The
Post Classical Mayan period is the period between 950 CE to 1539 CE. It followed the
Classic Maya collapse which was the decline of
Classic Maya civilization and the abandonment of
Maya cities in the southern
Maya lowlands of
Mesoamerica between the 8th and 9th centuries.
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Chichen Itza |
During the collapse, in the northern
Yucatán, individual rule was replaced by a ruling council formed from elite lineages. In the southern
Yucatán and central
Petén, kingdoms declined; in western
Petén and some other areas, the changes were catastrophic and resulted in the rapid depopulation of cities. Within a couple of generations, large swathes of the central
Maya area were all but abandoned. Both the capitals and their secondary centres were generally abandoned within a period of 50 to 100 years.
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Temple Complex in Tikal, Peten region |
One by one, cities stopped sculpting dated monuments; the last
Long Count date was inscribed at
Toniná in 909. Stelae were no longer raised, and squatters moved into abandoned royal palaces.
Mesoamerican trade routes shifted and bypassed
Petén.
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Mayan ruins of Tonina |
The
Postclassic Period was marked by changes from the preceding
Classic Period. The once-great city of
Kaminaljuyu in the
Valley of Guatemala was abandoned after continuous occupation of almost 2,000 years. Across the highlands and neighbouring
Pacific coast, long-occupied cities in exposed locations were relocated, apparently due to a proliferation of warfare.
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Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala |
Chichen Itza and its
Puuc neighbours declined dramatically in the 11th century, and this may represent the final episode of
Classic Period collapse. After the decline of
Chichen Itza, the
Maya region lacked a dominant power until the rise of the city of
Mayapan in the 12th century. New cities arose near the
Caribbean and
Gulf coasts, and new trade networks were formed.
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Ruins of Mayapan |
One of the most important cities in the
Guatemalan Highlands at this time was
Q'umarkaj, the capital of the aggressive
K'iche' kingdom. The government of
Maya states, from the
Yucatán to the
Guatemalan highlands, was often organized as joint rule by a council. However, in practice one member of the council could act as a supreme ruler, while the other members served him as advisers.
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The ruins of Q'umarkaj, with the ballcourt at left and the temple of Tohil to the right. |
Mayapan was abandoned around 1448, after a period of political, social and environmental turbulence that in many ways echoed the
Classic period collapse in the southern
Maya region. The abandonment of the city was followed by a period of prolonged warfare, disease and natural disasters in the
Yucatán Peninsula, which ended only shortly before
Spanish contact in 1511.
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Mayapan |
On the eve of the
Spanish conquest, the highlands of
Guatemala were dominated by several powerful
Maya states.The
K'iche' had carved out a small empire covering a large part of the western
Guatemalan Highlands and the neighbouring
Pacific coastal plain. However, in the decades before the
Spanish invasion the
Kaqchikel kingdom had been steadily eroding the kingdom of the
K'iche'.
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A post-classic highland kingdom |
Unlike the
Aztecs and the
Inca, the
Maya political system never integrated the entire
Maya cultural area into a single state or empire. Rather, throughout its history, the
Maya area contained a varying mix of political complexity that included both states and chiefdoms. These polities fluctuated greatly in their relationships with each other and were engaged in a complex web of rivalries, periods of dominance or submission, vassalage, and alliances. At times, different polities achieved regional dominance, such as
Calakmul, Caracol, Mayapan, and
Tikal.
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Mayan Stelae |
From the
Early Preclassic, Maya society was sharply divided between the elite and commoners. As population increased over time, various sectors of society became increasingly specialized, and political organization became increasingly complex. By the
Late Classic, when populations had grown enormously and hundreds of cities were connected in a complex web of political hierarchies, the wealthy segment of society multiplied.
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Steale showing Mayan Society |
Under classic
Maya rule, the king was the supreme ruler and held a semi-divine status that made him the mediator between the mortal realm and that of the gods.
Maya political administration, based around the royal court, was not bureaucratic in nature. Government was hierarchical, and official posts were sponsored by higher-ranking members of the aristocracy; officials tended to be promoted to higher levels of office during the course of their lives.
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Stela from Toniná, representing the 6th-century king Bahlam Yaxuun Tihl |
Commoners are estimated to have comprised over 90% of the population of the
Mayans, their houses were generally constructed from perishable materials, and their remains have left little trace in the archaeological record. Some commoner dwellings were raised on low platforms, and these can be identified, but an unknown quantity of commoner houses were not.
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