Previous Archaeological Research

The sites of Vista Alegre and Conil were first documented by William T. Sanders when he visited the area in 1954. He performed test excavations and ceramic surface collections (Sanders 1955). After Sanders came Jack Eaton in 1968, who briefly visited Vista Alegre but did not conduct any archaeological work (Andrews 2002: 143). Anthony Andrews visited the area in 1976 and conducted a brief tour of Conil, a site he called Chiquilá after the neighboring town (Andrews 2002: 143). Susana Gurrola and Eugenia Romero recorded the site in greater detail when they returned to the area as part of their research on Holbox Lagoon and coastal trade in 1987 and 1988 (Gurrola Briones 1988; Romero and Gurrola Briones 1991, 1995).

The Yalahau Regional Human Ecology Project (YRHEP) was established in 1993 by Scott Fedick and Karl Taube of the University of California, Riverside to study ancient Maya settlement patterns, land use and political organization in northern Quintana Roo (Fedick and Mathews 2006: 33). Glover and Rissolo first visited Vista Alegre in 2002 on a short exploratory trip of the nearby Sabana Zanja (Glover et al. 2017: 9). Their documentation of a large serpent head monument carved at the base of a large pyramidal structure on site triggered an interest in the port’s role

during Terminal Classic and Postclassic period trade along the Peninsula (Glover et al. 2017: 9). This led to a short field season in 2005 as part of Glover’s PhD research and prompted the creation of the Costa Escondida Project (Glover et al. 2017: 9). In 2006, the first map of the site was published as part of Glover’s doctoral study (Glover 2006) and that map has been expanded during subsequent field seasons, specifically in 2008, 2011, and 2016.

The Proyecto Costa Escondida (PCE; the Hidden Coast Project) has been conducting archaeological research on the north coast of Quintana Roo, Mexico since 2006 under the direction of Jeffrey Glover, Dominique Rissolo, and many other contributors (Glover et al. 2012: 513). While the long-term goal of the project is to understand how the pre-Columbian and historical populations lived along the northern coastal region of Quintana Roo, the project researches both the environmental and social factors to understand the limits of and opportunities for adaptation in a dynamic and transforming coastal landscape through time (Glover et al. 2012: 513; Glover et al. 2017: 9).

The interdisciplinary project has four major research objectives (1) archaeology, (2) paleoenvironmental research, (3) fisheries studies, and (4) sustainability and community development. Archaeological research has focused on the pre-Columbian sites of Vista Alegre and Conil along with a few historical sites, like that of San Eusebio (Figure 2). The analysis of artifacts has revealed approximately 3,000 years of occupation, although there is evidence that the occupation was not consistent throughout this timespan (Table 1). It is the subsequent correlation between population declines and periods of reoccupation within broader socio-political and environmental processes that is a major component of the project’s research. Recent work by PCE members has focused on the Maya ports of Vista Alegre and Conil, two major coastal sites in Quintana Roo. The sites’ involvement in coastal maritime trade played a significant role in both

the politics and economy of the Yucatan peninsula and in connecting the northern coast with other trade networks in Mexico and Central America.

Table 1 Vista Alegre Chronology (after Glover et al. 2019: 4)

PCE has encountered issues in the past in making the archaeological work and research accessible. Involving locals in the archaeological process through employment has helped in dispelling (but not eliminating) rumors about PCE’s work, a common issue on archaeological projects everywhere (Glover et al. 2012: 518). The researchers have disseminated their findings through a variety of different formats including copies of INAH issued permits, recent INAH reports, and any other relevant publications (Glover et al. 2012: 518). The demands and pressures of academia have transformed this process into an unrewarding task for one’s career as publications and promotions take precedence; this reflects the unilateral information exchange that currently exists within the academic world (Glover et al. 2012: 518). While unrewarding in terms of promotion and tenure, Glover and colleagues feel an ethical obligation to share this information with the community and have made a point to do so over the years.

A site preservation grant application was submitted in 2014 to assist with the development of sustainable tourism infrastructure for the ancient Maya port site of Vista Alegre (Figure 2). Funding was requested for three specific goals: (1) securing funds for the construction of an access and observation tower to be built adjacent to a major pyramidal structure; (2) the design and

maintenance of hiking trails to develop a regionally based cultural and natural resource preservation plan working with the local community; and (3) to develop a system of signage in the region and at Vista Alegre. This application was drafted in collaboration with Tim Murtha who was working at Pennsylvania State University (PSU) at the time. Unfortunately, the grant was not successful; however, it did initiate the collaboration with Murtha.

A Collaborative Design Research (CDR) grant application was submitted in 2017 to PSU to collaboratively engage and design a long-term natural and cultural preservation plan for the area surrounding the town of Chiquilá. The proposed research incorporates graphic design, archaeology, anthropology, landscape architecture, and geodesign to: (1) collaboratively engage stakeholders and community members in Chiquilá, (2) integrate the scientific information produced by ongoing research within a community based geodesign planning project, (3) develop a long-term master plan of preservation priorities, and (4) to create materials (like signage) to support and communicate the aforementioned plan. The application was accepted while Murtha was the director of the Hamer Center for Community Design at PSU and followed him to the University of Florida (UF). Murtha where his continued collaboration on the project along with that of his graduate student Nathania Martinez (UF) have been fundamental to the Chiquilá Community Museum Project (CCMP).

The research of PCE and their predecessors illustrates and contributes to discussions about the complex and dynamic history of the Yucatan Peninsula from pre-Columbian periods to modern times. The following sections expound on the culture history of the Yucatan beginning with the beginning of archaeologically datable evidence up to the modern town of Chiquilá.