League of Mayapan

The League of Mayapan (Yucatec: Luub Mayapan Maya glyphs: ) was a confederation of Maya states in the post classic period of Mesoamerica on the Yucatan peninsula.

The main members of the league were the Itza, the Tutul-Xiu, Mayapan, and Uxmal.

Mayapan means flag of the Maya.

Before the League

The Itza

The Itza were known as water witches. According to the Chilam Balam of Chumayel, in 325 they started immigrating to Bacalar from Peten. From there many of them continued northwest, where they conquered the classical Maya city of Uuc Yabnal and renamed it as Chichen Itza. They lived there from 550 to 692. After that for economic and political reasons the Itza moved to Chakan Putum, where they lived until 928 when they returned to Chichen Itza.

The Tutul Xiu

The Tutul-Xiu were known as overflowing virtue. In the Seventh century they migrated to Yucatan. There their leader Ah Suytok Tutul Xiu, nicknamed Chac Uitzil Hun, founded Uxmal.
The date that this happened is disputed by a codex from Tizimin, and another from Mani.
In 869 Ah Mekat Tutul Xiu ruler of the Tutul Xius moved to Uxmal from Nonohual.
Nonohual's location is unknown, but was probably in Peten, it also might have been another name for Potonchán in Tabasco or Tula.
The Tutul Xius were the main group of people forcing the Itzas out of Chichen Itza.

Cocom

The Cocom were known as the lineage of the wood pigeon. They lived farther to the west and forced the Itza out of Chakan Putum. The Itzas spent forty years living in the rainforest. They called it Xulucmul (living under the trees in ash and poverty).

Foundation

Before the foundation of the league, the Toltecs invaded Yucatan. Their leader was the semi-mythical king Kukulcan. Whether Kukulkan was real or not, the Toltecs had influence over the Maya there.

"''The indians who inhabited Chichen Itza, ruled by a great lord called Kukulcan, and showing this be true named the main building Kukulcan, and say they came from the west and differing in whether entered before or after the Yzaes or with them, and said they were well prepared and had no wife or children, and say that after his return he was taken into Mexico by one of their gods and called Cezalcuati, uetzalcoatl"
List of things Yucatan, Diego de Landa.

Ah Mekat Tutul Xiu, is considered the ruler who founded The League of Mayapan in 987. He unified Chichen Itza, Mayapan, and Uxmal. Chichen Itza being the main city, with a population of approximately 50,000 people. He continued to incorporate other areas, Zama (Tulum), Ichpatun, Itzamal, and The Cocom region.

Hunac Ceel Cauich

In 1175, the league began to disintegrate. A Cocom man named Ceel Cauich Ah was ritually thrown into the cenote of Chichen Itza (cenote being the a Spanish term for the Mayan word dzonot, which is a deep, karstik sinkhole filled with water). The Sacred Cenote of Chichen Itza was specially considered an entrance to the afterlife and thus a site of pilgrimage. It is 15 meters deep from the ground to the water surface and its very steep walls made almost impossible to climb out if thrown into. But Ceel managed to survive and climbed out, which he used as a sign of his divine right to rule and proclaimed himself Ajaw, a spiritual and political leader. He also renamed himself Hunac Ceel Cauich. The Itzáes did not fall for this ruse and refused to recognize his authority.
Ceel gathered many followers from Mayapan and The Cocom region. In 1194, Hunac Ceel Cauich declared war on Chac-Xib-Chac

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