El Tigre Secondary Pyramid
El Tigre Candelaria Secondary · Itzamkanac Tigre annex
Preclassic to Postclassic Late 500 BCE–1525 CE, Acalan Chontal peak 1350–1525·Maya (Chontal Acalan–Itzamkanac, Late Postclassic)·🇲🇽 Campeche, Candelaria Municipality, Mexico
About
About El Tigre Secondary Pyramid
Secondary pyramid 18 m high with vaulted temple north of 21 m Principal Pyramid at Itzamkanac, island city of Chontal Acalan on Candelaria River delta into Laguna de Términos. Contact-period capital where Cortés executed Cuauhtémoc 1525. Mixed Petén-Puuc-Chontal stucco façades with Postclassic reoccupation. INAH excavations revealed canoes and cacao store jars.
Why it mattersOnly Contact-period Maya capital with eyewitness Spanish chronicle (Cortés, Bernal Díaz) and riverine Chontal maritime trade hub.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Whether secondary pyramid housed Cuauhtémoc’s captivity quarters under Cortés
- 02How canoe portage linked Usumacinta to Laguna de Términos
Theories
- 01Chontal maritime capital controlling cacao river trade to Gulf
- 02Secondary pyramid elite mortuary for Acalan Halach Uinic
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.500 BCE–1525 CE (Preclassic to Contact Acalan)
- Period
- Preclassic to Postclassic Late 500 BCE–1525 CE, Acalan Chontal peak 1350–1525
- Culture
- Maya (Chontal Acalan–Itzamkanac, Late Postclassic)
- Builders
- Maya
- Purpose
- Secondary 18 m temple pyramid north of Principal Temple on Candelaria River island capital of Acalan (Itzamkanac), last Chontal capital visited by Cortés 1525
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.500 BCE–1525 CE (Preclassic to Contact Acalan)
Initial construction
1525
Major occupation / refurbishment
On the ground
Structures & features
18.2370° N · 91.0380° W · 22 m · 2 mapped features
Secondary 18 m pyramid
pyramidVaulted temple pyramid north of Principal 21 m temple
18.2380° N · 91.0370° WCandelaria River dock and causeway
causewayCanoe docking stair descending to river channel from island
18.2360° N · 91.0390° W