Mayan Oriental Coast: an approach to trade and navigation

Abstract

The eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula offered the ideal medium for sailors and merchants peninsular coastal geography crossed by extensive river networks that stretch along its shores and distantly back inside. The exchange of goods over long distances was a basic factor in the cultural homogeneity of the Mayan world, playing a critical role in the development of this ancient civilization. Maya maritime trade dates back to the Late Pre classic (300 BC-300 AD) Many ports were strategically placed for trade, as islands, headlands or the entry of rivers and in most cases were located in protected locations open sea. Canoes used by the natives was not simple hollowed logs; the use of oars and sails well as seen in depictions in murals and codices.