Zama

Zamá was a walled Maya city on the Caribbean coast of eastern Yucatán. Its temples overlook the sea from a low cliff, and a thick wall encloses ceremonial and residential buildings. Canoe traffic moved along the coast to the islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, and merchants from the interior brought cotton, salt and honey to the port to exchange for goods from other coasts. When Spanish ships sighted the coast in 1518 they found the Maya ports busy with trade, and the town's stone walls and temples became known to European sailors as landmarks along the shore.