A new project, the Periphery of Motul de San Jose Archaeological Project (co-directed by A, Foias, K. Emery, and J. Castellanos), embarked on new research in 2013. Funded principally by NSF, we conducted excavations, mapping and survey at two of Motul’s satellite communities: Kante’t’u’ul, located approximately 3km northwest of Motul, and Chachaklu’um, approximately 5km east of Motul. These two sites are especially noteworthy because of their specific ecological zones. Kante’t’u’ul sits on the north edge of a major bajo and along the river that drains it, known by the same name as the site. The soils on the edges of the bajo and river are deep enough and well drained to be ideal for cacao orchards. The name Kante’t’u’ul itself may suggest this, as one possible translation is the “Place of many mother-of-cacao trees.” In contrast, Chachaklu’um which can be translated as “Red soil” is situated in one of the well known savanna zones around Lake Peten Itza. These savannas are recognized historically as grasslands with poor agricultural soils due to their high iron content which gives them the red color. Nevertheless, these soils are good for tree orchards. Three field seasons in 2013-2015 explored these two settlements and their environments. Three reports have been published, and can be found on the Motul Reports page.