Can Pech
former Mayan chiefdom
Can Pech (also Cun Pech, Kaan Pech, or Kaan Peech) was the name of a Maya chiefdom of the southwestern Yucatán Peninsula, before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century. Can Pech was south of Ah Canul and north of Chakán Putum, on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. In 1517, the population of its capital city was approximately 36,000, judging by the description of the city by Bernal Díaz del Castillo.
Etymology
In the Yucatec Maya language, ”Kaan” means snake, and ”Peech” means tick. Can Pech was founded by Ah k'iin Peech. Ah Kin or Ah K'iin being a rank of priest.
History
Before Can Pech
During the Preclassic and Classic period, around the area of Can Pech, important cities and towns were built. They include Becan, Edzná, Dzibilinocac, Alimochei, Jaina, Nadzcaan, Balamkú, Calakmul, Xcalumkín, Kankí, Chunhuhub, Xtampac, and Hochob. Most of these places were part of the Puuc polity.
In the early 900s, the Toltecs took control over northern Yucatán.
The public source identifies “Can Pech” as former Mayan chiefdom. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Pech, former and Mayan.
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This entry incorporates text from “Can Pech” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.