Ancient Civilizations of the Americas: Lecture 21
The Terminal and Post-Classic
Northern Maya
800 - 1526 AD
Chichén Itzá III
Modern Archaeological
Interpretations
Chichén Itzá: the new consensus
• New insights into Chichén Itzá’s history has
come from excavations carried out at nearby Ek
Balam, and from continuing excavations at
Chichén Itzá.
• Chichén Itzá was probably founded as a small
community in the 7th or 8th century AD.
• It was dominated by Ek Balam, but had freed
itself by 874 AD under the leadership of
K’ak’upakal K’awiil (“Fire is the shield of K’awiil”).
The Government of Chichén Itzá
Notable at Chichén Itzá is an absence of
depictions of single kings. Instead lords
are depicted in groups. Schele and Freidel
believed that a new form of government
came into being at Chichén Itzá called mul
tepal.
Genealogy of Chichén Ahauob
from Schele and Freidel 1990
• New decipherments of hieroglyphs
indicates that the people in this genealogy
are gods. David Freidel has retracted his
mul tepal theory.
The Kocom lineage of Mayan leaders traced
their origins to Chichén Itzá, and a
hieroglyphic text supports this assertion.
Chichén Itzá declined and was abandoned
in the 12th century.
Columns: Temple of the Warriors
Temple of the Bearded Man
Temple of the Bearded Man
Seated Bearded King