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This article is about the map. For the revolutionary civilization, see Yucatán (revolutionary). |
Yucatán is the peninsula in southern Mexico which juts out into the sea, separating the Caribbean from the Gulf of Mexico. It is the home of many civilizations, most notably the Maya.
It features as a map in both Age of Empires II: The Conquerors and Age of Empires III.
Age of Empires II[]
| “ | in the tropical rainforest food is abundant, but jaguars stalk beneath the canopy. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
Description[]
In Age of Empires II: The Conquerors, Yucatán was introduced as a random map that features plentiful food resources. The starting food sources for each player are double that found on typical maps. This means 8 Deer instead of 4, 12 Berry Bushes instead of six, a herd of 8 Turkeys or 5 Llamas instead of 4 small herdables next to the Town Center, and 3 herds of 3 Turkeys (or Llamas) nearby, instead of 2 pairs of hidden herdables. However, this pattern deviates slightly for the aggressive huntable Boar reskin called the Javelina. Instead of receiving a total of 4, each player is given 1 additional Javelina, for a total of 3. Finally, there are patches of shore fish in small bodies of water, but they do not contain deep fish.
Rivers or partial rivers divide players. There are typically gaps of land that bridge these rivers, but occasionally a player's base may start out completely isolated on an island formed by the river. While the map does feature hills, there are no cliffs and the map is mostly flat.
There are many Jaguars scattered across the map, sometimes coming in pairs. Relics, Gold Mines, and Stone Mines are each found distributed across the map in typical quantities. The map features several large woodlines, which allows players to fully wall their bases quickly.
Viable tactics[]
Yucatan allows for massive fights, due to its unusually rich resource deposits. It often ends in a big battle between two strong Imperial Age civilizations, in which superior (and costly) units coupled with massive assaults make or break games.
The map tends to favor Turtle and Booming strategies, to the detriment of early Rush tactics. Usually, players are able to wall very early, due to the presence of rivers and large forests; and the abundance of food also allows for performing a Fast Castle Age, followed by a Boom.
However, river assaults and landings can be done, so players must also be wary of opponents' navies. Early raids are sometimes viable, but aggressive players must be quick to prevent opponents from walling.
Civilizations that have advantages in Yucatan:
- Civilizations with strong economic bonuses, especially regarding food collection from natural resources: Maya, Aztecs, Tatars, Mongols, Malay, Japanese, Franks, etc.
- Civilizations with good defensive bonuses: Byzantines, Inca, Koreans, Teutons, Spanish, Chinese, Maya, etc.
- Civilizations with good late-game bonuses: Turks, Byzantines, Teutons, Spanish, Portuguese, Italians, etc.
- Naval civilizations: Malay, Italians, Berbers, etc.
Civilizations that may struggle in Yucatan:
- Civilizations reliant on early aggression: Huns for example.
Age of Empires III[]
Minimap of Yucatán
| “ | The Central America rain forests are home to many Treasures. Each player will start with a nearby Zapotec or Maya village. Use your ships to control the land on your side, or try to build a dock on the far shore and control both coasts. The dense forests mean you will never run short of Wood, and herds of Tapir and Capybara offer unusual hunting opportunities. |
” |
| —In-game information | ||
In Age of Empires III, it is a random map type, with a strip of land down the middle and seas on both sides.
Overview[]
| “ | Yucatan: dense jungles and nearby natives. | ” |
| —In-game description | ||
There will be plentiful Salmon and Whales on both sides of the seas.
It is heavily forested, and there are plenty of Capybaras and Tapirs that roam in the forests.
For every player in the map, there will also be a Maya or Aztec (Zapotec in The WarChiefs) settlement near the player's starting position. Players will usually have trouble building a proper colony due to the massive amount of trees on the map. In free for all matches, this is further hampered with players starting extremely close to each other.
A Trade Route cuts through the middle of the land strip, containing either two or three trade sites.
