Maya Postclassic City-States

Timeline

1. 1251–1260Mayapan · Yucatán PeninsulaIn the mid-13th century Mayapan was the confederacy's political center, with pyramids, colonnaded palaces, and defensive walls; the Cocom family nominally ruled the city-states. Loose alliances were maintained through intermarriage, tribute, and salt and cotton trade, replacing Chichén Itzá's hegemony in the northern peninsula.
2. 1253–1260Tulum and Cozumel · Caribbean coastCoastal city-states such as Tulum and Cozumel served as trade and pilgrimage ports, linking the Yucatán interior with Caribbean sea lanes and transshipping salt, cacao, feathers, and pottery. Postclassic city-state economies relied more on maritime exchange than on the large-scale terraced agricultural surpluses of the Classic period.
3. 1255–1260Inland city-states of the Yucatán Peninsula · Yucatán PeninsulaPostclassic city-states continued Maya calendars, hieroglyphic writing, and temple rituals, with stucco finishes and serpent deity decorations blending Toltec feathered-serpent motifs. Each city-state retained a local priestly class, maintaining religious autonomy and local identity within the confederacy framework.