yucatán peninsula definition world history

Historians believe that the more than 3,000 structures on the site are the After the Spanish conquest, Yucatán Peninsula was a single administrative and political entity, the Captaincy General of Yucatán. Chichen Itza is located in the eastern portion of Yucatán state in Mexico. Yucatan has a glorious history, of which the unique archaeological sites are just one inheritance. The peninsula has a mean breadth of about 200 miles (320 km) and a coastline of about 700 miles (1,100 km). The cenotes have long been relied on by ancient and contemporary Maya people. The major source of water in modern and ancient Yucatán, cenotes are also associated with the cult of the rain gods, or Chacs. It was characterized by the purging of many lines of animals that were important, including nearly all of the dinosaurs and many marine invertebrates. a peninsula in Central America, between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. The peninsula lies east of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a northeastern geographic partition separating the region of Central America from the rest of North America. The Yucatan Peninsula separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. Sea–level rise puts this region and its tourist industry at risk, unless people make well–planned adaptations to higher water levels. According to the Alvarez hypothesis, the mass extinction of the dinosaurs at the transition from the Cretaceous to the Paleogene Period, the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary (K–Pg boundary), 65 million years ago was caused by an asteroid impact somewhere in the greater Caribbean Basin. Encompassing some 76,300 square miles (197,600 square km), it includes the Mexican states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán and, in … Yucatán Peninsula, Spanish Península de Yucatán, a northeastern projection of Central America, lying between the Gulf of Mexico to the west and north and the Caribbean Sea to the east. The modern history of the Yucatán, long called Mayapán by the Mexicans, began with the expedition of Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, a Spanish adventurer from Cuba, who discovered the east coast of the Yucatán in February 1517 while on a slave-hunting expedition. This map displays all the various places that are popular on the Yucatan Peninsula. Ancient Maya believed that the rain god Chaak resided in caves and natural wells called cenotes. The crater measures between 180 and 240 kilometres across, indicating an impactor of colossal size, the biggest impact confirmed on Earth. In 1910 there was another revolt with some initial successes, after which many of the Maya withdrew to the nearly uninhabited state of Quintana Roo. The eastern coast consists of bluffs, indented with bays and bordered by several islands; the largest and most developed are Cozumel and Isla Mujeres. The Yucatan Peninsula is one of the most popular resort getaways in the world, attracting millions of visitors each year who want to take advantage of the sunny beaches and all-inclusive resorts of a Mexico vacation.But there’s also more to the peninsula … In 1525 the inland part of the peninsula was traversed by Cortés during an expedition to Honduras. The peninsula is the exposed portion of the larger Yucatán Platform, all of which is composed of carbonate and soluble rocks, being mostly limestone although dolomite and evaporites are also present at various depths. The total area of the peninsula is approximately 180,000 sq km. Logwood forests fringe all the lagoons and many parts of the seaboard. [12], The Yucatán Peninsula is the site of the Chicxulub crater impact, which was created 66 million years ago by an asteroid of about 10 to 15 kilometers (6 to 9 miles) in diameter at the end of the Cretaceous Period.[14]. During the colonial period the Yucatán remained a remote and unimportant part of the Viceroyalty of New Spain (centred in Mexico). The Yucatan Peninsula is part of the larger Yucatan Platform, a partially submerged landmass, and is the platform’s only portion above the water. Noun 1. Places such as Xcaret are a chance to see Maya culture and costumes but the Maya are also all around you when you travel in Mexico. Today, the great quality guayaberas are a Yucatan contribution to the world. Capital: Mérida.... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples [25], Due to the extreme karst nature of the whole peninsula, the northern half is devoid of rivers. It is located in Southeastern Mexico, on the north part of the Yucatán Peninsula. At that time, many of the Maya had abandoned their cities and were living in the inland rural areas of the peninsula. The regions toward western Campeche as well as those in Belize have sufficient rainfall to support forests containing mahogany, sapodilla, vanilla, logwood, and other dyewoods. Although these storms pummel the area with heavy rains and high winds, they tend to be short-lived, clearing after about an hour. The boundaries between northern Guatemala (El Petén), Mexico (Campeche and Quintana Roo), and western Belize are still occupied by the largest continuous tracts of