Archaeological investigations have been divided between Vista Alegre and Conil along with several historical sites along the coast (see Historical Archaeology section). Archaeological investigations have involved survey work, geophysical prospecting, test excavations, and broader horizontal excavations. All research has been done under the permission of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) Consejo of Archaeology. The first field season at Vista Alegre was completed in 2005. Since then, the PCE has conducted field work in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2016, and 2017. In the intervening years, project members have been conducting analyses of recovered materials.
Based on the archaeological data to date, the earliest occupation along the coast dates to the Middle Preclassic period (800 – 400 BCE). Vista Alegre and Conil both have substantial populations in the Late and Terminal Preclassic periods, which coincides with the peak population of the interior Yalahau region. Both sites have evidence of occupation during the subsequent Classic period, with Vista Alegre playing a prominent role in the expansion of long-distance coastal exchange connected to the growth of Chichen Itza and the decline of the southern Maya kingdoms (like Tikal, Calakmul, Palenque, and Copan). This happened in the Terminal Classic and Early Postclassic periods (c. 850/900 – 1100 CE). Vista Alegre was eclipsed by Conil in the Late Postclassic period (1100 – 1521 CE), where a thriving population was encountered by early Spanish conquistadores like Cortes and Montejo.
Overall, the PCE research has revealed two communities well adapted to life by the sea. Both took advantage of the broader social and economic networks offered by coastal trade, manifested in diverse artifactual assemblages, hallmarks of the Maritime Maya.
