Cajemé
Encyclopedia
Cajemé / Kahe'eme born José Maria Bonifacio Leiva Perez (also spelled Leyva, and Leyba) was a Yaqui leader who lived in the Mexican
state of Sonora
from 1835 to 1887.
José Maria Bonifacio Leiva Perez was born on May 14, 1835 at Pesiou (the Yaqui name), Sonora
, also known as Villa de Pitic (Pitic is also derived from the Yaqui word "Pitiahaquím," meaning "place surrounded by streams"), and currently called Hermosillo
. Although his foremost biographer, Ramón Corral
, had stated that Cajemé was born in 1837 (Corral, 1959 [1900]), and this date had been used by others since then. However, the baptismal record shows that this was incorrect (Iglesia Católica, 1835). Also, in the initial newspaper article released by Ramón Corral in Sonora's official State newspaper La Constitución (Corral, 1887), José Maria Leiva's father is identified as Fernando Leiva (born about 1816 at Huirivis, Sonora), and his mother as Juana Maria Peres (born about 1817 at Potam, Sonora), as does the baptismal record. However, in the biography of Cajemé later published by Corral (1959 [1900]), Corral calls José's father "Francisco," and this name has continued to be used since then.
, in the 1849 "Gold Rush"
to Upper California, and returned to Sonora about two years later, having learned English
, as well as having his first experience in defending himself against armed conflict (Corral, 1959 [1900]). His father evidently did well in the gold fields, as José was enrolled in an exclusive private school, the only school at the time in Guaymas, and one of only 20 schools in the State of Sonora (Molina, 1983). This was the Colegio Sonora operated by Cayetano Navarro, Prefect of Guaymas
. José subsequently learned to read and write Spanish
. Interestingly, Corral does correctly state that Cajemé was 16 to 18 years of age during his time in school, reflecting the 1835 date of his birth (Corral, 1959 [1900]).
of Guaymas organized by his teacher, Cayetano Navarro. In a battle lasting three hours against the French filibuster Count Gaston de Raousset-Boulbon
, the Urbanos were victorious, and Raousset-Boulbon was captured and executed (de Collet La Madelène, 1876, pp. 266–304). Now 18 years of age, José looked for new opportunities in life, and traveled to Tepic
, where he worked for a short time as a blacksmith. Later, he was caught up in the draft for soldiers to serve in the regular army, the San Blas Battalion, but deserted after only three months of service. José fled to the mountains near Acaponeta
, Nayarit
, and worked for a while as a miner. With the Federal army still searching for him, José traveled to Mazatlán
and joined a battalion comprising Pima
s, Yaquis, and Opatas, that was part of the ranks of Pablo Lagarma, who had declared for constitutional restoration.
Not long afterward, José began service in as a trooper in the army of General Ramón Corona. Due to his previous military experience, and the ability to speak three languages, José was appointed aide-de-camp to General Corona. José ended up participating in the War of Reform
, and against the forces of the French Intervention
of Emperor Maximilian
. It was General Corona that accepted the sword of surrender from Emperor Maximilian at Queretaro on 15 May 1867 (Vandervort,2006, pp. 230–231, 297). Eventually, José came to serve in the forces under Ignacio Pesqueira, who came to value José as a competent, well educated and trilingual officer, and who eventually commissioned José as a captain in the cavalry.
of the Yaqui by then Sonora Governor Ignacio Pesqueira. Expected by Pesqueira to assist in pacifying the Yaqui people, he instead united the eight Yaqui pueblos into a small, independent republic
and unexpectedly announced he would not recognize the Mexican government unless his people were allowed to independently govern themselves. Restructuring and disciplining Yaqui society to provide economic security and military preparedness, José instituted a system of taxation, external trade control, revived the practice introduced by the Jesuits
of community work on commonly held lands, and institutionalized tribal tradition of popular assemblies and decision-making bodies, all the while storing up war material.
(see Zoontjens and Glenlivet (2007) for additional factors behind the rebellion).
