Epistolary Exchanges and Conformation of Maya Supra-Communitarian Political Spaces in 16th Century Yucatan

Abstract

The present article aims to reveal the existence of frequent oral, written and symbolic exchanges among the Maya peoples of Yucatan and between these and the Hispanic authorities in the 16th century. The evidence presented here questions the commonly accepted image of the isolation and self-centered functioning of Maya communities, and compels us to reconsider the way in which political spaces were structured in colonial Yucatan. In fact, although the Spanish conquest and the policy of reductions eroded the traditional ties that unified the indigenous communities among one another, the Maya rulers soon re-established close relations. This work identifies the different types of exchanges that united the Maya peoples and demonstrates how these played a determining role in the construction of supra-communitarian political spaces in colonial Yucatan.