ABSTRACT
The Rio Bec region is a section of the central Maya lowlands characterized by a monumental architectural style of range-type units combined with twin or triplet towers of solid masonry. The region, then, is defined by architectural traits typified in such structures as Rio Bec Temple B and Xpujil, and various units at Becan. A variety of other sites are common, including Rio Bee, Chicanna and Xpujil. The Río Bec region first received archaeological attention in the early twentieth century when Perigny, and Merwin with Clarence L. Hay surveyed the area, followed about thirty years later by Ruppert and Denison who discovered the fortified site of Becan. Early expeditions were of an exploratory nature, emphasizing the recording of site locations and descriptions of monumental architecture. Knowledge of the chronology and much of the interpretations of the cultural history of the region results from the intensive ceramic work at Becán and vicinity by Ball.
