Tayasal
Encyclopedia
Tayasal is a pre-Columbian
Maya
archaeological site
that dates to the Postclassic
period. The site is located in the southern Maya lowlands on a small island in Lake Petén Itzá
, now part of the Department of Petén
in northern Guatemala
. Tayasal was the capital of one of the last independent Maya polities
to be subdued by the Spanish
conquistador
es and colonizers, which, along with Zacpeten
(the capital of the Ko'woj
Maya) and other towns in the Lake Petén Itza region such as Quexil (Maya: Ek'ixil) and Yalain, occurred in 1697.
As an archaeological site it has been almost completely compromised by the destruction and rebuilding undertaken on the island by the Spanish after its fall. The capital city of the modern Petén department, Flores
, has been built over the island and the nearby shores of the lake.
The Itza
left the Yucatán
region in the 13th century and built the city later known as Tayasal as their capital. They called it Noh Petén, or literally "City Island". It was also called Tah Itzá, or Place of the Itzá.
It was here on the island of Flores on the shore of Lake Petén Itzá that the last independent state of the Maya civilization held out against the onslaught of the Spanish conquerors. In 1541, Hernán Cortés
came to the island, on route to Honduras
, but needed to move on and did not try to conquer it, due to its excellent defensive position.
The Spanish began the first of several attempts to conquer the island in 1629, but did not succeed until 1697 under an expedition led by Martín de Ursúa
attacked via boats and destroyed it. Those who could fled and many Itzá people hid in the jungle for years. From the structures of Noh Petén, were constructed the Roman Catholic Church and municipal buildings in the city of Flores.
Historical Backgroud
Tayasal is a Mayan archaeological site located in present day Guatemala. The bulk of the site’s artifacts date to the Postclassic period. As many as fifty burials and twelve caches have been recovered from Tayasal. There is currently some debate among scholars about whether the location of the ethnohistoric Tayasal is actually the modern site of Topoxte . The ethnohistory records Lake Peten Itza as the site of Tayasal, but archaeologically, Lake Yaxha, where Topoxte is located, fits the data better . Excavations at Tayasal revealed high levels of ceramic diversity. The area defined as the Tayasal-Paxcaman Zone can be divided into nine temporal periods. The site appears to have been occupied since the Preclassic Period, beginning at approximately 900 B.C. It probably was not extenstively occupied during the Preclassic, but the lack of evidence from this period could be due to the excavation techniques that were used (citation needed). The site was occupied intensely during the Postclassic Period, although occupation continued into the Colonial Period.
Ceramics
The Chunzalam Ceramic complex dates from 900 B.C. to 200 B.C. It can be differentiated from other wares because it was made with a harder paste and a glossier slip. It is followed by the Kax Ceramic Complex, which dates from 200 B.C. to 300 A.D. Next came the Yaxcheel Complex from 300 A.D. to 400 A.D. This is followed by the Hoychunchan Complex from 400 A.D. to 600 A.D. Next came the Pakol complex from 600 to 700. The Hobo Complex lasted from 700 to 900. The Chilcob Complex dates from 900 to 1200. The Cacahmut Complex lasted from 1200 to 1450. The Kauil Complex dates from 1450 to 1750. Four of these complexes can be further subdivided into early and late phases. The Central Peten area can be divided into two regions based on ceramics. One is the area around the lakes Salpeten, Macanche, Yaxha, and Yalloch. The other is the area around Lake Peten and the Belize Valley. The ceramic differences reflect regionalism among the ancient Maya .
Architecture
During the transition between the Late Preclassic and Early Classic periods Maya society underwent a fundamental reorganization. A different kind of architecture, known as the E Group, emerged during this period. E groups are astronomically significant constructions. In this area, the emergence of the E group is contemporaneous with the appearance of the stelae cult at Tayasal. E groups were eventually replaced by the Plaza Plan 2 Group. Buildings that fit into the Plaza Plan 2 arrangement at Tayasal were constructed during the Late Classic period.
Iconography
Tayasal can be connected to other Maya sites iconographically. Monuments on panels at the site may represent sky figures. A figure is depicted sitting down being eaten by a snake on two stelae from Flores. A diving God is also depicted. This shows that Tayasal shared a similar iconography and probably ideology with other Maya centers, but it also may represent the partitioning of a formerly homogenous Maya society.
Archaeological Excavations
Intensive excavations of Tayasal were carried out by the University of Pennsylvania in the 1970s. Excavations were done simultaneously with the sites of Cenote and Punta Nima. Data was also collected from thirty-four structures in the Tayasal-Paxcaman Zone and from islands in Lake Peten and Lake Quexil. The islands of Flores and Santa Barbara both had sizeable Postclassic populations.
Pre-Columbian
The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during...
Maya
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
archaeological site
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
that dates to the Postclassic
Mesoamerican chronology
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian , the Archaic , the Preclassic , the Classic , and the Postclassic...
period. The site is located in the southern Maya lowlands on a small island in Lake Petén Itzá
Lake Petén Itzá
Lake Petén Itzá is a lake in the northern department Petén in Guatemala. It is the second largest lake in Guatemala, the Izabal lake being the largest. It is located around . It has an area of 99 km² some 32 km. long and 5 km wide. Its maximum depth is 160 m...
