In 2007-2011 I conducted a survey and settlement analysis in the Tepango River Valley as part of my doctoral work at the University of Kentucky. The objectives were to examine the settlement system surrounding the large Classic period center of Totocapan, possibly the largest site in the Tuxtla Mountains. Another primary goal was to identify economic trade relationships between Matacapan, a site with links to contemporary Teotihuacan in central Mexico, and Totocapan (see Ceramic Trade in the Tuxtla Mountains page). The results of survey and materials analysis showed that Totocapan loosely ruled over a settlement system in the Tepango Valley. XTENT modeling across the broader region suggested that Totocapan, Matacapan, and Teotepec divided up the southwestern Tuxtla mountains into peer polities, independent politically but interlinked through economic  exchanges.