The Salsipuedes River is the main tributary in the middle Mopan Valley, covering an extensive portion of the wet savannas of northern Dolores (Figure 10.1; Chocon et al. 1999). As one of the most representative settlements, El Chilonche is extensive, with eight plazas forming the central area and forty-four residential
10J Sacul Group C, east structure: Phase 1 from the Late Classic and Phase 2 from the Terminal Classic.
Groups. The site core consists of an Acropolis and a Public Ritual complex, separated by 1.7 kilometer. This pattern represents a notable change in settlement because, unlike the other southeastern Peten centers, this type of complex seems to have lost its role as the main nucleus of the site. This situation is not unique to El Chilonche, however, being shared by other near centers like El Muxanal and El Chal.
Although Late Preclassic constructions exist in the Public Ritual Complex, most buildings in the central plazas and residential groups date to the Late Classic. The Acropolis consists of six structures located on a high artificial platform, arranged in a closed plaza. The tunnels made by looters in different parts of the North and West Structures left eight chambers uncovered, four still showing remains of paint in the interior walls.
During the Terminal Classic, the shape of the Acropolis was deeply altered by formal changes. The exposed rooms were sealed in order to build a new temple.
Now destroyed. In addition, a water reservoir or bukte was built in a sector of the patio during the Late Classic and covered with stucco in the Terminal Classic. The structures in this period reached their maximum height and the access to the plaza through the South Structure was sealed. Finally, some Postclassic materials were detected only in the Acropolis and other nearby groups, though in a minor scale.
El Chal in the Upper San Juan Valley
Although El Chal does not lie in the Mopan Valley, it was an important site for the entire region and reflects the role of other neighboring centers like El Muxanal, La Puente, Copoja, and so on. Excavations and ceramic materials recovered in El Chal indicate that during the Late and Terminal Classic, its habitants had a strong building program, demonstrated by the construction volume represented in the structures and plaza levelings at the ceremonial center and residential groups (Morales 1995a, 1995b). The ceremonial center is defined by an acropolis and three ceremonial plazas, where the majority of carved monuments were located. Of a total of nineteen registered monuments, however, only five stelae and three altars are carved. The inscriptions, though very eroded, indicate that two monuments bore an Emblem Glyph during the Late Classic (Escobedo 1994a). The monuments have stylistic similarities with monuments from Naranjo, Ucanal, and Sacul, which is not surprising considering the relative proximity of these centers, and that all dates correspond to the eighth century.
During the Terminal Classic, the Northeast Plaza consisted of four structures defining a closed space, accessed from the northeast comer (Figure 10.8). The structures are rectangular stepped platforms, built with well-cut and polished limestone blocks. On the high platform, some remains of rooms with different accesses were noted. Constmction activities during the Late Classic included a comice in the East Structure, decorated with carved stones showing a double trapeze design, though this element may correspond to a second leveling in the plaza area during the Terminal Classic. Abundant middens were found in the patio comers and the stmctures’ rear sides.
Interestingly, the Public Ritual Complex in El Chal is located at a considerable distance northeast of the ceremonial center. This large complex could have been the ceremonial center during the Preclassic, as at El Chilonche, and this pattern could be typical of the major wet savanna sites during the end of the Late Classic.
The area occupied by residential groups in El Chal is extensive, and has been divided into sectors based on distances among the group cores: Central El Chal with twenty-five groups, Arrepentimiento with forty groups. Panorama with nineteen groups, and Municipal with eighteen groups. This distribution may represent different economic activities (Panorama has a chert working area) and chronologies (Municipal is associated with the Public Ritual Complex). Therefore, Central El Chal would be the more representative to define residential aspects for the Terminal Classic.
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10.8 El Chal northeast group in the Terminal Classic.
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