Amerindian History: The Arena Massacre
Arena Massacre; An incident in 1699 which took place at the Amerindian mission of San Francisco de los Arenales, a site which lies a short distance away from today's village of San Rafael.
The incident arose out of a dispute between the priests and Amerindian workers who were rebuilding the Roman Catholic Church at the mission. The priests, dissatisfied with the slow progress of the work, threatened to give an unfavorable report of the Amerindians to the governor, Jose de Leon y Echales, who was due there shortly on an inspection of Amerindian missions. Such a report to the governor could have meant any form of punishment, even torture or death.
The Amerindians held a parley shortly before the governor's arrival, and on the day, that he was due to arrive, December 1, 1699, they carried out their plan of action. First, they attacked the priests, clubbing them to death and, according to reports; they threw the bodies in the foundation of the church. They then promptly went to lie in wait for the governor's party, beside a track where the officials were supposed to pass.
They ambushed the governor's party, killing everyone except a soldier who escaped and rode back to the capital, San Jose de Oruna, with the news. Many historians feel that it was from this point that the true massacre began. For the Spanish forces pursued the fleeing Amerindians, overtaking them at the Cocal on the east coast, killing hundreds of them. Twenty-two of the Amerindians were brought back to San Jose to be tried.
They were found guilty and in the judgment upon them appear the words: "That these 22 above indicated criminals be hung until they necessarily die, and after their deaths their hands and heads shall be cut off and exposed and nailed in the places where they committed their crimes, and their bodies shall be cut in pieces and put along the road for their punishment."
See also: The Historical Dictionary of Trinidad and Tobago, by Michael Anthony, and Missions to the Amerindians.
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