In 1885, one of Cajemé's early supporters, Loreto Molina, sought to gain control of the Yaqui people. With the support of the Mexican authorities, Molina developed an assassination plot to kill Cajemé at Cajemé's own home, at El Guamuchli, near Pótam. On the evening of the 28th of January, 1885, Molina and twenty-two (some accounts state 30 or more) other Yaquis set out to kill Cajemé, but Cajemé was not at home, having left for the Mayo River with his bodyguard the day before. Molina ran off Cajemé's family and burned his house to the ground instead, and reportedly abused his family. After Molina failed to kill Cajemé, the Mexican Government sent a force of three columns of 1200 men each to occupy the Yaqui territory. This force was originally under the command of General Jose Guillermo Carbo (1841–1885), who had been appointed in 1881 as Commander of the First Military Zone comprising Sonora, Baja California
, Sinaloa
, and Tepic
(Diccionario Porrúa, 1970). It was thought that this was an advantageous time to move against the Yaquis, as the situation was relatively calm. A military report on the first of September stated that Cajeme had dissolved his troops, and many indigenous people were approaching ranchos near the Yaqui River in search of work, while raids on ranchos had stopped (Garcia, 1885). Also, there was optimism that the potential for disagreements between Cajemé and Anastasio Cuca, Cajemé's second in command, would increase, and that it wouldn't be remote if a split occurred between them ("no sería remoto se pudiera conseguir dividirlos" Otero, 1885). However, before Carbo could lead the government forces into an engagement, he died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage on October 29, 1885. Following this, General Angel Martinez ("El Machetero") was placed in control of these three columns.
Under General Martinez, the Mexican forces moved on the Yaqui River pueblos. Hubert Howe Bancroft
relates (1888) how one of the columns was led by general Leiva (no relation to Cajemé) and General Marcos Carillo, and traveled west towards the Yaqui River Valley, carrying two mitrailleuse
(the first machine gun used in major combat). Another was led by General Camano, and came from the south-east with two howitzers. A heavy body of cavalry came from the town of Buena Vista, from the north-east. General Martinez personally directed the occupation of the strategic Yaqui pueblo of Torím and other areas of the Yaqui River Valley from his headquarters at Barojica. General Bonifacio Topete eventually took control of a large part of the force and attempted to overrun a major fortification that the Yaqui built near Vicam. The fort, "El Añil" (The Indigo), was the first use of defensive warfare by Cajemé, and consisted of fences, parapets, and a moat surrounding the fortification. Although Topete's infantry force used cannons against the Yaqui forces in the attack, Topete was defeated with a loss of 20 men. Following this successful repulsion of the Mexican forces, Cajemé gave the order to his forces to fortify other locations and to fight only while behind trenches. In April 1886, the Mexican forces occupied the Yaqui town of Cócorit
; and on May 5, 1886, a major siege was begun by the Mexican army at El Añil. By May 16, the Mexican army destroyed the fortification at El Añil, which was a major defeat for the Yaquis (see also Hernández, 1902).
Eventually betrayed by a Yaqui woman whose sympathies lay with Loreto Molina and other Yaquis opposed to resisting Mexican authority, Cajemé was finally captured while visiting family in the pueblo of San José de Guaymas (about 8 miles north of the Port of Guaymas) on April 13, 1887. Cajemé was kept under house arrest by General Angel Martinez. He was treated with all of the respect and courtesy accorded to a defeated leader of a country while under arrest. Cajemé was extensively interviewed by Ramón Corral
, who was elected Vice-Governor of Sonora on April 25, 1887 (N.Y. Times, 1887), later becoming Governor of Sonora, and eventually rising to the office of Vice-president of Mexico under Porfirio Diaz
. It was during this time that Cajemé's famous saying was recorded: "Antes como antes y ahora como ahora. Antes éramos enemigos y peleábamos, Ahora está Todo concluido y todos somos amigos ( Before was before and now is now. Before we were enemies and we fought; now everything is concluded and all can be friends)" (Corral,1959 [1900]). At least two photos were taken of Cajemé during his arrest, in both traditional Mexican campesino
garb (as shown in the first photo), as well as in a dark blue military jacket that he was known to wear when fighting. In both photos he is seen holding a Winchester Model 1873 Carbine
, and carrying a white-handled Colt revolver
.
"Demócrata
" to the Yaqui River
port of El Médano
, near Pótam. Cajemé was then paraded through several of the Yaqui pueblos along the river, showing the people that the leader of the Yaqui had been captured. At eleven in the morning, on the return trip to Guaymas
, a pretense was made that Cajemé was trying to escape his guard. He was shot seven times, causing his death at Tres Cruces de Chumampaco. An American reporter for the Tucson Daily Citizen (1887) visited the site of his death, and found Cajemé's hat was nailed to a tree, and a wooden cross inscribed with the following: "INRI, aque [sic] fallecio General Cajemé, Abril 23, 1887, a los 11 y 5 la manaña" (INRI [Latin for Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews] Here died General Cajemé, April 23, 1887 at 11:05 in the morning).
