Yucatan Before and After the Conquest, by Diego de Landa, tr.
William Gates, , at sacred-texts.com After the departure of the
Spaniards from Yucatan, a drought followed in the land, and the
corn having been consumed during the wars with the Spaniards
they suffered much from famine and were reduced to eating the
bark of trees, especially of a certain kind called cumché
(kunché), the inside of which is soft and mellow. On account of
This famine the Xius of Maní undertook to snake a solemn
sacrifice to the idols, taking certain male and female slaves to
cast into the pool at Chichén Itzá. To do this they had to pass
by the town of the Cocom chiefs, their mortal enemies, hut
thinking that ancient quarrels would be forgotten in such times
they sent to ask permission to pass through the country. The
Cocoms deceived them with a favorable answer, but having lodged
them all together in one great building they set fire to it, and
slew those who escaped. From this great wars followed. * There
was also a plague of locust