Indio Mariano
Encyclopedia
Indio Mariano was an Indigenous
rebel against Spain in 1801 in Tepic, Nueva Galicia
, now in the Mexican state of Nayarit
.
on the throne of Spain in 1701 came a period of nder Indio Mariano, one of them serious, led by different men. The first of these took place in Tepic, Nueva Galicia in January. The second, for which rebellion is too strong a word, was in September in Nuevo León
.
as Rey de Indias Mariano Primero (Mariano I, king of the Indies). This was scheduled for January 6, 1801. Even before that date, some pueblos were in open rebellion against the Spanish.
The coronation, however, was frustrated. The Spanish officials were able to assemble a force of 762 men and 8 pieces of artillery, relying largely on the local militia and the fleet in the harbor at San Blas
. For the place and time, this was an overwhelming force.
The three leaders and many other persons were taken prisoner. Many prisoners were taken in two "battles", one on January 5 and one that day or shortly thereafter. The Indigenous offered little resistance and casualties were minimal. The rebellion seemed to be over by January 8, but the following week a second wave appeared. The Spanish forces suffered setbacks. Large groups of armed Indians were seen in many places, converging on Tepic. The Spanish were forced to withdraw from various villages. They too converged on Tepic.
Alarming rumors began to circulate — that 5,000 Yaquis were approaching; that 6,000 to 7,000 Yumas
were coming from the Colorado River. The rebellion and the rumors greatly alarmed viceregal officials in Mexico City
, particularly since the mother country, and therefore also the colony, was at war with Great Britain. They began to fear the possibility of a general Indian uprising, perhaps simultaneously with a British invasion.
The fears were relieved the following week. Reports came in contradicting the rumors of massive movements of warriors. Other reports arrived telling of Indians returning peacefully to their villages. On January 19, Captain Leonardo Pintado dispersed a group of armed rebels, taking 33 prisoners. The emergency came to an end. The Spanish had taken approximately 300 prisoners.
Most of those arrested were sent to Guadalajara. However, some died in jail in Tepic of an unknown disease, some on the march to Guadalajara, and some after arriving in Guadalajara. Some of the Spanish troops also suffered from the disease, and some of them died. Juan Hilario Rubio was one of the rebels who died in Guadalajara. He was condemned postmortem to confiscation of his property, demolition of his house, and sowing of his fields with salt. The two other leaders were condemned to six years of public labor in Veracruz. This was a sentence that often proved fatal. Most of the other surviving prisoners were released.
Indio Mariano (also known as Máscara de Oro, or Golden Mask) was never crowned. He was apparently a young Indian itinerant beggar who showed up in Tepic shortly before Christmas 1800 in the company of an old mulatto and a child. He claimed to be the son of a deceased governor of Tlaxcala, and to have grown up in luxury. It may not have true that Indio Mariano was a native of Tlaxcala in a literal sense. For the Indian resistance of the time, claiming a relationship to Tlaxcala was asserting a claim to the special rights granted the Indigenous of that place by Hernán Cortés
at the time of the Conquest. Indio Mariano was never found.
Indigenous peoples of Mexico
Mexico, in the second article of its Constitution, is defined as a "pluricultural" nation in recognition of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute it, and in which the indigenous peoples are the original foundation...
rebel against Spain in 1801 in Tepic, Nueva Galicia
Nueva Galicia
El Nuevo Reino de Galicia or Nueva Galicia was an autonomous kingdom of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was named after Galicia in Spain...
, now in the Mexican state of 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...
.
The background
With the arrival of the BourbonsHouse of Bourbon
The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...
on the throne of Spain in 1701 came a period of nder Indio Mariano, one of them serious, led by different men. The first of these took place in Tepic, Nueva Galicia in January. The second, for which rebellion is too strong a word, was in September in Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
.
The first rebellion
Juan Hilario Rubio, an important man of Tepic, Alcalde José Desiderio Maldonado, and the Indigenous clerk Juan Francisco Medina were the leaders of the first Indio Mariano rebellion. These men circulated a proclamation for the crowning of a native of TlaxcalaTlaxcala
Tlaxcala officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala is one of the 31 states which along with the Federal District comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipalities and its capital city is Tlaxcala....
as Rey de Indias Mariano Primero (Mariano I, king of the Indies). This was scheduled for January 6, 1801. Even before that date, some pueblos were in open rebellion against the Spanish.
The coronation, however, was frustrated. The Spanish officials were able to assemble a force of 762 men and 8 pieces of artillery, relying largely on the local militia and the fleet in the harbor at San Blas
San Blas, Nayarit
San Blas is both a municipality and municipal seat located on the Pacific coast of Mexico in the state of Nayarit.-City:San Blas is a port and a popular tourist destination, located about 100 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, and 40 miles west of the state capital Tepic. The town has a population of...
. For the place and time, this was an overwhelming force.
The three leaders and many other persons were taken prisoner. Many prisoners were taken in two "battles", one on January 5 and one that day or shortly thereafter. The Indigenous offered little resistance and casualties were minimal. The rebellion seemed to be over by January 8, but the following week a second wave appeared. The Spanish forces suffered setbacks. Large groups of armed Indians were seen in many places, converging on Tepic. The Spanish were forced to withdraw from various villages. They too converged on Tepic.
Alarming rumors began to circulate — that 5,000 Yaquis were approaching; that 6,000 to 7,000 Yumas
Quechan
The Quechan are a Native American tribe who live on the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation on the lower Colorado River in Arizona and California just north of the border with Mexico...
were coming from the Colorado River. The rebellion and the rumors greatly alarmed viceregal officials in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, particularly since the mother country, and therefore also the colony, was at war with Great Britain. They began to fear the possibility of a general Indian uprising, perhaps simultaneously with a British invasion.
The fears were relieved the following week. Reports came in contradicting the rumors of massive movements of warriors. Other reports arrived telling of Indians returning peacefully to their villages. On January 19, Captain Leonardo Pintado dispersed a group of armed rebels, taking 33 prisoners. The emergency came to an end. The Spanish had taken approximately 300 prisoners.
Most of those arrested were sent to Guadalajara. However, some died in jail in Tepic of an unknown disease, some on the march to Guadalajara, and some after arriving in Guadalajara. Some of the Spanish troops also suffered from the disease, and some of them died. Juan Hilario Rubio was one of the rebels who died in Guadalajara. He was condemned postmortem to confiscation of his property, demolition of his house, and sowing of his fields with salt. The two other leaders were condemned to six years of public labor in Veracruz. This was a sentence that often proved fatal. Most of the other surviving prisoners were released.
Indio Mariano (also known as Máscara de Oro, or Golden Mask) was never crowned. He was apparently a young Indian itinerant beggar who showed up in Tepic shortly before Christmas 1800 in the company of an old mulatto and a child. He claimed to be the son of a deceased governor of Tlaxcala, and to have grown up in luxury. It may not have true that Indio Mariano was a native of Tlaxcala in a literal sense. For the Indian resistance of the time, claiming a relationship to Tlaxcala was asserting a claim to the special rights granted the Indigenous of that place by Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
at the time of the Conquest. Indio Mariano was never found.