Cajemé's body was given to Tomás Durante, leader of the Yaqui people residing at Cócorit, and those Yaqui loyal to Cajemé reverently buried him at Cócorit. Following this incident, General Martinez ordered an investigation of the actions of his young Lieutenant, Clemente Patiño (born November, 1861 ), who was in charge of the detachment that had escorted Cajemé (Troncoso, 1905).
. He was extradited to Sonora at the request of Sonora Governor Tórres and executed. Afterward, Juan Maldonado Waswechia [Beltran] (28 Aug 1857 [Iglesia Católica, 1857] - 9 July 1901.), also known as Tetabiate ("Rolling Stone"), took over in leading the fighting, becoming Cajemé's successor in June 1887 (Troncoso, 1905). The devastation to the Yaqui population along the Yaqui River was great. At the direction of the Government of Sonora, a count was taken of the number of indigenous inhabitants still living in the Yaqui Pueblos of Cócorit, Tórin, and El Médano in late 1887. There were only 1784 men and 2200 women left in the towns (Hernández, 1902).
For many years following Cajemé's death there were strenuous efforts by the Mexican government to kill or remove all the Yaqui from the state of Sonora. Much of the Yaqui nation was enslaved
and sent to work as slave laborers in the Yucatán Peninsula
, in the Quintana Roo
, where thousands died laboring in the henequen
plantations (Turner, 1911). Many more were simply killed. Many Yaqui fled to neighboring Mexican states, submerging their identity with that of other Indian groups. Quite a few Yaqui fled to Southern Arizona
, the traditional Northernmost region of their territory, where their descendants live today.
. Victoria died on August 5, 1946, in Los Angeles, California
, living long enough to see four children, and four grandchildren born.
The second marriage was to Maria Jesus Matus, whom José Maria Leiva married on June 14, 1878, at San Fernando, Guaymas, Sonora (Iglesia Católica, 1878). There were at least two children born to the union, the oldest being a son ("joven," see Corral, 1959 [1900]). This family appears to be the one that Loreto Molina and his followers ran off, burning their home near Pótam in 1885.
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 of Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
from 1835 to 1887.
Biography
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, also known as Villa de Pitic (Pitic is also derived from the Yaqui word "Pitiahaquím," meaning "place surrounded by streams"), and currently called Hermosillo
Hermosillo
Hermosillo is a city and municipality located centrally in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the capital and main economic center for the state and region. It contains almost all of the state's manufacturing and has thirty percent of its population...
. Although his foremost biographer, Ramón Corral
Ramón Corral
Ramón Corral was the Vice President of Mexico under Porfirio Díaz from 1904 until their deposition in 1911.-Early Years:...
, had stated that Cajemé was born in 1837 (Corral, 1959 [1900]), and this date had been used by others since then. However, the baptismal record shows that this was incorrect (Iglesia Católica, 1835). Also, in the initial newspaper article released by Ramón Corral in Sonora's official State newspaper La Constitución (Corral, 1887), José Maria Leiva's father is identified as Fernando Leiva (born about 1816 at Huirivis, Sonora), and his mother as Juana Maria Peres (born about 1817 at Potam, Sonora), as does the baptismal record. However, in the biography of Cajemé later published by Corral (1959 [1900]), Corral calls José's father "Francisco," and this name has continued to be used since then.
California Gold Rush
At the age of 14, José accompanied his father Fernando, and others from SonoraSonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, in the 1849 "Gold Rush"
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
to Upper California, and returned to Sonora about two years later, having learned English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, as well as having his first experience in defending himself against armed conflict (Corral, 1959 [1900]). His father evidently did well in the gold fields, as José was enrolled in an exclusive private school, the only school at the time in Guaymas, and one of only 20 schools in the State of Sonora (Molina, 1983). This was the Colegio Sonora operated by Cayetano Navarro, Prefect of Guaymas
Guaymas
Guaymas is a city and municipality located in the southwest part of the state of Sonora in northwestern Mexico. The city is located 117 km south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and 242 miles from the U.S. border, and is the principal port for the state. The municipality is located in the...
. José subsequently learned to read and write Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. Interestingly, Corral does correctly state that Cajemé was 16 to 18 years of age during his time in school, reflecting the 1835 date of his birth (Corral, 1959 [1900]).
