El Tigre/Itzamkanac – Campeche – Mexico

Posted on 21/09/2023 by Michael

El Tigre – Itzamkanac

Location

This is a fairly large province encompassing the River Candelaria and part of the Terminos Lagoon and Sabancuy Estuary. To reach the capital El Tigre (Itzamkanac) from Ciudad del Carmen or Champoton, go to Escarcega, take the turn-off to Candelaria but before you reach it follow the sign to El Tigre, on the banks of the Candelaria. This river is formed by two large tributaries, the Caribe and the San Pedro: the former rises in the Calakmul lowlands and the latter near Flores in Guatemala. It is associated with the two great Maya capitals – Tikal and Calakmul. As it flows past El Tigre, the river is 150 m wide and is navigable throughout its course, although a few kilometres beyond the village of Candelaria numerous waterfalls complicate navigation but enhance the beauty of the landscape.

History of the explorations

Itzamkanac was first visited by Hernan Cortes in 1525 and subsequently received visits from Alonso Davila, the first encomenderos (Spanish settlers to whom the Spanish crown granted control over a certain number of indigenous people) and various monks. In 1557 the population was obliged to abandon the place and move to Tixchel. In relation to more recent explorations, the earliest of these was conducted by W. Andrews IV (1943), who sailed up the River Candelaria and recorded El Tigre and other sites. We then have the extraordinary work carried out by Scholes y Roys (1948), who described the region and identified Itzamakanac in the ruins at El Tigre and Tixchel on the coast. Pina Chan and Pavon Abreu visited El Tigre in 1959, publishing photographs and a brief description in an article in which they conclude that the site is the Itzamkanac of the historical sources. It was thanks to the interest shown by Pina Chan that a project affecting various structures was conducted in 1984. Prior to that, Lorenzo Ochoa had toured the Candelaria basin with Ernesto Vargas P. and Sofia Pince, and they subsequently made separate tours to shed a little more light on the whole province. Since 1996 Ernesto Vargas P. has been conducting tours of the whole Acalan-Tixchel province based on several of the approaches laid down by Pina Chan, and he has also worked on various structures at the site in collaboration with the State Government, Petroleos Mexicanos and the INAH and UNAM. The site is open to the public, who can view the masks, a ball court and several of the structures.

Pre-Hispanic history

According to historical sources, the Acalan province stretched from Tixchel by the sea, along part of the Terminos Lagoon and the entire Candelaria river basin, to Tenosique. Various researchers have identified Itzamkanac, its capital or administrative centre, with the archaeological site of El Tigre-Campeche. Hernan Cortes passed through the place en route to Las Hibueras in 1525; later on, Alonso Davila re-established the town of Salamanca de Itzamkanac, although it was rapidly abandoned. Neither of them reached the place by the known routes, but we do know that various fluvial and terrestrial routes passed through the Acalan province. The principal one was the River Candelaria, which permitted trade with distant places such as Tixchel, Xicalango, Potonchan and even Nito and Naco in Honduras. A tour of the basins of the rivers Candelaria, Caribe and San Pedro revealed over 150 archaeological sites, proof that the area enjoyed great importance during the pre-Hispanic period. The largest sites are El Tigre, Cerro de los Muertos and Santa Clara on the banks of the River Caribe. Situated on the hills overlooking the River Candelaria, El Tigre was clearly a strategic enclave. The settlement is dominated by a main precinct with structures that stand over 20 m tall, the residential area and a road. Its occupation dates from the Late Preclassic, as demonstrated by several of the masks that have been analysed at Structures 1 and 2. However, the site experienced its heyday during the Terminal Classic and survived until the Late Postclassic, as shown by the finds uncovered at the top of these same buildings.

