Pirate Barbilla Took Sisal For Ransom In 1711

The Yucatán peninsula was a favorite gathering place among European pirates in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. Sprawling from the Gulf of Mexico to Caribbean Sea, many of these pirates were supported by the England and France governments in wars against Spain to seize their wealth.

Sisal, the main port of the Yucatán peninsula, received it’s first warning letter promising of pirates from King Felipe II of Spain on March 12, 1571. Several ships from the French coast were preparing to make the journey to the New World to practice piracy. Captain General Don Diego de Santillan took the threat seriously, and instructed local indigenous Mayans to construct canoes (later to be known as “Paraguas”), establishing the first Coast Guard service.

In May of 1571, the French arrived to emerald waters of Sisal. Finding no resistance to disembark, the French stormed the land and made their way to Hunucmá, one of the oldest towns in the province. The Mayan canoes had not been completed before the French arrived, which gave the pirates the opportunity to steal valuable jewels and sacred vessels made of gold and silver, along with causing damage the convent and church. Houses were looted, and prisoners were taken into custody.

When the Mérida governor received word of the pirates, he deployed a Spanish company under the command of Captain Juan Arévalo de Loaiza to cast the pirates out of the province. When the company arrived, the pirates had already taken prisoners and the stolen items back to their ship, where they stayed off the port of Sisal for eighteen days. Upon the arrival of Captain Juan Garzon, the French pirates left the waters around the port.

In 1596, the Master of the Cathedral of Mérida traveled to Sisal, where he drew plans to build a fort to defend Sisal against the pirates of England and France. The fort, De Santiago, still stands today and is one of the areas prominent attractions. It is believed to have been completed late in the sixteenth century.

The first encounter with pirates, would not be the not the last. In 1603 Governor Don Diego Fernandez established a patrolling force in Sisal, as he believed the wide open road from Sisal to Mérida would be a temptation for pirates. Sure enough, four pirate boats arrived in Sisal’s port that year, however, never came onto the land due to the patrol force.

Fast forward to 1661 when Juan Cruyés attacked and burned Sisal. A decade later in 1672, Laurent de Graff disembarked in Sisal, forcing the Mérida Governor, Francisco Ordonez, into a state of defense.

And then there was the most famous pirate, “Barbillas” or “Bigotes”, known for his huge mustaches, who arrived in 1711. Barbillas arrived to the beaches of Sisal demanding ransom from Governor of the time, Don Fernando Meneses Bravo de Saravia. The ransom was paid, and Barbillas left the port.

It was not until 1817, that the Yucatán Board of Trade decided to do something about the pirate infested waters. Budgeted at sixty thousand pesos, the battle boat “Mystical San Miguel” was approved for construction. Never completed, the boat became a huge loss in the history of the war against pirates.

October 29, 1840 was considered the final act of piracy in the port of Sisal. The administrator of the Customs Office of Sisal, Arcadio Manuel Quijano and Commander Pedro Casa’s guards seized the English schooner “True-Blue” on the coast of Telchac for carrying contraband. The “True-Blue” promptly denounced the government and the office of Sisal. The ship was confiscated as well as the illegal goods that were being transported.

Three months after “True-Blue”, a ship appeared in Sisal waters called the “Comus”. It was sent by the government of the colony of Belize and its commander and special envoy approached Sisal with armed aggression. They demanded back the True-Blue and an indemnification payment. They had instructions to deny negotiations with the government authorities at Sisal ?s custom office, giving them only three hours to fulfill their demands. Meanwhile they seized the “Eusebio”, a ship that was heading to New Orleans that stopped in Sisal. Given the impossibility of defending the port and the inability to punish the attitude of the Belizean ship which was supported by the British Navy, the government had no other choice but to return “True-Blue”, release its crew and pay 9,500 pesos as compensation.

This is the last known piracy history known out of Sisal. Today, the quiet fishing village is full of charm and undiscovered beaches.

Source: Article “Maritime Movement Between Veracruz and Campeche, 1801-18018” of Bulletin of the General Archive of the Nation Volume XXIV

Yucatán Times “Tales of Pirates at Sisal” January 2013