Off Hwy 186, heading southwest from Escárcega, is one of Campeche’s most recently uncovered Maya sites, El Tigre. Archaeologists are almost certain it is none other than Itzamkanac, the legendary capital of the Itzáes. This is supposedly the place where Hernan Córtes executed Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlán.
Unlike other Campeche sites, El Tigre occupies a wetlands environment crisscrossed by rivers, with two excavated pyramids amid swaying palms and diverse birdlife. From Candelaria take the road towards Monclova; a short distance beyond the village of Estado de México is the turnoff to the site.
