I kēia manawa ʻaʻole hiki ke hōʻike kikoʻī i ke ala i ukali ʻia e nā mea kālepa Maya, ʻoiai koi kēia i nā noiʻi hou aʻe, nā wahi archaeological ʻelua ma ia wahi a me nā kūlana geomorphological a me nā ʻāina.
ʻO nā wahi ʻokoʻa i noho ʻia e ka poʻe Mei, akā, ke huakaʻi nei i nā ala wai o ko lākou honua me ke ʻano o nā waʻa a lākou i hoʻohana ai, e ʻae iā mākou e hoʻokokoke i kahi ala maoli i nā pilikia a lākou e kū pono ai, no ka mea, maopopo leʻa i ka hihia o nā ala muliwai, kahi e ikaika ai ke au, ʻaʻole pono ke ala i hoʻohana ʻia ma ke ala i waho e like me ke ala e hoʻi ai.
Nā kūlanakauhale kūkā kamaʻilio
ʻO ka hapa nui o nā pūnaewele Hispanic ma ke kahawai Usumacinta, kahi hapa o Chiapas a me Tabasco, ua hōʻea i kā lākou apogee i ka hopena o ka Classic (600 a 900 AD). Aia ma waena o lākou nā wahi o Lacandona, Yaxchilán a me Piedras Negras, aia lākou a pau kokoke i ka muliwai; a ma ka hui pololei ʻo Palenque a me Bonampak (ma o nā ʻāpana a i ʻole ma ka hōʻea ʻana i kā lākou palena palena ʻāina iā ia), e haʻi wale ai i nā mea koʻikoʻi nui loa.
No laila, ma muli o ka hoʻokele a mākou i hana ai ma ka ʻāpana waena o ka Usumacinta, hiki iā mākou ke ʻōlelo ma ke kahawai he mau kahakai kahi maʻalahi kahi pae a hoʻohana maoli ʻia e ka poʻe Mei, ʻoiai ua nui ka nui o ka ʻāina. a ʻaʻole ia i kaupalena ʻia i nā wahi kahi o nā pūnaewele a mākou i kipa aku ai ma Lacantún, Planchón de las Figuras, Yaxchilán a me Piedras Negras.
ʻO nā ʻāpana o ka ʻoi loa ka pilikia nā mea e hana ʻia ai nā lua a me nā kahawai, e like me nā mea e kū nei ma ka puka a me ka puka o ka San José Canyon, ma mua o Piedras Negras, a ma ke ala, he kahua kūikawā ia, no ka nui o nā kia hoʻomanaʻo. i loaʻa nā palapala a i ka wā i wehewehe ʻia ai me nā mea i loaʻa ma ka pūnaewele kokoke, akā ʻaʻole kahi hoaaloha, o Yaxchilán, kahi i hoʻohui ʻia i kēlā mau wahi i loko o kekahi mau wahi liʻiliʻi ʻē aʻe e kokoke ana i nā mea ʻelua, a no laila ma lalo i kēia mau mea, ua ʻae lākou e ʻike i kahi ʻāpana maikaʻi o ka mōʻaukala o nā pūnaewele ʻelua a me ka ʻāina. No laila, ʻo nā pilikia kūlohelohe i loaʻa i kēlā me kēia kahawai e hui pū ʻia e nā ʻano politika. ʻOiai, ʻo Yaxchilán, i hāʻawi ʻia i kona wahi, pono e kaohi i ka hapa nui o ke ala Usumacinta mai Petén, ʻoiai ʻo Piedras Negras, ke komo a me ka puka o ke Canyon, a me ke ala ʻāina e pale ai i ka hoʻokele ʻana i nā kahawai, akā no kēia Aia nō iā ia nā ʻāina ma nā ʻaoʻao ʻelua o ka muliwai ma lalo o kāna mana.
Ua launa maikaʻi ʻo Yaxchilán me nā kahua ʻo Lacandona, nona nā huahana i hiki ke lawe ʻia a hiki i kahi e waiho ai ka Planchón de las Figuras, ma kapa o ka muliwai ʻo Lacantún a maʻalahi hoʻi e kiʻi ʻia mai nā kahawai ʻekolu. Eia nō naʻe, pono e kakali no nā hoʻokolokolo kūpono e hoʻokō ʻia ma ka pūnaewele e hōʻoia i kona pono ma ke ʻano he awa kuapo pāʻoihana, a me ka hoʻoholo ʻana i nā panalāʻau e hoʻomalu ʻia e nā aupuni o Yaxchilán a me Piedras Negras.
Me kēia mau mea āpau, malia paha ua hoʻokō ʻia ke ala i kahi ala wai-ʻāina i hoʻohui ʻia, e hōʻalo i ka lilo ʻana o nā ola a me nā waiwai ke hele i loko o nā kahawai. Pēlā i lilo ai ka poʻe hoe i mau mea lawe lima e like me nā kumu i hōʻike ai. Ma ka ʻaoʻao ʻē aʻe, manaʻo wau ʻaʻole like ke ala hele huakaʻi poepoe, ʻoiai maopopo leʻa ʻaʻole like ia i ka lālani i luna e kūʻē iā ia.