Site description

The Ceremonial Precinct is composed of 4 large structures, 6 smaller structures, 2 plazas, 13 altars, 3 stelae and the access roads to the site. The most work has been conducted on Structures 1, 2 and 4. Structure 1 is bounded to the south by the great plaza and measures approximately 150 m along the north-south axis and 135 m along the east-west axis. It is approximately 8 metres high and is surmounted by four platforms, two of which face the front; a 23m-high pyramid rises at the rear of the structure; access to the top of it is via stairways which have been consolidated and reveal the three principal constructions phases of the building: Late Preclassic, Terminal Classic and Postclassic.

Masks 1 and 2 are located on Platform 1c Sub and belong to a substructure which, judging from the ceramics found and other characteristics, corresponds to the Late Preclassic. Various anthropomorphic and zoomorphic masks have been identified; the former are human faces with a clearly discernible chins, mouths, noses, eyes, plumes and ear ornaments. All of them are painted in red and cream and show traces of black paint. Mask 1 is well preserved and must represent an important figure as it is painted red, the colour identified with power. The head and the sides of the face were covered by a type of helmet – partly destroyed – with three bands and what appears to be an ornament at the centre. Ear ornaments flank the face. These are very simply decorated, showing a large circle with bows or knots and decorative hooks. The entire mask rests on a talud or sloping wall and is divided by a stairway with three steps but no balustrades; intertwining knots or bows can be discerned both above and below the ear ornaments. Below these, what appear to be three leaves reach down to the level that supports the platform and create the impression of being extensions of the ear ornaments. Another design can be discerned above the knot. The symbols presented are associated with royalty, which in subsequent times would appear in Maya iconography and sources.

Mask 3 is characteristic of the Late Preclassic: a figure at the centre, probably an iguana-crocodile, with large ear ornaments sprouting serpents on both sides, two figures at the top looking up to the heavens and below a series of plant-like elements. It measures 4 m in height and 7 m in width, and is abutted to the wall of the building in the form of a talud. There are two such masks flanking a broad stairway, but only one of them has been consolidated. This can be divided into three broad sections: a central section featuring the main figure with ear ornaments and serpents on both sides; and above and below these, knots or bows joining the top to upwardly-looking human faces. The face of the mask is that of a mythical animal, possibly a lizard-iguana-feline creature – the elements above the eyes are very characteristic of lizards, as are the double lidded eyes. The nose is flat – the Maya were either unable or unwilling to represent a realistic nose – and it has nostrils at the sides. The mask itself is divided into three parts: the ear ornaments on both sides, the serpents and the human faces. The two sides can also be divided into three parts: the underworld, the earth and the sky, connected by the knots. In addition to symbolising royalty, the ear ornaments might also signify the terrestrial plane, divided into four large sections distributed around a specific point at the centre of the world, the fifth direction. The bows above and below the ear ornaments might well signify the connection between the different worlds – the earth, underworld and sky. These masks conveyed important religious messages for the Maya inhabitants in Preclassic times.

Platform 1a is round and composed of a circular wall which must have subsided due to the weight of the flat roof, causing part of the walls to collapse outwards. The only entrance door faces east. According to the Papeles de Paxbolom Maldonado, one of the principal gods venerated at Itzamkanac was Kukulcan and this temple may well be dedicated to him. The residential palace stands at the south-east corner of Structure 1; the rooms have decorative moulding and the perfectly-preserved walls still stand just over a metre and a half high. The residential unit is composed of various rooms at the top of the building, all of them inter-connected by doors and fronted by a corridor accessed by a stairway. This residential unit is flanked by two independent rooms. The decorative mouldings in the building are in the Rio Bec style, as are the curved walls and the stonework. This building is very important for El Tigre, not only because of the Rio Bec influence but also because it corresponds to the Terminal Classic (AD 900-1100) and boasts Balancan and Altar ceramics, as well as a few examples of the Tinaja Red ceramics characteristic of the region of Calakmul and Rio Bec. There are signs that the building was deliberately destroyed. Part of the mouldings were reused and the rooms were filled with another material.