tropical rainforest in Central America. The coast on the north and west is low, sandy, and semibarren. The Yucatán was the home of the Maya civilization before it was conquered by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century. I have been around the Yucatan Peninsula for a while and went back multiple times, I have visited so many cenotes I lost count (unfortunately I have also lost some of the pictures, my bad). [13] The second major theory is that the name is in some way related to the yuca crop, as written by Bernal Díaz del Castillo. But this was the beginning of the Spanish colonization of … It is covered with a layer of thin, dry soil, formed through a slow weathering of the coral rocks. In 1519 a third expedition, under the conquistador Hernán Cortés, clashed with the inhabitants of Cozumel Island. The Chicxulub crater on the Yucatan peninsula is believed to be the most likely site of the asteroid impact responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs. The Chichen Itza Pyramid or El Castillo is the most astonishing Mayan Ruin or building inside the Archaeological Site. [7] In the first one, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, having first arrived to the peninsula in 1517, inquired the name of a certain settlement and the response in Yucatec Mayan was "I don't understand", which sounded like yucatán to the Spaniards. Who are the indigenous people of the Yucatan Peninsula? Most of the peninsula receives adequate rainfall throughout the year. Yucatán Peninsula, a northeastern projection of Central America, lying between the Gulf of Mexico to the west and north and the Caribbean Sea to the east. An outstanding site is the cave of Loltún in Yucatán, where a relief figure of a standing leader in pure Izapan style is accompanied by a number of unreadable hieroglyphs as…, …Initial Series, and, in northern Yucatán, where Mayan sites of the latest period are located, a new method of notation dispensed with distance numbers altogether by noting after a Calendar Round date the number of the current. The history of this… Chelem’s “El Precio de la Historia” The Price of History in Yucatan, a vibrant and unique place Progreso, Yucatán, (April 08, 2021).- [19], The peninsula comprises the Mexican states of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo, as well as Guatemala's Petén Department and almost the whole of Belize. By 1549 Montejo had succeeded in establishing Spanish rule over barely half the peninsula, but it was never extended farther. In the late historic and early modern eras, the Yucatán Peninsula was largely a cattle ranching, logging, chicle and henequen production area. There are many possibilities of what the natives could have actually said, among which "mathan cauyi athán", "tectecán… The three Mexican states in the Yucatán region have a predominantly Maya population. [5][6], The proper derivation of the word Yucatán is widely debated. Until the 20th century, the Yucatán was more closely connected with Europe and the United States than with the rest of Mexico, and the people of the Yucatán (mainly Maya) have generally eschewed being called “Mexicans.” Not until 1957 was a narrow-gauge railway line to mainland Mexico widened, thus facilitating the movement of heavy freight. The Chicxulub crater (/ ˈ tʃ iː k ʃ ʊ l uː b /; Mayan: [tʃʼikʃuluɓ]) is an impact crater buried underneath the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. [20], Population throughout the Yucatan Peninsula is very different throughout each part of the Peninsula. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [6] Sinkholes, known locally as cenotes, are widespread in the northern lowlands. Lacking a centralized political structure, Maya polities and communities in these regions resisted Spanish incursions for decades, some for centuries. This distinctiveness has prompted most scholars to consider the Yucatan peninsula a The ecological features and biogeography of the present-day biotic province on its own, the Yucatan Peninsula Biotic Yucatan peninsula show the indelible mark of its 65 million Province (Fig. a mix of beaches, jungles, and history that has become a magnet for tourism. [15] Indigenous Maya and Mestizos of partial Maya descent make up a sizable portion of the region's population, and Mayan languages are widely spoken there. The southeastern Mexican state of Quintana Roo is the least populated part of the peninsula. The Olmec heartland lies in the Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco, at the narrow part of Mexico west of the Yucatan peninsula and east of Oaxaca. