Yo'okop
Encyclopedia
Yo'okop is an ancient Maya city located in the Cochuah region of central Quintana Roo
, Mexico
. This area is best known as the epicenter of the Caste War of Yucatán waged during the 19th century, that resulted in an independent Maya state governed from the city of Chan Santa Cruz
.
The site was first publicized by the archaeologist Herbert Spinden along with the New York Times journalist Gregory Mason during the 1920s, but intensive scrutiny did not begin until the 21st century. Recent archaeological work at Yo’okop has revealed that it was a large and significant urban center before the Spanish Conquest. It was continuously inhabited from the Formative Period
through the Postclassic Period
, as revealed by the presence of datable ceramic sherds and architecture
. The name of the site, Yo’okop refers to a large shallow lake at the southern end of the settlement. (“Yo” is an article and “Okop” means lake. In older scholarship the site is referred to without the article as Okop.)
The grandeur of Yo’okop can be demonstrated by the fact that the site contains a pyramid (S4W1-1) overgrown with vegetation that is 28 meters tall—only two meters shorter than the celebrated Castillo of Chichen Itza
. The site is organized around four groups of architecture made from stone and other enduring materials. These groups are connected with raised roads (sacbeob). The areas between these larger groups contained houses made from perishable materials that are no longer easy to see.
An archaeological project was instigated at Yo'okop in 2000 under the directorship of Justine Shaw and Dave Johnstone. As of 2009 their team has studied Yo’okop through mapping, ceramic analysis, and test pits. Their initial data shows how the site was organized, fitted within trade networks, and changed over time. Recognizing the significance of the area, in 2003 they expanded their project into a survey of the broader Cochuah region. One scholar affiliated with the project, Johan Normark, has done research that is notable for its use of theories about material culture and "agency".
Linnea Wren and Travis Nygard have analyzed the monumental record of Yo’okop in terms of both sacred and "gendered" space. Sculpture at the site includes two freestanding stelae of male rulers and a wall panel of a male ball player—all three of which are rendered in low-relief. The site also includes carefully carved hieroglyphic stair risers describing a queen (Kaloomte Na Cha’ak Kab) who may have ruled at Yo’okop under the overlord Sky Witness
from Calakmul
or Dzoyola. The risers were not found in-situ. (For information on Sky Witness, see the work of Simon Martin and Nicolai Grube.)
Prior to Shaw and Johnstone’s project the site had been best-studied by Reginald Wilson, who published his findings during the 1970s. A brief visit to the site was also made during the 1950s by the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Mexico°N date=December 2010°W
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 10 municipalities and its capital city is Chetumal....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. This area is best known as the epicenter of the Caste War of Yucatán waged during the 19th century, that resulted in an independent Maya state governed from the city of Chan Santa Cruz
Chan Santa Cruz
Chan Santa Cruz or U Noh Kah Balam Nah Chan Santa Cruz is the Maya town now known as Felipe Carrillo Puerto in what is now the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. This name is often assigned to the Maya free state ruled from Chan Santa Cruz for much of the second half of the 19th century...
.
The site was first publicized by the archaeologist Herbert Spinden along with the New York Times journalist Gregory Mason during the 1920s, but intensive scrutiny did not begin until the 21st century. Recent archaeological work at Yo’okop has revealed that it was a large and significant urban center before the Spanish Conquest. It was continuously inhabited from the Formative Period
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...
through the Postclassic Period
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...
, as revealed by the presence of datable ceramic sherds and architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
. The name of the site, Yo’okop refers to a large shallow lake at the southern end of the settlement. (“Yo” is an article and “Okop” means lake. In older scholarship the site is referred to without the article as Okop.)
The grandeur of Yo’okop can be demonstrated by the fact that the site contains a pyramid (S4W1-1) overgrown with vegetation that is 28 meters tall—only two meters shorter than the celebrated Castillo of Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the Municipality of Tinúm, Yucatán state, present-day Mexico....
. The site is organized around four groups of architecture made from stone and other enduring materials. These groups are connected with raised roads (sacbeob). The areas between these larger groups contained houses made from perishable materials that are no longer easy to see.
An archaeological project was instigated at Yo'okop in 2000 under the directorship of Justine Shaw and Dave Johnstone. As of 2009 their team has studied Yo’okop through mapping, ceramic analysis, and test pits. Their initial data shows how the site was organized, fitted within trade networks, and changed over time. Recognizing the significance of the area, in 2003 they expanded their project into a survey of the broader Cochuah region. One scholar affiliated with the project, Johan Normark, has done research that is notable for its use of theories about material culture and "agency".