Military Experience
José Maria Leiva had his first taste of battle in 1854, while serving with the "Urbanos," the local militiaMilitia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
of Guaymas organized by his teacher, Cayetano Navarro. In a battle lasting three hours against the French filibuster Count Gaston de Raousset-Boulbon
Gaston de Raousset-Boulbon
Charles Rene Gaston Gustave de Raousset-Boulbon was a French adventurer and entrepreneur and, by some accounts a pirate, and a theoretician of colonialism. He was born in Avignon in 1817...
, the Urbanos were victorious, and Raousset-Boulbon was captured and executed (de Collet La Madelène, 1876, pp. 266–304). Now 18 years of age, José looked for new opportunities in life, and traveled to Tepic
Tepic
Tepic is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Nayarit.It is located in the central part of the state, at.It stands at an altitude above sea level of some 915 meters, on the banks of the Río Mololoa and the Río Tepic, approximately 225 kilometers north-west of Guadalajara, Jalisco....
, where he worked for a short time as a blacksmith. Later, he was caught up in the draft for soldiers to serve in the regular army, the San Blas Battalion, but deserted after only three months of service. José fled to the mountains near Acaponeta
Acaponeta
Acaponeta is a both a municipality and a town in the northern part of the Mexican state of Nayarit. The town is located at the geographical coordinates of . The population of the municipality was 34,665 in the 2005 census, living in a total area of 1,667.7 km²...
, Nayarit
Nayarit
Nayarit officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its capital city is Tepic.It is located in Western Mexico...
, and worked for a while as a miner. With the Federal army still searching for him, José traveled to Mazatlán
Mazatlán
Mazatlán is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio for which the city serves as the municipal seat is Mazatlán Municipality. It is located at on the Pacific coast, across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning...
and joined a battalion comprising Pima
Pima
The Pima are a group of American Indians living in an area consisting of what is now central and southern Arizona. The long name, "Akimel O'odham", means "river people". They are closely related to the Tohono O'odham and the Hia C-ed O'odham...
s, Yaquis, and Opatas, that was part of the ranks of Pablo Lagarma, who had declared for constitutional restoration.
Not long afterward, José began service in as a trooper in the army of General Ramón Corona. Due to his previous military experience, and the ability to speak three languages, José was appointed aide-de-camp to General Corona. José ended up participating in the War of Reform
Reform War
The Reform War in Mexico is one of the episodes of the long struggle between Liberal and Conservative forces that dominated the country’s history in the 19th century. The Liberals wanted a federalist government, limiting traditional Catholic Church and military influence in the country...
, and against the forces of the French Intervention
French intervention in Mexico
The French intervention in Mexico , also known as The Maximilian Affair, War of the French Intervention, and The Franco-Mexican War, was an invasion of Mexico by an expeditionary force sent by the Second French Empire, supported in the beginning by the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Spain...
of Emperor Maximilian
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
. It was General Corona that accepted the sword of surrender from Emperor Maximilian at Queretaro on 15 May 1867 (Vandervort,2006, pp. 230–231, 297). Eventually, José came to serve in the forces under Ignacio Pesqueira, who came to value José as a competent, well educated and trilingual officer, and who eventually commissioned José as a captain in the cavalry.
Appointment as Alcalde Mayor
Having successfully served in the Mexican military in the war against the French occupation, José Maria Leiva's service proved so exemplary that in 1872 he was appointed to the office of "Alcalde Mayor"Alcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
of the Yaqui by then Sonora Governor Ignacio Pesqueira. Expected by Pesqueira to assist in pacifying the Yaqui people, he instead united the eight Yaqui pueblos into a small, independent republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
and unexpectedly announced he would not recognize the Mexican government unless his people were allowed to independently govern themselves. Restructuring and disciplining Yaqui society to provide economic security and military preparedness, José instituted a system of taxation, external trade control, revived the practice introduced by the Jesuits
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
of community work on commonly held lands, and institutionalized tribal tradition of popular assemblies and decision-making bodies, all the while storing up war material.
The Rebellion of 1876
Due to Mexican government opposition to Yaqui self-government, José Maria Leiva led the Yaqui in a war against the Mexican state and those who sought to control and confiscate the traditional Yaqui lands. The war was long-lasting due to the skill of the Yaqui in battle under José Maria Leiva's leadership, and was particularly brutal, with atrocities on both sides, but much larger-scale slaughter by part of the forces of the Mexican government of President Porfirio DíazPorfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
(see Zoontjens and Glenlivet (2007) for additional factors behind the rebellion).
