There’s a lot of future in the past in Mexico. Tell that to INAH archaeologists, who every now and then find new archaeological sites to investigate. Even known archaeological sites seem to hide more than previously believed, and interior structures are being discovered thanks to cutting-edge techniques like cosmic rays or LIDAR.

One of the archaeological sites that continues to be discovered is Río Bec. This is worrying because the ruins reveal a Mayan society unlike any other, with a distinctive architecture and a mysteriously abandoned city.

Bec River. In the south of the state of Campeche is the Río Bec. It is an area where structures belonging to the Classic period Maya society were found about 130 years ago. It is believed that Teoberto Maler recorded them in his documents, but Karl Sapper was the first to photograph them. After the discovery, other researchers and explorers went there to investigate something that did not fit in with the rest of the Mayan cities.

This was Becán, which means ‘Canyon formed by water’ in Mayan, and is the only pre-Columbian settlement where a moat and defensive wall can be seen. This pit is 2.5 metres deep and 16 metres wide on average. The wall has points as high as 3.6 metres and its crescent-shaped perimeter is 1,890 metres long. It is a very interesting and clearly defensive structure.

fake temples. Researchers estimate its origins to date back to 600 BC, but Becán’s heyday is estimated to have been between 600 and 1,000 AD, when the city brought together goods and services that allowed settlements to develop around it between the 7th and 11th centuries. But if there’s one thing that immediately stands out about Becán, it’s what’s classified as its ‘main structure’.

It is a structure with two towers at the ends. It is about 15 meters high and narrows as it rises, giving the impression of being even higher, but what is interesting is that both the stairs and the upper temples are… fake. Or rather decorative. There are no internal openings and it is impossible to go up the stairs. This contrasts with other Mayan temples where sacrifices and other religious ceremonies were performed. There were also some simulated towers

Eco-society. Becán’s location is privileged, and one of the things they developed was sustainable land. Thanks to lakes that carry rainwater and a system of dams that prevent the porous limestone rocks in the soil from filtering the water, residents were able to grow crops on large areas of land.

There were sectors with sloping and uneven agricultural terraces between the houses, a strategy to make the land more spacious for cultivation and to channel rainwater to the lower areas as well as to make more use of it. It is considered a self-sustaining “green settlement” thanks to its advanced agricultural system.

Becán Representative Office | INAH Media Library

There is no king. So far, Becán, beyond the moat wall, wouldn’t have been much different from other Maya societies. But researchers confirm that its form of sociopolitical organization was unique. Why? They apparently had no leaders and were farmers who lived in palaces.

Dominique Michelet, a member of the French team at the French Center for Scientific Research, has been studying the city for years and assures that “the palaces of Río Bec were residential in nature and were inhabited by higher-class farming families.” Now some have tried to rise: “However, in at least ten places in the region we find evidence that some families tried to pass from the level of nobility to the level of sacred royalty, like their neighbors to the south who had kings,” commented Michelet.

Casaplans. But the same French researchers emphasize that they “tried” and did not succeed. There was no clear indication of the presence of divine kings at Becán, and therefore the socio-political society was different from the rest of the Classic Maya world.

That’s why the structures have staircases, towers, and mock temples, because they were actually… neighbors’ houses. There were decorations like mosaic panels, zoomorphic covers, and no representations of rulers. No building that served as a central meeting place or pillar of society has been found.

They disappeared. Despite being such a unique thing, there was a gradual decline in the population, which resulted in the abandonment of the place in 1450. Solving the mystery of the abandonment of the place with these characteristics, with a good defense system. and such modern channels is one of the next challenges for researchers.

Images | HJPD, INAH

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