List of Cities and Towns (Lista De Ciudades y Pueblos) Experts
believe that the first villages on the Yucatan Peninsula were
founded between 500 and 300 B.C., although the exact date is
unclear. During the Classic period the Mayan cities of Cobá,
Dzibanché and Kohunlich flourished. Tulum, Cobá and the inland
port of Muyil, prospered during the Post- Classic period and
Cobá's importance as a regional trade center waxwd. Muyil was
linked to the coast via canals that wind through the wetlands.
The Post-Classic Yucatán was divided into chiefdoms or
cacicazgos. After the fall of Mayapán, there were no less than
19 chiefdoms. Ekab, Cochuah and Chetumal - also known as
Chactemal - were fiefs located in what is now Quintana Roo. When
the Spaniards first set foot on Mexican soil, the Yucatecan Maya
were beset by hardships. Nevertheless, the Spaniards found
subjugation of the Indians no easy task. It wasn't until 1546
that they controlled large parts of the Peninsula and were able
to divide the land into encomiendas or