In the present work aluminium-alumina-silica particulate meta I matrix composites (PMMCs) with different percentages of ceramic were obtained by liquid phase reactive sintering of pure alu minium and a proportion of silica powder ranging from 5 up to 20 vol %. Sintering was carried out at 893 K for 24 h in vacuum. A relatively long sintering time was selected in order to approach the chemical equilibrium state. The microstructure of the composites was studied using optical metallography, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) a nd electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). At the sintering conditions the study indicates the presence of a-alumina, silica coesite (a high density polymorphic transformation of silica), a solid solution of silicon in aluminium, and pure silicon platelets. Sintered properties such as dimensional changes, hardness, and open and total porosity, were measured. Porosity increases with the particle content. Maximum shrinkage was obtained at approximate to 10 vol % ceramic content. Brinell hardness increases from 24 BHN for sintered pure Al up to 46 BHN for the 20 vol % ceramic specimens. Initial results indicate that, by an appropriate selection of sintering temperature and hold time, composites with different proportions of the above mentioned phases and thus with different mechanical properties could be obtained. Liquid phase reactive sintering is shown to be an alternative and simple method for the obtention of some PMMCs.