Kuchkabal
A kuchkabal was a system of social and political organisation common to Maya polities of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the Maya Lowlands, during the Mesoamerican Postclassic. There were somewhere between 16 and 24 such provinces just prior to the Spanish conquest of Yucatán.
Extent
The were located in the Yucatán Peninsula of the Maya Lowlands, bounded by a northwest-to-southeast trending crescent, stretching along the base of the Peninsula, from the Bay of Campeche to the Bay of Honduras. To the west, the provinces bordered settlements of Chontal, Nahuatl, and Zoque speakers in eastern Tabasco, eastern Chiapas, and western Campeche. To the southwest and south, they bordered settlements of Chol speakers in western Peten, northern Alta Verapaz, northern Izabal, northern Copan, northern Santa Barbara, and western Cortes. The provinces thereby encompassed all six districts of Belize, the Guatemalan department of Peten, and the Mexican states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán.Some recent scholarship, employing a revised understanding of the provinces, has proposed to situate the latter only within those portions of the Peninsula predominated by Yucatecan Mayan speakers. Consequently, the limits of the provinces' territory have been proposed as a northwest-to-southeast trending diagonal, from Champoton to the Belize River, resulting in an expanse covering only the aforementioned Mexican states, and the Belizean districts of Corozal, Orange Walk, and Belize.
History
Emergence
Current knowledge of the historical antecedents of the provinces 'is fragmentary and extremely vague for the period prior to the middle of the fifteenth century.' Nonetheless, some post-conquest Maya accounts claim 'Chichen Itza had formerly governed the entire country for about 200 years,' while other such accounts rather claim 'that Uxmal, Chichen Itza, and Mayapan ruled the area during this length of time,' and furthermore, some such accounts claim that Mayapan ruled the Peninsula during a later period. The former claim has been described as 'more or less true of most of northern Yucatán ,' while the last claim has been deemed partially accurate, as there is 'some evidence that northern Yucatán from the Gulf of Mexico east to Cupul was, for a time at least, subject to a joint government located at it is doubtful that its hegemony included Campeche and Champoton it appears possible that it did not extend to the east coast of the peninsula.' In case such a centralised government existed at Mayapan, its rule would have been disrupted upon the city's destruction 'about a century before the final Spanish conquest.' It has been further suggested that Nahuatl- or Chontal-speaking settlers, who appear to have come predominantly from Tabasco, may have influenced the constitutions of emerging provinces.Fall
Hispano-Maya hostilities first broke out in Ecab, capital of the eponymous province in Cape Catoche, in 1517. The Spanish conquest, however, did not properly start until 1527, and was 'an arduous enterprise lasting twenty years.'Constitution
Types
Many of the provinces were organised as unitary states, governed by a single However, some were rather organised as a confederacy of 'more or less closely knit,' and governed by the respective And further still, some 'seem to have been merely collections of towns in a given area, whose relations with one another are largely a matter of conjecture.' Thus, broadly, provinces were organised either as or states, with varying degrees of cohesion.Divisions
The provinces were first subdivided into constituent towns. Larger towns were further subdivided into though 'little' is known about these second-order units. Consequently, the civil service of provinces featured offices for first-order subdivisions, while that of at least provinces further featured offices for zeroth-order or second-order subdivisions.Offices
Civil
The present only in unitary provinces, exercised sovereign legislative, executive, judicial, military, and religious authority over the same. Their government is thought to have been invariably based in the capital. Notably, the office was responsible for military defence, foreign policy, home policy, serious or inter-municipal civil and criminal court cases, and certain religious ceremonies. Particular attention is thought to have been paid to the maintenance of the territorial integrity of the province, and that of its constituent towns. For instance, in 1545, Nachi Cocom, colonial governor of Sotuta, is known to have 'personally made a survey of his entire frontier and conferred with various Cochua and Cupul who lived close to his borders, evidently discussing local differences of opinion in regard to the frontiers.' Similarly, in 1557, Kukum Xiu, colonial governor of Mani, held a conference at Mani for his and neighbouring mayors to determine the limits of the province and its constituent towns.The office, at least in some unitary provinces, is known to have been the prerogative of the leading noble house, with tenure held for life, and passed from father to first-born son. The officeholder is thought to have been entitled to an allotment of slaves, annual tribute from each town and household, and court fees when acting as chief justice. Said remuneration is thought to have been 'sufficient to live in considerable state.' The officeholder is, additionally, thought to have acted as mayor of the provincial capital, and been entitled to that office's remuneration.