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Las Coloradas Yucatan; It is a small fishing port. Where the rocky surface is perforated, there are natural sinkholes and caverns, around which the Maya had built their cities and ceremonial centres. [17], The newly discovered skeleton was 140 meters away from the Chan Hol 2 site. The House of Turtles (foreground), the Pyramid of the Magician (right), and the Nunnery Quadrangle, Uxmal, Yucatán, Mexico. Sinkholes, known locally as cenotes, are widespread in the northern lowlands. The Caste War of Yucatán (1847–1901) began with the revolt of native Maya people of Yucatán against the population of European descent (called Yucatecos) in political and economic control.A lengthy war ensued between the Yucateco forces in the north-west of the Yucatán and the independent Maya in the south-east. Where is the Yucatan Peninsula located? The Yucatán Peninsula constitutes a significant proportion of the ancient Maya lowlands and was the central location of the Mayan Civilization. [24], The Arrowsmith Bank is a submerged bank located off the northeastern end of the peninsula. The average percentage of days with rain per month ranges from a monthly low of 7% in April to a high of 25% in October. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Three different scars on the skull of the woman showed that she was hit with something hard and her skull bones were broken. [6][26], Short and tall tropical jungles are the predominant natural vegetation types of the Yucatán Peninsula. Where lakes and swamps are present, the water is marshy and generally unpotable. There are no rivers in the Yucatán; the regular high rainfall (1,300 mm or about 50 inches of rain falls every year) simply trickles through its calcareous landscape. Encompassing some 76,300 square miles (197,600 square km), it includes the Mexican states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán and, in the south, large parts of Belize and Guatemala. This a list of peninsulas ordered alphabetically by continent or region and by 748.1k Likes, 6,937 Comments - Instagram (@instagram) on Instagram: “In the lush jungles of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, Danish chef René Redzepi (@reneredzepinoma) is…” A large land mass in southeast Mexico that creates a partial border between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Chichen Itza: At the brim of the well where the Wise Men of the Water Live.This is what Chichen Itza means in Maya. Logging and chicle industries are important in Belize. Oil has been discovered in several parts of the Yucatán, and there is a gas field at Xicalango and offshore oil fields near the Bay of Campeche. If that age is accurate, the skeleton—along with three others found in underwater caves along the Caribbean coast of the Yucatán Peninsula—could provide new clues to how the Americas were first populated. Little is known about the language, politics, culture and religion of the Teotihuacan people. The Mayan culture also extended south of the Yucatán Peninsula into Guatemala, Honduras and into the highlands of Chiapas. The dry season lasts from December to May, and the hottest months are May and June. K–T extinction, a global extinction event responsible for eliminating approximately 80 percent of all animal species about 66 million years ago. ... which by the definition … The Yucatec people were first contacted by Europeans in 1511. They hide in plain sight, particularly in the Yucatán Peninsula, which encompasses the states of Yucatán, Campeche, and Quintana Roo. However, these forests are suffering extensive deforestation.[2]. Tulum, on the east coast of the Yucatan peninsula in southern Mexico, was an important Mesoamerican centre which displayed both Maya and Toltec influence. Chichen Itza was one of the most important city-states in pre-Hispanic America and is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico today.. One of the most incredible sinkholes in the region is the Cenote Angelita, which contains a distinct underwater river that flows through some 30 metres below the surface. ... Mayapan, Ek' Balam and Ichcaanzihóo, now Mérida. [23] The deeply buried Chicxulub crater is centered off the north coast of the peninsula near the town of Chicxulub. Its center is located offshore near the communities of Chicxulub Puerto and Chicxulub Pueblo, after which the crater is named. Peninsulas are areas of land surrounded by water on three sides. In the first one, Francisco Hernández de Córdoba, having first arrived to the peninsula in 1517, inquired the name of a certain settlement and the response in Yucatec Mayanwas "I don't understand", which sounded like yucatán to the Spaniards. Mexico has traditionally been among the most visited countries in the world according to the World Tourism Organization, and it is the second-most visited country in the Americas, after the United States. The conquest of the peninsula was undertaken in 1527 by Francisco de Montejo, who encountered a more vigorous opposition than did Cortés. Aside from tourism, another source of income that is important in the Peninsula is logging as well as chicle industries specifically in Belize. Throughout its nearly 1,000-year history, different peoples have left their mark on the city. Human presence on the Yucatán Peninsula reaches back to the Late Pleistocene. [6] There are many Maya archaeological sites throughout the peninsula; some of the better-known are Chichen Itza, Coba, Tulum and Uxmal. Since the 1960s, it has been heavily promoted by the Mexican government, as "an industry without smokestacks." [7][12] Others theories claim that it is a derivative of Chontal Tabascan word yokat'an meaning speaker of the Yoko ochoco language, or an incorrect Nahuatl term yokatlan as