The past has a lot of future in Mexico. Just ask the archaeologists at INAH, who have new archaeological sites to investigate every now and then. Even well-known archaeological sites seem to hide more than previously thought, and thanks to cutting-edge techniques such as cosmic rays or LIDAR, interior structures are being discovered.
One of the archaeological sites that is still being explored is Río Bec. It is disconcerting because the ruins reveal a Mayan society unlike any other, with a peculiar architecture and a mysteriously abandoned city.
Bec RiverTo the south of the state of Campeche is Río Bec. It is aboutfrom a region where, about 130 years ago, They found structures belonging to a Mayan society of the Classic period. It is believed that Teoberto Maler recorded them in his documents, but it was Karl Sapper first photographing it. After the discovery, other researchers and explorers came to the site to investigate something that did not fit with the rest of the Mayan cities.
That was Becana word that means ‘Canyon formed by water’ in the Mayan language and that is the only Pre-Columbian settlement with a defensive moat and wall. This moat is 2.5 metres deep and on average 16 metres wide. The wall reaches 3.6 metres in height at points and its crescent-shaped perimeter is 1,890 metres long. It is a very interesting and clearly defensive construction.
False temples. Researchers estimate that its origins date back to 600 BC, but that Becán’s heyday occurred between 600 and 1,000 AD. The city brought together goods and services that allowed settlements to develop around it between the 7th and 11th centuries. But if something stands out at first glance in Becán, that is what has been classified as ‘Principal structure’.
This is a construction with two towers at the ends. The height is about 15 meters and they become narrower as they ascend to give the impression of being even higher, but the curious thing is that both the stairs and the upper temples are… fake. Decorative, to be more precise. They have no interior openings and it is impossible to ascend the stairs. This contrasts with other Mayan temples where sacrifices and other religious rites were performed. There were also some simulated towers.
Eco-society. The location of Becán is privileged and something that was developed was the sustainable plots. Thanks to lakes to conduct rainwater and a system of dams that prevented the porous limestone rock of the soil from filtering the water, the inhabitants were able to develop large plots of crops.
Between the houses there were areas with agricultural terraces on a slope and with uneven ground, a strategy to make the ground wider for planting and to take better advantage of rainwater, as well as to channel it to the lower areas. considers which was a “green settlement” that was self-sustaining thanks to this sophisticated agricultural system.
Representation of Becán | INAH Media Library
Without a king. So far, apart from the wall next to the moat, Becán would not be very different from other Mayan societies. However, researchers say that the way of sociopolitical organization is unique. The reason? It seems that they did not have a ruler and that the farmers were the ones who lived in the palaces.
Dominique Michelet is a member of the French team from the Centre for Scientific Research in France that has been studying the city for years and says that “the palaces of Río Bec are residential in nature, inhabited by farming families from a higher stratum.” However, some tried to ascend: “However, in at least ten places on the site we have found evidence that some families tried to go from the level of nobility to that of sacred royalty, like their southern neighbours, who did have kings,” Michelet commented.
MansionsHowever, the same French researchers do emphasis in that “they tried”, implying that they did not succeed. There are no clear indications of the existence of sacred kings in Becán and, therefore, the sociopolitical society was different from that of the rest of the Classic Maya world.
That is why the structures have staircases, towers and false temples, since in reality they are… the houses of the neighbors. They had decoration such as mosaic panels, zoomorphic doorways and no representations of sovereigns. Neither has a central meeting place been found nor a building that functioned as a community pillar.
They vanished. Despite being something so unique, there was a gradual decline in the population, which ended with the abandonment of the place in 1450. Solving the mystery that led to the abandonment of the site of these characteristics with a good defensive system and such modern canals is one of the next challenges for researchers.
Images | HJPDINAH
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