José María Leyva “Cajeme”

Description

In 1874, after serving eight years in the Mexican military, he was recognized by the Sonoran authorities, so they appointed leader of the Yaqui and Mayo tribes (Hernández, 2017). A year later, Cajeme emerges as a defending leader of the Yaqui people, to prevent them from being dispossessed of their lands. From then on he cunningly led the Yaqui people for seven years, during which several conflicts arose. One of those struggles came against the powerful of the state, due to their acquisition of more land concessions in 1882, a reason that encouraged the Yaquis to respond with arms on October 15 in the battle of Capetayama. The results were the withdrawal and dispersal of state forces and the subsequent resignation of Ortiz (who had been the main culprit in starting this uprising) as governor.

There was a period of truce that lasted two years from 1883 to 1885, however, in 1885 there was a failed assassination attempt on Cajeme by his former lieutenant Loreto Molina. Cajeme then petitioned the new governor Luis E. Torres for Molina's punishment, threatening to retaliate if it did not happen, but the governor did not support Cajeme's demands. Therefore, Cajeme initiates acts of revenge, among which are the burning of the commercial vessels that sailed on the river, as well as the attack on haciendas near the borders of Yaqui territory.

The force of the army did not wait and launched a strong military campaign against Cajeme, developing confrontations in the Fort known as” El Añil,” located on the banks of the Rio Yaqui, between the towns of Vícam and Pótam, where the federal forces were withdrawn. As in any war, wear and tear began to be an important factor, and the differences between the indigenous leaders by 1886 were becoming more acute, which is why Cajeme's leadership was diminishing. But the most intense moments of the war were yet to come, since during the first five months of that year there were more than 100 battles, forcing Cajeme to withdraw to the Bacatete mountains, where the situation became unsustainable, which caused many tribal members to lay down their arms. Except for a few leaders, that further prolonged the battles with guerrilla war tactics.

However, the few who continued to fight could not bear the ravages, Cajeme had no choice but to ask for an egalitarian peace, one that would not denigrate his people and, above all, that they respect Yaqui autonomy, but to no avail, the government never agreed to the terms. Cajeme tried to continue in the insurrection, but hunger, courage and physical exhaustion made his followers succumb, who had no choice but to surrender. Thus ended a stage of the rebellion that he had led for more than 10 years. On April 12, 1887, Cajeme, trying to hide, was captured, being killed on the way to his cell in Cócorit, applying the famous "vanishing law" in a place known as the three crosses. (Moreno, 2010).