Acalan

Origins

Acalan, meaning 'place of canoes' in Nahuatl, was the land of the Chontal Maya (Mactun) along the Candelaria river south of the Laguna de Términos. Its dynasty, recorded in the Chontal text of the Paxbolon-Maldonado papers, traced its origins to the 14th century, when its rulers settled at Itzamkanac.

Rule and society

Acalan was a merchant state whose canoes carried cacao, cloth, salt and other goods along the Gulf coast between central Mexico and Yucatán, and its ruler was said to be the wealthiest merchant of the land. Itzamkanac was a large town with many temples, and the kingdom controlled scattered dependent settlements.

Decline and legacy

In 1525 Hernán Cortés passed through on his march to Honduras and executed Cuauhtemoc there. Acalan submitted to Spanish rule under Paxbolonacha, and in 1557 the population was moved to Tixchel on the coast; Itzamkanac was later abandoned.