chiefdom · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean

Ceh Pech

1441 CE – 1541 CE (approx.) · capital Motul

A Maya province of north-western Yucatán ruled by the Pech lineage from Motul, an early ally of the Spanish conquerors.

Origins

Ceh Pech emerged after the collapse of the League of Mayapan around 1441, under the Pech lineage, which had been prominent at Mayapan. Its territory lay along the northern coast between Chakan and Ah Kin Chel, with its capital at Motul.

Rule and society

The province was ruled by lords of the Pech lineage over towns such as Conkal, Chicxulub and Motul. Coastal salt production and maize farming supported it. The Pech chose to ally with Francisco de Montejo the Younger in 1541, and one of its nobles, Nakuk Pech, later wrote the Chronicle of Chicxulub, a Maya account of the conquest.

Decline and legacy

In return for their alliance, Pech nobles kept privileges under Spanish rule, and the province was absorbed into the Province of Yucatán. Motul became a Franciscan centre.

Few sources survive for this state; details are uncertain.

Lineage

League of Mayapan 1220 CE – 1441 CECeh PechProvince of Yucatán 1542 CE – 1821 CE

Connections (1)

More states of Mesoamerica and the Caribbean →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ceh Pech. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ceh-pech
MLA
“Ceh Pech.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ceh-pech. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Ceh Pech.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ceh-pech.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ceh Pech’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ceh-pech (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