YARUMELA. An important archaeological site in central Honduras on the eastern periphery of the Maya area. The architecture and material culture at Yarumela suggests that this site more than likely was not occupied by Maya speakers, but by another ethnic and linguistic group, possibly from lower Central America. Historical sources and ethnographic data hint at the presence of Lenca and Jicaque peoples in this area, and their ancestors may have been the original inhabitants at Yarumela. The people at Yarumela also had extensive contacts with peoples in Lower Central America (such as societies in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Costa Rica) and South America. However, the site’s strongest ties seem to have been with northern Honduras where other sites are found with similar architecture and ceramic types.
Yarumela has a major Middle to Late Formative Period component in the archaeological record, and much of the site’s monumental architecture (some of the largest pre-Hispanic buildings in the area) was built at this time. The site was occupied as early as 1000 B.C., and it had a small Late Classic population as well, and few Postclassic inhabitants. The buildings in this ancient ruin are cobble-faced structures that surround a core of earth and stone fill. Elite residences, large temple platforms, and residential structures are found at Yarumela.
Mapping and excavations have been carried out at the site, and archaeological work continues to unravel its hidden history. Recent studies of Yarumela’s paleo-botanical remains have revealed that the ancient residents procured much of their wood and plants from the surrounding uplands, and they obtained cashew wood (and probably its fruit and seeds, although none were recovered or preserved) from South America.
YAXCHILAN (Yash-chee-lahn). An important Late Classic Maya site found on the banks of the Usumacinta River in lowland Chiapas, Mexico. Yaxchilan (called Lorillard City in the 19th century) is a large Maya center that is made up of many monumental stone temples and palaces that exhibit some of the finest examples of limestone carvings in the Maya area. These ruins are found on a bend in the river, with the turbulent waters of the Usumacinta River on three sides of the site. The emblem sign for ancient Yaxchilan is the “split sky” icon.
A ridge, and possibly a surmounting wall construction (this area needs to be surveyed), to the west of the site would have completed its highly defensible location. This would have been much desired since Yaxchilan was involved in regional conflicts and warfare throughout much of its history, including battles with nobles from Lacanha, Lakamtun, and Dos Pilas. Yaxchilan rulers interacted with elites from the sites of Bonampak, Calakmul, Piedras Negras, and Tikal according to written texts, but they probably were in contact with many other cities.
Yaxchilan has a large number of impressive stone masonry buildings, many with their walls and roofs intact. An acropolis is located right on the riverbank, and a series of temples and structures are placed on a series of low hills directly above the river. Buildings are also found across the Usumacinta River and in Guatemalan territory. Structures 37 and 38 and Structures 40 and 41 have long stairways following rises in the terrain and leading up to the bases of the temples. Only a few of the monumental structures at Yaxchilan have been excavated, and only a small portion of the site has been mapped. The buildings at Yaxchilan have perhaps the largest number of carved door lintels in Mesoamerica, and stone stelae and hieroglyphic stairways are also present at the site.
Many breakthroughs in understanding Classic Maya hieroglyphic writing and culture have been made recently by art historians and epigraphers working with the carved monuments of Yaxchilan. Self-sacrifice and bloodletting, in which women pull cords through their tongues and men cut their penises in order to collect blood offerings, are shown on Yaxchilan lintels (such as Lintel 24). Classic Maya dance rituals and the holding of ceremonial objects are also seen on many carved lintels (1, 2, and 3, for example). Additionally, the tomb of a royal woman mentioned prominently in Yaxchilan hieroglyphic texts, “Lady Xoc,” may have been discovered recently by Mexican archaeologists.
Of equal importance is the wealth of information on the Yaxchilan rulers, the dynastic sequence of the site, and the exploits and events in the lives of the ruling elite found in the written texts. With calendar dates and continuing decipherments of the texts, the reigns of Maya kings have been delimited and the times of their births, enthronements, conflicts, captive takings, ceremonies, and deaths are now known. From their name and title glyphs, some of the Yaxchilan kings are nicknamed “Shield Jaguar I,” “Bird Jaguar,” and “Shield Jaguar III.” We also know that the Yaxchilan kings were visited by nobles from other sites during their coronation ceremonies and that they had subordinate lords with the title sahal (“feared one”) who governed at smaller sites nearby. A carved stone panel at the nearby site of Piedras Negras also mentions that a Yaxchilan king arrived by canoe to participate in a ceremony and an evening feast with drink.
YUCATAN. The Yucatan peninsula was, and still is, inhabited by the Yucatec Maya. However, these people had contact with cities to the south, plus they dealt with the Aztecs, Toltecs, and others to the west through trade and alliances. Well-known archaeological sites in this region include Balankanche, Becan, Calakmul, Chichen Itza, Coba, Dzibilchaltun, Edzna, Mayapan, Sayil, and Uxmal, among others. Yucatan is characterized by its flat, rocky terrain, low scrub brush and tree forest mainly from its central to northern parts, plus its general lack of surface water. Water can mainly be found in cenotes, or sinkholes, caves, and bajos, or low swampy areas. The geography and climate of Yucatan contrasts sharply with the hills, jungles, swamps, and rivers of Peten in neighboring Guatemala. There are marked rainy and dry seasons in Yucatan, where farmers rely on milpa or slash-and-burn agriculture for their diet. Salt production and sea trade were also central to Yucatecan society.