Preparation is underway for the opening of Ichkabal, a new archaeological site in Quintana Roo

The new archaeological zone of Ichkabal, located in the municipality of Bacalar, Quintana Roo, is set to open to the public on September 14, according to Diego Prieto, director of the INAH. This announcement was made during the presentation of the 35th edition of the International Book Fair of Anthropology and History (FILAH). “We commit with Governor Mara Lezama and President López Obrador to ensure it opens no later than September,” said Prieto.

The anthropologist noted that the site is located along section 6 of the Maya Train (which runs from Tulum to Chetumal), with visitors needing to disembark at Bacalar station to access it. “It is a huge city, with considerably tall structures,” Prieto mentioned, adding that a dozen up to 40 meters high structures have been uncovered so far.

Ichkabal experienced its decline around the Classic period (250 to 950 A.D.). It was likely part of a network of city-states that vied for influence and formed alliances within the Mayan territory. “One aspect that might surprise visitors is that most of these large and prominent structures have lost their facades, not to contemporary looters, but to the original inhabitants who dismantled them. This will undoubtedly be a defining characteristic of the city,” Prieto explained.

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This year's FILAH will take place from August 8 to 18 at the National Museum of Anthropology, with Belize and Quintana Roo as guests of honor. In a video message, Governor Mara Lezama stated that the state will be represented by 178 participants, including writers, dancers, musicians, artisans, producers, workshop leaders, historians, and traditional artists.

“We have the opportunity to showcase the prosperity that the great Maya Train project, the train of social justice, brings to our land. At the Maya Train stations, people can enjoy the region’s gastronomy, crafts, customs, and community tourism with our new brand, Maya Ka'an,” Lezama highlighted.

Beatriz Quintanar, National Coordinator of Dissemination for the INAH, announced that this year's editorial event will feature 86 exhibitors offering over 100 publishing labels, including titles related to anthropology and history. The fair, entirely free of charge, will present 152 new publications in three tents next to the book sales and exhibition stands.

In addition to five exhibitions, including one at the Rejas de Chapultepec, the 11-day event will host the Third Anthropological Film Festival, the 29th Román Piña Chan Symposium, the 20th African Colloquium, the 20th Traditional Music Forum, the First Museum Forum, and the Second International Decade of Indigenous Languages Forum, among others.

Quintana Roo, the guest state, will bring musical performances such as the Quintana Roo Folkloric Ballet and the Polifacética Orchestra from Felipe Carrillo Puerto municipality, a craft show, editorial presentations, conferences, discussions, and artistic performances like Maya rapper Jesús “Pat Boy” or the recital “Suéñame, Quintana Roo” or the play “Memory of the Red Trees. Where the Rain Falls” by the Pataki Collective and the Basement Collective.