Cheles (chiefdom) facts for kids

Cheles was the name of a Mayan chiefdom (a type of small kingdom or territory ruled by a chief) located in the Yucatán Peninsula. This area is now part of southeastern Mexico.

The Cheles chiefdom existed for many years, like other Mayan groups, before the arrival of Europeans. Its history ended after the Spanish conquest of the Yucatán in the 16th century. The Spanish explorers and soldiers arrived in the Yucatán Peninsula and began to take control of the land and its people.

What Was the Cheles Chiefdom?

The Cheles were one of several chiefdoms or cacicazgos (as the Spanish called them) that made up the Mayan world in the Yucatán. Each chiefdom was like a small independent state. It had its own leader, often called a halach uinic (meaning "true man" in Mayan), who was the main ruler. These chiefdoms had their own rules, traditions, and sometimes even fought with each other.

The Cheles chiefdom, like its neighbors, would have had:

• Villages and towns: Places where people lived, farmed, and traded.
• Leaders: A main chief and other important people who helped govern.
• Farmers: Most people grew crops like corn, beans, and squash.
• Warriors: To protect their land and sometimes to expand it.

Where Was Cheles Located?

The Yucatán Peninsula is a large piece of land that sticks out into the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. It's mostly flat and has a hot, humid climate. The Mayan people lived all over this peninsula for thousands of years. The exact borders of the Cheles chiefdom are not perfectly known today, but it was part of the rich and complex Mayan civilization in this region.

The End of Cheles

The 16th century brought huge changes to the Yucatán Peninsula. In 1517, Spanish explorers first arrived. Over the next few decades, the Spanish began a long and difficult conquest. They wanted to control the land, its resources, and its people.

The Mayan chiefdoms, including Cheles, tried to resist the Spanish. However, the Spanish had:

• Better weapons, like guns and steel swords.
• Horses, which the Mayans had never seen before.
• Diseases, like smallpox, which the Mayans had no immunity to. These diseases killed many Mayans, weakening their ability to fight.

The Spanish conquest of the Yucatán was not quick. It took many years, from the 1520s to the 1540s, for them to gain control over most of the peninsula. During this time, many Mayan chiefdoms, including Cheles, lost their independence. Their leaders were replaced, and their way of life changed forever under Spanish rule. This marked the end of Cheles as an independent Mayan chiefdom.

See also

• Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire
• Spanish conquest of Petén — southern Maya.