El Tigre (Itzamkanac) Archaeological Zone

El Tigre occupies a low levee above the Candelaria River in the far southwest of Campeche and is identified by many researchers as Itzamkanac, capital of the Chontal Maya province of Acalan, a trading power that controlled river routes linking the Gulf coast to the Guatemalan highlands. The site is best known in the historical record as the place where Hernan Cortes, passing through in 1525 during his overland expedition to Honduras, ordered the execution of Cuauhtemoc, the last Mexica emperor, on suspicion of plotting rebellion. Archaeologically, four large earthen platforms arranged around a central plaza mark the ceremonial core, modest in scale compared with the stone cities of the Rio Bec or Chenes regions since Acalan architecture relied heavily on now-vanished perishable materials. A small on-site museum displays finds from the site and explains its role in the Acalan trading network and its place in the Conquest-era historical record. The riverside setting is the site's other draw, with the Candelaria's banks thick with waterbirds and unlike any other archaeological zone in the state. The access road along the river is best driven in the dry season, December to April, when it is firmer and birdlife concentrates most visibly along the banks.