, now part of the Department of Petén
Petén (department)
Petén is a department of the nation of Guatemala. It is geographically the northernmost department of Guatemala, as well as the largest in size — at it accounts for about one third of Guatemala's area. The capital is Flores...
in northern Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
. Tayasal was the capital of one of the last independent Maya polities
Polity
Polity is a form of government Aristotle developed in his search for a government that could be most easily incorporated and used by the largest amount of people groups, or states...
to be subdued by the Spanish
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
conquistador
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
es and colonizers, which, along with Zacpeten
Zacpeten
Zacpeten is a pre-Columbian Maya archaeological site in Petén Department, northern Guatemala. It is notable as one of the few Maya communities that maintained their independence through the early phases of Spanish control over Mesoamerica.-History:...
(the capital of the Ko'woj
Ko'woj
The Ko'woj were a Maya group and polity, from the Late Postclassic period of Mesoamerican chronology. The Ko'woj claimed to have migrated from Mayapan sometime after the city's collapse in 1441 AD...
Maya) and other towns in the Lake Petén Itza region such as Quexil (Maya: Ek'ixil) and Yalain, occurred in 1697.
As an archaeological site it has been almost completely compromised by the destruction and rebuilding undertaken on the island by the Spanish after its fall. The capital city of the modern Petén department, Flores
Flores, El Petén
Flores is the capital city of Petén department of Guatemala. It is located at . The population is 13,700 .Flores serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality, with which it shares a name ....
, has been built over the island and the nearby shores of the lake.
The Itza
Itza
The Itza are a Guatemalan ethnic group of Maya affiliation speaking the Itza' language. They inhabit the Petén department of Guatemala in and around the city of Flores on the Lake Petén Itzá.- Numbers of ethnic group members and Itza speakers :...
left the Yucatán
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
region in the 13th century and built the city later known as Tayasal as their capital. They called it Noh Petén, or literally "City Island". It was also called Tah Itzá, or Place of the Itzá.
It was here on the island of Flores on the shore of Lake Petén Itzá that the last independent state of the Maya civilization held out against the onslaught of the Spanish conquerors. In 1541, Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
came to the island, on route to Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, but needed to move on and did not try to conquer it, due to its excellent defensive position.
The Spanish began the first of several attempts to conquer the island in 1629, but did not succeed until 1697 under an expedition led by Martín de Ursúa
Martín de Ursua
Martin de Ursua was a Spanish Basque conquistador from Baztan, Navarre during the early colonial period of New Spain in Central America. He is noted for leading the 1696–97 expeditionary force which resulted in the fall of the last significant independent Maya stronghold, Tayasal, located on an...
attacked via boats and destroyed it. Those who could fled and many Itzá people hid in the jungle for years. From the structures of Noh Petén, were constructed the Roman Catholic Church and municipal buildings in the city of Flores.
Historical Backgroud
Tayasal is a Mayan archaeological site located in present day Guatemala. The bulk of the site’s artifacts date to the Postclassic period. As many as fifty burials and twelve caches have been recovered from Tayasal. There is currently some debate among scholars about whether the location of the ethnohistoric Tayasal is actually the modern site of Topoxte . The ethnohistory records Lake Peten Itza as the site of Tayasal, but archaeologically, Lake Yaxha, where Topoxte is located, fits the data better . Excavations at Tayasal revealed high levels of ceramic diversity. The area defined as the Tayasal-Paxcaman Zone can be divided into nine temporal periods. The site appears to have been occupied since the Preclassic Period, beginning at approximately 900 B.C. It probably was not extenstively occupied during the Preclassic, but the lack of evidence from this period could be due to the excavation techniques that were used (citation needed). The site was occupied intensely during the Postclassic Period, although occupation continued into the Colonial Period.
Ceramics
The Chunzalam Ceramic complex dates from 900 B.C. to 200 B.C. It can be differentiated from other wares because it was made with a harder paste and a glossier slip. It is followed by the Kax Ceramic Complex, which dates from 200 B.C. to 300 A.D. Next came the Yaxcheel Complex from 300 A.D. to 400 A.D. This is followed by the Hoychunchan Complex from 400 A.D. to 600 A.D. Next came the Pakol complex from 600 to 700. The Hobo Complex lasted from 700 to 900. The Chilcob Complex dates from 900 to 1200. The Cacahmut Complex lasted from 1200 to 1450. The Kauil Complex dates from 1450 to 1750. Four of these complexes can be further subdivided into early and late phases. The Central Peten area can be divided into two regions based on ceramics. One is the area around the lakes Salpeten, Macanche, Yaxha, and Yalloch. The other is the area around Lake Peten and the Belize Valley. The ceramic differences reflect regionalism among the ancient Maya .
Architecture
During the transition between the Late Preclassic and Early Classic periods Maya society underwent a fundamental reorganization. A different kind of architecture, known as the E Group, emerged during this period. E groups are astronomically significant constructions. In this area, the emergence of the E group is contemporaneous with the appearance of the stelae cult at Tayasal. E groups were eventually replaced by the Plaza Plan 2 Group. Buildings that fit into the Plaza Plan 2 arrangement at Tayasal were constructed during the Late Classic period.
Iconography
Tayasal can be connected to other Maya sites iconographically. Monuments on panels at the site may represent sky figures. A figure is depicted sitting down being eaten by a snake on two stelae from Flores. A diving God is also depicted. This shows that Tayasal shared a similar iconography and probably ideology with other Maya centers, but it also may represent the partitioning of a formerly homogenous Maya society.
Archaeological Excavations
Intensive excavations of Tayasal were carried out by the University of Pennsylvania in the 1970s. Excavations were done simultaneously with the sites of Cenote and Punta Nima. Data was also collected from thirty-four structures in the Tayasal-Paxcaman Zone and from islands in Lake Peten and Lake Quexil. The islands of Flores and Santa Barbara both had sizeable Postclassic populations.