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
, and Tepic
Tepic
Tepic is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Nayarit.It is located in the central part of the state, at.It stands at an altitude above sea level of some 915 meters, on the banks of the Río Mololoa and the Río Tepic, approximately 225 kilometers north-west of Guadalajara, Jalisco....
(Diccionario Porrúa, 1970). It was thought that this was an advantageous time to move against the Yaquis, as the situation was relatively calm. A military report on the first of September stated that Cajeme had dissolved his troops, and many indigenous people were approaching ranchos near the Yaqui River in search of work, while raids on ranchos had stopped (Garcia, 1885). Also, there was optimism that the potential for disagreements between Cajemé and Anastasio Cuca, Cajemé's second in command, would increase, and that it wouldn't be remote if a split occurred between them ("no sería remoto se pudiera conseguir dividirlos" Otero, 1885). However, before Carbo could lead the government forces into an engagement, he died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage on October 29, 1885. Following this, General Angel Martinez ("El Machetero") was placed in control of these three columns.
Hubert Howe Bancroft
Hubert Howe Bancroft was an American historian and ethnologist who wrote and published works concerning the western United States, Texas, Mexico, Central America, British Columbia and Alaska.-Biography:...
relates (1888) how one of the columns was led by general Leiva (no relation to Cajemé) and General Marcos Carillo, and traveled west towards the Yaqui River Valley, carrying two mitrailleuse
Mitrailleuse
Mitrailleuse is the French word used to describe all rapid-firing weapons of rifle caliber. Therefore the word mitrailleuse, when used in the French language, applies to all machine guns including modern full automatic weapons. However in the English language the word mitrailleuse applies to...
(the first machine gun used in major combat). Another was led by General Camano, and came from the south-east with two howitzers. A heavy body of cavalry came from the town of Buena Vista, from the north-east. General Martinez personally directed the occupation of the strategic Yaqui pueblo of Torím and other areas of the Yaqui River Valley from his headquarters at Barojica. General Bonifacio Topete eventually took control of a large part of the force and attempted to overrun a major fortification that the Yaqui built near Vicam. The fort, "El Añil" (The Indigo), was the first use of defensive warfare by Cajemé, and consisted of fences, parapets, and a moat surrounding the fortification. Although Topete's infantry force used cannons against the Yaqui forces in the attack, Topete was defeated with a loss of 20 men. Following this successful repulsion of the Mexican forces, Cajemé gave the order to his forces to fortify other locations and to fight only while behind trenches. In April 1886, the Mexican forces occupied the Yaqui town of Cócorit
Cócorit
Cócorit is a town located in the municipality of Cajeme in the southern part of the Mexican state of Sonora. Cajeme is located in the Yaqui Valley. The comisario municipal is Ing. Arturo Soto Valenzuela...
; and on May 5, 1886, a major siege was begun by the Mexican army at El Añil. By May 16, the Mexican army destroyed the fortification at El Añil, which was a major defeat for the Yaquis (see also Hernández, 1902).
Betrayal
Ramón Corral
Ramón Corral was the Vice President of Mexico under Porfirio Díaz from 1904 until their deposition in 1911.-Early Years:...
, who was elected Vice-Governor of Sonora on April 25, 1887 (N.Y. Times, 1887), later becoming Governor of Sonora, and eventually rising to the office of Vice-president of Mexico under Porfirio Diaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
. It was during this time that Cajemé's famous saying was recorded: "Antes como antes y ahora como ahora. Antes éramos enemigos y peleábamos, Ahora está Todo concluido y todos somos amigos ( Before was before and now is now. Before we were enemies and we fought; now everything is concluded and all can be friends)" (Corral,1959 [1900]). At least two photos were taken of Cajemé during his arrest, in both traditional Mexican campesino
Peasant
A peasant is an agricultural worker who generally tend to be poor and homeless-Etymology:The word is derived from 15th century French païsant meaning one from the pays, or countryside, ultimately from the Latin pagus, or outlying administrative district.- Position in society :Peasants typically...
garb (as shown in the first photo), as well as in a dark blue military jacket that he was known to wear when fighting. In both photos he is seen holding a Winchester Model 1873 Carbine
Winchester rifle
In common usage, Winchester rifle usually means any of the lever-action rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, though the company has also manufactured many rifles of other action types...
, and carrying a white-handled Colt revolver
Colt Single Action Army
The Colt Single Action Army is a single action revolver with a revolving cylinder holding six metallic cartridges. It was designed for the U.S...
