Ah Kin Chel

Ah Kin Chel ( Mayathan: Ah Kin Chel ) was a principality of the Maya on the Yucatan during the Postclassic, which until the time of the Conquest had stock.

Description

The Ah Kin Chel province borrowed their name by a same military leader who established the local territorial sovereignty after the fall of Mayapan, about the middle of the 15th century. Here, Ah Kin is gleichzusetzten with priests and Chel, the proper noun name is Jay, possibly a blue raven.

Ah Kin Chel was surrounded by the Yuri Strict ion Chepech, Hocabá, Sotuta, Cupul and Chikinchel. The main town and the largest settlement at the same time was Tecoh. Other important towns were Sinanche, Yobain, Dzidzantun, Dzilam ( Gonzales ), Cansahcab, Temax, Dzoncauich, Buctzotz, Teya, Tepalam, Tekal, Tixkochoh, Tekanto, Citilcum, Kimbila, Sitilpech, Dzudzal, Chalmate, Xanaba and Kantunil. Izamal, where impressive stone buildings have been preserved as ruins, had lost its importance as a religious center before the fall of Mayapan and in 1500 was only a small village.

Territorial Ah Kin Chel extended over a coastal strip in the middle of northern Yucatan peninsula on the Gulf of Mexico about 50 km long and 30 km inland. The deepest extent inland amounted to about 2 /5 of the width of the coastal strip about 70 km.

At the time of the Conquest Halach Huinik Namux Chel ruled ( † after 1523) in Tecoh, economically dominated fishing, agriculture and salt production. The diplomatic relations with Hocaba were friendly, however, Ah Kin Chel with Sotuta was at enmity with Chepech and Cupul was war. The ruling nobility faced the Spaniards against friendly to and cooperated with the conquest of Yucatan. 1542 build Francisco de Montejo (el sobrino ) Tecoh a garrison to combat the Cupul. 1581 Tecoh was deserted. Due to the effects of Conquest 1549 only 37755 inhabitants were called in the Spanish tax list. However, could the royal family and many nobles, as well as in most other Mayan cities of Yucatan, often continue to occupy leading positions even after the conquest and Christianization. So from 1562 to 1581 many members of the old elite, including Francisco and Andrés Chel in Yobain, Ek Juan and Juan Chan in Temax, Diego Balam in Buctzotz, Juan pot mentioned in Tekano among the caciques and local governors of the year.

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