Structure 4 is the largest construction on the site, measuring nearly 200×200 m and adopting a quadrangular plan. This large platform stands some 10 m above the plaza, forming a type of raised plain on which sit seven mounds of varying sizes and shapes. The main one rises 28 m above the plaza, commencing at the base of the structure, and is possibly the highest mound on the site. Oriented east-west and aligned with the mounds of Structures 2 and 3, it stands 15 m above the base of the large platform, at the middle; it is preceded by a smaller 3-m-high mound. There are other elevations both to the south and north, the most important ones being those of the latter direction – some of these are 3 m high, while the elevations to the south are barely delimited. This is also true of the ones in the north-west, where even the remains of the base can be discerned. The work conducted on Structure 4A can be summarised as follows: the lower part has been delimited and several subsequent platforms covering earlier stages have been found. We believe that the building has had at least four construction phases: the oldest dating from the Late Preclassic, followed by the Early Classic, Terminal Classic and the Postclassic. The stairways also reveal various stages. Opposite Structure 1, in the middle of the Great Plaza, is Structure 5 or the ball court, where the sacbe culminates. This comprises two buildings and a court, the flat space between them. The two parallel structures have a vertical inner wall followed by a talud of varying gradient and stairways or ramps to access the upper part: this is an example of the socalled open variety of ball courts. We believe that some of the walls are from the Late Preclassic, although the construction we see today corresponds to the Terminal Classic and the extensions on the east side to the Late Postclassic.

Importance and relations

Despite the relatively scant exploration of this area and the fact that it is largely unknown to travellers, the River Candelaria nevertheless played an important role during the pre-Hispanic age as a channel of communication between the two great Maya capitals – Calakmul and Tikal. In the Preclassic period the region appears to have maintained vital links with Peten in Guatemala, as evidenced by the ceramics found and the characteristic masks adorning the architecture. During the Classic period it had greater links with the coast and other Chontal ports such as Xicalango and Potonchan. These links were maintained in the Postclassic, when trade was also pursued with the Yucatan Peninsula. Itzamkanac was a very important fluvial port, albeit situated inland, and its role differed from that of other Chontal ports.

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp 285-288.

El Tigre – Itzamkanac

1-4. Structures 1 to 4.

How to get there:

From Candelaria. El Tigre is a long way from the nearest major town of Candelaria. There are plenty of taxis that have their rank at the bottom of the main square, opposite the main church. If you are good at bargaining you might be able to get a decent rate to take you there, wait while you visit and take you back to town. You would really need at least an hour for a visit.

GPS:

18d 07’ 15” N

90d 15’ 13” W

Entrance:

M$70

More on the Maya

Lamanai – Belize

Posted on 12/09/2023 by Michael

Lamanai

Lamanai – Belize

Location

This site is situated on the west bank of the New River lagoon. It is the second-largest site in Belize and, due to its extraordinary setting and architecture, one of the most visited. It is located in an archaeological reserve covering nearly 4 sq km. The name of the site is registered in Spanish sources as Lamanay and Lamayna, possibly a reference to Lama’anayin, which means ‘submerged crocodile’. The same sources also mention the Mayan name for the New River, Dzuluinicob, which Awe translates as ‘strangers’. Lamanai has restrooms, souvenir shops and a largish visitor centre/museum.

Pre-Hispanic history

Lamanai boasts the longest sequence of occupation in Belize: from 900 BC to AD 1675. However, this sequence was not continuous – in AD 1554 the Spaniards arrived and controlled the site for nearly a hundred years until the local population staged an uprising in 1640 and renounced their Christian beliefs. During this period, which can be regarded as a hiatus, the inhabitants of Lamanai struck an alliance with the people of Tipu, an important city in the Cayo district, a few kilometres south of Lamanai.

Site description

A tour of this site is extremely enjoyable, taking in the temple of the Masks, the Great Temple, Complex N10, the residential groups, the ball court, the Christian church (16th century) and the site museum. If you have the time and are interested in industrial archaeology, it is worth taking the walk to the 19th century sugar mill a little further south.

Temple of the masks (N9-56).

