History
El Chal was first occupied in the Middle Preclassic Period, with ceramics associated with a burial being recovered from the acropolis. Late Preclassic occupation has only been identified in a few residential groups in the site core. During the Preclassic the centre of the city was probably situated some distance to the northeast of the Late Classic centre, where a large ritual complex is located.
The major period of occupation at the site was during the Late Classic, when most of the major architecture was built. At this time the city centre was moved to the site core around the newly built acropolis complex. The sculpted monuments of the city indicate that it was important enough during the Late Classic to possess its own Emblem Glyph. The city experienced a period of intensive construction lasting from the Late Classic through to the Terminal Classic. All hieroglyphic texts sculpted on monuments at El Chal date to the 8th century AD, although the inscriptions are heavily eroded. The residential groups constructed upon platforms in Panorama Sector were built in the Late Classic, when a flint workshop was in production in Panorama Group 19. During the Late Classic occupation also expanded throughout the other sectors of the city; Arrepentimiento, Municipal and Central.
During the Terminal Classic, El Chal maintained its primary place in the San Juan valley. This is evidenced by major building activity in the site core where the massive structures were underwent new phases of construction and by the erection of new monuments to accompany the already existing Late Classic monuments. The continued importance of El Chal in the Terminal Classic resulted in other centres in the region being eclipsed, such as El Edén and El Tigrillo to the west and Copoja, La Puente and El Ocote to the southeast. During the Terminal Classic, El Chal developed its own ceramic production industry.
In spite of the continued intensive activity in the site core, in Panorama Sector and the other peripheral residential sectors there was a diminishing of activity compared to the Late Classic, perhaps leading up to the abandonment of the city.
Postclassic Period occupation of El Chal has been identified from ceramic fragments recovered from Structure 1 in the Northwest Plaza. A few Postclassic potsherds were also excavated from Group 15 in the Central Sector.
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