- Herds: Capybara (400 food), Tapir (500 food)
- Water: Salmon (500 food), Humpback Whale (Infinite coin each)
- Mines: Silver Mine (2,000 coin)
Click for a list of treasures and their guardians related to Yucatan
| Treasure | Reward | Guardians |
|---|---|---|
| Cashews and cashew pears worth | 225 food | 4x  Jaguar
|
| Cashews and cashew pears worth | 160 food | 3x Jaguar
|
| Cassava (manioc) worth | 40 food | 1x  Bandit Blowgunner
|
| A mess of crawdads worth | 80 food | 2x  Alligator
|
| A mess of crawdads worth | 120 food | 3x Alligator
|
| A supply of manioc root (cassava) worth | 100 food | 2x Jaguar
|
| A patch of peanuts worth | 80 food | 2x Alligator
|
| Pineapples worth | 100 food | 2x Bandit Blowgunner
|
| A family of tasty possums worth | 40 food | 1x Alligator
|
| A patch of potatoes worth | 250 food | 4x Bandit Blowgunner
|
| Squash plants worth | 40 food | 1x Bandit Blowgunner
|
| Sweet potatoes worth | 40 food | 1x Bandit Blowgunner
|
| A drift of terrapin worth | 35 food | 1x Alligator
|
| A ruin of the First Lost City of Cibola. It contains preserved food worth | 415 food | 3x  Pirate3x  Bandit Gunslinger
|
| A cache of balsa wood worth | 40 wood | 1x Bandit Blowgunner
|
| A cache of balsa wood worth | 125 wood | 3x Bandit Blowgunner
|
| A grove of bois d'arc trees worth | 60 wood | 2x Alligator
|
| A stand of bald cypress worth | 150 wood | 3x Alligator 2x Pirate
|
| A stand of live oak worth | 90 wood | 3x Alligator
|
| A cache of mahogany worth | 70 wood | 2x Jaguar
|
| A cache of mahogany worth | 115 wood | 3x Jaguar
|
| A storage pit of the Second Lost City of Cibola. It contains usable lumber worth | 305 wood | 4x Pirate
|
| A den of muskrats worth | 25 coin | None |
| A den of muskrats worth | 25 coin | None |
| A den of muskrats worth | 30 coin | None |
| A grove of chile peppers worth | 40 coin | 1x Jaguar
|
| A grove of chile peppers worth | 125 coin | 3x Jaguar
|
| Containers of chocolate worth | 100 coin | 1x Pirate 1x Bandit Blowgunner
|
| Containers of chocolate worth | 175 coin | 2x Pirate 2x Bandit Blowgunner
|
| Cacti covered with cochineal worth | 40 coin | 1x Jaguar
|
| Pots of indigo worth | 70 coin | 2x Alligator
|
| A pool of quicksilver worth | 40 coin | 1x Bandit Blowgunner
|
| Lost Moche gold worth | 90 coin | 2x Jaguar
|
| A supply of rubber worth | 50 coin | 1x Jaguar
|
| Piles of vanilla beans worth | 40 coin | 1x Jaguar
|
| A chest of pirate gold worth | 300 coin | 1x  Buccaneer Captain3x Pirate
|
| A jade-encrusted jaguar skull worth | 120 coin | 1x Bandit Blowgunner 2x Jaguar
|
| Turquoise mask of the dread Aztec mummy worth | 150 coin | 3x Bandit Blowgunner
|
| A map to the fabled Comstock Lode worth | 275 coin | 4x  Bandit Rifleman
|
| A map to the fabled Comstock Lode worth | 365 XP | 4x  Outlaw Musketeer
|
| An altar of the Third Lost City of Cibola. It contains gold artifacts worth | 400 coin | 3x Pirate 3x  Bandit Rider
|
| The bizarre giant anteater worth | 40 XP | 1x Bandit Blowgunner
|
| A hummingbird nest worth | 40 XP | 1x  Cougar
|
| A hummingbird nest worth | 30 XP | 1x  Coyote
|
| An adorable kinkajou worth | 100 XP | 3x Alligator
|
| A patch of petunia flowers worth | 50 XP | 1x Jaguar
|
| The dread two-toed sloth worth | 100 XP | 2x Jaguar
|
| The dread two-toed sloth worth | 140 XP | 3x Jaguar
|
| A map to the Fourth Lost City of Cibola. It is worth | 300 XP | 4x Pirate
|
| The lost blanket of Empress Zoe worth | 420 XP | 2x Bandit Gunslinger 2x Bandit Rifleman2x Bandit Rider
|
| A trapped Native warrior. He may join the cause of whoever rescues him. | 1x  Maya Holcan Spearman
| 3x  Black Bear
|
| A trapped Native Scout, who may join the cause of a rescuer. | 1x  Native Scout
| 2x Alligator
|
| An Outpost Wagon of the Fifth Lost City of Cibola, eager to join your side. | 1x  Outpost Wagon
| 2x Bandit Rifleman 2x Bandit Rider
|
| Two Eagle Warriors from the Sixth Lost City of Cibola, eager to join your side. | 2x  Aztec Eagle Warrior
| 3x Bandit Gunslinger 2x Bandit Rifleman
|
| A nearly-mature jaguar kit that you can tame. | 1x Jaguar
| 2x Jaguar
|
| The cuirass of El Pollo Guapo, which increases Explorer or Hero hitpoints by | 100% | 5x Bandit Rifleman
|
| The morion of El Pollo Guapo, which increases Explorer or Hero hitpoints by | 20% | 2x Jaguar
|
| The King's Flute of the legendary Seventh Lost City of Cibola, which increases Explorer or Hero hitpoints by | 100% | 1x Buccaneer Captain 5x Pirate
|
History[]
| “ | The Yucatan peninsula is bordered on the north and west by the Gulf of Mexico and on the east by the Caribbean Sea. The peninsula is a large shelf of land that projects eastward out of the main body of Central America. The entire region is hot, with northern areas drier than the southern areas. Turkeys, jaguars, coatimundis, and tapirs are found among the palms, mangroves, and wide variety of broadleaf vegetation found in the tropical rainforests. The thick canopy of the tropical forests is broken by the jutting of man-made stone mountains - the ruins of the ancient Maya civilization. One of the most remarkable sites is the city of Chichen Itza, mysteriously abandoned by the Maya around 1400 CE after 1,000 years of settlement and about 100 years before their first encounters with the Spanish. During the spring and fall equinox, at the great pyramid in the middle of Chichen Itza, a shadow appears on the tall steps, appearing like a serpent ascending the stairs. Little is known about why the Maya suddenly abandoned this city. |
” |
Trivia[]
- The real world Yucatan peninsula is located in Mexico, and juts into the Gulf of Mexico.
Gallery[]