supposedly "place of richness" (yohcāuh can't be paired with tlán). When the Spanish arrived in the Yucatan Peninsula in 1517, Chichen Itza was already abandoned, but this place was still receiving visitors from all around the Mayan Peninsula used as a pilgrimage center. Yucatán (Spanish pronunciation: ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán (Spanish: 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.. The peninsula is the exposed portion of the larger Yucatán Platform, all of which is composed of carbonate and soluble rocks, being mostly limestone although dolomite and evaporites are also present at various depths. Like much of the Caribbean, the peninsula lies within the Atlantic Hurricane Belt, and with its almost uniformly flat terrain it is vulnerable to these large storms coming from the east, and the area has been devastated by many hurricanes, such as Hurricane Gilbert, Hurricane Emily, Hurricane Wilma, and Hurricane Dean. Coba (Spanish: Cobá) is an ancient Mayan city on the Yucatán Peninsula, located in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.The site is the nexus of the largest network of stone causeways of the ancient Mayan world, and it contains many engraved and sculpted stelae that document ceremonial life and important events of the Late Classic Period (AD 600–900) of Mesoamerican civilization. Its center is located offshore near the communities of Chicxulub Puerto and Chicxulub Pueblo, after which the crater is named. 11 World History 39 terms. Those in the eastern region were less impacted — at first. To find out more about Mexico’s marvelous beaches, read my post “The 13 Best Beaches in Mexico.” Visiting Tulum is one of the greatest things to do in Yucatan. In the mid-1980s, as a group of American archaeologists pored over satellite images showing Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, they did not know what to … There is a highway network, and Cancún and other major tourist centres are linked to Mexico City and international destinations by air. Historical Mayan sites to visit in Mexico. This a list of peninsulas ordered alphabetically by continent or region and by The most populated area is Mérida in Yucatan state as well as the areas that surround that region. Middle History The first two Spanish explorers to reach the Yucatán Peninsula, Jerónimo de Aguilar and Gonzalo Guerrero, were the survivors of a shipwreck in 1511. This particular territory is full of nature, magic jungles, pristine beaches, and Mayan vestiges. Her skull also had crater-like deformations and tissue deformities that appeared to be caused by a bacterial relative of syphilis. 17th century Franciscan historian Diego López de Cogolludo offers two theories in particular. The total area of the peninsula is approximately 180,000 sq km. Although archaeologists assumed the divers found the remains of the missing Chan Hol 2, the analysis proved that these assumptions were erroneous in a short time. [7][8] There are many possibilities of what the natives could have actually said, among which "mathan cauyi athán", "tectecán", "ma'anaatik ka t'ann" and "ci u t'ann". Yucatán definition: a state of SE Mexico , occupying the N part of the Yucatán peninsula . Peninsulas are areas of land surrounded by water on three sides. It is approximately 181,000 km2 (70,000 sq mi) in area, and is almost entirely composed of limestone. Toward the south, moisture increases from 18 inches (460 mm) to a maximum of 80 inches (2,000 mm) annually, and the scrub forest gives way to tall trees. Visit these breathtaking underwater caves in the Yucatán Peninsula. Today, the great quality guayaberas are a Yucatan contribution to the world. Art Galleries in Yucatan Peninsula Art Museums in Yucatan Peninsula Children's Museums in Yucatan Peninsula History Museums in Yucatan Peninsula Natural History Museums in Yucatan Peninsula Observatories & Planetariums in Yucatan Peninsula Speciality Museums in Yucatan Peninsula Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/place/Yucatan-Peninsula, Academia - The Yucatan peninsula: biogeographical history 65 million years in the making, Yucatán Peninsula - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Yucatán Peninsula - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Population density and ethnic composition are two factors that play into the total population. Mexico's limestone Yucatan Peninsula is tree-covered, with thick tropical jungles along it’s border collies with Central America countries. This is one of several translations of the Maya phrase Sian Ka'an, the name for a 1,080-square-mile biosphere reserve on the Caribbean coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula… Cenote, (from Maya dz’onot), natural well or reservoir, common in the Yucatán Peninsula, formed when a limestone surface collapses, exposing water underneath. Due to its coastal location, the whole of the peninsula is underlain by an extensive contiguous density stratified coastal aquifer, where a fresh water lens formed from meteoric water floats on top of intruding saline water from the coastal margins. The rocks are covered by a thin soil layer, formed from the weathered rocks. The climate of the northern Yucatán is hot and dry, and the absence of high mountainous ridges to intercept the moisture-bearing clouds from the Atlantic results in a limited rainfall. Yucatán , officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán, is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The history of this… Chelem’s “El Precio de la Historia” The Price of History in Yucatan, a vibrant and unique place Progreso, Yucatán, (April 08, 2021).