Editing Spanish conquest of Yucatán (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Gulf of Honduras.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Satellite view of the Yucatán Peninsula]]
The [[Yucatán Peninsula]] is bordered by the [[Caribbean Sea]] to the east and by the [[Gulf of Mexico]] to the north and west. It can be delimited by a line running from the [[Laguna de Términos]] on the Gulf coast through to the [[Gulf of Honduras]] on the Caribbean coast. It incorporates the modern [[states of Mexico|Mexican states]] of [[Yucatán (state)|Yucatán]], [[Quintana Roo]] and [[Campeche]], the eastern portion of the [[state of Tabasco]], most of the [[Departments of Guatemala|Guatemalan department]] of [[Petén Department|Petén]], and all of [[Belize]].<ref>Quezada 2011, p. 13.</ref> Most of the peninsula is formed by a vast plain with few hills or mountains and a generally low coastline. A {{convert|15|km|mi|adj=on}} stretch of high, rocky coast runs south from the city of [[Campeche City|Campeche]] on the Gulf Coast. A number of bays are situated along the east coast of the peninsula, from north to south they are Ascensión Bay, Espíritu Santo Bay, [[Chetumal Bay]] and [[Amatique Bay]].<ref name="Quezada11p14"/> The north coast features a wide, sandy [[littoral zone]].<ref name="Quezada11p14"/> The extreme north of the peninsula, roughly corresponding to [[Yucatán|Yucatán State]], has underlying bedrock consisting of flat [[Cenozoic]] limestone. To the south of this the limestone rises to form the low chain of [[Puuc hills|Puuc Hills]], with a steep initial scarp running {{convert|160|km|mi}} east from the Gulf coast near [[Champotón, Campeche|Champotón]], terminating some {{convert|50|km|mi}} from the Caribbean coast near the border of Quintana Roo.<ref>White and Hood 2004, p. 152.<br>Quezada 2011, p. 14.</ref> The hills reach a maximum altitude of {{convert|170|m|ft}}.<ref name="Quezada11p14">Quezada 2011, p. 14.</ref>

The northwestern and northern portions of the Yucatán Peninsula experience lower rainfall than the rest of the peninsula; these regions feature highly porous limestone bedrock resulting in less surface water.<ref name="Thompson66p25"/> This limestone geology results in most rainwater filtering directly through the bedrock to the [[phreatic zone]], from whence it slowly flows to the coasts to form large submarine springs. Various freshwater springs rise along the coast to form watering holes. The filtering of rainwater through the limestone has caused the formation of extensive cave systems. These cave roofs are subject to collapse forming deep [[sinkhole]]s; if the bottom of the cave is deeper than the [[groundwater]] level then a [[cenote]] is formed.<ref name="Quezada11p15"/>

In contrast, the northeastern portion of the peninsula is characterised by forested swamplands.<ref name="Thompson66p25">Thompson 1966, p. 25.</ref> The northern portion of the peninsula lacks rivers, except for the [[Champotón River]] – all other rivers are located in the south.<ref name="Quezada11p14"/> The [[Sibun River]] flows from west to east from south central [[Quintana Roo]] to [[Lake Bacalar]] on the Caribbean Coast; the [[Hondo River (Belize)|Río Hondo]] flows northwards from [[Belize]] to empty into the same lake.<ref>Quezada 2011, pp. 14–15.</ref> Bacalar Lake empties into [[Chetumal Bay]]. The [[New River (Belize)|Río Nuevo]] flows from Lamanai Lake in Belize northwards to Chetumal Bay. The [[Mopan River]] and the [[Macal River]] flow through Belize and join to form the [[Belize River]], which empties into the [[Caribbean Sea]]. In the southwest of the peninsula, the [[San Pedro River (Guatemala)|San Pedro]], Candelaría, and Mamantel Rivers, which all form a part of the [[Gulf of Mexico]] drainage.<ref name="Quezada11p15">Quezada 2011, p. 15.</ref>

