Maya Postclassic City-States

Timeline

1. 1451–1460Mayapán site · YucatánAfter Mayapán collapsed in internal strife c. 1441, families like the Cooh moved away and the peninsula had no single overlord. Each city-state set up its own ruler, maintaining a fragile balance through kinship, military alliances, and marriage; sacred sites like Chichén Itzá retained religious influence but political authority was dispersed.
2. 1451–1460K'iche' highlands · GuatemalaThe K'iche' kingdom in the Guatemalan highlands consolidated rule through the cosmology and dynastic myths of the Popol Vuh tradition, at times at war and at peace with neighbors like the K'iche'. Cocoa, jade, and salt trade routes crossed the mountains; city-state markets and priestly calendrical activities flourished.
3. 1451–1460Petén lake region · PeténThe Itzá held strongholds around Lake Petén, maintaining trade and military ties with the polities of the Yucatán Peninsula. Though Classic sites like Tikal were abandoned, lake-region settlements continued Postclassic building and ritual traditions, preparing for the later move to Tayasal (present-day Flores).