Maní, Yucatán Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Maní
City
Church and Convent of San Miguel in Maní
Location of the municipality of Maní in Yucatán
The state of Yucatán, México (dark) in the Yucatán Peninsula
Maní, Yucatán Location in Yucatán (state) Show map of Yucatán (state) Maní, Yucatán Location in Mexico Show map of Mexico
Country	Mexico
State	Yucatán
Municipality	Maní Municipality
Elevation	26 m (85 ft)
Population (2010)
• Total	4,146
Demonym(s)	Maniense
Time zone	UTC-6 (Central Standard Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (Central Daylight Time)
Postal Code	97850
Area code(s)	997

Maní is a small city in Maní Municipality in the central region of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the Mexican state of Yucatán. It is about 100 km to the south south-east of Mérida, Yucatán, some 16 km east of Ticul. The village of Tipikal lies 6 km to the east.

The population is currently around 4000, similar now to the estimated 4500 in the 16th century.

History
Church and Convent of San Miguel
Surroundings
Festivals
Photo gallery
See also

History

Maní's four millennium existence historically involves mostly its early Maya period, followed in recent centuries by its Spanish conquistador and religious period. Its Mexican period beginning over a century ago involved conflict.

Early history

Maní has been continuously occupied for approximately 4000 years. In the postclassic Mesoamerican era it was home to the Tutul-Xiu Maya dynasty, which moved their capital here from Uxmal in the 13th century. The Xiu were the dominant power in the western Yucatán after the fall of Mayapan in 1441. Maní served as the main religious center in honor of the deity Kukulcan (Cukulcan, Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl) for the Maya with an annual chic kaban festival until 1341.

With the arrival of the Spanish the Xiu of Maní allied themselves with the Spanish and assisted in the conquest of the rest of the peninsula.

Maya book burning

On 12 July 1562, Friar Diego de Landa, who held the office of inquisitor before the Monastery of San Miguel Arcángel, held an auto de fe Inquisitional ceremony in Maní, burning a number of Maya hieroglyphic books and a reported 5000 idols, saying that they were "works of the devil". The number of books burned is disputed. Landa claimed only burning 27. This act and numerous incidents of torture at the monastery were used to speed the mass adoption of Roman Catholicism throughout the region.

Landa's burning of these sacred books with Mayan writing and the subsequent reaction were described by him as follows:

We found a large number of books in these characters and, as they contained nothing in which were not to be seen as superstition and lies of the devil, we burned them all, which they (the Maya) regretted to an amazing degree, and which caused them much affliction.

Guerra de Castas stone (one of several) in Mérida, Yucatán noting Maní in 1850 [see 3rd paragraph], Zoological Park of the Century, Mérida

Guerra de Castas

Maní was involved in part of the multi-decade conflict in the Guerra de Castas, the Caste War of the Yucatán. An engraved stone narrates an episode of the event for Maní in 1850.

Church and Convent of San Miguel

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
2000BC	initial	—
16th century AD	4,500	—
2000	4,664	+3.6%
2005	3,915	−16.1%
2010	4,146	+5.9%
INEGI: Archivo Histórico de localidades

The town has an old Franciscan monastery established in 1549, the Parroquia y Exconvento de San Miguel Arcangel. The large building was built using cut stones from many of the Pre-Columbian structures of Maní. A large open chapel is on the north side with the two bell gables on the church facade. Inside, the apse vault has some early colonial era fresco murals. The nave interior houses three Baroque carved altars with statues of saints and images. Restoration work on the monastery building and its artwork began in 2001.