He was a close relative of King Santiago Mayas, but backed another cousin of his, Lapis, in his failed attempt to overthrow that monarch.
When King Birche ascended to power, Forbes was proclaimed as the second chief of the Talamanca Indians.
[1][2] In September 1874, after the government of Costa Rica suspended King Birche, Forbes became the political leader of Talamanca and king of the indigenous people of the region.
Some years later, the discord between him and Birche provoked unrest in Talamanca and the military intervention of Costa Rica, whose authorities backed Forbes.
[1][2] A second military intervention by Costa Rica made him flee to Térraba through the Talamanca mountain range and be dismissed as political chief by the Limón authorities.