- Tikal is a complex of Mayan ruins deep in the rainforests of northern Guatemala. Here we report on a new skeleton discovered by us in the Chan Hol underwater cave, dating to a minimum age of 9.9±0.1 ky BP based on 230Th/U-dating of flowstone overlying and … The name refers to the Iberian Peninsula. Among the American-born in Mexico the peninsulars were contemptuously called gachupines (“those with spurs”) and in South Mayan culture and traditions have prevailed into the 21st century in the Yucatán Peninsula. The peninsula is mainly a low-lying plain composed of limestones. Mayan Food In Valladolid. The Yucatán seceded from Mexico in 1839 and kept its independence until 1843. It is east of the isthmus of Tehuantepec, which is a geographic partition separating Central America from the rest of North America. a peninsula in Central America, between the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Located on the east coast of the Yucatán peninsula, this biosphere reserve contains tropical forests, mangroves and marshes, as well as a large marine section intersected by a barrier reef. a mix of beaches, jungles, and history that has become a magnet for tourism. The Yucatán, which sits at the end of Mexico's curling peninsula, is often described as Mayan, and it was a vital cog in the old empire. It is divided into 106 municipalities, and its capital city is Mérida. The Riviera Maya, which stretches along the east coast of the peninsula between Cancún and Tulum, houses over 50,000 beds. The surface caves in and forms a pit. The Maya and Toltec vision of the world and the universe is revealed in their stone monuments and artistic works. The thousands of sinkholes known as cenotes throughout the region provide access to the groundwater system. Corn (maize), sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, coffee, and henequen (for sisal hemp) are cultivated throughout the peninsula. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The ancient site, preserved like a time capsule deep in a Mexican cave system, gives a … Tulum was a major trading and religious centre between the 11th and 16th centuries CE and, dramatically situated near the sea, it is one of the most evocative ancient sites in Mexico. In Guatemala about two-thirds of the population is mestizo, and the majority of the remainder is Maya. [16], According to study lead researcher Wolfgang Stinnesbeck, "It really looks as if this woman had a very hard time and an extremely unhappy end of her life. Tourism in Mexico is a very important industry. Up on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, between the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, the dense, tropical jungle is littered with sinkholes called cenotes, where limestone has collapsed to expose the groundwater below. The now-famous "Ring of Cenotes," a geologic structure composed of sinkholes arranged in a semi-circle, outlines one of the shock-waves from this impact event in the ~66 million year old rock. [27], Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Ibero-American Electronic Text Series: Primera Carta de Relación, PREÁMBULO", "New evidence for an early settlement of the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico: The Chan Hol 3 woman and her meaning for the Peopling of the Americas", "9,900-Year-Old Skeleton Found in Mexican Cenote Rewrites History", "9,900-Year-Old Skeleton Discovered in Submerged Mexican Cave Has a Distinctive Skull", "9,900-year-old skeleton of horribly disfigured woman found in Mexican cave", "Yucatán Peninsula | peninsula, Central America", "Alvarez Theory on Dinosaur Die-Out Upheld: Experts Find Asteroid Guilty of Killing the Dinosaurs", Arrowsmith Bank, Undersea Features - Geographical Names, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Yucatán_Peninsula&oldid=1013976401, Articles needing additional references from February 2016, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia introduction cleanup from September 2019, Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from September 2019, All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Updates? Most of the Yucatán Peninsula belongs to Mexico; the southeastern region includes parts of Guatemala and Belize. There is good fishing all along the coasts, and there are many excellent beaches, especially those at Cancún, which has become a major tourist destination and resort area.

Send Reminder To Group Invites For Facebook, Créer Un Compte Viadeo, Pôle Emploi Services Nanterre, Natixis Adresse Paris, Maif Assurance Habitation Raqvam, Ouverture D'un Compte Bancaire Al étranger, Contraire De Curieuse, Cat Vomiting Meme, Régis Fassier Wikipédia, Patrimoine Mondial Unesco Belgique, Antivol Moto Sra Ffmc,