Excavations conducted by the Centro de Investigaciones Historicas y Sociales of the Universidad Autonoma de Campeche in 1984—1985,1988-1989, and 19931994 focused on three buildings: Structures II, III, and VII. Additional excavations were undertaken in Structure I. All four structures evince substantial occupation during the Terminal Classic period.
Significant quantities of artifacts were recovered from in situ floor contexts in three of the four structures. These include incense burners and other items used in rituals, but the majority of the artifacts are related to mundane domestic and economic activities. Although we are aware of the recent emphasis placed by archaeologists on termination rituals (e. g., Freidel 1998; Freidel et al. 1998; Mock 1998d), few of the floor assemblages recovered from Structures II, III, and VII appear to be offerings of any kind, let alone termination offerings. Items such as Postclassic incense burners were found in some rooms, but they cannot be linked to termination rimals conducted at the end of the Classic period. Instead, we interpret the vast majority of the artifacts found in primary floor contexts at Calakmul as representing certain aspects of the last use of a building before abandonment. We caution, however, that we have no evidence that these collections resulted from a hurried and unplanned abandonment, as has been noted at Aguateca and Joya de Ceren (Inomata 1997; Inomata and Stiver 1998; Inomata et al. 1998; Ponciano Alvarado et al. 1998; Sheets 1992, 1997). Thus, the artifacts found in the rooms of Structures II, III, and VII are those items left behind—perhaps deliberately— by a population preparing to leave the site. They form an incomplete assemblage that may not represent the full range of behaviors conducted in the buildings. We presume that other items were carried off by the last inhabitants of Calakmul.
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