By Denice Perez

Spanish Franciscan friar

Second bishop of the Yucatan

Brutal attempts to covert them to Christianity.

One of the many priests in the 16th century

Born into a noble Spanish family

the town of Cifuentes Joined the Franciscan

order at 17 1549, he was assigned

to the Yucatan peninsula

One of the first Franciscans to live among the Mayas

learning to speak their language and taking extensive notes about their culture

Struggled to convert the Mayas to Christianity

The indigenous people steadfastly clung to their own spiritual beliefs

Landa launched an inquisition against the Mayas.

Torturing thousands killing more than one hundred in an effort to get them to confess to human sacrifice and other sins

July 1562, Landa burned five thousand native religious images and at least twenty-seven painted books filled with hieroglyph-like images

Bishop Francisco de Toral finally stopped Landa's inquisition

Was sent back to Spain

he was tried for his excesses

Landa wrote Relacion de las Cosas de Yucatan