THE INTERACTION AND ROLE OF THE YUCATÁN COAST IN THE PRE-HISPANIC PERIOD AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH MAYA SETTLEMENTS THROUGH TIME
The Yucatán coast played an important role in the pre-Hispanic period, since, in addition to possessing marine and coastal resources used by the ancient Maya, such as salt and fishing, trading ports were established that played an important role in the different periods of development of Maya culture over time.
At various points along the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, trading ports were established that linked inland sites with mercantile circuits around and beyond the peninsula, through which they could exchange local products with foreign ones. Among the coastal trading ports we can mention Xcambó, which possibly had links with Izamal and Dzibilchaltún during the Early Classic; Isla Cerritos, which linked Chichén Itzá with other regions bordering the Maya area during the Terminal Classic; and others such as El Cuyo and Emal in northeastern Yucatán, whose role has yet to be investigated. In this context complex Maya settlements emerged whose development can only be explained by their links to the coast, as in the case of Chunchucmil. Likewise, a mercantile elite emerged that controlled local and long-distance trade, as illustrated by colonial sources referring to the role of the Cocom lineage of Mayapán in peninsular trade during the Postclassic, and how, after the destruction of this Maya city, a merchant of the Cocom elite managed to save his life because he was trading in the Honduras region at the time of the event. In this symposium we address studies of the wealth of coastal marine resources, the role of trading ports, the collection and distribution of coastal and inland products as well as foreign ones, which laid the foundations for the emergence of complex Maya settlements led by an elite stratum of merchants who controlled this activity. These and other aspects will be addressed to highlight the importance that the peninsular coast played in the development of the civilization and political organization of the pre-Hispanic Maya of this region.