This is situated in the northern section of the site. The masks on the facade are unique in that their construction technique differs considerably from that used for other Maya masks. Instead of being modelled in stucco on a stone armature, they are made of blocks of limestone and then with a thin layer of grey stucco. Each anthropomorphic face has a headdress representing a crocodile. The presence of this symbol possibly validates the site name registered by the Spanish: Lamanay, ‘place of the crocodile’. Its construction commenced in 200 BC and it was remodelled on several occasions until AD 1300. Inside the temple is a sub-structure from the Preclassic with masks like those found in Structure 5C-2nd at Cerros. Two tombs, one of a male and the other of a female, were found inside the building. The male’s grave goods comprised objects of jade and shell, various textiles, matting and artefacts made of perishable material.

Great Temple (N10-43).

At 33 m, this is the highest structure on the site. The earliest construction, dated to around 100 BC, was of the same height. The building remained largely unchanged until AD 700 and was then abandoned around AD 900. Subsequently, during the Early Postclassic, an offering was placed inside the structure. Complex N10 is a group of residential and administrative structures. The dominant structure of the complex is the building (N10-9) known as the Temple of the Jaguar, built during the Early Classic and remodelled in the Late Classic and Postclassic. At the foot of the stairway are various small altars, the latest additions to the temple dating from after AD 1400. Structures N10-1, 2, 4 and 7 correspond to the Late Classic and Postclassic and had domestic and ceremonial functions. South of Complex N10 lie the main residential groups, which were still inhabited when the Spaniards arrived. These residences accommodated the Lamanai elite. The scattered layout of the houses is very similar to that found in the present-day towns and villages.

Ball Court

In terms of the play area, this is one of the smallest courts and yet it boasts the largest-known marker. A highly unusual offering was found below the marker: a lidded vessel containing miniature vessels and other objects, placed in a pool of mercury. This was the first time that mercury had ever been found in the Maya lowlands and the find was therefore unique. East of the court stands a small temple (N10-27) where Stela 9 was found, face down at the bottom of the temple stairway. Dating from the Late Classic, this is the only stela that was found in its original place. The figure represented is an ancestor of one of the most important Lamanai rulers, Smoking Shell. The stela commemorates the end of year (tun) 7 Ahau 3 Pop and the anniversary of Smoking Shell’s reign. The festivities to mark the occasion took place on 7 March 625 (9.9.12.0.0). The remains of five infants without any traces of violence were found at the foot of the stela. As Awe points out, this offering must have had a special significance because it is unusual to find infant burials associated with the erection of monuments. The original stela can now be found at the entrance to the site museum, which accommodates a collection of artefacts discovered during the excavations. The most outstanding pieces are the Postclassic polychrome ceramics and the eccentric flints.

Christian church.

Known as the Indian Church, this was built by the Spanish with masonry from the pre-Hispanic constructions. The massive walls with their large angular stones are representative of 16th century European architecture. During his excavations, Awe found a cemetery and evidence that in 1544 the Spanish had built an earlier church in the upper part of the one of the temples. In the mid-19th century the area was given over to sugar production. At Lamanai there are remains of a sugar mill with machinery imported from New Orleans in 1868. According to Kelley, the mill was abandoned around 1883 and the area was subsequently exploited for timber until the 1970s.

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp271-272, pp274-275.

Lamanai

Temple of the Masks; 2. Great Temple; 3. Ball Court; 4. Temple of the Jaguar.

How to get there;

From Orange Walk. Not easy, especially if you visit during the rainy season and you don;t have access to a 4×4 vehicle. Almost certainly the most convenient, and most attractive, way is to travel by boat from just south of Orange Walk which takes you on a tortuous route through the many channels of the New River to the site, taking in along the way the local wildlife, especially the birds but also crocodiles and turtles. These can be organised locally and cost in the region of B$110 for an excursion which includes transport from your accommodation, the boat trip, lunch and entrance to the site – all accompanied by a local guide.

Entrance;

Included in the tour price but would be B$10 if you arrived independently.