The [[Petén Basin|Petén]] region consists of densely forested low-lying limestone plain featuring [[karstic]] topography.<ref>Lovell 2005, p. 17.</ref> The area is crossed by low east–west oriented ridges of Cenozoic limestone and is characterised by a variety of forest and soil types; water sources include generally small rivers and low-lying seasonal swamps known as ''bajos''.<ref name="SharerTraxler06p46">Sharer and Traxler 2006, p. 46.</ref> A chain of fourteen lakes runs across the central [[drainage basin]] of Petén; during the [[rainy season]] some of these lakes become interconnected. This [[drainage area]] measures approximately {{convert|100|km|mi}} east–west by {{convert|30|km|mi}} north–south.<ref>Sharer and Traxler 2006, pp. 46–47.</ref> The largest lake is [[Lake Petén Itza]], near the centre of the drainage basin; it measures {{convert|32|by|5|km|mi}}. A broad [[savanna]]h extends south of the central lakes. To the north of the lakes region ''bajos'' become more frequent, interspersed with forest. In the far north of Petén the [[Mirador Basin]] forms another interior drainage region.<ref name="SharerTraxler06p47">Sharer and Traxler 2006, p. 47.</ref> To the south the plain gradually rises towards the [[Guatemalan Highlands]].<ref name="RiceRice09p5">Rice and Rice 2009, p. 5.</ref> The canopy height of the forest gradually decreases from Petén northwards, averaging from {{convert|25|to|35|m|ft}}.<ref name="Quezada11p16">Quezada 2011, p. 16.</ref> This dense forest covers northern Petén and [[Belize]], most of [[Quintana Roo]], southern [[Campeche]] and a portion of the south of [[Yucatán|Yucatán State]]. Further north, the vegetation turns to lower forest consisting of dense scrub.<ref name="Quezada11p17">Quezada 2011, p. 17.</ref>

===Climate===
The climate becomes progressively drier towards the north of the peninsula.<ref name="Quezada11p17"/> In the north, the annual mean temperature is {{convert|27|C|F}} in [[Mérida, Yucatán|Mérida]]. Average temperature in the peninsula varies from {{convert|24|C|F}} in January to {{convert|29|C|F}} in July. The lowest temperature on record is {{convert|6|C|F}}. For the peninsula as a whole, the mean annual precipitation is {{convert|1100|mm|in}}. The rainy season lasts from June to September, while the dry season runs from October to May. During the dry season, rainfall averages {{convert|300|mm|in}}; in the wet season this increases to an average {{convert|800|to|900|mm|in}}. The prevailing winds are easterly and have created an east–west precipitation gradient with average rainfall in the east exceeding {{convert|1400|mm|in}} and the north and northwestern portions of the peninsula receiving a maximum of {{convert|800|mm|in}}. The southeastern portion of the peninsula has a tropical rainy climate with a short dry season in winter.<ref name="White&Hood04p152">White and Hood 2004, p. 152.</ref>

[[Petén Basin|Petén]] has a hot climate and receives the highest rainfall in all [[Mesoamerica]].<ref name="Quezada11p16"/> The climate is divided into [[Wet season|wet]] and [[dry season]]s, with the rainy season lasting from June to December,<ref name="Schwartz90p17"/> although these seasons are not clearly defined in the south;<ref name="Schwartz90p18"/>  with rain occurring through most of the year.<ref name="Quezada11p16"/> The climate of Petén varies from [[Tropical climate|tropical]] in the south to [[Subtropics|semitropical]] in the north; temperature varies between {{convert|12|and|40|C|F}}, although it does not usually drop beneath {{convert|18|C|F}}.<ref name="Schwartz90p17">Schwartz 1990, p. 17.</ref> Mean temperature varies from {{convert|24.3|C|F}} in the southeast to {{convert|26.9|C|F}} in the northeast. Highest temperatures are reached from April to June, while January is the coldest month; all Petén experiences a hot dry period in late August. Annual precipitation is high, varying from a mean of {{convert|1198|mm|in}} in the northeast to {{convert|2007|mm|in}} in central Petén.<ref name="Schwartz90p18">Schwartz 1990, p. 18.</ref>