The following article is taken from the INAH English version their announcement about Ichkabal.  You can read the original at: INAH - search for "Ichkabal" from the home page.

Ichkabal Archaeological Site is located in Quintana Roo, where answers to important Maya questions might be found, such as their agricultural system, the scopeof their relation with Teotihuacan, and early history of Kaan reign, the most powerful among Maya States. Ichkabal's link to Prehispanic civilization, turns it into a priority project of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

Two and a half months after the beginning of the exploration work, Dr. Enrique Nalda, head of the Project, announced that the first stage of excavation and reconstruction of 4 buildings will take 2 years to complete.

He commented that one of the most interesting mysteries regarding Mayas that might be cleared up in Ichkabal is related to the Kaan dynasty (represented with a serpent’s head glyph), the most powerful dynasty in the Classic period. Recent findings at Dzibanche, 10 kilometers away from Ichkabal, where INAH has conducted work for over 22 years, demonstrate that the dynasty settled the area between 450 and 620 AD and later, in Calakmul, Campeche.  Ichkabal is the right place to look for the beginnings of the Kaan dynasty”. Although many monuments at Ichkabal are covered by growth, they're size is outstanding, pointing out its former relevance.

Dzibanche

The INAH specialist commented that the relation between Teotihuacan and the Maya area, mainly during the peak of the High Plateau (Altiplano) city in the Classic period, is another polemic issue that research at Ichkabal could uncover. they hope to determine if Teotihuacana influence was just symbolic, since vestiges of Teotihuacan influence are found at the Maya region later on.

This would confirm the hypothesis that motives other than war, commerce and migration determined Teotihuacan presence in the area.

“We concluded at Dzibanche that its abandonment did not take place in 9^th century, during the Maya Collapse of the Classic period, because we found evidence of intense occupation that might have extended until Spaniards arrival to Yucatan during the 16^th century”.

“This dwelling continuity surprises us; Ichkabal exploration may end the Maya Collapse myth, which points out that great ceremonial centers were abandoned by the end of Classic period, around 900 AD, remaining like that until European contact”.

Another important aspect related to Maya population sustenance that can be figured out based on Ichkabal research, is the agricultural system. A method different from “tumba y quema” (cut down and burn) was employed at Ichkabal, a method that has been used since 1970’s decade, but archaeological evidence has not been found to prove it with Mayans.