Othón P. Blanco, Q.R. — The Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico has registered a newly discovered archaeological site. The site was discovered in the municipality of Othón P. Blanco, Quintana Roo during construction of the Maya Train.
The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) says it consists of 80 buildings distributed over 100 hectares. They say the site is believed associated with the Petén style.
The Mayan architecture of the Petén style shines among the vestiges of an archaeological site registered by INAH (Instituto Nacional de Antropología y Historia).
The ancient pre-Hispanic settlement called El Jefeciño, due to the monumental nature of the complex in which 80 buildings rest, was revealed by inhabitants of the region during the Tren Maya Archaeological Salvage Project.
The finding was coordinated by archaeologist Manuel Pérez Rivas on front 1 of Section 7 of the Maya Train.
Claudia Curiel de Icaza, the Secretary of Culture of the Government of Mexico, emphasized that the registration “strengthens the protection of archaeological heritage and expands knowledge about the Mayan presence in southern Quintana Roo.
“Incorporating this site into the work of the INAH also recognizes the value of the communities in safeguarding a historical memory that belongs to everyone.”
According to the architectural evidence, it is theorized that it corresponds to the Early/Late Classic period (250-900 AD) in which the Petén architectural style was developed. It is characterized by large vaulted buildings, rounded and recessed corners with apron moldings.
The details were reported by the head of the Dzibanché Kinichná Archaeological Zone, Sonny Moisés Ojeda González, who co-directed the site registration work between 2023 and 2024, along with the head of the Kohunlich Archaeological Zone, Diana Karina Blancas Olvera.
The registration included a survey to determine the state of conservation of the city and its possible extension.
Preliminary data indicates that El Jefeciño covers 100 hectares, but could encompass more. Thorough exploration archaeologists will be able to accurately determine its surface area, the dimensions of the buildings, and the settlement pattern, among other attributes.
“We were able to observe what would correspond to the nuclear area, composed of five buildings between 14 and 11 meters high, by 16 and up to 40 meters long. These monuments are distributed in the form of a ‘C’ shaped plaza,” archaeologist Blancas Olvera said.
In the building identified as No. 53035, in the northeast of the property, remains of stucco with decorative mural painting and fragments of a human skeleton were observed, which may be part of a burial context, he notes.
The specialists stressed that no archaeological salvage operation was carried out, so it was not possible to perform an in-depth analysis of the material found, nor its recovery, since the evidence must remain in situ.
Regarding the mural painting, Ojeda González explained that it is decorative in style and not narrative, with pigments in white and orange colors, as well as red stripes; however, intensive exploration is required to verify this.
In addition, at monument No. 53037, to the northwest of the complex, a substructure with an apron molding can be seen.
Three construction phases were superficially identified: the first and deepest (approximately 8 meters) contains the apron molding; the second corresponds to the remains of mural paintings.
The third shows collapses where the foundations of staircases appear. “Based on the size of the buildings, we infer that they must have at least four or five construction phases,” the archaeologist added.
Another discovery corresponds to the three Mayan vaults inside some buildings, placed in a projecting position, which are in a good state of preservation.
It is hoped that a LiDAR mapping project can be carried out in the future to define and study the settlement pattern. Following this, recommendations will be made for the conservation, consolidation, and exploration of the site.
The researchers agreed that the study of this pre-Hispanic city will contribute to understanding the network of archaeological sites in the region, as well as expanding what is known about the ancient Maya of the southern part of the state and the social relationships that existed among them.