The governor does not seem to have had a dedicated advisory council, though it has been suggested that either senior officers of the capital, or some of the provincial mayors, may have or likely acted as privy counsellors, being 'consulted on provincial affairs.'
The present in all provinces, exercised executive, judicial, and military authority over a Notably, the office was responsible for military defence, the building code, farming regulations, or intra-municipal civil and criminal court cases, and for executing provincial home policy. However, the office's authority is thought to have varied across provinces.
In unitary provinces, relatives of the governor are thought to have enjoyed precedence for mayoral office, as the governor held the power of appointment to said office in such provinces. Additionally, first-born sons of an outgoing mayor are similarly thought to have enjoyed precedence for office. In federal provinces, the mayoral office's rules of succession are thought to have been similar to those for the office of governor in unitary provinces. The officeholder is thought to have been entitled to annual tribute from each household or to a farm and to miscellaneous farming-and-household services, and court fees when acting as magistrate. Furthermore, the officeholder is thought to have been 'treated with great ceremony and attended by many people' both at home and abroad. For instance, it is thought to have been customary, during lay celebrations, for the town's residents to attend to the mayor, 'bowing before him , opening a lane for him to pass, spreading their mantles in front of him protect his head from the sun with great fans of bright feathers.'
The mayor seem to have had a dedicated advisory council, namely, the town council, composed of local aldermen or councillors. He is believed to have further employed or relied upon a number of local civil servants or officeholders.
The present in all provinces, was a member of the town council who reviewed mayoral instructions or decisions for either assent or dissent, with the former thought constitutionally necessary for the execution of any such. In federal provinces, the council are thought to have constituted 'the chief check' on mayoral authority. In larger towns which were further subdivided into wards, each such ward was assigned to an alderman, who was further tasked with taxation and 'other municipal affairs' within said ward. In at least some provinces, officeholders were appointed by the mayor, and tended to be 'rich and capable' men.
The present in all provinces, was a local civil servant who assisted and deputised for the mayor and council, in both official and private capacities, by attending to the mayor at their personal residence, conveying official instructions to town residents, and acting as advocates or prosecutors in magistrate's court. The office is known to have 'definitely ranked below' that of an alderman or councillor, but above that of bailiffs or constables.
The present in at least some provinces, is thought to have been responsible for the, where residents 'assemble to discuss public business and learn to dance for the town festivals,' and which is thought to have housed the town's which served as 'a symbol of authority.' Notably, in at least some towns, the chamberlain or steward is known to have discharged the office of mayor.
The present in at least some provinces, is thought to have exercised law enforcement authority, similar to that of a Spanish alguacil or 'minor peace officer.' The bailiffs are known to have been the lowest-ranked civil servants, with the office described as 'vidently not a position filled by members of the nobility.' At least some officeholders are known to have rendered menial service to senior civil servants, for instance, by serving as provision carriers during trips by the governor, or by maintaining the town's grain stores.
Military
The present in at least some provinces, were 'special' war officers, thought to have held joint command of the town's troops during times of war. Officeholders were 'installed in office with great ceremony,' held tenure for three years, and maintained a demanding social and dietary regimen. For instance, while in office, the captain was required to ' no meat but the flesh of fish and inguanas, never intoxicated, remai continent, and little intercourse with his fellow townsmen.' Officeholders are thought to have 'probably had much influence in declaring war, for persons who had suffered injury away from home came to him to complain and seek revenge.' Notably, Nacahun Noh, a captain of Saci, is known to have 'received gifts of shell beads from people living as far away as Tizimin who wished to conciliate him and avoid war with his town.'The present in at least some provinces, is thought to have been a wartime office responding to the municipal troop's joint commanding officers, the mayor and captain. The specialists were selected from among the troops for extraordinary military merit by the captain, and were remunerated only during wartime, partly from the captain's personal funds, and partly from municipal funds. They were additionally entitled to spoils of war, and to 'a certain licence,' for a period upon their return from a campaign, to service and entertainment from the town's residents, often to the latter's 'annoyance.'