Map of the Maya Region. Base map adapted from one by GringoInChile
The Maya Riviera contains some of the loveliest beaches--and some of the best known resort hotels--in the world. Located on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, the tourist spots are world-recognized for their activities which range from horse-back riding to scuba diving to swimming with dolphins. But the "Maya" part of the Maya Riviera is the archaeological sites that you will find there, part of what scholars call the Northern Maya Lowlands. Don't miss these wonderful sites in your journeys to the lovely Mayan coast.
Map of the Maya Region. Base map adapted from one by GringoInChile
The geology of the Maya Riviera coastal zone of the state of Quintano Roo on the Yucatan is characterized by salt flats and mangrove forests, with a dense tropical jungle further away from the coastline. The coast is fringed by quiet protected white-sand beaches, separated by rocky outcrops, perfect for canoe trade--a perfection noted by Maya rulers at least as early as 900 AD.
The Maya sites located along the fringe of the Caribbean coastline were primarily commercial sites, growing to their highest importance during the Post-Classic period of Mesoamerican prehistory. The postclassic lasted between about AD 1000 and the Spanish conquest in 1521, and it was during this time that trade networks reached their precolumbian heyday throughout Mesoamerica. Established on the Caribbean, with access to water travel and marine resources, the Maya Riviera sites were in an ideal position to participate in and lead Atlantic coast trade networks.
Trade along these beaches was accomplished by Mayan long-distance traders called Ppolom, who were organized into guilds. The Ppolom came from noble families, and led expeditions up and down the coast to acquire and trade salt, obsidian, cacao and slaves, as well as pottery such as Tohil Plumbate and Tulum Red. By late post-classic times, metals such as gold and copper were brought into the trading network from South America.
The dramatic growth in trade and communication was also expressed in the expansion and spread of ceramic wares such as Fine Orange, and with distinctive iconography in the ceramics and architecture of the sites such as step-frets, solar disks and feathered serpents.
The major trade routes followed the Caribbean coast, transmitted by canoe traffic. Canoes were square-built shallow-draft canoes ranging from 3.5 to 30 meters in length, and they were pushed by poles. They were used along the coast, and then up rivers into the central Mexican region. In 1502, Christopher Columbus encountered a trade canoe on his 5th voyage to Americas, and reported that cotton textiles, obsidian blades, copper-bronze axes and crucibles for processing metal were being carried. Tulum, the largest and best known city on the Maya Riviera coast, is believed to have been spotted by Spanish explorers in 1518 as they sailed up the coast.
Ready to start your Maya Riviera explorations?
Hassig, R 2001. Transport. pp. 767-768 in The Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia 2001. Edited by Susan Toby Evans and David L. Webster. Garland Publishing Inc., New York.
McKillop, H. 2001 Ports of Trade. pp. 596-597 in The Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia 2001. Edited by Susan Toby Evans and David L. Webster. Garland Publishing Inc., New York.
Smith, ME. 2001. Postclassic. pp.597-603 in The Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia 2001. Edited by Susan Toby Evans and David L. Webster. Garland Publishing Inc., New York.
