Postclassic Maya City-State Network

Timeline

1. 900–1180Yucatán Peninsula · Yucatán PeninsulaAfter the abandonment of Classic Maya centers, numerous small and medium city-states emerged in the northern peninsula and Petén lake basin, sustained by local noble lineages, temple economies, and coastal salt works, with political power highly dispersed.
2. 1180–1240Mayapán · MayapánThe Cocom lineage established oligarchic rule at Mayapán, absorbing vassal city-states such as Chichén Itzá through military alliances, forming an overlord–vassal alliance structure and unifying sacrificial and trade rules across the northern peninsula.
3. 1241–1250Yucatán Peninsula and Petén · PeténIn the 1240s the Mayapán alliance controlled salt, cacao, and obsidian trade routes in the northern peninsula, maintaining competitive trade with Petén lake-basin city-states such as Tayasal; the Postclassic Maya city-state network reached its peak of regional integration.
4. 1250–1441Mayapán · MayapánThe alliance sustained oligarchic co-rule and a vassal tribute system through the 13th–14th centuries, but clan conflicts intensified; the 1441 Xiu family rebellion led to the fall of Mayapán, re-fragmenting the peninsula and setting the stage for the eve of the Spanish conquest.