Violence and the Caste War of Yucatán

Violence and The Caste War of Yucatán analyzes the extent and forms of violence employed during one of the most significant indigenous rural revolts in nineteenth-century Latin America: the Caste War of Yucatán in the tropical southeast of Mexico. Combining the results of historical, anthropological, and sociological research with the thorough investigation of primary sources from numerous archives, the book ascertains that violence was neither random nor the result of individual bloodthirstiness but in many cases followed specific patterns related to demographic, economic, political, and military factors. In addition to its use against the enemy, violence also played a role in the establishment and maintenance of order and leadership within the ranks of the contending parties. While the Caste War has been widely considered a conflict between the whites and the Maya, this book shows that Indians and non-Indians fought and died on both sides.

'Gabbert's empirically grounded, rigorous analysis of Yucatán's Caste War sets a new standard for the historical sociology of violence. This sterling monograph reveals a conflict driven principally by violence entrepreneurs on both the state and rebel side. These actors were motivated mainly by a 'war economy' based on raiding for spoils, and resorted to coercion to enforce their authority. Seen in this light, Yucatán's epic conflict resembled contemporary, low-intensity conflicts much more than a millennial event, ethnic revitalization movement, or racial struggle.' Ben Fallaw, Colby College, Maine, 'The Yucatán Caste War was one of the most significant events in Mexico's nation-building during the nineteenth century. Wolfgang Gabbert brings meticulous scholarship – in depth and in scope – to challenge some long held ideas: that it was a conflict based on race; that economic and social factors were its primary cause; that the 'barbarian Indian' was predisposed to violence; that this war was the most violent of wars in Mexico's century of wars. In this he succeeds brilliantly.' Barbara Bulmer-Thomas, author of The Economic History of Belize: From the 17th Century to Post-Independence, 'Gabbert has scoured an enormous range of obscure, hard-to-find sources … producing a major study on the details of civil war, and thus a very important contribution to the literature on war and violence.' E. N. Anderson, Choice, 'Combining rigorous historical scholarship with theoretical insights from anthropology and sociology, Wolfgang Gabbert's latest monograph undoubtedly ranks … among the most comprehensive and balanced treatments of Yucatán's Caste War.' Rajeshwari Dutt, The Americas, '… the book is a meticulously researched aggregation of archival data that rearticulates the war in a way that destabilizes its exceptionalism and complicates the essentialism of prevailing narratives. Any scholar of the longue durée of political violence will likely find the book deeply engaging.' Tiffany C. Fryer, Hispanic American Historical Review

Wolfgang Gabbert is Professor of Development Sociology and Cultural Anthropology at the Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany. He is the author Becoming Maya: Ethnicity and Social Inequality in Yucatán since 1500 (2004) and Creoles: Afroamerikaner im karibischen Tiefland von Nicaragua (1992).