Exploraciones arqueológicas en Chactún, Campeche, México

The archaeological site of Chactún, located in the eastern part of the Mexican state of Campeche, was discovered in 2013, when we started reconnaissance works in the southern portion of the vast archaeologically unexplored territory that extends between the Río Bec and Chenes regions, largely within the northern sector of the depopulated Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. The site’s urban core, composed of three concentrations of monumental architecture, has a number of plazas surrounded by temple pyramids and massive palace-like buildings, two ball-courts, and 20 stelae and 15 altars, several of which preserve relief carvings, including hieroglyphic inscriptions. A large rectangular water reservoir was also found in the immediate vicinity. In view of its extent and the sizes of buildings, Chactún is one of the largest Maya urban centers known so far in the central lowlands of the Yucatan peninsula. This monograph presents the results of mapping and the descriptions of three complexes of monumental architecture and of some outlying groups, the documentation of sculpted monuments, and analyses of the ceramic and lithic material collected on the surface and during small-scale excavations carried out around a few monuments with the purpose of exposing their carvings. While the ceramic evidence indicates occupation from the Preclassic on, the stelae with hieroglyphic texts and dates suggest the city reached its greatest splendor during the Late Classic, acquiring an important role in the regional political hierarchy. Surprisingly, although the site is located just north of the Río Bec core area, its characteristics link it much more to the Petén tradition. Voluminous buildings arranged around large plazas, numerous temple pyramids and monuments with inscriptions stand in a sharp contrast to the nearby Río Bec sites, where “false” pyramid towers, instead of true pyramids, are common, the architectural groups are typically smaller and with fewer structures, and stelae with inscriptions are quite rare. A peculiarity of Chactún are stone monuments with reliefs modeled in stucco, particularly prominent being the spectacular glyphs on Stela 1. Finally, several monuments found in secondary positions, including fragments of stelae reused as cornerstones of ball courts, and Postclassic ceramics associated with Stela 1 reveal that certain activities took place at the site even in the centuries after its apogee. These and other characteristics disclose the potential of Chactún for future research and its relevance for understanding various aspects of cultural dynamics in this part of the Maya Lowlands.