Chakán ( myn, Chakán, ‘1) oregano of this land; 2) macaw tail feathers.’) is the name of one of the

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

jurisdictions ''( kuchkabalob)'' that existed on the Yucatan Peninsula at the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century. Unlike other jurisdictions, Chakán did not seem to have a centralized government or control of a dominant ''

Halach Uinik Halach uinik or halach uinic ( Yucatec Maya:'real man') was the name given to the supreme ruler, overlord or chief, as they were called in the colonial period of a Maya '' kuchkabal''. Most ''kuchkabal'' were run by a halach uinik, who ruled on ...

'', as in the case of the provinces

Ceh Pech Ceh Pech (pronounced ''Keh Pech'', 'Ceh (deer): patronymic, perhaps Ah Ceh; Pech (tick), perhaps also a patronymic composed of the union of two family names') is the name of a post-classic Maya ruling family and a province, or ''kuchkabal'' of th ...

Ah Kin Chel Ah Kin Chel was the name of a Maya chiefdom or Kuchkabal of the northern Yucatán Peninsula, before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century. Ah Kin Chel was founded with the capital at Tecoh in 1441 by Mo-Chel when the Leag ...

. This is inferred from the fact that upon the Spaniards' arrival, Francisco de Montejo (el Mozo) was well received by some local leaders ( ''batabob)'', but not others, such as Ah Kin Chuy, who organized resistance in the region's eastern towns to repel Spanish settlers. The most important city in the jurisdiction may have been Caucel, which controlled the region's salt trade since this material came from Chuburná and

Sisal Sisal (, ) (''Agave sisalana'') is a species of flowering plant native to southern Mexico, but widely cultivated and naturalized in many other countries. It yields a stiff fibre used in making rope and various other products. The term sisal ma ...

. Caucel's ''batab'', named Ah Kin Euán, was so open to the Spanish from the outset of the conquest that he converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and changed his name to Francisco Euán, maintaining his position as ''batab'' for much longer. Mérida, the present day capital of Yucatan state, was founded on the ruins of

Ti'Ho Ti'ho is Mayan settlement located in the northwest of the Yucatán Peninsula, commonly indicated also with the alternative name of T'hó (in short), Ichcansiho, Ichkanzihóo or Ichcaanzihó. Mérida, the capital of the Yucatan state in Mexico a ...

, a Mayan city that was virtually abandoned and had no recognizable leadership in the mid-16th century.

References

Mayan chiefdoms of the Yucatán Peninsula {{Mexico-hist-stub