The Redención del Campesino Valley Archaeological Survey

Ejido Francisco Villa

Four different sites were surveyed at ejido Francisco Villa, one of which was Atlas Arqueológico site El Tinaco (E15D3627040). Due to the GPS limitations mentioned above, this site’s coordinates are off for about 600 m to the east and 350 m to the south. The site was re-visited because it’s in the vicinity of the entrance to the smaller El Repasto Valley, situated to the east of the Redención del Campesino Valley. The site is recorded as having 16 structures extending over 2.4 hectares, hence had a potential for being a center of some political importance. The site in fact does not seem to warrant relevant importance. Although it is likely that it may have been affected by the construction of the ejido’s water tank (hence the name), its mounds were built taking advantage of rock outcrops and the natural rolling hills adjacent to the sierra. These were reconditioned using amorphous limestone and packed dirt (Plate 21, below). Albeit most of the land where the site lies is currently under cultivation, no surface materials were observed during the survey.

Francisco Villa: this site consists of a small disperse mound group consisting of 2 low platforms and 3 mounds (Figure 14). Platform 1 measures 16 m × 15 m, and 1.5 m high, built with packed dirt and amorphous limestone blocks. Platform 2 constitutes a small patio group measuring about 30 m × 30 m reaching a maximum height of almost 2 m (Plate 22, shown below). The patio is enclosed on all four sides by low platforms and mounds built with roughly dressed limestone blocks and packed dirt. Unfortunately this patio group has been subject to recent looting, presenting a couple of looter pits towards its northeastern section. Directly to the west of the patio group, in the middle of a cornfield, lie Mounds 3 and 4.  These mounds were built with packed dirt taking advantage of the gentle foothills slopes. Abundant ceramic materials were observed throughout the cornfield. Overall, the site may represent a rural outlier of El Tinaco site, located just 700 m to the north.

El Tigre: this previously unrecorded site is formed by at least five major masonry structures constructed with dressed limestone blocks (Figure 15). Several smaller mounds and platforms built with packed dirt were also observed. Mound 1 is the smallest of the group, it measures approximately 27 m × 27 m rising about 6 m above the ground level. Structure 2 constitutes a reconditioned platform built on a natural hill (Plate 23, shown below). It measures about 85 m × 100 m and 10 m high. At its summit two low platforms built with well-dressed fine-grained limestone blocks are found. These may represent habitation structures, as scattered across the summit are metate fragments and pottery shards. About 200 m to the southwest lay Structure 3.  With a 75 m × 75 m area and rising almost 20 m above ground level, this structure represents the tallest mound in this group (Plate 24, shown below). Although Mound 3 was built with well-dressed limestone blocks no evidence of having supported a vaulted structure was observed. Mound 4 is a 10 m high, 50 m × 50 m masonry structure, built with amorphous limestone blocks and packed dirt. Once more no evidence of a vaulted superstructure was observed. The last structure surveyed is a massive platform of around 140 m × 100 m supporting a 10 m high mound. This structure was completely covered by dense secondary overgrowth, which made it impossible to survey in greater detail, however, as with the previous structures, the latter did not show any evidence of having supported a vaulted structure.

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