Ceramic Analysis of Temple B, Río Bec, Quintana Roo, México
Stan Freer

Burials

Temple B had various burials within the structure, at least one per room, but unfortunately looters found all but one. Amazingly they missed this one by only centimetres, as only a few stones lie between the burial and where they dug. The burial appears to be from the Xcocom period, probably early in that period, based upon the ceramics (see Photos 4, 5, 6, and 7, shown below). The largest vessel, a basin of the Torro Gouge Incised: Torro Variety was found upside down covering the head of the individual. The vessel has what appears to be "pseudo" glyphs around the exterior (see Photo 5). The person had been wrapped in a cloth fiber of which only a very small amount remains (see Photo 7). The other vessels include a Torro Gouge Incised vase with a stylized serpent slithering around the exterior of the vessel. The incised areas of the vase have remnants of red cinnabar (see Photo 6). One vessel appears to be either an heirloom or a variation of the Encanto Striated: Yokat Variety of Xcocom. The vessel fits the description of the Encanto Yokat Variety except for the neck area which is striated (see Photo 4). One last burial vessel, dated to the Xcocom, was identified as Ticul Thin Slate: Ticul Variety (see Photo 8). It was about three-quarters complete. Ceramics recovered from below the burial (75-100 cm) as part of the sub-floor fill date to the Chacsik and Pakluum periods (Early Classic).

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