Cornell University investigations in the Valle de Naco, NW Honduras, are producing new insights into cultural relationships in the eastern Maya frontier zone. Since 1975, survey, mapping, and excavation have produced new data which modify the traditional view of the valley's culture history.
By the Late Preclassic period, the Valle de Naco had at least one center---Santo Domingo---with sizable public architecture. During the Late Classic period, La Sierra, a large Maya center, dominated the valley. Naco was the largest Late Postclassic settlement in the region and one of the major conquest-period centers in NW Honduras. Both La Sierra and Naco maintained extensive economic relationships with distant regions. External connections included interaction with other sectors of the Maya area as well as strong ties with non-Maya Central America.