Vista Alegre: Recent excavations of an ancient Maya port site along the north coast of Quintana Roo, Mexico

Summary

The Proyecto Costa Escondida (PCE) has undertaken investigations along the north coast of Quintana Roo, Mexico since 2006. In this paper we present results of the 2016 field season, which was focused on the small island port site of Vista Alegre. The 2016 field season at the site had two main objectives. One was to document the extent and scale of human modification at Vista Alegre. The second was to investigate distinct architectural groups at the site to better understand their chronology. To meet the first objective, an E/W transect of 1m x 1m test units was excavated providing a view of the island in profile. The second goal was met by placing excavations into three platforms at the site. The architectural characteristics documented allows us to investigate the similarities and differences between these architectural groups, such as: their orientation, method of construction, materials used, and how they were finished. In short, this field season provides a better understanding of the site’s chronology and how Vista Alegre’s inhabitants interacted with other parts of the Maya world from the Middle Preclassic through the Postclassic.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17536