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Maya site recorded in the south of Quintana Roo brings together monumental constructions, mural painting, preserved vaults, and human remains in a jungle area still in the preliminary phase of archaeological investigation.
A Maya settlement with 80 constructions, monumental buildings, traces of mural painting, and structures up to 14 meters high has been recorded in the south of Quintana Roo, Mexico, in a jungle area that may still preserve unmapped sectors of the ancient occupation.
The site, called El Jefeciño, is located in the municipality of Othón P. Blanco and occupies, according to preliminary data from the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico, the INAH, at least 100 hectares.
The actual extent still depends on complementary studies.
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The complex includes a “C”-shaped plaza, five main buildings, at least three preserved Maya vaults, remains of stucco with decorative painting, and fragments of human bones that may be linked to a funerary context, as reported by the INAH.
The information released so far is part of an initial archaeological record, without extensive excavation or systematic removal of materials from the site.
Local residents informed authorities of the area’s existence during actions of the Maya Train Archaeological Salvage Project, in section 7 of the work.
Following this notice, INAH teams conducted reconnaissance work to document the structures, assess the state of conservation, and estimate the settlement’s size.
What is inside El Jefeciño
The first analyses associate El Jefeciño with the Classic Maya period, between 250 and 900 AD, a phase in which different regions of the Maya area developed their own forms of occupation, architecture, and urban organization.
In the newly recorded site, archaeologists identified elements likely linked to the Petén style, such as large vaulted buildings, rounded and recessed corners, and apron moldings.
These characteristics help differentiate the find from isolated structures covered by vegetation.
The arrangement of the buildings indicates the existence of an organized central area, with monuments distributed around a plaza.
According to the researchers involved in the record, this arrangement allows the site to be treated as an architectural nucleus, although there is still insufficient data to define its political or administrative function.
The archaeologist Diana Blancas Olvera, responsible for the Kohunlich Archaeological Zone, stated that “it was possible to observe what would correspond to the nuclear area” of the settlement.
This area concentrates five buildings with heights between 11 and 14 meters and lengths ranging from 16 to 40 meters.
The set forms a “C” shaped plaza, a configuration mentioned by INAH in the preliminary description of the site.
Mural painting and possible funerary remains
One of the points described in the record appears in the building identified as 53035, in the northeast sector of the area.
In this location, researchers observed remains of stucco with decorative mural painting.
The colors identified include white and orange, along with red stripes, according to the description attributed to the archaeological team.
According to Sonny Moisés Ojeda González, responsible for the Dzibanché-Kinichná Archaeological Zone, the painting has a decorative, not narrative, character.
The information limits the interpretation of the finding to what was observed in the field, without indicating, for now, the existence of scenes, characters, or episodes represented in the mural.
In the same building, fragments of human bones were found.
INAH reported that these remains may correspond to a burial context, but this interpretation still depends on specific analyses.
As the survey remains in a preliminary phase, there is no public confirmation about the identity, dating, or circumstances associated with the remains found.
The presence of mural painting in such a construction provides data on finishing techniques, use of pigments, and decorative practices related to the occupation of the space.
Still, without detailed excavation and laboratory analysis, it is not possible to attribute ritual, residential, or administrative function to the building based only on the disclosed elements.
Mayan constructions indicate stages of occupation
Archaeologists identified, superficially, at least three construction phases in El Jefeciño.
The oldest phase features a skirt molding, associated with the Petén style.
In another phase, the building with mural painting would have been erected.
A later stage includes structures with signs of collapse and possible staircases.
Even with this initial division, the team considers that the settlement may have gone through more construction phases.
Ojeda González stated that, given the size of the buildings, it is possible to infer the existence of at least four or five construction stages.
The statement was presented as a preliminary assessment by the researchers, not as a definitive conclusion.
The Mayan vaults are also part of the set documented by INAH.
Three of them were identified inside some buildings, in good condition, according to the institute.
This type of roofing was built with the corbel system, in which the upper parts of the walls gradually advance to reduce the span and allow the space to be closed.
The technique appears in different areas of Mayan architecture and allowed the construction of covered spaces without the use of a true arch.
In the case of El Jefeciño, the record of these vaults contributes to identifying the architectural pattern of the site, but it still does not define the specific function of the buildings where they were found.
Quintana Roo Jungle Hinders Recording of Mayan Areas
The dense vegetation of Quintana Roo is one of the factors that make it difficult to identify archaeological structures in the field.
Mounds covered by trees, roots, and sediments can conceal platforms, buildings, and other constructed elements.
For this reason, surface surveys, reports from locals, and mapping technologies play an important role in documenting areas not yet recorded.
In El Jefeciño, researchers have not yet conducted a complete archaeological salvage.
The materials remain on site, and the in-depth analysis of the remains has not been reported as a completed stage.
The next planned procedure is mapping with LiDAR technology, a resource used to record changes in the terrain under the vegetation cover and identify occupation patterns.
This type of survey can help determine the real extent of the settlement, the distribution of buildings, and the possible existence of paths, platforms, or sectors not yet recognized in the field.
In the case of areas covered by tropical forest, the method allows for the production of more accurate maps without relying solely on direct observation of the terrain.
El Jefeciño and Studies on the Mayans
The record of El Jefeciño expands the archaeological documentation of southern Quintana Roo and can contribute to studies on the distribution of Mayan settlements during the Classic period.
The region already hosts important sites, and the identification of a new set with 80 buildings adds data about architecture, territorial occupation, and possible connections between ancient communities.
The Secretary of Culture of Mexico, Claudia Curiel de Icaza, stated that the site’s registration reinforces the protection of archaeological heritage and expands knowledge about the Mayan presence in southern Quintana Roo.
According to INAH, the study of the area can help understand social relations between communities in the region and how different settlements were interconnected.
The available data does not yet allow for estimating the population of El Jefeciño, defining its hierarchy in relation to other Mayan centers, or confirming links with known dynasties.
There is also no reliable information about the site’s total extent, as LiDAR mapping is still a planned stage.
So far, the record shows a large pre-Hispanic settlement with monumental architecture, mural painting, vaults, and evidence of different construction phases.
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