Archaeological Reconnaissance in Southeastern Campeche, México: 2002 Field Season Report

Comments on Particular Sites

El Mameyal
The site is located in the ejido Los Alacranes. During our first visit in 1996, we examined only one group of relatively large mounds (Šprajc et al. 1997a: 10; 1997b: 39f). To the east and south there are at least two more groups, which were inspected in 2002.

The highest structure of the site is located on a natural elevation a few kilometers west of the modern village of Los Alacranes. It is a pyramidal construction built on the east side of a rectangular platform and overlooking a small plaza to the west. The height of the platform varies between 3 and 5 m, while the roughly square plaza upon it has sides about 20 m long. The pyramidal mound, rising some 20 m above the natural ground on its south side and 15 m on its east side, has on its western slope an enormous looters’ trench, which caused the highest part of the structure to collapse. A few meters below the top, the looters penetrated into a room, apparently a tomb, approximately 2.5 m long, 80 cm wide and 1 m deep. The compound is located 1 km east of the group visited in 1996 (Šprajc et al. 1997a: 10; 1997b: 39f) and about the same distance southeast of a bajo (low wetland).

A group of smaller structures is found 1.2 km to the southwest. On the east mound of a patio group there is a stela, still in upright position. It has been partly buried by the debris of the fallen structure and its true size cannot be established without excavation; its height above the present-day ground is about 82 cm, while its width and thickness are 70 cm and 35 cm, respectively. The exposed part of the stela is badly eroded, but upon cleaning a small portion of the interred surface of its west face we were able to detect traces of relief carving (Figure 2).

The archaeological vestiges extend over a surface of at least 1 km². According to local informants, there are three aguadas in the area.

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