While pieces had been found at the site earlier, including the King of La Chole stele and Mesoamerican ball court rings, formal excavations were only recently begun.

Explored areas include what may be the largest Mesoamerican ball court, a 1-hectare (2.5-acre) pyramidal base and a hill with petroglyphs and a probable sacrifice stone.

According to residents, pieces had been found in the area since the 1930s, including some of the most important but formal excavations were begun only in the late part of the first decade of the 2000s, when authorities began to acquire lands for the archeologic exploration.

[2][3] The rings of the ball court were taken to the city of Petatlán, along with a circular stone representing the goddess of the Earth, Tlaltecutli.

The residents subsist on agriculture, growing corn, beans, vegetables and coconuts, supplemented by some cattle and fishing along the local shore.

There are surrounding settlements, so the site could extend as much as ten square kilometers (3.9 sq mi), from the Huamilule Hill to the community of Cabritero and the Chiquito River.

[1] The Cerro de los Brujos has various petroglyphs, a circular stone with appears to have been used for sacrifices and four pyramidal bases.