Linnea Wren and Travis Nygard have analyzed the monumental record of Yo’okop in terms of both sacred and "gendered" space. Sculpture at the site includes two freestanding stelae of male rulers and a wall panel of a male ball player—all three of which are rendered in low-relief. The site also includes carefully carved hieroglyphic stair risers describing a queen (Kaloomte Na Cha’ak Kab) who may have ruled at Yo’okop under the overlord Sky Witness
Sky Witness
"Sky Witness" was a ruler of the Maya city and major cultural center of Calakmul, also known as Kaan. He took the rulership some time prior to the year 561, and led Kaan into a war with rival Maya city-state Tikal , winning a major victory in 562 which broke Mutal's formerly extensive power in the...
from Calakmul
Calakmul
Calakmul is a Maya archaeological site in the Mexican state of Campeche, deep in the jungles of the greater Petén Basin region. It is from the Guatemalan border. Calakmul was one of the largest and most powerful ancient cities ever uncovered in the Maya lowlands...
or Dzoyola. The risers were not found in-situ. (For information on Sky Witness, see the work of Simon Martin and Nicolai Grube.)
Prior to Shaw and Johnstone’s project the site had been best-studied by Reginald Wilson, who published his findings during the 1970s. A brief visit to the site was also made during the 1950s by the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Scholarship
- Flores Colin, Alberto G., Dave Johnstone, Justine M. Shaw, Jorge Pablo Huerta Rodríguez, and Johan Normark. "U Chibal Be: A Road of Linage, the Mapping of Yo’okop’s Sacbe 2." In Final Report of the Cochuah Regional Archaeological Survey’s 2008 Field Season, edited by Justine M. Shaw, 7-36. Eureka, CA: College of the Redwoods, 2008.
- Johnstone, Dave. "The Ceramic Placement of Yo'okop: Chronological and Regional Considerations." In Quintana Roo Archaeology, edited by Justine M. Shaw and Jennifer P. Mathews, 158-65. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2005.
- Martin, Simon, and Nikolai Grube. Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya. Rev. ed. London: Thames & Hudson, 2008.
- Mason, Gregory. Silver Cities of Yucatan. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1927.
- Normark, Johan. "The Roads in-Between: Causeways and Polyagentive Networks at Ichmul and Yo'okop, Cochuah Region, Mexico." Doctoral Dissertation, Göteborg University, 2006.
- Shaw, Justine M. "The Late to Terminal Classic Settlement Shifts at Yo'okop." In Quintana Roo Archaeology, edited by Justine M. Shaw and Jennifer P. Mathews, 144-57. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2005.
- Shaw, Justine M. White Roads of the Yucatán: Changing Social Landscapes of the Yucatec Maya. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2008.
- Shaw, Justine M., Sandra Bever, Annie Hanks, Tara Holman, Dave Johnstone, Maya Kashak, Christopher Lloyd, and Veronica Miranda. Final Report of Proyecto Arqueológico Yo'okop's 2002 Field Season: Excavations and Continued Mapping. Edited by Justine M. Shaw. Eureka, CA: College of the Redwoods, 2002.
- Shaw, Justine M., Dave Johnstone, Maya Kashak, Ruth Krochock, Travis Nygard, and Linnea Wren. Final Report of the Selz Foundation's Proyecto Arqueológico Yo'okop 2001 Field Season: Excavations and Continued Mapping. Edited by Justine M. Shaw. Eureka, CA: College of the Redwoods, 2001.
- Shaw, Justine M., Dave Johnstone, and Ruth Krochock. Final Report of the 2000 Yo'okop Field Season: Initial Mapping and Surface Collections. Eureka, CA: College of the Redwoods, 2000.
- Shaw, Justine M., and Jennifer P. Mathews, eds. Quintana Roo Archaeology. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2005.
- Strömsvik, G., H. E. D. Pollock, and H. Berlin. "Exploration in Quintana Roo." In Carnegie Institution of Washington Year Book No. 53, July 1, 1953-June 30, 1954, 289-92. Washington, DC, 1954.
- Wilson, Reginald. "Okop: Antigua Ciudad Maya De Artesanos." INAH Boletín Epoca II, no. 9 (1974): 3-14.
External links
Mexico°N date=December 2010°W