82 UNIT 1 PREHISPANIC MESOAMERICA
Figure 2.4 The Temple of Kukulkan at the Postclassic Mayan political center of Mayapán.
This edifice, with its serpent balustrades and four cardinal staircases, served as the central
focus for political and religious activities at the site and was likely dedicated to Kukulkan, the
Mayan manifestation of the feathered serpent deity. Photo by Robert Rosenswig.with much of the Mayan lowlands, particularly the eastern and southern Yucatan
peninsula, northern Belize, and the Petén Lakes of Guatemala. Like Chichén Itzá,
it was an outward-looking polity with strong military, iconographic, and trading con-
nections to the Mexican highlands through the Gulf Coast. Painted and stuccoed
art programs in the city’s center attest to these international ties in their incorpora-
tion of Mexican deities and artistic styles. Colonial documents claim that Mexican
mercenaries resided within the city walls and aided in the establishment of at least
one of the city’s ruling regimes.
Mayapán’s downfall was brought about through an internal violent attack, led by
members of the Xiu lineage, and there is evidence that the city was sacked, burned,
and rapidly abandoned. According to various chronicles, Mayapán fell in 1441.
Mayapán was the last Yucatecan center that was able to dominate the peninsula. Sub-
sequently, the region was divided into numerous small, independent polities (see
Chapter 3). The best known of these were located along the Gulf and Caribbean
coasts, where settlements continued to prosper by engaging in maritime trade until