Becan – Campeche – Mexico

Posted on 25/06/2023 by Michael

Becan

More on the Maya

Becan – Campeche

Location

This is situated 130 km east of Escarcega, on Federal Road 186 to Chetumal. It is some 300 km from Campeche. To the immediate north-west of the modern community of the same name, the main buildings at Becan are protected by a moat and a perimeter wall, which enclose an area of approximately 12 ha. The moat is 1,890 m long, 16 m wide and 2.5 m deep, while the perimeter wall is as high as 3.6 m in certain sections. It was only possible to cross the moat at seven bridges located at different points around it. Nowadays, access is via one of these bridges, situated in the east section. In the late 20th century certain specialists attributed a defence function to the moat, but the subsequent study and physiographic analysis of both the exterior and interior areas have led to the conclusion that it was used for channelling and draining rain water, thus avoiding flooding. Outside the area delimited by the moat a large number of lesser constructions have been found; these served as dwellings, granaries, shrines, cultivation terraces, stone walls, etc., used by the vast majority of the population who maintained the governing family at Becan. These ruins are similar to those of the nearby sites of Chicanna, 2 km to the south-west, and Xpujil, 8 km to the east. The name Becan has only recently been coined and is formed from Yucatec Maya words meaning ‘serpent path’. It is also the name for the groove worn away by the rain water, and some people therefore believe that it is simultaneously a metaphor for the moat and its curved course.

Timeline, site description and monuments

The oldest remains date from 600 BC, while the concentration of population and resources turned it into a regional capital between AD 600 and 900. During the Postclassic period (AD 1000-1450), the central government gradually disintegrated and its place was occupied by other sites with greater political influence. By the time the conquistadors arrived, Becan was completely covered by rainforest. The site contains monumental constructions in the Rio Bec architectural style, which is characterised by high twin towers, near-vertical non-functional stairways, rounded corners and false temples atop the pyramids. On some buildings, the main facade is adorned with the face of Itzamnaaj, a powerful terrestrial deity. Its open jaws served as the central entrance to the building. The tour of this site commences at Plaza A or the East Plaza, composed of structures I, II and III.

Structure I.

This is distinguished by its monumentality, with two solid lateral towers that rise 15 m above the plaza. The top of each tower has four openings – now sealed for protection from the rain – which were used for astronomical observations. Immediately south of the structure, the Maya architects constructed vaulted, two-storey buildings with 15 rooms on the ground floor and another six on the top floor. Construction commenced around AD 300 and the latest remodellings occurred in AD 1000.

Structure II.

This is situated on the west side of Plaza A. The only part that has been explored is the facade on this side, which is 43 m long and approximately 15 m high, and parallel rooms. The rooms at the back have masonry benches, denoting their residential function. The facade was richly decorated with vertical panels displaying a chessboard pattern or small high and low-relief squares, and Ik symbols (second day in the Tzolkin Calendar) along the bottom of the walls. The stonemasonry is exquisite, and can still be appreciated today over 12 centuries later. Two tombs were found in the central bay, both elaborately made and covered with corbel vaults although never occupied.

Structure III.

This is situated opposite the previous structure, occupying the east side of the plaza, and is approximately 50 m long. It was constructed in several stages and the final modification included a broad stairway leading to the second tier and directly facing a circular altar in the plaza, which measures 6 m in diameter and stands just over one metre high. The irregular inclusion of the latter element, which is neither in keeping with the axes of symmetry nor the monumentality of the surrounding constructions, suggests that it corresponds to the Terminal Classic (AD 900-1000).

Structure IV.

This is an interesting example of Rio Bec architecture: it has rounded corners and once sported non-functional stairways on its east and west facades. It seals the north side of the plaza and its entrance leads to a courtyard surrounded by rooms of varying sizes. The wall decoration includes stylised stone-mosaic zoomorphic masks. The north facade contains other constructions that once had vaulted roofs and were distributed on three levels, the terrain descending only just over 6 m. Further north is another annexe comprising six rooms with benches. Just beyond this is a long corridor, almost 60 m in length. Part of the vaulted roof can still be seen. The west end of this corridor leads to Plaza B, where structures VIII, IX and X are open to visitors.

