Cupul or Kupul, (

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a popu ...

: ''Kupul'', 'toponímico; adjective') was the name of a Maya chiefdom at time of the

Spanish conquest of Yucatán The Spanish conquest of Yucatán was the campaign undertaken by the Spanish '' conquistadores'' against the Late Postclassic Maya states and polities in the Yucatán Peninsula, a vast limestone plain covering south-eastern Mexico, norther ...

. Cupul was one of the most extensive and densely populated Maya provinces on the

Yucatán Peninsula The Yucatán Peninsula (, also , ; es, Península de Yucatán ) is a large peninsula in southeastern Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north ...

. It was formed in the mid-fifteenth century after the fall of Mayapan and reached its maximum power during the sixteenth century, at the time of their own Spanish conquest led by the ''

adelantado ''Adelantado'' (, , ; meaning "advanced") was a title held by Spanish nobles in service of their respective kings during the Middle Ages. It was later used as a military title held by some Spanish '' conquistadores'' of the 15th, 16th and 17th cen ...

'' Francisco de Montejo. According to the Encyclopedia Yucatán in time, the Mayan voice ku-pul, means ''that throws the bouncing'', giving a connotation referring to the Mayan ballplayers that existed in the region.

Organization

After the war between the

Tutul Xiu Tutul-Xiu, also Tutul Xiues or Mani, was the name of a Mayan chiefdom of the central Yucatán Peninsula with capital in Maní, before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century. Earlier history In later accounts the C ...

and Cocom, the Yucatan Peninsula, broke up into 16

Kuchkabal A ''kuchkabal'' ( , ''kuchkabalo'ob'', 'province'), also known as an ''ah kuch-kab'' or ''ah cuch-cab'', was a system of social and political organisation common to Maya polities of the Maya Lowlands, in the Yucatán Peninsula, during the ...

Conflicts between Kuchkabal were common, especially between Tutul Xiu and Cocom. Normally each Kuchkabal had a capital where the ruler and supreme priest lived. The ruler was called a Halach Uinik . Each Kuckabal was divided into several municipalities called "Batalib" which in turn were governed by officials called " Batab "who were usually relatives of the Halach Uinik. Each Batab, was the military leader of its population. On the religious side, after Halach Uinik, was the Ah Kin May, and the regular priests Ah Kin(meaning coming from the Sun). Also there was a sacrificial priest called "Ah Nacom". The batalib were Panaba, Tsonot,

Temozón Temozón is a town and the municipal seat of the Temozón Municipality, Yucatán in Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north ...

, Cucumul, Tixcacalcupul, and Uayumhá.

History

The League of Mayapan

''See The League of Mayapan'' Since the tenth century, The League of Mayapan had been the main power in The Yucatan Peninsula. In 1440 the governor of Cupul, Ek Balam founded a town of the same name.

The end of the League

In 1441 the league had a civil war between the Cocom and

Tutul Xiues Tutul-Xiu, also Tutul Xiues or Mani, was the name of a Mayan chiefdom of the central Yucatán Peninsula with capital in Maní, before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century. Earlier history In later accounts the C ...

. The rest of the league took advantage of the war, and rebelled. By 1461 The League of Mayapan had been completely disintegrated into seventeen

References

* Barrera Vásquez, Alfredo, et al. (1980), Cordemex, ed., Maya Dictionary - Spanish - Maya, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico., P. 354, "Kupul: Yucatan province more densely populated and one of the most extensive during the Spanish conquest» * Casares Canton, Raul; Duch Colell, Juan; Antochiw Kolpa, Michel; Fenced Zavala, Silvio; et al. (1998). ''Yucatán en el tiempo'' ucatán in time Mérida, Yucatán. pp. 362 (Vol. 2). {{ISBN, 970-9071-04-1. Mayan chiefdoms of the Yucatán Peninsula