.
Execution
Following his interview, Cajemé was taken across Guaymas bay by the steam-powered gunboatGunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
"Demócrata
Democrata
Democrata may refer to:* Democrata Futebol Clube, a Brazilian football club from Sete Lagoas* Esporte Clube Democrata, a Brazilian football club from Governador Valadares...
" to the Yaqui River
Yaqui River
The Yaqui River is a river in the state of Sonora in northwestern Mexico. Being the largest river system in the state of Sonora, the Yaqui river is used for irrigation....
port of El Médano
El Médano
El Médano is a town in the municipality of Granadilla de Abona, on the island of Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands....
, near Pótam. Cajemé was then paraded through several of the Yaqui pueblos along the river, showing the people that the leader of the Yaqui had been captured. At eleven in the morning, on the return trip to Guaymas
Guaymas
Guaymas is a city and municipality located in the southwest part of the state of Sonora in northwestern Mexico. The city is located 117 km south of the state capital of Hermosillo, and 242 miles from the U.S. border, and is the principal port for the state. The municipality is located in the...
, a pretense was made that Cajemé was trying to escape his guard. He was shot seven times, causing his death at Tres Cruces de Chumampaco. An American reporter for the Tucson Daily Citizen (1887) visited the site of his death, and found Cajemé's hat was nailed to a tree, and a wooden cross inscribed with the following: "INRI, aque [sic] fallecio General Cajemé, Abril 23, 1887, a los 11 y 5 la manaña" (INRI [Latin for Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews] Here died General Cajemé, April 23, 1887 at 11:05 in the morning).
Events Following Cajemé's Death
On May 20, 1887, Anastasio Cuca, Cajemé's second in command, was captured at Tucson, ArizonaTucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
. He was extradited to Sonora at the request of Sonora Governor Tórres and executed. Afterward, Juan Maldonado Waswechia [Beltran] (28 Aug 1857 [Iglesia Católica, 1857] - 9 July 1901.), also known as Tetabiate ("Rolling Stone"), took over in leading the fighting, becoming Cajemé's successor in June 1887 (Troncoso, 1905). The devastation to the Yaqui population along the Yaqui River was great. At the direction of the Government of Sonora, a count was taken of the number of indigenous inhabitants still living in the Yaqui Pueblos of Cócorit, Tórin, and El Médano in late 1887. There were only 1784 men and 2200 women left in the towns (Hernández, 1902).
For many years following Cajemé's death there were strenuous efforts by the Mexican government to kill or remove all the Yaqui from the state of Sonora. Much of the Yaqui nation was enslaved
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
and sent to work as slave laborers in the Yucatán Peninsula
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...
, in the Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
, where thousands died laboring in the 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,...
plantations (Turner, 1911). Many more were simply killed. Many Yaqui fled to neighboring Mexican states, submerging their identity with that of other Indian groups. Quite a few Yaqui fled to Southern Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, the traditional Northernmost region of their territory, where their descendants live today.
José Maria Leiva's Family
It is known that José Maria Leiva was married at least two times. José Maria Leiva's first spouse was Maria Salgado Ramires. It appears that this was a traditional Yaqui marriage, at it does not appear to be recorded in the Catholic Church records. José and Maria had two children, both born in Hermosillo: a son, Sotero Emiliano Leiva Salgado, born in 1863 (Iglesia Católica, 1863), and a daughter, Victoria Leiva Salgado, born in 1866 (Iglesia Católica, 1866). Mexican newspaper articles mention Cajemé's son fighting along-side his father in the year 1885. His last appearance in the historical record that has been located is on May 4, 1889, where Emiliano Leiva is listed as a Padrino at the baptism of his sister, Victoria Leiva's, first child (Iglesia Católica, 1889). Victoria was in 1885 noted as the daughter of Cajemé (Newark Daily Advocate, 1885). She was able to escape the later persecution of the Yaqui people, traveling first to the state of Chihuahua shortly after her father's death in 1887, and in 1900 entering the United States of America at El Paso, TexasEl Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. Victoria died on August 5, 1946, in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, living long enough to see four children, and four grandchildren born.
The second marriage was to Maria Jesus Matus, whom José Maria Leiva married on June 14, 1878, at San Fernando, Guaymas, Sonora (Iglesia Católica, 1878). There were at least two children born to the union, the oldest being a son ("joven," see Corral, 1959 [1900]). This family appears to be the one that Loreto Molina and his followers ran off, burning their home near Pótam in 1885.