Structure VIII.

This is another of the monumental works in the city, with towers at its north and south ends, as well as the remains of a magnificent mask on the central facade. It once had nine rooms at the top and from the middle section it is possible to make out the buildings of the nearby Xpujil in the east. Beneath the platform (45×20 m), ten high-ceilinged (8 m) narrow chambers were found, none of which had stucco cladding, ventilation or natural light. It has been suggested that these were used for a variety of rituals, such as fasting, praying and auto-sacrifices or bloodletting; another suggestion is that they were used for storing surplus goods. Whatever the case may be, their practical purpose was to save many tons of construction material.

Structure IX.

This is the highest one on the site (42 m). It displays three architectural phases. The first dates from the Late Preclassic (100 BC-AD 250), when four vast stepped volumes were built, their only access on the south side, and a temple at the top. The platform displayed masks combining human and feline features. A second construction stage during the Early Classic (AD 250-600) is confirmed by the architecture of the top temple and a rich offering of 15 vessels with extraordinary archaeological merits in terms of their timeline, epigraphy and symbolism. The third phase occurred during two specific points of the Late Classic (AD 600-900), when several rooms were added at both sides of the stairway at the middle of the front facade. In Postclassic times (AD 900-1400), anthropomorphic incense burners were placed amid the ruins of the top temple.

Structure X.

This pyramid platform is smaller than the previous one, standing 14 m above the plaza, and has a stairway on its east side. At the top of it are several rooms arranged in pairs, and at both sides, on a lower tier, another series of rooms which once had corbel-vault ceilings. The excavations conducted on the west side revealed a palatial complex containing close on 70 rooms distributed around courtyards to the north and south. Most of these rooms have benches, niches in the walls and interior accessories (a type of curtain rod) for hanging fabrics or animal skins to filter the sunlight. The gradual completion of the buildings, the creation of open and closed areas, access control and an evident restriction on the use of the space all occurred between AD 750 and 1000, during the height of Becan’s splendour.

Stucco frieze.

This polychrome stucco frieze was found to the south of Structure X, in one of the rooms in the aforementioned courtyards. It appears to be the portrait of a high-ranking official wearing nose rings made of round beads and large ear ornaments. The face rests on a small mask and the headdress displays another two masks, superimposed. Behind it, on both sides, it is possible to discern the profile image of the Earth Monster, with blazing eyelashes and open jaws. The figure is situated beneath the 01 symbol, or entrance to the underworld, characterised by a cavity with four lobes. This evidently represented his sojourn in the other world. The comparison of this motif with similar stucco motifs found at Balamku, Placeres and Kohunlich suggest that it dates from around AD 400.

Ball court.

The west section is occupied by Plaza C, whose east side is delimited by the main ball court at Becan. This is composed of two parallel north-south constructions which form a play area 32 m long and 9 m wide. No rings or stone markers were found during the exploration of this space. There are traces of various stelae at Becan, but little is known about their inscriptions or reliefs because some of them were smooth and others were in an advanced state of decay. An interesting offering of Teotihuacan pieces found at Structure XIV is on display at the Yucatan Archaeology Museum (Merida).Other pieces found at Becan can be viewed at the Campeche Archaeology Museum.

Importance and relations

The concentration and quality of the monumental architecture at Becan prove its status as a political, economic and religious capital in ancient times. It was the most important city in the Rio Bec archaeological area, which is situated in the middle of the base of the Yucatan Peninsula, midway between the Gulf of Mexico and Chetumal Bay

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp326-331.

Becan

Plaza A; 2. Structure I; 3. Structure IV; 4. Plaza B; 5. Structure VIII; 6. Structure IX; 7. Stucco Frieze; 8. Plaza C; 9. Bal court.

Getting there:

From Xpujil. It’s possible to take colectivos that are heading toward Conhuas or the SUR bus heading towards Puerto Escárcega. Flag anything that looks like a colectivo to get back.

Entrance:

M$75

More on the Maya