intricately tangled threads of this story into a fascinating account of human accomplishments and failings, in which good and evil are never quite what they seem at first, and truth proves to be elusive. Xuxub Must Die seeks not only to fathom a mystery, but also to explore the nature of guilt, blame, and understanding.

More books from University of Pittsburgh Press

Cover of the book Blue on Blue Ground by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book Islam, Society, and Politics in Central Asia by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book Bound Lives by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book Re-Collecting Black Hawk by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book Hyperboreal by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book Cleansing the Czechoslovak Borderlands by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book Race and the Chilean Miracle by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book The Invention of the Kaleidoscope by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book Scientific Pluralism Reconsidered by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book Appropriating Theory by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book Journey by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book Flying At Night by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book Philosophical Inquiries by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book Nationalism in Central Asia by Paul Sullivan
Cover of the book Out Of This Furnace by Paul Sullivan
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy