The Carnegie Maya II: The Carnegie Institution of Washington Current Reports, 1952-1957

THE CARNEGIE MAYA II

THE CARNEGIE MAYA II The Carnegie Institution of Washington Current Reports, 1952–1957

compiled and with an introduction by

John M. Weeks

U n i v e r s i t y

P r e s s

o f

C o l o r a d o

© 2009 by the University Press of Colorado Published by the University Press of Colorado 5589 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 206C Boulder, Colorado 80303 All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America The University Press of Colorado is a proud member of the Association of American University Presses. The University Press of Colorado is a cooperative publishing enterprise supported, in part, by Adams State College, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, Mesa State College, Metropolitan State College of Denver, University of Colorado, University of Northern Colorado, and Western State College of Colorado. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. ANSI Z39.48-1992 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The Carnegie Maya II : The Carnegie Institution of Washington current reports, 1952–1957 / compiled and with an introduction by John M. Weeks. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-87081-958-2 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Carnegie Institution of Washington. Dept. of Archaeology—History. 2. Mayas—Mexico—Yucatan (State)—Antiquities. 3. Mayapan Site (Mexico) 4. Yucatan (Mexico : State)—Antiquities. 5. Anthropological expeditions—Mexico—Yucatan (State)—History. 6. Archaeological expeditions—Mexico—Yucatan (State)— History. I. Weeks, John M. II. Carnegie Institution of Washington. III. Title: Carnegie Maya 2. IV. Title: Carnegie Maya two. F1435.3.Y89C325 2009 972’.65—dc22

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Contents





List of Figures      vii



Foreword—Marilyn A. Masson      xiii





Introduction—John M. Weeks      xix





Table 1. Contents of CIW Current Reports, vol. 1 (1–14) and vol. 2 (15–41), 1952–1957      xxv



Preface to the Current Reports, 1952—H.E.D. Pollock      1



1.

Map of the Ruins of Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico, 1952—Morris R. Jones      3



2.

The Great Wall of Mayapán, 1952—Edwin M. Shook      9



3.

Residential Property Walls at Mayapán, 1952—William R. Bullard Jr.      25



4.

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán, 1952—Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith      31



5.

Cenote X-Coton at Mayapán, 1953—Robert E. Smith      43



6.

Chacchob, Yucatán, 1953—H.E.D. Pollock and Gustav Strömsvik      53



7.

Archaeological Reconnaissance in Tabasco, 1953—Heinrich Berlin      65



8.

A Portal Vault and Temple at Mayapán, 1953—Gustav Strömsvik      85



9.

Some Small Ceremonial Structures of Mayapán, 1953—Robert M. Adams Jr.      91



10.

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán II, 1953—A. Ledyard Smith and Karl Ruppert      111



11.

The X-Coton Temples at Mayapán, 1953—Edwin M. Shook      125



vi

Contents

12.

Cenote Exploration at Mayapán and Telchaquillo, 1954—Robert E. Smith      135



13.

Boundary Walls and House Lots at Mayapán, 1954—William R. Bullard Jr.      143



14.

Three Temples and their Associated Structures at Mayapán, 1954—Edwin M. Shook      157



15.

The Northern Terminus of the Principal Sacbe at Mayapán, 1954—H.E.D. Pollock      179



16.

A Round Temple at Mayapán, Yucatán, 1954—Edwin M. Shook      187



17.

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán III, 1954—Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith      193



18.

Exploration on the Outskirts of Mayapán, 1954—Robert E. Smith      207



19.

A Presumed Residence of the Nobility at Mayapán, 1954—J. Eric S. Thompson      217



20.

The Temple of Kukulcan at Mayapán, 1954—Edwin M. Shook      227



21.

Excavations in Three Ceremonial Structures at Mayapán, 1955—P. E. Smith      239



22.

Colonnaded Buildings at Mayapán, 1955—Edwin M. Shook and William N. Irving      249



23.

Exploration in Quintana Roo, 1955—Gustav Strömsvik, H.E.D. Pollock, and Heinrich Berlin      271



24.

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo, 1955—William T. Sanders      277



25.

A Noble’s Residence and Its Dependencies at Mayapán, 1955—Donald E. Thompson and J. Eric S. Thompson      307



26.

Early Ceramic Horizons at Mayapán and Santa Cruz, 1955—Robert E. Smith      321



27.

Another Round Temple at Mayapán, Yucatán, 1955—Edwin M. Shook      329



28.

An Altar and Platform at Mayapán, 1955—Donald E. Thompson      337



29.

A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90, 1955—Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles R. Temple      343



30.

A Vaulted Temple at Mayapán, 1955—Howard D. Winters      387



31.

Excavation of a Colonnaded Hall at Mayapán, 1955—Howard D. Winters      397



32.

Three Serpent Column Temples and Associated Platforms at Mayapán, 1955—Howard D. Winters      407



33.

A Dwelling and Shrine at Mayapán, 1956—Ann Chowning and Donald E. Thompson      423



34.

A Round Temple and Its Shrine at Mayapán, 1956—Ann Chowning      433



35.

Exploration of the Cave of Dzab-Na, Tecoh, Yucatán, 1956—Gustav Strömsvik      445



36.

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV, 1956—A. Ledyard Smith and Karl Ruppert      451



37.

The Southern Terminus of the Principal Sacbe at Mayapán, Group Z-50, 1956—H.E.D. Pollock      481



38.

Skeletal Remains from Mayapán, 1956—Edward I. Fry      493



39.

House Types in the Environs of Mayapán and at Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Chichen Itza, and Chacchob, 1957—Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith      507



40.

Deities Portrayed on Censers at Mayapán, 1957—J. Eric S. Thompson      521



41.

Notes on Vertebrate Animal Remains from Mayapán, 1957—H.E.D. Pollock and Clayton E. Ray      539





Editor’s Note, 1957—H.E.D. Pollock      551





Appendix: Inventory and Lot Descriptions from Carnegie Institution Current Reports on Mayapán— Compiled by Marilyn A. Masson      553



Glossary      611



References      613



Index      619

Figures

1.1. 2.1.

2.2. 2.3. 2.4. 2.5. 2.6. 2.7. 2.8. 2.9. 2.10. 2.11. 2.12. 2.13. 2.14. 2.15. 2.16. 2.17. 2.18.

Map of the Ruins of Mayapán      6 The Great Wall and Gates D, G, and H      10 Gate T, Blocked Gate T, and Gate EE      13 Gates AA, B, and O      15 The Great Wall of Mayapán      16 Gate D      17 Gate D      18 Gate T      18 Gate T      18 Blocked Gate T      19 Gate EE      20 Gate AA      20 Gate O      20 Gate O      21 Obsidian Artifacts      22 Obsidian Artifacts      22 Hammerstones (two)      23 Metate      23 Pottery from the Excavations      24

3.1. 3.2. 3.3. 4.1. 4.2. 4.3. 4.4. 4.5. 4.6. 4.7.

vii

Plot of Walls in Southwest Section of Mayapán (see map with Current Report 1)      26 Plans of Property Walls      27 Property Walls, Gateways, Lanes, Circle      28 Excavations in Structure J-131a, Plan and Section      33 Excavations in Group J-49, Plans and Sections      34 Excavations in Structure J-50a, Plan and Section      35 Excavations in Groups J-50 and J-122, Plans and Sections      36 Excavations in Structure I-94, Plan and Section      37 Excavations in Structures J-131a, I-94, and J-122c      38 Excavations in Structures J-49a, J-49b, and J-50a      39

viii

Figures 4.8. 4.9. 5.1. 5.2. 5.3. 5.4. 5.5. 5.6. 6.1.

6.2. 6.3. 6.4. 6.5. 6.6.

7.1.

7.2. 7.3.

7.4.

7.5.

Artifacts Recovered during Excavation in Groups J-49, J-50, J-131, and I-94      40 Artifacts from Midden under East Bench and Back Room of Structure J-50a, Lot A-13      41 Plan and Sections of Cenote X-Coton      44 Sections of Pits and Cave      45 Sketch of Cenote X-Coton, Looking Northeast, by Tatiana Proskouriakoff      46 Views of Cenote X-Coton from Exterior      47 Views of Interior of Cenote X-Coton      48 Bones, Pottery, and Sculpture      49 Sketch Map of the Ruins of Chacchob      55 The Wall, Metates, and Vault Stones      56 Sketch Plan and Section of Castillo      57 Architectural Details at Castillo      58 House Platforms      60 Views of Wall and of Castillo at Chacchob and Sculpture at Ukum      62 a. Bellote, Tabasco; Stucco Glyph on Temple Platform, Phase II; b. Bellote, Tabasco; Stucco Medallion on Temple Platform, Phase III; c. Escarcega, Campeche; Plan of Mounds; d. El Tortuguero, Tabasco; Glyphs on Monument 5; e. Atasta, Campeche; Platform, (y) Position of Scattered Bones of Two Adolescents; (z) Position of Isolated Skull of an Adult; f. El Coco, Tabasco; Section of Trench      70 a. Ground plan; b. Section      71 a. Bellote, Tabasco; Temple Platform Wall, Phase II, with Stucco Glyph and Stucco Head in Front; b. Isla de Chable, Tabasco; Wall of a Shell Mound; c. El Meco, Tabasco; Trench; d. Las Minas, Tabasco; e, f. Santa Margarita, Tabasco; Hachas; g. Isla de Chable, Tabasco; Tetrapod Snail Vessel Now in Museum at Villahermosa      72 a. Arenitas, Tabasco; View of Plaza from Mound A; b. Arenitas, Tabasco; Block of Fallen Masonry; c. Atasta, Campeche; Modeled Prowling Jaguars; d. Tiradero, Tabasco; e. Escarcega, Campeche; Mound A      75 a. Atasta, Campeche; Statue; b, c. Museum at Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche; b. Jaguar Head; c. Stone Sculpture; d. El Tortuguero, Tabasco; Monument 5; e. Atasta, Campeche;



7.6. 8.1. 8.2. 8.3.

9.1. 9.2. 9.3. 9.4. 9.5. 9.6. 9.7. 9.8. 9.9. 9.10. 9.11. 10.1. 10.2. 10.3. 10.4.

10.5. 10.6. 10.7. 10.8.

10.9.

11.1. 11.2. 11.3. 12.1.

12.2.

Stone Tablet; f. Champoton, Campeche; Stone Statue in Private Collection; g. El Tortuguero, Tabasco; Monument 3; h. Champoton, Campeche; Stone Sculpture in Private Collection; i. Atasta, Campeche; Stone Sculpture      77 Archaeological map of Tabasco      82 Plan of Strs. Q-127 and Q-127a      86 Sections of Strs. Q-127 and Q-127a      87 a, b. Str. Q-127, the Portal Vault, from the East; c. Str. Q-127a, from the East; d. Substructure of Q-127a, from the South; e. South Balustrade of Stairway to Str. Q-127a, Showing First Stone of Vertical Block; f. Leg and Head of Stone Figure from Front of Str. Q-127a      88 Trench North of Str. Q-79      93 Small Shrines      94 Small Shrine, Plan and Sections of Str. Q-71      96 “Dance Platform,” Str. Q-77      98 Circular Platform, Plan and Section of Str. Q-84      100 Small Shrines and Statuary      101 Small Shrine and Associated Censer Pottery, Str. Q-71      102 Ceremonial Platforms, Views of Strs. Q77 and Q-84      104 Pottery      106 Censer Figurines from Trench North of Str. Q-79      108 Small Objects      110 Excavations in Str. Q-119a, Plan and Section      112 Excavations in Str. R-100, Plan and Section      114 Excavations in Str. K-52a, Plan and Section      116 Excavations in Str. K-52c, Plan and Section      119 Str. Q-119a      120 Strs. Q-119a, K-52a, and K-52c      121 Group K-52      122 Artifacts Recovered during Excavation in Group K-52 and during Mapping in Square X      123 Objects Recovered during Excavations in Group K-52 and Str. R-100      124 Str. T-70      128 Strs. T-70 and T-72, Sections      129 Str. T-70 and Artifacts      130 Section of Pit-Trench in Cenote X-Coton      136 Plan and Sections of Cenote Ch’en Mul      137

Figures 12.3. 12.4.

12.5. 13.1. 13.2. 13.3.

13.4. 13.5. 14.1. 14.2. 14.3. 14.4. 14.5. 14.6. 14.7. 14.8. 14.9. 14.10. 15.1. 15.2.

16.1. 16.2. 17.1. 17.2.

17.3. 17.4. 17.5. 17.6. 17.7. 17.8.

18.1. 18.2. 18.3. 18.4.

18.5. 18.6.

Plan and Sections of the Trench and Its East and West Extensions in Cenote Ch’en Mul      138 Plan of the Cenote in Telchaquillo Plaza and Section of Pit 2      140 Cenote Ch’en Mul      141 Plot of Walls in Squares H and I      146 Mayapán Boundary Walls      148 Map of House Group and Lot (750 S, 620 W) in Square AA      149 Stone Circle and Lane Pavement at Mayapán; Boundary Wall at Chichén Itzá      151 Boundary Walls, Stone Circle, Lane, and Cenote Entrance      153 Plan of Strs. Q-58 to Q-60      158 Strs. Q-58 to Q-60      161 Str. Q-82      163 Str. Q-95      164 Str. Q-58      165 Strs. Q-58 to Q-60      167 Str. Q-82      169 Str. Q-82      170 Str. Q-5 and Material Culture      172 Material Culture      174 Plan and Sections of the Northern Terminus of the Sacbe      180 Views of Excavations, Details of Construction, Artifacts      185 Plan and Section of Str. Q-214      188 Str. Q-214      191 Group A-3, Plan and Sections      195 Str. Q-62, Plan, Sections, and Excavations      196 Excavations in Strs. A-3c, AA-13c, AA-37, and AA-112a      198 Excavations in Strs. AA-60a and AA-94      199 Excavations in Strs. AA-103a and Z-4b      200 Str. Q-62 and Group A-3      202 Pottery Objects Recovered from Tombs Associated with Str. Q-62      203 Pottery Objects and Artifacts Recovered during Excavation in Strs. A-3c, Q-62, and A-140      205 Santa Cruz      208 Platform A, Plan and Sections      209 Platform B, Plan and Sections      211 Trenches into Large Mound in Telchaquillo      212 Views of Santa Cruz and the Large Mound in Telchaquillo      213 Pottery and Other Artifacts from Santa Cruz      214

19.1. 19.2. 19.3. 20.1.

20.2. 20.3. 20.4. 20.5.

21.1. 21.2. 21.3. 22.1. 22.2.

22.3. 22.4. 22.5. 22.6.

22.7. 23.1. 23.2. 24.1. 24.2. 24.3. 24.4. 24.5. 24.6. 24.7. 24.8. 24.9. 24.10. 24.11. 24.12. 24.13. 24.14. 24.15. 24.16. 24.17. 24.18. 24.19.

Plans and Sections: Strs. Q-207, Q-208, Q208a, and Q-209      218 Str. Q-208 and Pottery Vessels      220 Artifacts from Q-208      223 Castillo or Temple of Kukulcan (Str. Q162) and at Chichén Itzá      228 Sections of Mayapán Castillo      229 Str. Q-162      232 Strs. Q-77 and Q-162     235 Material Recovered from Excavations      236 Strs. Q-147, Q-148, Q-149, and Q-153      240 Strs. Q-149 and Q-153      242 Strs. Q-147, Q-148, Q-149, and Q-153      244 Str. Q-97, Plan, Section, Elevation, and Architectural Details      251 Str. Q-151, Plan, Sections, and Architectural Details      255 Str. Q-97 and Str. Q-163      256 Str. Q-151      258 Strs. Q-88a, Q-151, and Q-152      261 Str. Q-151 (l–n, p, u, Str. Q-97; q, Str. Q-88a)      264 Strs. Q-81, Q-97, Q-151, and Q-164      269 Ichmul and Okop, Plans and Sections      273 Ichmul and Okop, Views of Architectural Details and Sculpture      274 Map of Northeast Yucatán, Showing Archaeological Sites Visited, 1954      278 Map of Cozumel Island, Showing Archaeological Sites Visited, 1954      279 Kantunil Kin, Excavated Mound      281 El Diez, Plan of Site      281 Punta Islote, Temple of the Four Directions      282 Leona Vicario, Plan of Site      282 Yuukluuk, Plan of Temple      282 Janan, Temple 2      283 Kilometer 14      284 Punta Molas      285 El Real, Plan and Section of Temple      286 Arrecife      287 Aguada Grande      288 Ak 1      289 Ak 2      289 Chakalal      289 El Cedral, Temple 1      290 Mulchi, Plan of Site (after Escalona Ramos)      290 San Gervasio, Plan of Site (after Escalona Ramos)      297

ix



Figures 24.20. 24.21. 24.22. 24.23. 24.24. 25.1.

25.2. 25.3. 26.1. 26.2. 26.3.



26.4. 27.1. 27.2. 27.3. 27.4. 28.1. 28.2.

29.1. 29.2. 29.3. 29.4. 29.5. 29.6. 29.7. 29.8. 29.9. 29.10. 29.11. 29.12. 29.13. 29.14. 29.15. 29.16. 29.17. 29.18. 29.19.

Palmol, Temple 2      298 Celerain 1, Plan of Temple of Cenote      298 Palmol, Temple 1      298 Kilometer 35      299 El Meco, Plan of Site      300 Strs. Q-169 to Q-173a, Plans and Sections      308 Strs. Q-169, Q-170, and Q-172      309 Artifacts      312 Pre-Classic Types      322 Classic Types      324 Puuc Types, Probably Early and Late      325 Toltec Period Types      327 Plan of Str. Q-126      331 Section and Elevation of Str. Q-126      332 Str. Q-126      334 Str. Q-126      336 Strs. H-17 and H-17a      338 Strs. H-17 and H-17a, Architectural Details and Associated Artifacts      341 Plan of Quadrangle, Strs. R-85 to R-90      344 Section A-A’, through Strs. R-90 and R-88      345 Sections B-B’, C-C’, D-D’, Str. R-89 and Stairway against Terrace A      345 Sections E-E’, F-F’, Str. R-87      347 Section G-G’, Str. R-86      348 Sections H-H’, I-I’, and J-J’, Str. R-86      350 Section K-K’, through Northeast Stairway      351 Section L-L’, through Vaulted Passage and Trench in Front of South Entrance      352 Section M-M’, through Str. R-85a      354 Section N-N’, through Str. R-86b      355 Sections O-O’, P-P’, and Q-Q’, through Kitchen, Str. R-86a      355 Pottery and Artifacts      356 Artifacts and Sculpture      359 Views of Excavations and Details of Construction      361 Views of Excavations and Details of Construction      363 Views of Excavations and Details of Construction      366 Views of Excavations and Details of Construction      373 Sculptured Elements Found in Debris around Str. R-89      375 Sculptured Stones from Debris of Str. R-87      377

29.20. 29.21. 29.22. 29.23. 29.24. 30.1. 30.2. 30.3. 30.4. 31.1. 31.2. 31.3. 32.1. 32.2. 32.3. 32.4. 32.5. 32.6. 33.1.

33.2. 34.1. 34.2. 34.3. 35.1.

35.2. 36.1. 36.2. 36.3. 36.4. 36.5. 36.6. 36.7.

36.8.

Sculptured Stones from Various Locations in the Group      379 Sculpture and Pottery      380 Pottery Effigies and Jar from Secondary Fill of Burial Cist 2      382 Pottery from Caches and Burial Cists      384 Tools and Small Artifacts from Various Locations in the Group      386 Plan and Section of Str. Q-80      389 Views of Str. Q-80      391 Pottery and Small Objects from Str. Q-80      393 Str. Q-80, Murals in Room 1      394 Plan and Section of Str. Q-81      398 Views of Str. Q-81 and Miscellaneous Objects      400 Incenarios and Other Objects from Shrine of Str. Q-81      402 Strs. Q-143 and Q-146      409 Strs. Q-218, Q-218 SUB, Q-218a and b, and Q-159      412 Str. Q-143      414 Strs. Q-146 and Q-218      416 Strs. Q-218, Q-218 sub, and Q-218a and b      418 Str. Q-159      420 Strs. Q-165 to Q-168, Plans and Sections      425 Strs. Q-165 and Q-168      427 Strs. H-18 and H-18a      434 Str. H-18      436 Str. H-18a      439 Plan and Sections of Dzab-Na Cave and Cenote      446 Dzab-Na Cave      448 Excavations in Strs. J-71a, J-71b, P-23c, R30f, J-71d, A-1, P-14a, P-28b, Q-37a, and R-91      454 Group K-67, Plan and Sections      456 Group Q-244, Plan and Sections      458 Excavations in Strs. R-126a, R-17b, R-142c, S-133a, S-133b, Y-2d, and Y-8b      460 Views of Strs. J-71b, P-28b, Q-244b, Q37a, Y-8b, and R-126a      465 Views of Strs. R-91, S-133b, and Y-2d      466 Pottery Recovered during Excavation in Strs. J-71b, J-71a, Q-244b, Y-8b, R-91, P14a, R-126a, Q-244d, K-67a, and P-28b and Groups Q-244 and K-67      468 Pottery Objects Recovered during Excavation in Strs. K-67a, Y-2d, Q-244b, R-91, Y-8b, and S-133b      470

Figures 36.9.

36.10.

36.11.

37.1. 37.2. 37.3. 38.1.

Stone Objects Recovered during Excavation in Strs. S-133b, Q-244b, Y-2d, J-71b, Q-37s, R-171b, R-91, R126a, and J-71a and Groups Q-244 and K-67      472 Artifacts Recovered during Excavation in Strs.Y-8b, R-126a, S-133a, J-71a, Y-2d, Q-37a, Q-244b, Q-244c, S-133b, P-14a, J-71b, J-71d, R-30f, and R-91 and Groups Q-244 and K-67      474 Artifacts Recovered during Excavation in Strs. P-28b, Q-37a, R-126a, Y-8b, P-14a, P-23c, J-71b, A-1, Y-2d, R-142c, Q-244b, R-171b, and Q-244c and Group Q-244      478 Plan and Sections of Group Z-50      482 Views of Excavations and Details of Construction      484 Miscellaneous Sculpture      488 Skulls from Lots A-539 and C-30      494

38.2. 39.1.

39.2.

39.3. 39.4. 39.5. 39.6. 39.7. 39.8.

40.1. 40.2. 40.3. 40.4.

Skulls from Lots A-2, A-13, and C-30      495 Plans of Dwelling-Type Structures with Front and Back Rooms, Typical of Mayapán, from Simplest to More Complex Forms      508 House Types from Environs of Mayapán      510 House Types at Uxmal      511 House Types at Kabah      511 House Types at Sayil      511 House Types at Chichén Itzá      512 House Types at Chacchob      513 Chacchob, Dzantun Ch’en, and Ukum      519 Heads of Incense Burners      523 Heads and Fragments of Incense Burners      525 Effigy Incense Burners      527 Heads from Incense Burners       528

xi

Foreword Marilyn A. Masson

Fortunately, some of these works have been partly preserved and hint at what has been lost to the erosional forces of sun and moisture on the hot plains of the northern Yucatán peninsula. Mexico’s In­sti­tuto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) has discovered many of these masterpieces in the site center and has restored that locality for tourism under the direction of archaeologist Carlos Alberto Peraza Lope and his team, led by Pedro Delgado Ku and Barbara Escamilla Ojeda. This work began in 1996 and continues each year. Renewed interest in Mayapán is largely due to these restoration efforts; by receiving an architectural facelift, the site center now reflects more of its former significance and glory. Among the highlights of new discoveries made by Carlos Peraza Lope’s project include the Hall of Kings, which had life-size anthropomorphic stucco column sculptures of important humans and gods in Mayapán’s history, a stucco facade on the site’s

Mayapán was the largest, most significant political capital of the Maya world of its time. Its stature as one of the great cities of the ancient world and as a historical landmark site within Mesoamerica is gaining more recognition, particularly with renewed archaeological research at this center over the past two decades. Once characterized as a civilization in ruins that was devoid of great art, Postclassic period Mayapán was naively referred to as “decadent.” Professionals now acknowledge that the significance, success, and regional impact of this (or any other) major city cannot be judged by the types of ruins its builders created, a point made by Malcolm Webb many years ago in his 1964 doctoral dissertation, “The Peten Maya Decline Viewed in the Perspective of State Formation.” The efficient builders at Mayapán and its contemporary centers constructed narrower walls and decorated them with resplendent plaster sculptures and murals that were not necessarily designed to last for five centuries and future appreciation.

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Marilyn A. Masson central Temple of Kukulkan that reflects themes of warfare and sacrifice, a mural on the Hall of the Sun Disks that features panels of priests conjuring figures descending from the heavens, and a mural on the Temple of the Fisherman that depicts a deity figure in the watery underworld surrounded by a water serpent as well as a crocodile and fish impaled by spears. Many ceramic sculptures have also been recovered, most famously, the codaical “monkey scribe” effigy found behind the burial shaft temple known as the “Crematory” (Str. Q-58). Carlos Peraza Lope has published many of these findings in collaboration with Alfredo Barrera Rubio (2001) and with art historian Susan Milbrath of the Florida State Museum, who is engaged in ongoing studies of the city’s art (Aveni, Milbrath, and Peraza Lope 2004; Escamilla, Peraza Lope, and Delgado 1994; Milbrath 2005, 2007; Milbrath and Peraza Lope 2003a, 2003b). The history of research at Mayapán is outlined by John M. Weeks in the introduction to this volume; another great source is Clifford T. Brown’s Tulane Uni­ versity doctoral dissertation, “Mayapán So­ciety and Ancient Maya Social Organization” (1999:86–109). Brown provides an abridged version of this history online at http://wise.fau.edu/~ctbrown/Mayapán. html. The Carnegie Mayapán Project represented an important turning point in Mesoamerican archaeology because of its emphasis on settlement and the study of households in addition to public buildings. The complete map of the city made by Morris Jones (Current Reports no. 1) and his team of surveyors was a major investment, and Mayapán still stands as one of the best-mapped ancient cities of Mesoamerica. In the past eighteen years, research at Mayapán beyond the site center has undergone a resurgence. Clifford Brown’s doctoral studies in the 1990s represented an important return to Mayapán that followed the household-scale investigations there for which A. L. Smith and Karl Ruppert were famous. His work considers the organization of domestic architecture and kin groups as well as the importance of key settlement features, such as cenotes, and he offers innovative statistical studies of artifact types, modes, and distributions (Brown 1991, 1999, 2001, 2005; Brown et al. 2006). These analyses identify key patterns of social and economic organization among clusters of houselots within the city’s neighborhoods. From 2001 to 2004, Carlos Peraza Lope, Timothy Hare (Morehead State University), and I began our collaborative research under the auspices of the NSF-supported (SBR-1018919, 1069128) Economic Foundations of Mayapán Project; we returned in 2008 for two more years of fieldwork. This research in the settlement zone has revealed even greater

complexity at Mayapán than previously suspected (Masson 2003; Masson, Hare, and Peraza Lope 2006; Masson and Peraza Lope 2004, 2005, 2007; Masson, Peraza Lope, and Hare 2003; Peraza Lope, Masson, Hare, and Delgado 2006; Peraza Lope, Masson, and Russell 2007; Russell and Dahlin 2007). The results of other collaborative studies are available as well (Galindo Trejo 2007; Gregory 2006; Paris 2008; Serafin 2007; Serafin and Peraza Lope 2007; Uc González 2000; Wright 2007). We have learned that the city comprised a diverse landscape that included a major marketplace, pedestrian pathways leading from the major gates toward the center, and other key landmarks, such as outlying temples, cenotes, public spaces, craft specialist districts, and neighborhoods defined by public buildings (halls and temples) and upper status administrators. Two additional anomalous buildings may represent a school for the nobility (calmecac) and a house of commerce. The city’s neighborhoods were provisioned by neighborhood artisans who made pottery and shell and stone tools; other households specialized in animal production, particularly whitetailed deer, which were probably bred and raised in captivity. Occupations of residents were diverse, and craftspersons, domestic servants, religious specialists, warriors, slaves, and farmers have been identified. Despite these diverse productive capacities, Mayapán was dependent on the outside world within and beyond northern Yucatán for raw materials vital to craft industries and also salt, obsidian, and valuables, such as cacao beans and cotton textiles, which were used as currencies in the city’s market. Although the importance of mercantile exchange has long been known for the Postclassic period on a general level, we can now reconstruct the significance and direction of economic dependencies and the effects that these relationships had on the daily lives of members of the commoner and noble classes. Our work also documents a high level of militarism for the city; projectile points and lances are the most common tools at every dwelling and new mass graves and radiocarbon dates point to violence and strife at least a half-century prior to the final collapse around AD 1441. Bradley Russell’s 2008 dissertation, “Postclassic Maya Settlement on the Rural-Urban Fringe of Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico,” explored settlement beyond the city wall and raises the population estimate for Mayapán from the former figure of 12,000 to up to 17,000 people (http://Mayapánperiphery.net/). Residents of the pueblo of Telchaquillo, located one kilometer north of the site center, have provided the skilled labor for excavating and restoring their monumental center and other archaeological proj-

Foreword ects at the city. The site center, owned by INAH, represents less than 1/26 of the walled portion of the city. Local residents have served as conscientious custodians for the remainder of the settlement zone; more than 96 percent of the city’s area is owned privately by dozens of small-scale milpa farmers and ranchers. The settlement zone spans 4.2 square kilometers within the walled portion of the site and up to 500 meters beyond the wall, as Bradley Russell recently determined. Mayapán is unlike many major Maya sites because it is largely unlooted, thanks to a widely shared ethic of conservation that dates at least to the era of the Carnegie investigations, if not before. Two seminal publications emerged from the Carnegie work at this city: Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico by Harry E.D. Pollock, Ralph L. Roys, Tatiana Pros­ kouri­a­koff, and A. L. Smith (1962) and The Pottery of Mayapán by Robert E. Smith (1971). The 1962 volume by Pollock and colleagues provides an overview of the work performed during this period. This compilation of the Carnegie Institution’s Current Reports on work at Mayapán represents, in essence, a fairly complete data monograph of investigations performed by Carnegie scholars at that site with information that is simply not available in later publications. These chapters represent a treasure trove of data that has scarcely been mined, containing all of the important details, maps, photographs, and lists of materials recovered from excavations of specific buildings. Thanks to the efforts of John M. Weeks in assembling this volume of Current Reports, scholars no longer have to search libraries’ rare books collections (or utilize poorly reproduced photocopies) to find the individual chapters on Mayapán published from 1952 to 1957. The inclusion of a searchable compact-disc version of these publications makes them extremely user-friendly and catapults them into twenty-first-century technology. In the summer of 2003, I spent six weeks going through each report, taking detailed notes on each of the Mayapán Current Reports and compiling a database of the lot inventories published within each chapter. Fortunately, with the enclosed electronic version that kind of effort is no longer necessary to access this information. Perhaps one of the most remarkable aspects of the Current Reports is the diligence with which excavation lots were reported, described, and inventoried. Although the recovery of materials did not employ the use of screens according to modern conventions, artifacts were collected and reported quite systematically and thus represent a data archive of considerable value. For many lots, the exact number of different kinds of pottery sherds was analyzed

and presented, and many significant photographs of whole vessels, offerings, and non-ceramic artifacts were presented. The lot inventory that I compiled from these reports in 2003 is presented in this volume as an appendix. Many poorly known but important findings of the Carnegie Project have been long buried in the Current Reports. For example, Edwin Shook suggests in Current Reports no. 2 that spectators may have witnessed large-scale processions entering the city from Gate O on the west side of the city wall, which was lined with broad stairs. He also noted that the site’s principal temple, the Temple of Kukulkan, was clearly visible from this gate when the forest was relatively clear. On the far eastern side of Mayapán, one can also see the Temple of Kukulkan from the Itzmal Ch’en temple (Str. H-17). Donald Thompson’s investigations at this outlying temple (H-17) revealed a stone slab altar supported by “Atlantean”-type figures that are reminiscent of Mayapán’s predecessor, Chichén Itzá (Current Reports no. 28). Other gems in the Current Reports include Robert Adams’s (Current Reports no. 9) initial discovery of a shallow mass grave by the Main Plaza next to Temple Q-80 and the existence of two major palace groups (Groups R-95–99 and R-85–90) with vaulted tunnels running beneath their platforms. Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles Temple (Current Reports no. 29) conducted a full investigation of R-85–90, providing the best documentation of a Postclassic Maya palace ever undertaken. Other key features at Mayapán that were studied include burial shaft temples Q-58 and Q-95, investigated by Edwin Shook in the site center (no. 14), and their analogs at outlying temple-cenote groups Itzmal Ch’en (no. 34, Ann Chowning) and XCoton (no. 11, Edwin Shook), as well as a portal vault entrance on the east side of the monumental center (no. 8, Gustav Strömsvik). Many details regarding stratigraphy and variation in architectural and mortuary features are provided in the other Current Reports. Although the significance of investigating dwellings ranging from noble residences to modest houses has long been recognized at Mayapán, there is great potential to study them further using the baseline data of this volume. This compilation of Current Reports provides an important supplement to a prior University Press of Colorado publication, The Carnegie Maya: The Carnegie Institution of Washington Maya Research Program, 1913–1957, edited by John M. Weeks and Jane A. Hill (2006). This prior work makes available a separate series, that of the Carnegie Year Book reports. The Year Book entries are short, newsletterlike research reports that provide important summaries of research activities but lack the detailed and

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Marilyn A. Masson lengthy reporting of architecture, features, and artifacts found in the Current Reports. When Year Book and Current Reports entries overlap, details can differ and the latter series provides a more expansive treatment. The full publication of the Carnegie work at Mayapán is now complete with this publication of the Current Reports series. References Aveni, Anthony F., Susan Milbrath, and Carlos Peraza Lope. 2004. Chichen Itza’s Legacy in the Astronomically Oriented Architecture of Mayapan. RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics 45:123–144. Barrera Rubio, Alfredo, and Carlos Peraza Lope. 2001. La pintura mural de Mayapán. In La Pintura mural prehispánica en México: Área maya, ed. L. Staines C. and B. de la Fuente, 419–446. Mexico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Brown, Clifford T. 1991. Ich Noh Cah Mayapán: Organización social yucateca del Postclásico tardío. Boletín del Consejo de Arqueología, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia 1990:19–23. Brown, Clifford T. 1999. Mayapán Society and Ancient Maya Social Organization. Doctoral dissertation, Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans. 1207 leaves. Brown, Clifford T. 2001. Mayapán. In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures: The Civilizations of Mexico and Central America, ed. Davíd Carrasco, 2:93–196. Oxford, England, Oxford University Press. Brown, Clifford T. 2005. Caves, Karst, and Settlement at Mayapan, Yucatan. In In the Maw of the Earth Monster: Mesoamerican Ritual Cave Use, ed. James E. Brady and Keith M. Prufer, 373–402. Austin, University of Texas Press. Brown, Clifford T., Carlos Peraza Lope, Walter Witschey, and Rhianna Rogers. 2006. Results of Survey in Central Yucatan, Mexico. http://research.famsi.org/reports/index.php. Escamilla, Barbara, Carlos Peraza Lope, and Pedro Delgado. 1994. La obsidiana y el pedernal de Mayapan, Yucatan. Los Investigadores de la Cultura Maya 1:234–247. Galindo Trejo, Jesus. 2007. Un analisis arqueoastronomico del edificio circular Q152 de Mayapan. Estudios de cultura maya 29:63–82. Gregory, Katherine W. 2006. Analysis of Chert Artifacts from Residential Households at Mayapan, Yucatan, Mexico. M.A. thesis, Department of Anthropology, Florida Atlantic University. 453 leaves. Masson, Marilyn A. 2003. Proyecto fundamentos economicos de Mayapan: Resultados de la temporada 2001. http://research.famsi.org/reports/index.php. Masson, Marilyn A., Timothy S. Hare, and Carlos Peraza Lope. 2006. Postclassic Maya Society Regenerated at Mayapán. In After Collapse: The Regeneration of Complex Societies, ed. Glenn M. Schwartz and John J. Nichols, 188–207. Tucson, University of Arizona Press. Masson, Marilyn A., and Carlos Peraza Lope. 2004. Commoners in Postclassic Maya Society. In Ancient Maya

Commoners, ed. Jon Lohse and Fred Valdez, 197–224. Austin, University of Texas Press. Masson, Marilyn A., and Carlos Peraza Lope. 2005. Investigaciones en tres unidades residenciales fuera del area monumental de Mayapán. Investigadores de la cultura maya 2:411–424. Masson, Marilyn A., and Carlos Peraza Lope. 2007. Kukulkan/Quetzalcoatl, Death God, and Creation Mythology of Burial Shaft Temples at Mayapan. Mexicon 29(3):77–85. Masson, Marilyn A., Carlos Peraza Lope, and Timothy S. Hare. 2003. Economic Foundations of Mayapan Project: Results of the 2001 Season. http://research.famsi. org/reports/index.php. Milbrath, Susan. 2005. Last Great Capital of the Maya. Archaeology 58(2):27–29. Milbrath, Susan. 2007. Mayapán’s Effigy Censers: Iconography, Context, and External Connections. http://research.famsi.org/reports/index.php. Milbrath, Susan, and Carlos Peraza Lope. 2003a. Mayapan’s Scribe: A Link with Classic Maya Artists. Mexicon 25(5):120–123. Milbrath, Susan, and Carlos Peraza Lope. 2003b. Revisiting Mayapan: Mexico’s Last Maya Capital. Ancient Mesoamerica 14(1):1–46. Paris, Elizabeth H. 2008. Metallurgy, Mayapan, and the Postclassic Mesoamerican World System. Ancient Mesoamerica 19(1):43–66. Peraza Lope, Carlos, Marilyn A. Masson, Timothy S. Hare, and Pedro Delgado. 2006. The Chronology of Mayapan: New Radiocarbon Evidence. Ancient Mesoamerica 17(2):153–176. Peraza Lope, Carlos, Marilyn A. Masson, and Bradley Russell. 2007. Colonnaded Hall Group Discovered outside Mayapan City Walls. Mexicon 29:93–94. Pollock, H.E.D., Ralph L. Roys, Tatiana Proskouriakoff, and A. L. Smith. 1962. Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 30. Russell, Bradley W. 2008. Postclassic Maya Settlement on the Rural-Urban Fringe of Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico. Doctoral dissertation, Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Albany. 1,138 leaves. Russell, Bradley W., and Bruce H. Dahlin. 2007. Traditional Burnt-Lime Production at Mayapán, Mexico. Journal of Field Archaeology 32(4):407–424. Serafin, Stanley. 2007. Bioarchaeological Investigation of the Ancient Population Structure of Mayapán. http:// research.famsi.org/reports/index.php. Serafin, Stanley, and Carlos Peraza Lope. 2007. Human Sacrificial Rites among the Maya of Mayapan: A Bioarchaeological Perspective. In New Perspectives on Human Sacrifice and Ritual Body Treatments in Ancient Maya Society, ed. Vera Tiesler and Andrea Cucina, 232–250. New York, Springer. Smith, Robert E. 1971. Pottery of Mayapán, Including Studies of Ceramic Material from Uxmal, Kabah, and Chichen Itza. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Papers, 66. Cambridge, MA. 2 vols. Uc González, Eunice. 2000. Registro de evidencias culturales prehispanicas en cenotes de la amurallada Maya-

Foreword pan: Primera temporada de campo. Los investigadores de la cultura maya 7(2):286–293. Webb, Malcolm. 1964. The Peten Maya Decline Viewed in the Perspective of State Formation. Doctoral dissertation, Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Weeks, John M., and Jane A. Hill. 2006. The Carnegie Maya: The Carnegie Institution of Washington Maya Research Program, 1913–1957. Boulder, University Press of Colorado. Wright, Lori E. 2007. Ethnicity and Isotopes at Mayapán. http://research.famsi.org/reports/index.php.

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Introduction

Between 1914 and 1958 the Carnegie Institution of Washington (CIW) sponsored extensive archaeological, ethnographic, linguistic, historical, and other related investigations in the Maya region of southern Mexico and northern Central America. During these four decades, the CIW was the leader in the field, with monetary and human resources that no university or other research program could match, then or since. The more than 300 publications produced by CIW researchers remain important, indeed essential, resources for modern scholars. A summary of the development and accomplishments of the CIW program in the Maya region is available elsewhere (Weeks and Hill 2006:1–26) and need not be repeated here. However, some historical background is necessary to properly contextualize the CIW Current Reports. The administration of the Carnegie Institution of Washington supported archaeological research in southern Mexico and northern Central America

for some four decades following its initial approval of a proposal submitted by Sylvanus G. Morley. In 1937 Vannevar Bush replaced John C. Merriam as president of Carnegie Institution of Washington. Bush was a distinguished physicist and dean of the School of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s primary science advisor during World War II. He also served as chairman of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (1939–1941), chairman of Roosevelt’s National Defense Research Committee (1940), and director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development (1941–1947). He provided oversight for some 200 defense-related ventures, including the development of nuclear fission and the Manhattan Project. Under his direction, CIW scientists became heavily involved in war work, and it was Bush’s idea of federally funding science that led to the creation of the National Science Foundation in 1950. Not surprisingly, Bush was no

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Introduction supporter of more humanistic disciplines, including anthropology and archaeology. As Bush implemented his plan to close the CIW Department of Archaeology, department director Alfred V. Kidder proposed a number of potential final projects. One proposal asked the CIW to underwrite the cost of developing the use of radiocarbon dating for archaeology. This was followed by proposals to undertake a large longitudinal project at the Classic period Maya metropolis of Tikal, as well as a program that would divert attention from the Maya to relationships between the two major centers of civilization in the Americas, Mesoamerica and the Andes. None of these were accepted by the CIW, although excavations at Tikal were soon initiated by the University of Pennsylvania Museum with Edwin M. Shook, a CIW archaeologist, as Field Director. Despite these disappointments, however, Kidder was able to negotiate a final CIW field project in the Maya region of Mayapán.

Mayapán: An Archaeological Site Mayapán is one of the largest Mayan archaeological sites dating to the Late Postclassic period (ca. AD 1200–1542), the period immediately preceding the Spanish conquest of the area. The site is located about fifty kilometers southeast of Merida, the capital of the southern Mexican State of Yucatán, and includes a nine-kilometer-long defensive wall enclosing an area of approximately 4.2 square kilometers. Within this area, the Maya constructed more than 4,000 buildings, most of which are residential. The site was densely populated with an estimated population of 10,000 to 15,000 people. The site appears to have been constructed and occupied during the 300 years before the arrival of the Spaniards. Mayapán figures prominently in the various Maya chronicles that were written shortly before the conquest. Together with Uxmal and Chichén Itzá, it was thought to have formed a confederacy that exercised control over most of the Yucatán peninsula following the period of Mexican invasion. This assessment is no longer tenable as Uxmal is known to have been abandoned about 300 years before Mayapán was founded, and Chichén Itzá was reduced to the status of a minor center during the time Mayapán flourished. Bishop Diego de Landa, in Relacion de las Cosas de Yucatán, gives a lengthy description of a Maya capital and describes it as concentrically having temples and plazas in the center, the houses of lords and priests around this center, then the houses of the most important people, and finally the houses of the lowest classes.

Because the residential architecture corresponds to Bishop Diego de Landa’s sixteenth-century de­s­ crip­tion of Maya houses, the identification of the residential structures is comparatively definite and precise. According to historical accounts, Mayapán was abandoned about a century before the conquest of Yucatán, in about 1441 after conflict between competing ruling lineages. Modern exploration of the ruins of Mayapán began with John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood. They spent a day at the ruins and provided clear descriptions and illustrations of the two principal temples in the ceremonial center, the “Castillo” (Str. Q-162) and the “Caracol” (Str. Q-152). Stephens’s observations were astute and he rightly assessed Mayapán as the ruin of a Maya city, in spite of the obvious differences between it and the other cities with which he was more familiar, like Copan and Uxmal. Moreover, he recognized that Mayapán was the same city described by the Spanish chroniclers as having been abandoned shortly before the Conquest. This fact was an important link in his argument that the Maya ruins “were not the works of people who have passed away, and whose history is lost, but of the same races that inhabited the country at the time of the Spanish conquest, or of some not very distant progenitors” (Stephens 1843, 2:307). This observation, so simple, clear, and obvious to this Emersonian New Yorker, was dismissed by his continental successors, not to mention most North Americans and even the Yucatecan intelligentsia. Approximately two decades later, the French abbé Charles Etienne Brasseur de Bourbourg visited the site and provided a few additional details. He attempted to correlate some of his observations with Landa’s description of the site. In general, however, “all of Brasseur’s work is a weird pot-pourri of sound sense, great learning, absurd theories, groundless fantasies, and proof that is no proof, the whole in a spirit as remote as possible from the scientific” (Bernal 1980:108). Brasseur de Bourbourg was followed by the colorful Augustus Le Plongeon, in 1881, whose theories were even more removed from reality than were Brasseur’s. It has also been reported that Teobert Maler drew Stela 1, but there is no published mention of a trip by him to the site. Early Carnegie Work at Mayapán In the earliest decades of the twentieth century, no substantive work was done at Mayapán. It was not until the 1930s that more modern and scientific archaeologists took a look at the site. Not surprisingly, most of those archaeologists were affiliated with the Carnegie Institution of Washington and

Introduction its hydra-like program of Maya research. Lawrence Roys visited the site in 1936 (Pollock 1962:3) and wrote an article that attempted to trace the evolution of Maya architecture (Roys 1941). T. A. Willard visited the site in these years as well and provided an entertaining account of his trip (1941:221–233). The first serious and detailed work at Mayapán was a survey undertaken by Ralph T. Patton, partly at his own expense but under the auspices of the Carnegie Institution. The survey was conducted because “the archaeological importance of Mayapán . . . appeared to be far less than its political preeminence in the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries . . . would have demanded” (Morley 1938c:141). Patton’s survey followed the Great Wall in its circuit around the site and also included the ceremonial center. He traced the circuit of the Great Wall and briefly described its construction. He showed that the masonry was dry-laid of large irregular blocks. It measured about nine kilometers long, three to four meters in thickness, and about two meters in height on the exterior. The parapet along the outer edge, the interior stairways, and nine of the portals were identified. The survey of ceremonial center revealed the presence of colonnades and four round structures, both rare forms of architecture in the Maya canon. The survey also located a number of stelae with short-count dates that Morley interpreted (Morley 1938c:142). It is apparent from other evidence, described below, that Patton located and mapped the main sacbe at the site and the large residential groups associated with it. Morley concluded that “although Mayapán reached a position of first importance only at the close of Maya history when architectural decadence was well under way, its size satisfactorily agrees with the political preeminence ascribed to it by both the native and the Spanish chroniclers” (1938c:142). Although Pollock later avowed that Patton’s map was of great help to Morris Jones in making the final site map (Pollock 1962:3) and Brainerd used part of his map of the ceremonial center as an illustration (Brainerd 1958:347), Patton’s work was never published. Not long thereafter, in 1942, George Brainerd undertook the first intensive excavations at Maya­ pán, again under the auspices of the Carnegie (Brai­ nerd 1942, 1948:21–23). Thirteen trenches were ex­ca­ vated, yielding a collection of more than 32,000 sherds. Brainerd was able to identify limited stratigraphic change in pottery types, notably the succession from Coarse Slateware (now Peto Cream ware) to Coarse Redware (now Mayapán Red ware), and the increasing frequencies of effigy censer fragments through time. In these observations, he anticipated

the findings of Robert Smith (1971) and established the main features of the Mayapán ceramic sequence. Brai­nerd’s analysis and conclusions were not published, regrettably, until the later and much more detailed investigations of the Carnegie Institution at Maya­pán were almost complete. Toward the end of Brainerd’s work at the site, E. Wyllys Andrews IV arrived and spent a month studying the architecture. He cleared, partially or completely, eight buildings, in addition to performing a number of other small excavations (Andrews 1942:261). He noted the reuse of Puuc-style stones in the Mayapán-period architecture but observed no standing Puuc architecture. He recognized the Temple of Kukulkan as a slightly reduced copy of the Castillo of Chichén Itzá and noted the resemblance of the largest of the round temples at Mayapán to the Caracol at Chichén Itzá. He described the Mayapán masonry in some detail, including the salient differences between it and the masonry at Chichén Itzá (1942:262). He also commented on the remarkable similarity between the Mayapán architectural style and masonry and that of the east coast of Yucatán. Based on his excavations at a number of sites in northern Yucatán, Mayapán included, he was able to sketch an outline of architectural evolution in Yucatán that stands to this day: Early Classic and early Late Classic block masonry was succeeded by Puuc masonry, followed by Mayapán-style masonry (1942:262–263). Carnegie Institution   Work at Mayapán By 1950 the work of CIW in Guatemala and the Petén lowlands was closed down, and the Late Postclassic period site of Mayapán was selected for extensive historical and archaeological investigation under the direction of Pollock. This research was to examine the final expression of pre-Hispanic Maya culture. A meeting of the permanent Carnegie archaeologists was convened in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in July 1950 to discuss the upcoming field season. It was determined that the office, laboratory, and storage facilities were to be located in Merida and the field quarters in Telchaquillo, a small village a few kilometers distant from Mayapán. A five-year contract was executed at the end of October between the Carnegie Institution of Washington and the Secretariat of Public Education of the Government of Mexico through the Instituto Nacional de Antro­ pología e Historia. The operational goals and objectives of the research were summarized succinctly by H.E.D. Pollock (1958:446):

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Introduction The program was designed to be compact and to reach the stage of drawing conclusions in a predictable number of years. It was, of course, based primarily on archaeology but with considerable reliance on the results of previously performed historical research. The locus of the research was the Yucatán peninsula, and the period under consideration was the approximately five centuries preceding the Spanish conquest. The focal point of field operations was the last important center of aboriginal Maya civilization, the ruins of Mayapán. Subsidiary operations were archaeological surveys and exploration in outlying areas thought to be important in the period under study, and an examination of certain known centers of Maya rule after the fall of Mayapán and during the final hundred years before the Spanish completed the conquest of Yucatán. The essence of the program, aside from the more usual archaeological objectives, was an experiment in linking the results of archaeological research with the knowledge derived from aboriginal and early Spanish written records in an effort to discover how much of the intellectual, or at least nonmaterial, content of a bygone civilization could be recaptured.

Extensive and detailed investigations were conducted at the site by a large team of experienced archaeologists over a period of five years (1951–1955) under the auspices of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. The staff of the project included many prominent Mayanists of the day, such as Edwin Shook, Tatiana Proskouriakoff, Robert Smith, A. L. Smith, J. Eric S. Thompson, H.E.D. Pollock, and Karl Ruppert, not to mention a group of graduate students and others who directed the daily work and wrote the field reports. Anticipating modern trends in graduate student training, Mayapán included the first training program in the Maya region to actively employ groups of graduate students from various universities. Many of these students went on to productive careers as archaeologists and anthropologists. These included Robert McC. Adams and Howard Winters from the University of Chicago; William R. Bullard, David de Harport, Edward I. Fry, William N. Irving, William T. Sanders, Philip E. Smith, Donald E. Thompson, and Raymond H. Thompson from Harvard University; Ann Chowning from the University of Pennsylvania; Joseph A. Hester from the University of California, Los Angeles; and Charles R. Temple from Yale University. This final CIW archaeological project was the first attempt at an extensive field investigation and typological and functional analysis of domestic structures, the first attempt to excavate a sample of the entire range of structural types at a single

Maya site, and the first systematic attempt to view a single Maya site within a regional framework. In addition, functional analyses were conducted on the larger civic and religious structures, and there was extensive use of the direct historical approach made possible by ethnohistorian Ralph L. Roys’s historical research. As early as the 1930s department director Alfred V. Kidder was concerned about the inability of fieldworkers to publish the results of their investigations in a timely manner. This problem was certainly not unique to the CIW program and continues to be a persistent problem today for a variety reasons, such as the difficulty in raising funds for publication, the lack of time available to the average archaeologist for writing, and the casual attitude toward the “issuance of reports as an essential and immediate sequel” (Wauchope 1965:159). As possible solutions Kidder advocated shorter field seasons, the use of fewer workers, the preparation of annual publications, and the completion of up-to-date finished manuscripts before the start of a new field season or project. In 1940 a new publication series, Notes on Middle American Archaeology and Ethnology, began under the editorship of J. Eric S. Thompson. This series was a minor, albeit highly valuable, device for making available important information not likely to appear elsewhere. The papers included were brief notes on specific specimens or topics, and when the series ended in 1957, 131 short, but useful, papers had been published. To ensure the rapid dissemination of the Maya­ pán Project’s results two series of papers described the work being undertaken and reported the preliminary findings. These were volumes 50 through 57 of the Year Books and numbers 1 through 41 of the Current Reports. A total of forty-one Current Reports were published by the Carnegie Institution of Washington from 1952 to 1957. These publications were intended to be part of the reporting of the results of a program of archaeological and historical researches concerned with Yucatán and adjacent areas begun in 1949 and completed in 1956 (Table 1). Research reported in the Current Reports (CR) series included compilation of a site plan for Mayapán (CR no. 1), excavation of the wall enclosing the site (CR no. 2), excavation of specific structural types within the site core including temples (CR nos. 8, 14, 16, 20, 27, 30, 32, 34), excavation of ceremonial buildings (CR nos. 9, 21, 28), and excavation of residential and administrative buildings (CR nos. 19, 22, 25, 29, 31, 33). Beyond the site core, investigations were made of house mounds and domestic buildings (CR nos. 4, 10, 36, 39), boundary walls between these units (CR nos. 3, 13), and more peripheral sites (CR nos. 6,

Introduction 7, 18, 23, 24). Other investigations reported include sacbes or “roads” (CR nos. 15, 37), cenotes (CR nos. 5, 11, 12), caves (CR no. 35), pottery (CR nos. 26, 40), and human (CR no. 38) and animal (CR no. 41) skeletal remains. The Current Reports series was intended as a means of rapid but preliminary publication of field results (Coe 1956). A synthesis of the project’s accomplishments was later published by Pollock, Roys, Proskouriakoff, and Smith (1962). A formal type-­variety analysis of the Mayapán ceramics was issued in 1971 by Robert E. Smith in his monumental The Pottery of Mayapán: Including Studies of Ceramic Material from Uxmal, Kabah, and Chichén Itzá. By this time the Department of Archaeology at the Carnegie Institution of Washington had ceased to exist and Smith’s study was published by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University. The original field notes are available at the Peabody Museum. The formal closing of the department’s offices and laboratory in Merida took place on January 1, 1958. In March and April field equipment was moved to Merida and eventually most field and office equipment was presented to Instituto Nacio­ nal de Antropología e Historia. The property of the field house in Telchaquillo was returned to its owners. Remaining scientific equipment, office equipment, and all scientific records were given to the Peabody Museum. Additional gifts of scientific interest were made to the University Museum of the Uni­ver­sity of Pennsylvania, the Middle American Research Institute at Tulane University, and to the R. S. Peabody Foundation for Archaeology in Andover, Massachusetts. The permanent staff of the Department of Ar­chae­ology continued active careers as scholars and researchers. Harry E.D. Pollock (1901–1982), the department’s director, joined the Peabody Museum as Curator of Maya Archaeology until 1968 when he retired with the title Honorary Curator. Tatiana Pros­kouria­koff (1909–1985) was appointed Research Fellow in Maya Art at the Peabody Museum and maintained a productive career as a scholar. Karl Rup­pert (1895–1960) resigned from the Carnegie Institution in October 1956 after thirty-two years of service and retired to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Edwin M. Shook (1911–2000) accepted a position with the University of Pennsylvania in 1955 as director of the Tikal Project, at that time the largest archaeological project in the New World. He later continued his archaeological work on the Pacific Coast and in the highlands of Guatemala. A. Ledyard Smith (1901–1985) joined the staff of the Peabody Museum in 1958 and participated in excavations at

Altar de Sacrificios and Seibal in the Maya lowlands. His brother, Robert E. Smith (1899–1983), served as Research Associate of Middle American Ceramics at the Peabody Museum from 1965 to 1968 and then as an honorary research associate until his death in 1983. Gustav Strömsvik (1901– ) retired to Norway after thirty-one years in the department. J.E.S. Thompson (1898–1975) was elected a member of the Faculty Board of Archaeology and Anthropology, Cambridge University, and was later knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975. Post–Carnegie Institution   Work at Mayapán Clifford T. Brown, now a professor at Florida Atlantic University, conducted excavations in the residential zone of Mayapán starting in the early 1990s. These were the first excavations at the site in more than forty years. Brown discovered patterns of artifact style and function at the site, finding that the types of artifacts differed among households and groups of households in different parts of the site. Carlos Peraza Lope, an archaeologist affiliated with the Yucatán office of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, has been excavating and consolidating the major buildings in the ceremonial center since 1996. He has uncovered remarkable murals on several buildings. He also excavated a scatter of human bones that may date to the destruction of the site, a deposit originally found by Robert Adams (CR no. 9). Almost fifty years after the Carnegie Institution of Washington investigations at Mayapán, the site was again the focus of a major archaeological study. The State University of New York at Albany’s NSFSupported Economic Foundations of Mayapán Project, directed by Carlos Peraza Lope, Marilyn Masson, and Timothy Hare, had as its primary goal the reconstruction of the production and consumption patterns of the various social sectors of the site. From 2001 to 2004 the project completed a surface survey of thirty-six milpas (encompassing 52.99 hectares) across the site area, representing 131 systematic surface collections from domestic refuse deposits. In addition, 189 test pits, 63 of which were near structures outside the city wall, were excavated. This team also completely excavated three domestic structures outside the monumental zone. Results of the field project are being formulated and a project bibliography is available at http://www.albany.edu/ims/ mp-bib.html. Fieldwork has resumed under NSF support, and in 2008 the Economic Foundations project concentrated on the outlying ceremonial group of Itzmal Ch’en by the far east gate, excavat-

xxiii

xxiv

Introduction ing a large colonnaded hall, a mass grave, and a small house next to the group’s cenote. The project also surveyed eight 1 km by 250 m transects extending in four cardinal directions outside the city wall, locating 347 previously unknown structures linked to Mayapán, its nearby contemporary settlements, and earlier sites. This important work, the subject of Bradley Russell’s completed 2008 University of Albany dissertation, expands the known geographic extent of the Mayapán settlement zone to a distance of around 500 meters in all directions, with interesting variation in settlement density.

Present Volume In 2006 the University Press of Colorado published The Carnegie Maya: The Carnegie Institution of Washington Maya Research Program, 1913–1957. This volume made available to scholars once again the extensive data published in the CIW Year Book series. The present volume continues this project by republishing the CIW Current Reports series. The Current Reports are published as they appeared originally with a few exceptions. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected, and some place-names have been modernized. The content has not been changed.

Original pages Date

Author

1 1 1952 Pollock, H.E.D 1 2–6 Jones, M. R. 2 7–35 Shook, E. M. 3 36–44 Bullard, W. R., Jr. 4 45–66 Ruppert, K., and A. L. Smith 5 67–81 1953 Smith, R. E. 6 82–101 Pollock, H.E.D., and G. Strömsvik 7 102–135 Berlin, H. 8 136–143 Strömsvik, G. 9 144–179 Adams, R. M., Jr. 10 180–206 Smith, A. L., and K. Ruppert 11 207–221 Shook, E. M. 12 222–233 1954 Smith, R. E. 13 234–253 Bullard, W. R., Jr. 14 254–285 Shook, E. M. 2 15 1–14 Pollock, H.E.D. 16 15–26 Shook, E. M. 17 27–52 Ruppert, K., and A. L. Smith 18 53–70 Smith, R. E. 19 71–88 Thompson, J.E.S. 20 89–108 Shook, E. M. 21 109–126 1955 Smith, P. E. 22 127–168 Shook, E. M., and W. N. Irving 23 169–178 Strömsvik, G., H.E.D. Pollock, and H. Berlin 24 179–224 Sanders, W. T. 25 225–252 Thompson, D. E., and J.E.S. Thompson 26 253–266 Smith, R. E. 27 267–280 Shook, E. M 28 281–288 Thompson, D. E. 29 289–362 Proskouriakoff, T., and C. R. Temple 30 363–380 Winters, H. D. 31 381–396 Winters, H. D. 32 397–424 Winters, H. D. 33 425–442 1956 Chowning, A., and D. E. Thompson 34 443–462 Chowning, A. 35 463–470 Strömsvik, G. 36 471–528 Smith, A. L., and K. Ruppert 37 529–550 Pollock, H.E.D. 38 551–572 Fry, E. I. 39 573–598 1957 Ruppert, K., and A. L. Smith 40 599–632 Thompson, J.E.S. 41 633–656 Pollock, H.E.D., and C. E. Ray 657–659 Pollock, H.E.D.

Vol. No.

Table 1. Contents of CIW Current Reports, vol. 1 (nos. 1–14), and vol. 2 (nos. 15–41), 1952–1957.

Preface Map of the Ruins of Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico The Great Wall of Mayapán Residential Property Walls at Mayapán Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán Cenote X-Coton at Mayapán Chacchob, Yucatán Archaeological Reconnaissance in Tabasco Portal Vault and Temple at Mayapán Some Small Ceremonial Structures of Mayapán Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán II The X-Coton Temples at Mayapán Cenote Exploration at Mayapán and Telchaquillo Boundary Walls and House Lots at Mayapán Three Temples and Their Associated Structures at Mayapán The Northern Terminus of the Principal Sacbe at Mayapán A Round Temple at Mayapán, Yucatán Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán III Exploration on the Outskirts of Mayapán A Presumed Residence of the Nobility at Mayapán The Temple of Kukulcan at Mayapán Excavations in Three Ceremonial Structures at Mayapán Colonnaded Buildings at Mayapán Exploration in Quintana Roo An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo A Noble’s Residence and Its Dependencies at Mayapán Early Ceramic Horizons at Mayapán and Santa Cruz Another Round Temple at Mayapán, Yucatán An Altar and Platform at Mayapán A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90 A Vaulted Temple at Mayapán Excavation of a Colonnaded Hall at Mayapán Three Serpent Column Temples and Associated Platforms at Mayapán A Dwelling and Shrine at Mayapán A Round Temple and Its Shrine at Mayapán Exploration of the Cave of Dzab-Na, Tecoh, Yucatán Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV The Southern Terminus of the Principal Sacbe at Mayapán Skeletal Remains from Mayapán House Types in the Environs of Mayapán and at Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Chichén Itzá, and Chacchob Deities Portrayed on Censers at Mayapán Notes on Vertebrate Animal Remains from Mayapán Editor’s Note

Title

THE CARNEGIE MAYA II

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology December 1952

Preface H.E.D. Pollock, Editor

lication is to keep current, each author must have his manuscript in the hands of the editor before returning to the field for a succeeding season. This means that presentation must be brief and rather strictly factual. As we shall usually be dealing with fragmentary bodies of material, a minimum of speculation is probably just as well, quite aside from the exigencies of a rigid time schedule. Just how complete any statement is will depend on the nature and stage of the project and on the amount of time available to the author from other duties. Indeed, some work will not be subject to annual reporting, but will have to await a certain stage of progress before any worthwhile information can be presented. It follows that individual reports may vary considerably in length and in completeness. Our aim will be one of practicability rather than of uniformity.

The purpose of the present series is to make available as promptly as possible the results of work in progress. The advantages of prompt reporting seem almost too obvious to need comment. A fact sometimes forgotten, however, is that, aside from the information provided to others than our own staff, the task of ordering material for publication, no matter how simple or preliminary in nature, will often point to gaps in our knowledge and may lead to promising avenues of future endeavor. It is hoped, then, that these reports will serve the dual purpose of keeping archaeologists informed of our work, and of producing better and more profitable research on our part. As in the case of any new series of publications, we are making something of an experiment. It is natural to assume that most of the reports will deal with field work, although there is no reason why occasional statements on the progress of library or documentary research should not appear. If pub-

H.E.D. Pollock, Editor



Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 1 December 1952 [First issued December 4, 1951]

Map of the Ruins of Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico Morris R. Jones

been dwellings. Because of these apparent differences, it seems advisable to sound a note of caution in making comparisons with other maps. The survey of Mayapán made a particular effort to include all building remains, no matter how small or insignificant. This has been done at no other Maya site, the more imposing ceremonial and civic structures, courts, and plazas having received the lion’s share of attention. Although it is entirely possible, indeed probable, that comparable mapping operations at other ruins would not reveal any such concentration of dwellings as that which occurs at Mayapán, there is nevertheless the chance that remains of this sort would be found in considerable numbers and that the appearance of other maps would thus be altered. Only additional surveys will resolve this uncertainty.

Carnegie Institution of Washington is deeply in­debted to the United States Geological Survey for its fine co-operation in the work described below. Not only were the services of Mr. Jones made available for a considerable period of time in two successive seasons, but all necessary surveying equipment was provided. We should like most sincerely to thank Dr. W. E. Wrather, Director, and Col. Gerald FitzGerald, Chief Topographic Engineer, for their advice and assistance. Particular thanks go to Mr. J. O. Kilmartin, who acted in a liaison capacity between this Department and the Geological Survey in the original planning of the project and who later assisted in arranging for reproduction of the map. The map of Mayapán discloses a pattern of remains quite distinct from that of any other Maya center so far mapped. Not only is the concentration of structures greater than is known for any comparable area, but the great majority appears to have

H.E.D. Pollock, Director, Department of Archaeology





Morris R. Jones The field work that resulted in the present map covered the periods from November 1949 to June 1950 and from November 1950 to February 1951. Drafting, lettering, and general preparation of copy for reproduction were completed during the summer and autumn of 1951. It was not possible for me to supervise or check the latter phase of the work. I should like to thank Mr. E. M. Shook and Mr. Gustav Strömsvik for their valuable assistance in establishing facilities for operation at the beginning of the project and for their advice in respect to procedures. I should also like to thank Mr. R. L. Roys for his help in the spelling of local Maya names, mainly those dealing with cenotes. The wholehearted co-operation extended to me by Mr. H.E.D. Pollock was a major contribution to the completion of the project. Telchaquillo, a small village 2 km north of Maya­ pán, was selected as a base of operations. The village is accessible from Merida by road, and proved to be a good location, mainly because of proximity to the ruins and the fact that the native labor supply in the village was both adequate and of good quality, the natives being interested in, and sympathetic with, the project as work progressed. Reconnaissance and survey at Mayapán during 1938 by Mr. R. T. Patton (CIW Year Book 37:141–142) proved valuable in planning operations. Several facts were known about the site. The ancient city is surrounded by a wall, roughly oval, extending approximately 3,200 m east-west and 2,000 m northsouth, the area outlined being 4.2 sq km. Ancient gateways are to be found at intervals along the wall. A large pyramid, many closely spaced colonnades, small pyramids, and three round towers form a main group a little west of the center of the walled area. Another rather small ceremonial center is just inside the eastern limit of the area. The wall presented a distinct advantage in the making of the map because it forms a definite boundary, and during the course of the work exploration and mapping were limited to about 75 m outside the wall. Ruins were found within this outer fringe, and it is known that more are beyond it, but they are sparse and hardly worth the effort of mapping when so much lies within the primary area. A scale of 1:2,500 had previously been decided on; the contour interval selected was 1 m. As there is no vertical control in the immediate area, an elevation of 25 m above sea level was assumed for point 0, so that all elevations and contours are based on this datum. At the end of the second season, in order to determine the error between the assumed datum and the true elevation, a line of levels was run from a known point at Hacienda Xcanchakan to the ruin

area. Elevations as shown on the Mayapán map were found to be about 8 m higher than their true vertical position. This error is of little consequence since the map is an isolated unit and all elevations on it are relative to one another. Actual work was begun with the selection of a point of origin as close to the center of the city as could be determined from information available. This point, a triangle cut in bedrock, is located along the trail which connects Rancho San Joaquin with the main road running south out of Telchaquillo. It is 31 m northeast along the trail from the gateway into the ranch. In beginning the survey, point 0 was occupied with transit, and Polaris observations were taken at night in order to determine true north. As an azimuth mark, a cross was cut in the top of the southernmost pillar of the gateway into Rancho San Joaquin. The dense growth which covers the area, the low relief, and the absence of any high cultural features in the vicinity prevented picking a more distant mark. The south azimuth from point 0 to the mark was computed to be 28 degrees 54’24”, and the approximate magnetic declination for the area is 6 degrees 30’ east. With the true cardinal directions determined, a plane-grid system was laid out over the area, the net, when completed, giving squares 500 m on a side with 100 m stations established along all lines. Each 500 m station was marked by a triangle chiseled in bedrock where possible or by a large hub where the point fell on soil. Hundred-meter stations were marked with hubs surrounded by piles of stone. All lines had to be cut, and four men were kept ahead of the instrument party, clearing a path through the dense growth. Native workmen were trained to plumb-chain and to set stations exactly on line, work which they learned quickly and performed accurately. Grid lines were carried as far as the wall, where they were discontinued after explorations just beyond. While this work was being done, two men were employed cleaning brush from the wall to provide easier passage when the time came to do plane-table mapping along it. Establishment of the plane grid network, which includes about 20 km of line, was completed in seven weeks, the density of the bush slowing the rate of progress. A system of numbering stations was established, and the squares formed by the projection lines were given letters. It was thought that these 500 m squares would provide convenient units for separate archaeological investigation should such prove desirable, and an attempt was made to locate the grid lines so as to include the Main Group within one square. The cutting of these lines afforded a clue to the density

Map of the Ruins of Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico of remains within the wall, and the first part of the survey showed that there are many more ruins at Mayapán than had hitherto been supposed. Plane-table topography and culture were mapped by working first along already cleared projection lines. An area of approximately 50 m on either side of the line was included. After a square had been surrounded, the interior was mapped by cutting four lines southward from the four 100 m stations along the north edge of the square. By covering the area 50 m on either side of each interior line, the square was completely explored. Each square was treated similarly. At the close of the 1949–1950 season a transit station was established atop the main pyramid in order to triangulate on three known positions which are part of a third-order closed triangulation net of the Mexican Government. The geodetic co-ordinates of the main pyramid were determined by this method to be latitude 20 degrees 37’47.88” north, longitude 89 degrees 27’ 41.40” west. The density of remains found within the wall is high. A rough estimate would set the number at 3,500 individual ruins which still can be detected, plus many terraces, all within an area of about 4.2 sq km. Many more, of course, have been erased by the constant stone-robbing that has gone on since the beginning of the Spanish occupation. Rancho San Joaquin, within the walled area, and Hacienda Xcanchakan, 4 km to the west, were constructed wholly or partially of stone from the ruins. Only a small percentage of the remains appear to have been ceremonial structures or the like. Most of the ruins are small, averaging 10 by 5 m, and have a typical floor plan. It seems logical to assume that these small structures were dwellings. More often than not, two or three are so situated as to form an obvious unit, the remains being close together and on the same terrace. Metates occur frequently, and in many cases an altar is a definite part of the assemblage. It was noted that some of these units are made up of ruins slightly larger, better terraced, and in choicer topographical locations than the average. In

a few cases stone columns supplement what seems to have been the standard floor plan. In summary, the remains found at Mayapán are numerous but the architecture appears to be far inferior to that of the other great cities of northern Yucatán. As has been mentioned, the ruins are in an extreme state of disrepair. Rolla, Missouri Editor’s Note The preliminary edition of the accompanying map of the ruins of Mayapán carries no numbering or other designation of the numerous buildings, platforms, and terraces shown there. It was thought that the numbering of structures or any labeling of ancient cultural remains had better proceed with the archaeological survey that has followed the making of the base map. In this connection it is assumed that at some future date a new edition of the map will be published, showing the number of each building and incorporating all changes and additional features developed by excavation and detailed surface study. Numbering of structures is now in progress and reference to such designations will be found in succeeding Reports. As there is no key for locating the buildings on the published map, other than placing them in one of the lettered 500 m squares, some correlative system is needed. This is easily done by the simple use of co-ordinates measured north or south and east or west from the zero point of the map. It will be noted that the distance in meters of each grid line from the zero point of the map is shown at the margin. The zero point is thus found to be the common corner of Squares K, L, Q, and R. Should we, for example, wish to pinpoint the center of Square K, it may be located as 250 N, 250 E, it being understood that distances are in meters from the zero point. The largest pyramid at the site, the so-called Castillo, is 225 S, 285 W. There is a sink hole at 45 N, 0 E, and another at 0 N, 1525 E. This system of co-ordinates will be used to locate any feature on the present edition of the map.



1.1. Map of the ruins of Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 2 December 1952 [First issued December 4, 1951]

The Great Wall of Mayapán Edwin M. Shook

Introduction

there; and for this purpose they chose a very good situation, eight leagues further in the interior than Merida is now, and fifteen or sixteen leagues from the sea. They surrounded it with a very broad stone wall, laid dry, of about an eighth of a league leaving in it only two narrow gates. The wall was not very high and in the centre of this enclosure they built their temples, naming the largest, which is like that of Chichén Itzá, the name of Kukulcan, and they built another building of a round form, with four doors, entirely different from all the others in that land; as well as a great number of others round about joined together. In this enclosure they built houses for the lords only, dividing all the land among them, giving towns to each one, according to the antiquity of his lineage and his personal value. And Kukulcan gave a name to this city—not his own as the Ah Itzas had done in Chichén Itzá, which means the well of the Ah Itzas, but he called it Mayapán, which means ‘the standard of the Maya,’ because they

There are numerous references in the Maya chronicles and early Spanish colonial historical accounts of Yucatán relating to Mayapán. Few, however, give specific information concerning the Great Wall surrounding the ancient city. Nevertheless, statements in two sources are pertinent to this study, one in Relación de “Quinacama” and Muxuppipp and the other in Landa’s Relación de las Cosas de Yucatán. The first, speaking of Mayapán, says (Tozzer 1941:24, no. 131): “This city conquered all these provinces, for it was very strongly built, walled in like those of our Spain, and within the walls there are reckoned to have been more than sixty thousand dwellings, not counting the environs.” Landa writes (Tozzer 1941:23–26): This Kukulcan established another city after arranging with the native lords of the country that he and they should live there and that all their affairs and business should be brought



10

Edwin M. Shook circumference to be 9.1 km, and identified nine entrances. As a result of Patton’s survey, Tozzer (1941:24, no. 131) subsequently pointed out for the first time the probability that there were two walls at Mayapán, the larger one explored by Patton capable of having “within the walls . . . more than sixty thousand dwellings,” and a smaller, inner walled enclosure to which Landa apparently refers, inside of which were “built the temples and . . . houses for the lords only.” The next field work producing significant information concerning the Great Wall was done by Morris Jones (1952) who mapped in detail the area within and for a short distance outside the enclosure. His map provided the basis for my further investigations during the 1952 field season. This report is limited to the results of a complete reconnaissance of the Great Wall and the excavation of certain of its major and minor gateways. Preliminary search to date for traces of a small inner enclosure around the tightly grouped ceremonial precinct has been unsuccessful. Wall

2.1. The Great Wall and Gates D, G, and H. a. Detailed section of the Great Wall at 1150 S, 200 W. The higher outer half was built first and the lower part added later to form a bench against the inner face of the primary wall. The whole rests on limestone bedrock. b. Section of the wall at 500 N, 1000 W. c. Section at 555 S, 980 E. d. Plan and sections of Gate D. e. Plan of Gate G. f. Plan of Gate H.

called the language of the country Maya and the Indians (say) Ichpa which means “within the enclosure.

Therefore, the existence of an enclosing wall at Mayapán has been known since colonial times. When Stephens (1843:1:131,143) briefly visited the site in 1841, he saw part of it and learned from the majordomo of the nearby Hacienda Xcanchakan that this strong wall, 4.8 km in extent, encompassed the ruins. Modern investigations were first undertaken in 1938 by Ralph T. Patton (Morley 1938:5–6), who traversed and mapped the entire wall, established its

The Great Wall of Mayapán for the most part now appears as a white ribbon of stone rubble meandering more than 9 km through the low, dry, and exceedingly thorny Yucatán bush. This secondary growth, typical of the north-central and western portions of the peninsula of Yucatán, covers a seemingly soil-less and deceptively flat plain, The terrain actually is incredibly rough, as small, low hillocks of limestone bedrock follow one after another. What meager soil there is collects in the pot holes, crevices, and shallow depressions between these rocky knolls. The Great Wall undulates with the terrain, usually passing over the crests of the elevations but occasionally crossing the slope of a hill without regard to the natural contour of the ground. It encloses an area of 4.2 m2 which extends approximately 3,200 m east-west and 2,000 m north-south. A glimpse at the Mayapán map (Jones 1952) will show that the wall around the western half of the site forms a fairly even arc about 1 km in radius from the central ceremonial group. Its generally circular shape is broken on the east side, however, by an extension which culminates in a sharp apex more than 2 km from the central ruins.

The Great Wall of Mayapán Even for such prodigious builders as the Maya the construction of this wall and its many gateways was an enormous expenditure of manpower. The builders first erected an outer primary wall rising on a slight batter to an average height of 1.5 m around the eastern half of the site, and in some places to 2 m around the western end. Against the inner face of the primary wall another lower one was built. The two together made a single wall very thick at the base and stepped at the top, the lower step on the inside forming a bench and the higher a parapet. The stone for this great undertaking was quarried from nearby ledges and outcrops of bedrock. Huge blocks were broken and pried, hauled into place, and utilized without further shaping or dressing. Frequently some of the larger blocks were cut from the surface rock along the line of the wall and simply turned up on edge to form the lower facing (Fig. 2.4i). The wall facing of rough, uncut, and undressed limestone blocks retained a core fill of dry rubble, and the whole was built without mortar. Generally, smaller stones were employed both in the top facing and fill, with crushed rock composing the uppermost fill of the bench and parapet. This appeared to be the remains of a lime concrete surface, though nowhere along the entire wall was the latter preserved. Despite the lack of evidence, it is probable that originally the bench and parapet had been capped with a thin surface of lime mortar. It may be stated here that the ruinous condition of the Great Wall and its portals appears to have been caused mainly by natural agencies. Minor damage, it is true, has occurred where the wall has been broken through for a modern trail or where the local people have removed stones to fence their cornfields. Nevertheless, the major damage has resulted from centuries of exposure to the elements, and from fast-growing roots of large trees which have penetrated the loose stones, gradually dislocated them, and caused the wall to crumble. Gates In this report each gateway is designated by the capital letter of the grid square in which it is located; e.g. Gate H is found within Square H on the Mayapán map. Their description begins with the principal north entrance, Gate D, and continues clockwise around the site. Prior to excavation it was decided to clear only one-half of each gate investigated, so as to keep undisturbed evidence for any future study. Altogether, 12 ancient portals through the Great Wall were recognized during the 1952 season. These were classified on the basis of their plan as seven major and five minor gates. The latter are straight,

narrow passages; the former have a more elaborate ground plan. The entrances are wider in major than in minor gateways and lead into an amplified rectangular space suggesting a portico, but still set within the wall. The “portico” faces the interior of the enclosure and may have one or two stone columns or masonry piers. Besides the 12 gates identified, there may have been others, particularly minor ones. The original number is uncertain because of breaches made in the wall in postconquest times for roads and trails crossing the site. About 25 of these were noted, some wide enough to accommodate carts or trucks. Had there existed a minor gate where any of these modern breaches occur, all traces have been obliterated. Of the 12 known gates, one major and one minor had been blocked with masonry during the occupation of Mayapán. Presumably the others were in use simultaneously. The study of gates was undertaken with specific problems in mind: Would we find pottery dumps in the vicinity of the gates indicating rites involving annual breaking of domestic and religious pottery and the deposition of idols? Would we obtain evidence of armories, guard houses, and of warfare? Special attention was therefore directed not only to the gateways and their immediate approaches but to the surrounding areas as well. Intensive field work began at Gate D with the clearing away of the low scrubby bush and accumulated leaf mold from a circular area some 40 m. in diameter around the entranceway (Fig. 2.5a). Several of the larger trees were left standing where these did not interfere with the proposed work. Once the preliminary cleaning was accomplished, it became evident that Gate D had been built on a slightly elevated, natural hillock with the bedrock visible almost up to the entrance on each side. To be certain, however, that no offerings or ceremonial pottery dumps would be missed, we explored all the pot holes and crevices in the limestone and turned the thin mantle of topsoil from a distance of 20 m on both sides towards the portal (Fig. 2.1d). This was tedious and for the most part unproductive work, but it permitted certain conclusions; namely, that the surrounding limestone outcrop had been utilized as a stone quarry, and that no ceremonial dumps had accumulated in the immediate vicinity of the gate. Only one cache, a few broken artifacts, and a small amount of badly weathered pottery fragments were recovered from these excavations. The cache (Fig. 2.18c), a single miniature effigy vessel filled with ashes and covered with a tiny pottery lid, had been deposited as an offering in a shallow hole in the bedrock just north of and outside the portal (Fig. 2.1d).

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Edwin M. Shook Within the gateway fallen debris from the sides had covered and partially protected the thin, lime concrete floor of the passageway (Fig. 2.6c). Above this floor there was no indication of fallen roof material; hence, had Gate D been roofed, it could only have been with pole and thatch. After the clearing of the floor, a north-south trench following bedrock was dug through the gateway (Fig. 2.1d). The bedrock in many places was flush with the floor surface and only the slight depressions in the hill had been filled with loose stone and dirt. The construction of this gate and all the others was the same as that used in the Great Wall, large, rough blocks laid without mortar (Fig. 2.5c–e). Even the interiors of the major as well as the minor gates were left unplastered except for the floors (Figs. 2.5b; 2.6c). The plan of Gate D is unusual in that the wall approaching either side thickens only slightly to join the north portion of the gateway which projects several meters beyond the exterior line of the Great Wall (Fig. 2.1d). A narrow passage was left in the center of this northern projection, which gave access to an enlarged rectangular space still set within the wall and herein termed a portico. This faced south toward the city, with a single masonry column placed on the central axis of the gateway. The column (Figs. 2.5b; 2.6b), like the wall and gates, was built of large rough block without mortar. Its purpose is uncertain but it may have served as a support for timbers had the gateway been roofed. The excavations below the column disclosed no cache or ceremonial offering. The ruinous condition of Gate D was such that we were unable to determine if stairways led to the top of the wall from each side of the portico. Later, we noted stairways associated with several other gates. Test cuts were made within a 100 m radius of Gate D wherever depressions showed an accumulation of earth. Despite the intensity of the search, no evidence (except the single cache vessel previously mentioned) indicating ceremonial deposition of pottery, battles, guard houses, or armories was recovered. Following the investigation of Gate D, all tren­ ches and pits were filled and stones replaced against the walls we had uncovered to prevent any future deterioration from our excavations. East of Gate D no other ancient gateway was encountered until we reached the extreme northeast corner of the city, where the Great Wall sharply turns and continues in a southwest direction. In this distance of over 1.5 km two modern breaches occur where milpa trails crossed the wall. At the northeast corner the major Gate G was studied briefly but not excavated (Fig. 2.1e). Here the wall thickens from its

average of 2.5 m to 4 m, this extra width accommodating the passage and the portico. The entry, 2 m wide, in the outer half of the wall, leads into the portico which differs from Gate D only in that it probably has two masonry columns instead of one. Only the east column stands above the debris, but its offcenter position suggests that another may be found buried just west of it. A broad stairway projects from the interior face of the wall, west of the portico, and leads to its summit. As previously mentioned, the direction of the Great Wall at Gate G changes abruptly with almost a right angle (Fig. 2.1e) and meanders in a southwesterly course to another major entrance, Gate H, opposite an important group of ceremonial structures at Cenote Itzmal Ch’en. The wall widens rapidly as it approaches Gate H and, like G, the entrance and portico are built within the wall (Fig. 2.1f). The portico is not balanced in relation to the central axis of the passage, and no columns remain in place. A very large stone which may have been a column now lies above floor level where the outer passage enters the portico. No excavation was undertaken here because the exposed bedrock gave little hope of recovering additional information. Continuing in the same southwesterly direction from Gate H, we found the next ingress, Gate U, a minor one. It consists of a simple passage, 1 m wide, resembling the excavated minor Gate AA, to be described later. The next ancient opening, Gate T occurs at the extreme southeast edge of the site and is closely associated with two temples and Cenote X-Coton, located just inside the enclosure. This gate (Figs. 2.2a; 2.7; 2.8), a major one, was excavated in the same manner as Gate D. The southern half of the portal was thoroughly investigated. Also, owing to a fairly deep deposit of soil, a long stratigraphic trench was dug to bedrock for a considerable distance in both directions (Figs. 2.2a; 2.8d). The plan of Gate T differed in minor details from D. The Great Wall approaching it spreads from the normal 2.5 m thickness to 6 m. A wide passage through the wall’s outer portion gave access to the inner portico containing two large stone columns (Fig. 2.8a, b). In the interior corner of the portico was a low masonry bench, a feature not found at Gate D. The trench along the central axis of Gate T disclosed that the builders first leveled the general area, then added a layer of crushed rock to raise the floor of the gateway one step above the surrounding level (Figs. 2.2a; 2.8c). This dry crushed rock formed the base for an excellent lime concrete floor which remained unbroken, thus providing a sealed stratigraphic condition for the few pottery fragments found below

The Great Wall of Mayapán it. A later floor was constructed a few centimeters above and served to protect the earlier one. A small amount of pottery and artifacts recovered in the debris above the second floor included several fragments of a thin gold ornament and a pellet from a copper bell. As at Gate D, no evidence was brought to light indicating nonperishable roof material. Just beyond Gate T the Great Wall turns west; only a short distance from the bend was discovered another major gateway, Blocked Gate T, which had been sealed with masonry during the occupation of Maya­pán (Figs. 2.2b; 2.9). We excavated this gateway and found it to be the same as the other major ones except that the portico projected from the inner face of the wall instead of being set entirely within it or of being like Gate D. Also, no masonry or large stone columns were in the portico, but these may have been removed when the portal was blocked. That this entrance had been sealed while Maya­pán still flourished was evident from the pottery fragments recovered on its floor beneath the secondary fill. There is no obvious explanation why there should be two major gateways so close together at the southeast edge of the city. Although the nearby Cenote X-Coton and associated temples suggest the importance of the locality, one gateway seemingly would have sufficed, as apparently it did after the other was blocked. An attempt was made to determine if the sealed gate had been built prior to Gate T, but both appear to be contemporary with the walled construction.

2.2. Gate T, Blocked Gate T, and Gate EE. a. Plan and east-west section of Gate T. b. Plan and section of Blocked Gate T, which was closed with masonry during the occupation of Mayapán. c. Plan of Gate EE.

From Cenote X-Coton the Great Wall continues west with some southward trend. A number of breaches occur along this stretch but in each case they are obviously for modern roads or milpa trails. As has been said, some of these breaches may have destroyed ancient minor passages. The first old one we were able to identify after Blocked Gate T was a

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Edwin M. Shook minor gate, almost 1 km. away at 890 S, 530 E. It does not show on the published map of Mayapán, and discovery of Blocked Gate X was accidental as it, too, had been sealed with masonry in ancient times. The stones used to close the 1.5 m wide passage had the same rough appearance as those in the wall, and the entrance was recognized only by the vertical lines of the exterior corners. No excavation was done on this previously unknown minor gate. Farther southwest and just within Square EE at 1100 S, 10 W, is another minor gate. It is a straight, narrow passage, 1.3 m wide, now partially choked with debris fallen from each side. Minor Gate EE shows no unusual features and no excavations were attempted. Also in this square, near its western edge, is the principal south gate in the Mayapán wall. This major entrance, Gate EE, still serves as a passage for a modern trail from Telchaquillo to the town of Chapab. The work at Gate EE consisted of clearing away the undergrowth in order to obtain photographs and a ground plan (Figs. 2.2c; 2.10), and the excavation of two small platforms directly inside the enclosure. These platforms, square in plan and each about 40 cm high, had been built of a single facing course of rough stones and filled with dry rubble. They rested on bedrock and presumably were surfaced with plaster, although none remained. We removed the stone fill of both platforms, subsequently replacing it, to determine if offerings had been put inside them. The east platform yielded nothing but the west one contained fragments of a porous gray ware vessel (Fig. 2.18a) which may have been deposited as an offering. There were two periods of construction on Gate EE. Originally the portal was similar to Gates G, H, and T, built within a considerably thickened section of the Great Wall with a passage through the outer half leading into a portico. In this case the portico, though clearly definable without excavation, had no masonry or stone column. Probably one had existed and was removed in postconquest times to clear the passage for the modern trail. Secondarily, a wall had been added against the outer face of the Great Wall extending for some distance east and west from the entranceway (Fig. 2.2c). This addition, 1.1 m thick, apparently reached the same height as the primary wall. Without increasing the latter’s original height the extra thickness would not have made the Great Wall more effective for defense, but it would have helped retain or buttress those parts that may have shown signs of crumbling. Another example of this buttressing was noted at 1125 S, 125 W, where a section 20 m long and 1 m, thick was laid against the outer facing.

From Gate EE the Great Wall curves in a low arc to another major gate in Square O. About halfway between, at 700 S, 935 W, is a minor passage, Gate AA, which was completely choked with fallen debris. On investigation, this gateway, the only minor one excavated, proved to be a straight, narrow passage through the wall with a lime plaster floor (Figs. 2.3a;11). The floor continued beyond the entrance­way and merged with the natural limestone outcrop. The wall, as elsewhere, had been built on bed­rock with its surfaces on the exterior and in the passageway faced with rough blocks laid without mortar or plaster. This gate, as well as other minor ones, probably had not been roofed as no roof material was noted in the debris. Gate O (Fig. 2.3d,e), the main western entrance to the city, was not only the best preserved but the largest and most elaborate in the Mayapán wall. We investigated this major portal more thoroughly than any of the others. An area roughly 50 m in radius was completely cleared of vegetation to permit study of the terrain and detailed excavations (Figs. 2.12, 2.13). Gate O was built on the north slope of a hillock rather than on the crest. The orientation of the entrance was such that as one entered the narrow outer passage he faced the temple of Kukulcan, the largest pyramid at the site, situated 1 km away in the heart of the city (Fig. 2.12b). The narrow entrance led to an inner portico with two columns, one of which was built of many irregular blocks, the other of a single large stone. The portico gave on a low terrace where a plain stela once stood on the center axis of the gateway (Fig. 2.13b). Beyond the terrace and slightly off the gate’s axis was a square masonry platform, 50 cm high, supporting another unsculptured stela. These two monuments were examined carefully and, although severely burned by milpa fires, quite certainly bore no carving. Their surfaces originally may have been plastered and painted, but no evidence of this was found. We exposed the exterior of the square platform (Fig. 2.13a,d), then cut a north-south trench through it on the level of bedrock. There was no offering below the stela or in the fill of the platform. Also, no chronological difference could be observed between the few sherds recovered from the exterior and those from the interior. A trench dug through Gate O following bedrock exposed in section the lime concrete floor which surfaced the terrace, the interior of the gateway, and the outside for some distance west where all trace of the floor was lost because of the destructive action of tree roots. It probably merged with the limestone outcrops about 10 m from the gateway (Fig. 2.3d). Within the portico low benches had been added later

The Great Wall of Mayapán

2.3. Gates AA, B, and O. a. Plan and section of minor Gate AA. b. Plan of minor Gate B. c. Gate O, Section y. d. Plan of Gate O and eastwest section through the center of the portal. e. Gate O, Section x.

on each side of the passageway. These benches bore a finishing coat of plaster which smoothly joined the base of the portico walls but did not cover their rough block facing (Fig. 2.13f). On the inside of the enclosure, north and south of the portal, were broad stairways leading to the top of the Great Wall (Figs. 2.3d,e; 2.13c). Such extensive stairways suggest a use other than the convenience of guards patrolling the gateway. Their purpose may have been to accommodate a large number of spectators observing pageants or ceremonies in the vicinity of the gate. From Gate O the Great Wall continues northward for some distance and slowly turns east. About halfway between Gates O and D, at 540 N, 550 W, is a clearly defined minor passage, Gate B (Fig. 2.3b). It is wider than the normal minor entrances and here the wail thickens considerably approaching the ingress. Also, on one side of the passage there is a stairway leading from within the enclosure to

the top of the wall. Nevertheless, Gate B is a minor one because it lacks the interior portico and accompanying columns. From here to Gate D there are no further ancient passages through the wall. Material Culture A scant quantity of artifacts and potsherds was recovered from the intensive investigations of three major gateways, D, T, and 0, and the lesser excavations at Gate EE, Blocked Gate T, and minor Gate AA. Especially difficult to explain was the absence of any artifacts, especially stone tools, in and around the quarries near the Great Wall and gates. Here one might expect to find whole or broken stone implements utilized in the quarrying operations. The few artifacts and weathered fragments of pottery we did recover were found mostly in the thin topsoil and were widely scattered inside and outside the portals. An inventory follows:

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2.4. The Great Wall of Mayapán. a. Looking east from Gate EE along the top of the Great Wall, showing its present crumbled state. It appears as a white line of rubble as it meanders through the thorny bush. b. The same, looking west over Gate EE. c. A stretch of wall at 1120 S, 125 W. The Maya workman stands on a well-preserved section of the outer parapet. d. The exterior of the wall just north of Gate O. e. Detail of the outer facing of the Great Wall where it stands to its maximum height just north of Gate O. f,g. Two views of the exterior facing at 970 S, 725 W. This section of the wall still stands almost to its original height of 1.5 m, as is evidenced by the lack of fallen stone along the base. h. Exterior facing of the wall at 350 S, 1175 W. i. Enormous limestone slabs quarried from the natural outcrop in the foreground and tilted on edge to form the inner facing of the bench.

2.5. Gate D. a. View from the interior looking north after clearing but before excavation. The two larger trees in the center grow within the portico, and the Great Wall approaches it from either side. Note the low hillock on which the gate is built and the exposed bedrock in the foreground extending almost to the portico. b. Close-up of the east half of the excavated portico. The workman stands on the lower of two steps which lead into the portico. Note [x], one large stone on edge forming the east jamb of the narrow entranceway, and [y], the single masonry column within the portico. c,d. The northwest exterior corner of the gateway before and after excavation. e. Looking east to the northern projection of the gate, and showing in the lower right-hand corner its junction with the Great Wall. f. The entrance showing the single huge stone (designated [x] in b) quarried from bedrock and simply turned on edge to form the east jamb of the passage.

2.6. Gate D. a. The exterior of the northern projection after excavation. Note the bedrock on which the gateway was constructed. b. Looking south through the passage to masonry column (designated [y] in Fig. 2.5b) in the center of the portico. c. The northeast interior corner of the portico showing the same masonry as that used elsewhere in the Great Wall. The light patches in the foreground are remnants of the lime mortar floor.

2.7. Gate T. a. View from the exterior before excavation. b. The interior before excavation, and the Great Wall extending northeast from the portal. c. View from the interior after the initial excavation of one-half of the gateway.

2.8. Gate T. a. Detail of the portico with its stone columns [x-x]. b. The excavated interior of the portico showing one of its stone columns on the right, the lime floor, and the low masonry bench. c. The natural, pitted bedrock in the foreground was covered by a plaza floor of lime concrete. The floor terminated at the single low step [x] which led into the portico. [y] indicates the soil and debris above the portico floor accumulated since the abandonment of Mayapán. d. The exploratory trench along the central axis of the gate.

The Great Wall of Mayapán

2.9. Blocked Gate T. a. The blocked major gate at 500 S, 1220 E, from the interior portico, showing the east side of the passage through the outer wall. b. After removing part of the second masonry which sealed the passageway.

Objects of Stone

Obsidian. All clear to slightly cloudy transparent black stone. Flake blades. Total fragments 16; 9 from Gate D, 7 from Gate O. Blades 6.5–15 mm wide. Only complete one 52 mm long (Fig. 2.14a; Cat. no. 52-51). Scraper thumbnail. One from Gate D (Fig. 2.14b; Cat. no. 52-521). A small obsidian flake secondarily chipped on one edge. Chipped point. 1 from Gate D (Cat. no. 52-52), only a fragment of the stem recovered. Excellent workmanship. Comment. All the obsidian objects appear to be the same quality stone, suggesting that the people of Mayapán obtained their material by trade from a single source in the Guatemalan or Mexican highlands. Flint or fine-grained limestone. White, pink, or yellow to pale brown opaque stone. Flake blades. 2: 1 from Gate D (Cat. no. 52-50), 1 from Gate O (Lot B-2; Fig. 2.15 right). Both incomplete, pressure-flaked from a flint core. Resultant blade short, wide, and with irregular edges. Chipped points. 4; 3 from Gate D (Fig. 2.15, left and left center; Cat. nos. 52-23,-50), 1 from Gate O (Fig. 2.15, right center; Lot B-2). Workmanship mediocre. Hammerstones (?). 3: 2 from Gate D (Fig. 2.16, right; Cat. nos. 52-49,-48), 1 from Gate AA (Fig. 2.16, left; Cat. no. 52-167). Metate. 1 fragment (Fig. 2.17) re-used in the construction of the Great Wall at 55 S, 810 E. Prior to serving as a metate, this stone had primarily been



well cut, dressed, and used as wall facing in a building probably of Puuc-style architecture. Comment. The artifacts of flint and limestone were derived most likely from stone obtained in the immediate environs of Mayapán. The workmanship is inferior. Objects of Metal

Gold. Six small fragments of a single ornament which lay on the upper floor of Gate T. The pieces are flat and extremely thin, approximately 0.1 mm in thickness. It is not gold leaf, as each piece is stiff and brittle. The six together cover an area about 1 cm square. All have traces of green enamel (?) on one side. Copper. One solid irregular pellet, 5 mm diameter, apparently from a copper bell. This was found with the fragments of gold. Comment. Metal artifacts represent importations from an area outside the peninsula of Yucatán, possibly Honduras or Mexico.

Objects of Pottery During the excavations the pottery was kept in separate lots from locations inside and outside the gateways, within the portals, below floors, and in fill of platforms. Each lot was washed, analyzed, and recorded individually; then, if no statistical or chronological differences could be observed, all material from a single gateway was placed together and given one lot number. For example, all pottery from

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2.10. Gate EE. a. Unexcavated major gate from the interior, showing the modern trail which still passes through this ancient portal.

2.11. Gate AA. a. The minor gate after excavation showing the narrow passage from inside the wall. The same from the exterior.

2.12. Gate O. a. View from the outside before excavation. b. Close-up of the same, showing one of the columns-portico still standing, and a fallen plain stela beyond. The Temple of Kukulcan, or the Castillo, in the just as it is known today, may be seen protruding above the vegetation 1 km in a direct line from the gateway.

The Great Wall of Mayapán

2.13. Gate O. a–c. Three views from the interior after the area had been thoroughly cleared but before excavation. a. In the immediate foreground are the remains of a square masonry platform on which stood a plain stela. Beyond and at the extreme right is the portal. b. A closer view of the portico with its two columns, 5-x, and the outer passage where a workman stands. [y] indicates a plain fallen monument, now resting on the low terrace seen in the immediate foreground. c. The men are standing on the broad stairway leading to the top of the wall north of the gateway. d. The masonry platform shown in a, looking northeast. e. The south half of the portico after excavation. f. The unplastered rough block masonry of the portico showing the lime concrete floor joining the base of the wall.

Gate D is marked B-1, from Gate O, B-2, Gate EE, B3; whereas from Gate T there are two lots, B-4 from above the portico floor and outside the entranceway, and B-5, a small lot recovered below the unbroken

floor of the portico. These five ceramic lots total only 172 rim and 610 body sherds. Only a brief summary will be given in this report of the pottery from the Mayapán wall and gateways.

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2.14. Obsidian Artifacts. a. Flake blades. b. Small “thumbnail” scraper. Both drawings natural size.

2.15. Obsidian Artifacts. a. The two fragments on the right are flake blades, the others chipped points. The complete point from Gate D measures 12.5 cm long.

Fifty percent of the rims and body sherds are from a single type bearing a red slip. This has been termed Mayapán Red Ware. Shapes include water jars, tripod bowls with straight flaring sides, and restricted-orifice vessels. The next most common pottery, contemporary with the Mayapán Red Ware, is a coarse, unslipped, light Gray Ware (Fig. 2.18a,c) of very poor quality. It is soft and may be crumbled easily in one’s fingers. The use of such inferior pottery may have been restricted to ceremonial objects such as figurines, effigies, and containers for offerings. Gray Ware occurs most frequently in the form of a wide-mouth, low-neck jar (Fig. 2.18a), with light striations on the shoulder. Another ceramic type, Puuc Slate Ware, which we believe to represent an occupation of the site predating the period when Mayapán became a walled political capital, was found in minor quantities everywhere except at Gate T (Lots B-4 and B-5). Here more than half of the total pottery excavated was slate ware. The high percentage of this ware at Gate T may be accounted for by the evidence of considerable architectural and ceremonial activ-

The Great Wall of Mayapán

2.16. Hammerstones (2). a. The stone on the left (Cat. no. 52-167) lay on the surface outside Gate AA. The other two (Cat. nos. 52-49, -48) came from Gate D. Height of stone at left, 9.5 cm.

2.17. Metate. a. Fragment re-used in construction of the Great Wall.

ity around Cenote X-Coton prior to the Mayapán period. Despite the predominance of slate ware from Gate T, pottery from below the unbroken portico floor included the typical red and gray wares found at the other entrances. Discussion The Great Wall of Mayapán encloses not only the temples and houses of the lords but most of the general residential area as well. The wall was constructed, as evidenced by the style of masonry and associated cultural material, during the major occupation of this site as a political capital. The investigations herein reported did not disclose conclusive evidence of warfare, of guard houses or armories, or of religious rites involving the ceremonial break-

ing of pottery and the deposition of idols around the entrances to the city. Special attention was given to the terrain adjacent to the portals for remains of formal roads or sacbes from the exits, or avenues leading toward the heart of the city. None was identified, and it seems evident that only unimproved trails led to and from the city portals. Today, the Maya living in the region have no tradition concerning the wall or its gateways. The only instance of an ancient ingress now being utilized is Gate EE, through which passes a modern trail from Telchaquillo to the village of Chapab. Why was the Great Wall built? The first thought and perhaps the simplest explanation would be for defense. There is good reason to believe from Landa’s account and other historical sources that the last few centuries before the Spanish conquest were turbu-

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2.18. Pottery from the Excavations. a. Unslipped, coarse, light gray vessel (Lot B-3) from the fill of the west platform at Gate EE. Scale 1:4. b. Hollow, moldmade figurine head (Cat. no. 52-47) from Gate D. Maximum width, 5.2 cm. c. Cache vessel (Cat. no. 52-46) containing ashes found outside Gate D. This miniature turtle effigy and the small flat cover were crudely wrought of coarse, light gray pottery like the vessel in [a], and left unslipped. Maximum diameter, 8 cm.

lent ones for the inhabitants of Yucatán and that there existed a real need for defense of their towns and cities. The Mayapán wall may have been erected to fortify the seat of government. It had a slightly higher parapet along the outer edge and a lower inner bench, or walk, which would have favored the defenders. It must be restated, however, that the wall’s height ranged only from 1.5 to a maximum of 2.5 m at a few exceptional points where it crossed low ground. The average throughout the entire length was about the height of a normal man. Ralph L. Roys suggested to me that the existing wall may have been a stone base for a stockade of wood poles set close together and lashed with vines. This interesting hypothesis could not be verified in the field.

There are several other possible interpretations. The wall may have been constructed to delimit the city boundaries for administrative purposes. The site of Mayapán was selected as the national seat of religious and civic authority for a large part of the Yucatán peninsula and presumably the area necessary for this capital had to be requisitioned from land belonging to some individual state or states. The wall, then, could have marked the extent of the district under jurisdiction of the national government. It also may have been a means of control of commerce, taxation, or the liberty of a large number of inhabitants such as servants, laborers, and artisans employed by the priesthood and ruling class of Mayapán.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 3 December 1952

Residential Property Walls at Mayapán William R. Bullard Jr.

and K in the north-central part and Squares 2, AA, BB, DD, and EE in the southwest part (Jones 1952, map). In addition, other areas of Mayapán were reconnoitered in order to determine the value of additional work. The entire site is covered by what seems a maze of stone walls, ranging in age from the occupation of the city to the present day. For many years Mayapán was the site of a Spanish cattle ranch, and stone corrals and enclosures were built throughout the central part of the ruins. Moreover, probably ever since the conquest there have been milpas within Mayapán, as there are today. Finding plentiful stone at hand in the ruined buildings and walls, the Maya farmers often erect stone fences around their fields, not hesitating to repair and reuse older walls when convenient. Centuries of such destruction and rebuilding have confused to a large extent the old wall patterns. Relatively few ancient walls are complete and in many instances only short sections could be followed. Although even

The initial surveys of Mayapán disclosed the existence of a great number of field-stone walls running everywhere among the ruins (Pollock 1951:226; Ruppert and Smith 1951:232). While some walls were clearly milpa fences or cattle enclosures of postconquest construction, others seemed contemporary with the occupation of the site. Many of the latter appeared to surround house structures and it was consequently thought that they might delimit property boundaries. During the season of 1952, we followed out and plotted on the Mayapán map all the walls in certain representative portions of the city. It was hoped that such a study might reveal the function of the walls and cast light on land tenure, city organization, and similar features. While stone fences around the houses are a regular feature of modern Yucatecan villages, they have not previously been reported from a preconquest Maya site. The walls were completely plotted in roughly 1 sq km of the city, comprising specifically Squares D

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William R. Bullard Jr.

3.1. Plot of Walls in Southwest Section of Mayapán (see map with Current Report 1).

fragmentary walls could usually be related to house structures, the complete pattern of ancient walls over a large area was all too often obscured. In this respect, the walls plotted in the extreme southwestern part of the site proved most satisfactory since here disturbance had been relatively slight (Fig. 3.1). Another perplexing problem was to distinguish ancient from postconquest walls. Technologically, there are few reliable criteria that can be applied to tell a postconquest wall from a rebuilt ancient wall, or an ancient wall from an old and much destroyed postconquest wall. Thus, although the majority could be identified without difficulty, many had to be marked as questionable. The ancient walls themselves are essentially alignments of uncut stones, set on edge, either touching or placed a few centimeters apart (Fig. 3.3a,b). The average height of the standing stones is 50–70 cm, but some walls are composed of large slabs up to 1.5 m high. Walls in areas free of postconquest disturbance often have smaller stones and spalls lying near their base, suggesting that the spaces between

the slabs were chinked and filled so that the tops of the walls were level rather than jagged as they appear today. Occasionally chinking stones remain in place in a few walls. In no case, however, was sufficient debris found to warrant the belief that the walls rose substantially higher than the stones now standing. Many modern stone walls in Yucatán are similar in that they utilize large slabs set on end as a base, but today they must be built high enough to prevent cattle and horses from crossing, a problem the ancient Maya did not have to consider. In nearly all instances the walls wholly or partly surround individual dwelling houses or individual house groups (Fig. 3.2). House groups, although there is considerable variation, generally consist of two or three dwelling-type structures in a quadrangular arrangement, often built on a single terrace. Only rarely is more than one such house group surrounded by the same wall. Although many walls are fragmentary, enough remains were found to indicate that almost every domestic house or group had a wall. In contrast, present evidence suggests that

3.2. Plans of Property Walls. a,b. Simple enclosures (1200 S, 330 W; 940 S, 650 W). c. Enclosure on one side of house group (630 S, 440 W). d,e. City wall as one boundary of enclosure (1040 S, 620 W; 710 N, 360 E). f. Use of common walls by neighboring house groups (685 S, 700W). g. Entrance over house terrace (600 S, 630 W). h,i. Entrance through house (700 S, 115 W; 770 S, 820 W). j,k. Entrance formed by overlapping ends of wall (980 S, 670 W; 940 S, 120 W). l. Spiral wall (800S, 690W).

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William R. Bullard Jr.

3.3. Property Walls, Gateways, Lanes, Circle. a. Typical wall (975 S, 535 W). b. Wall built of large slabs (1130 S, 315 W). c. Gateway (605S, 260 W). d. Gateway with lane leading to house platform (220 N, 265 E). e. Lane (730 S, 715 W). f. Stone circle (1000 S, 170 W)

temples and public buildings such as colonnades are not surrounded by walls. The enclosures formed by the walls usually include only enough space for a small yard around the structures. Most enclosures are of fairly simple plan, tending to be roughly circular or rectangular with rounded corners. There are more complex examples, however, especially around some of the

larger houses (Fig. 3.2d). Unfortunately, few of these are at all complete. The buildings may be surrounded completely or the walls may abut against a house or terrace corner so that the structures are only partly enclosed (Fig. 3.2a–c). Houses adjacent to the city wall used this as one boundary (Fig. 3.2d,e). It is not unlikely that the yards around some buildings were never completely

Residential Property Walls at Mayapán fenced and this may explain some of the many apparently incomplete walls that were found. In the more densely settled districts, where the houses are close together, the enclosures become more irregular and neighboring groups share common walls (Fig. 3.2f). The system of walls in such an area may become exceedingly complicated (Fig. 3.1). In a few instances the walls join a structure in such manner as to suggest that the yard was reached by crossing the terrace or by passing through the house, as is common in modern Maya villages (Fig. 3.2g–i). In other instances the two ends of a wall overlap, forming an entrance passage between them (Fig. 3.2j,k). One example formed a spiral around the house (Fig. 3.2l). A few gateways were identified. They consist of a gap about 1 m wide between two stones somewhat larger than the other wall stones and often set, like door jambs, at right angles to the course of the wall (Fig. 3.3c). From one gateway a short lane formed by two parallel walls led to the stairway of a house terrace (Fig. 3.3d). Probably most enclosures originally had gateways. Certainly the walls which completely encircle a house group, such as those illustrated in Figure 3.2a,b,e,f, must have had openings, but the collapse of wall stones or postconquest rebuilding has nearly always made it impossible to determine their location. Even so, it is surprising that more gateways were not encountered. There seems little doubt that the walls mark property boundaries around the houses. Evidently each household or family group had its own fenced yard. This does not necessarily imply, however, that there was private ownership of land in the modern sense. Quite possibly property was held only by permission from higher authority. While many yards are sufficiently large and on suitable terrain for the raising of fruit trees and small gardens, others include only the tops of the rocky hillocks which were the preferred house sites but which seem unsuited for horticulture. Present indications are that the properties surrounding the larger and more elaborate houses, where the wealthier and more important residents presumably lived, were not markedly larger than those of the more humble homes. Further work, however, will be necessary to solve this problem. Nothing was found in the areas plotted resembling a formal arrangement of streets. The houses are distributed irregularly and passage through the city evidently was accomplished by winding through the gaps between neighboring walls. Sometimes, particularly where houses are close together, the parallel walls of adjacent enclosures form short, often winding lanes about 2 m in width (Fig. 3.3e). Figure 3.1

shows an area where the lane system is especially complex. As previously noted, postconquest disturbance is at a minimum in this part of the city. While most lanes are passages between properties, a few seem to run independently of property walls. Unfortunately, most of the latter were found near the close of the season during reconnaissance of the eastern part of the site, and no detailed plotting was done. Additional work will be necessary to clarify their function and their position in the whole settlement pattern. One lane ran to a natural depression about 3 m in diameter, now mostly filled with soil. In another location, four lanes converged on a small cave with three or four steps leading into it, possibly a blocked cenote entrance. Two of the four lanes were part of a series of lanes which could be followed in an almost straight line for nearly 400 m through an area in which houses were rather sparse. The complete examination of this lane system would be a worthwhile study. Another interesting feature is the small stone circles occasionally found near a house group. They average 2–5 m in diameter and are constructed in the same manner as the boundary walls (Fig. 3.3f). Some are almost perfectly circular; others are more oval. One was built against a high house terrace so that the terrace wall formed one side. Often there is no gap that could have served as an entrance. Some would make excellent pens for small animals, but identification of their purpose without further information can be only guesswork. There are several cenotes in the squares examined. The ancient wall patterns around them are not always as clear as we should like, but the data indicate that cenotes were ordinarily in the areas between systems of boundary walls, and thus accessible to the general populace, as would be expected. Additional work on the Mayapán walls will be necessary to pursue several problems. We need to know, for example, more about the long lanes found during exploration of the eastern part of Mayapán. Moreover, further work in areas where the ancient wall pattern is relatively complete can be expected to give fuller understanding of such questions as the correlation of size of property with size and elaborateness of the house groups. The most important results of the present work, to summarize, are the following conclusions. Each and every household or family group seems to have had a fenced yard around its residence. Temples and public buildings, on the other hand, apparently were not fenced. There was no formal arrangement of dwellings or streets in the residential areas of Mayapán, although narrow, winding lanes afforded access to houses in crowded districts.

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 4 December 1952

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith

light upon the household economy of the aboriginal Maya. During the 1951–1952 survey of dwelling-type structures likely places for excavation were noted. Such locations consisted of depressions in benches or any visible construction below bench level, such as exposed capstones or bared vaults or walls. Besides digging in places where definite subfloor constructions existed, we made exploratory pits in benches. These excavations revealed tombs, cists, and a refuse dump. Test pits were also made in the terraces supporting structures. Our work clearly indicated that the tombs and cists were built at the time the structures were erected. In this paper a cist is considered as a stonelined pit which may or may not have been built for burial purposes but in which there is no indication of human burial. A tomb is similar to a cist but contains evidence of human burial. Since such evidence was found in three instances, it is possible that all cists

The dwelling-type structures at Mayapán follow closely Landa’s description of native houses in Yucatán in the sixteenth century. A large number of these structures are shown on the map of Mayapán (Jones 1952). Essentially they consist of a front and a back room but with considerable variation in detail of floor plan (see Ruppert and Smith 1951:231). Landa says, “. . . they build a wall in the middle dividing the house lengthwise, leaving several doors in the wall into the half which they call the back of the house . . . and the other half . . . has no doors, but is open the whole length of the house” (Tozzer 1941:85–86). Landa further writes of the commoners being buried in or behind their houses (Tozzer 1941:130). The presence of burials in the Mayapán structures, therefore, provides evidence to corroborate our identification of dwellings, as well as offering additional information on burial practices. It is also hoped that the grave furniture and other remains derived from excavation will throw

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Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith were built in preparation for interment, presumably of the occupants of the house. Material recovered from a single locality, such as a pit, tomb, cist, or stratified area, is designated by a lot number. Sherd material was turned over to R. E. Smith for examination (see R. Smith 1952, Table 1). It is significant that in all excavations pottery of the major, and supposedly latest, period of occupation of Mayapán was recovered. However, it is interesting to note that in one instance (Str. J-49a) the earlier, Puuc type of pottery predominated. All material recovered from excavations is listed in the captions of the figures under the lot number to which it belongs. Two cow’s teeth need some explanation. They were found in the midden under the east bench of Structure J-50a (Lot A-13). Here one of the capstones had fallen, leaving the pit unsealed, so the teeth may well be intrusive. We wish to thank Drs. Robert T. Hatt, Josselyn Van Tyne, Robert W. Storer, Norman Hartweg, T. Edinger, and Miss Barbara Lawrence for identification of mammal, fish, and bird bones. Structure J-131a (50 N, 520 E) Structure J-131a (Fig. 4.1) is located on the east side of a two-structure group. It shows the remains of two benches. The south bench is in better state of preservation than the north. South Bench. When first examined, capstones and some vaulting of what proved to be a tomb were exposed under the south end of the bench. Tomb (Figs. 4.1, Lot A-1; 4.6a,b). Measures 1.25 by 2.00 m. Floor of well-packed lime mortar 1.30 m, below floor of J-131a. Walls rise 75 cm to offset of vault. Stepped vault rises 75 cm. Most of vault stones had fallen into tomb. Three capstones recovered, of which two were in position. At west end the wall rose vertically at least 1.10 m. The tomb was filled with debris to height of end walls. Plaster still remains on walls to height of vault offset. Masonry of medium-sized blocks. Vault stones not beveled. Bedrock lies 12 cm below floor. Material found in the tomb is described under Figure 4.1, Lot A-1. The skeletal remains, mixed and scattered throughout the fill near the floor level, indicate the presence of two adults, one lying flexed on its left side facing south against the south wall, the other flexed lying on its right side facing the same wall. The remains of a third skeleton, an infant, were found under a large drum-shaped stone in center of the tomb (Fig. 4.1, Lot A-1,2).

North Bench. A sink in the south end of the bench suggested a tomb. Tomb (Figs. 4.1, Lot A-2; 4.8b). Measures 1.15 by 1.60 m. Floor very uneven and 1.25 m below terrace floor on which Structure J-131a rests. Masonry much cruder than in tomb under south bench. Skeletal material concentrated near floor in north half of tomb. The two skulls in northeast corner, placed with top of head downward resting on the floor, suggest secondary burial. Pit (Fig. 4.1, Lots A-3,-4). Pit beneath north bench to north of tomb showed fill of small stones with much lime mortar. Group J-49 (300 N, 690 E) Structure J-49a (Fig. 4.2a), a single-bench building, is located on the west side of a two-structure group. Walls of a cist were exposed when first examined. Cist (Figs. 4.2a, Lot A-8; 4.7a). Measures 1.25 by 1.95 m. The floor of rough lime plaster 2 cm thick lies on bedrock 1.05 m below top of bench. Cist filled with loose earth and stone to within 45 cm of top of bench. No capstones recovered. Block-type masonry. No plaster on walls. A few sherds and some obsidian and flint chips recovered (Lot A-8). Pit (Figs. 4.2a; 4.8e, Lot A-22). Measures 1.40 by 1.60 m, depth 1.40 m from top of bench to bedrock. Sherds and an obsidian core, 9.3 cm long, recovered. Pit (Figs. 4.2a; 4.8c, Lots A-10; -12). Measures 1 by 1.50 m. A floor or plaster work-level encountered 60 cm below top of bench. Area above that level designated as Lot A-10. Pit extended 1.15 m below plaster line to bedrock (Lot A-12). All fill of stone and mortar tightly packed. Structure J-49b (Fig. 4.2b). A two-bench structure with the west bench L-shaped. East Bench. In good state of preservation. No indication of cist before excavation was undertaken. Lot A-6 from bench above the stone-lined cist. Cist (Figs. 4.2b, Lot A-7; 4.7b). Measures 1.10 by 1.95 m. and 82 cm deep. Masonry very rough but covered with heavy layer of lime plaster. Floor of smoothly troweled plaster. In south wall 55 cm above

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán

4.1. Excavations in Structure J-131a, Plan and Section. Lot A-1. Contents of tomb under south bench: 1. Shell ornament, 6.1 cm greatest diam., Cat. no. 52-61 (Fig. 4.8d). 2. Drum-shaped stone, 22 cm high, 40 cm diam., slightly hollowed out on under surface. 3. Pottery whistle seated monkey (?), 4.2 cm long, Cat. no. 52-60 (Fig. 4.8d). 4. Flint blade, 9.5 cm long, Cat. no. 52-62 (Fig. 4.8d). 5. Adult mandible. 6. Adult skull, some infant long bones nearby. 7. Adult leg bones. 8. Infant skull under 2. 9. Adult jaw bones and skull fragments. Miscellaneous objects: fragment of obsidian blade, 3.8 cm long, Cat. no. 52-63 (Fig. 4.8d); broken piece of obsidian; sherds; animal bones, opossum, gopher. Lot A-2. Contents of tomb under south end of north bench. 1. Hexagonal shell ornament, 3.7 cm greatest width, Cat. no. 52-67 (Fig. 4.8b). 2. Shell ornament perforated for suspension, 3.2 cm long, Cat. nos. 52-66 (Fig. 4.8b). 3. Pottery figurine of a man, 10.2 cm long, Cat. nos. 52-65 (Fig. 4.8b). 4. Pottery figurine of a woman, 8.6 cm long, Cat. nos. 52-64 (Fig. 4.8b). 5. Adult skull. 6. Adult skull. 7. Human leg bones. 8. Human leg bone and foot bones. Miscellaneous objects: two small pieces of charcoal and a deer antler, 9.9 cm long, Cat. no. 52-68 (Fig. 4.8b); filed human tooth, Cat. no. 52226 (Fig. 4.8b). Lot A-3. Contents of top 30 cm of pit under north half of north bench: sherds. Lot A-4: Contents of bottom meter of pit under north half of North Bench: sherds. a. North bench. b. South bench. c. Low terrace wall on west side of Str. J-131a. d. South wall of main terrace supporting group. e. Line of stones at terrace level. f. Fill of small stones and lime mortar. g. Open fill. h. Coarse sascab fill.

floor and 38 cm from the southwest corner is a stone plug projecting 6 cm. In east wall of cist is a recess roughly 56 cm wide by 75 cm deep. The opening has a width of 40 cm. Floor of recess 25 cm above floor of cist. Resting on the floor and projecting 25 cm from the north wall is a plaster-covered stone step 13 cm high.

Pit (Figs. 4.2b, Lot A-11; 4.8c). Beneath the plaster floor of the cist is a 7 cm layer of black earth. Lot A-11 is material from a pit 1.10 m deep and approximately the dimensions of the cist. The upper 60 cm of the pit are of open fill; the lower 50 cm, of earth and small stones.

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4.2. Excavations in Group J-49, Plans and Sections. a. Structure J-49a. Lot A-8. Contents of cist under south end of platform: broken chipped flint point, 4.7 cm long, Cat. no. 52-135; polished gray stone, 2.8 by 2.2 by 0.3 cm, Cat. no. 52-136; 6 fragments of obsidian chip blades, longest 3.8 cm, Cat. no. 52-137; sherds; Lot A-10: Contents of pit above floor (2) under north end of platform: 5 fragments of obsidian flakeblades, largest 4.3 cm long, Cat. no. 52-142 (Fig. 4.8c); 1 fragment of bone; sherds; Lot A-12: Contents of pit below floor (2) under north end of platform: flat pottery figurine or effigy head, greatest dimension 3 cm, Cat. no. 52-164 (Fig. 4.8c); obsidian flake-blade, 5.1 cm long, Cat. no. 52-144 (Fig. 4.8c); sherds; Lot A-22: Contents of pit under center of platform: objects not shown or described in Fig. 4.8e: 1 fragment of shell; sherds; 1. Debris line; 2. Plaster floor covering an area of 1 by 1.40 m. Tight fill of earth and stones below floor. b. Structure J-49b; Lot A-6: Contents of pit above cist under East Bench: fragment of obsidian flake-blade, 1.8 cm long, Cat. no. 52-143; bone fragment; sherds; Lot A-7: Contents of cist under east bench: finegrained limestone mano, 14.4 cm long, Cat. no. 52-97; limestone rubbing stone, 7.2 cm across, Cat. no. 52-98; fragment of stone cylinder, 1.5 cm diam., 5.5 cm long, Cat. no. 52-99; fragment of shell; two flint chips; bone fragment; sherds; Lot A-9: Contents of pit under West Bench: shell bead, 1 cm diam; Cat, no. 52-133; flint tool (hatchet?), 5.5 cm long, Cat. no. 52-191; flint chip, greatest dimension 4.4 cm, Cat. no. 52-192; fragment of obsidian flake-blade, 2.6 cm long, Cat. no. 52-194; flint chip; shell fragment; sherds; Lot A-11: Contents of pit below cist under east bench A-7): 4 fragments of obsidian flake-blades, largest 2.8 cm long, Cat. no. 52-141; pieces of petrified shell; sherds; animal bones: ocellated turkey, iguana, cougar; 1. Bench; 2. Plastered stone step, floor turns up to it; 3. Plastered floor; 4. Passageway between benches.

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán

4.3. Excavations in Structure J-50a, Plan and Section. Lot A-13: Contents of midden under east bench and back room: objects not shown or described in Fig. 4.9: 7 miscellaneous seashells; 2 pieces of worked bone; 4 worked (?) pieces of deer antler, average 9 cm long, Cat. no. 52-110; 30 pieces of obsidian blades, Cat. no. 52-128; 12 pottery pellets; 3 branches of coral, Cat. no. 52-117; 45 flint chips; sherds; 2 fragments of human bone, animal bones: rabbit, dog, ocellated turkey, iguana, cougar, ocelot, cow’s teeth, fish (tropical sea). The cowls teeth were presumably intrusive. Lot A-14: Contents of pit below center bench: fragment of worked stone, Cat. no. 52-150 (Fig. 4.8a); sherds. Lot A-15: Contents of tomb under west bench: limestone mano, 17.2 cm long, Cat, no. 52-157 (Fig. 4.8a); hammerstone, 6 cm diam., Cat. no. 52-165 (3) (Fig. 4.8a); fragment of obsidian flake-blade, 1.4 cm long, Cat. no. 52-147 (Fig. 4.8c); 37 large chips of gray flint; 2 fragments of shell; 2 flint chips; oval pebble; sherds; human maxilla; human long bone; 1. Upper edge of bedrock; 2. Capstone 25 cm thick; 3. Capstone 70 by 80 cm, found fallen.

West Bench. Pit (Fig. 4.2b, Lot A-9). Measures approximately 1 by 1.50 m by 1.50 m deep. Group J-50 (305 N, 650 E) Structure J-50a (Fig. 4.3), a well-preserved three-bench building with back room, is located

on the north edge of the terrace supporting two constructions. East Bench. A sunken area in the bench suggested the possibility of a tomb. Excavation revealed a natural pit filled with midden material. Pit (Figs. 4.3, Lot A-13; 4.7c; 4.9, Lot A-13). The opening of the pit was partly closed by two large stone slabs. The pit from the lower side of the slabs to bedrock has a depth of 1.45 m. The east side is

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Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith defined by large rough masonry; the west side extends under a limestone ledge and yielded most of the material. The pit was followed under the natural ledge for a distance of 1.60 m. Middle Bench. Pit (Figs. 4.3, Lot A-14; 4.8a). A trench within the bench was extended to a depth of 70 cm, where bedrock was encountered. Sherds from this area are included in Lot A-14. West Bench. Tomb (Figs. 4.3, Lot A-15; 4.8a; 4.9c). Measures 1 by 1.20 m and has a depth of 1.80 m from top of bench. The uneven floor is formed of bedrock. The west and south sides of the tomb are fairly well indicated by rough masonry. The stones used in the south wall are larger and more irregular than those of the west. The east wall is poorly defined. Portions of human upper jaw and a leg bone were found on the floor. On the floor near the northwest corner was a cache of 38 large flint chips and a mano.

4.4. Excavations in Groups J-50 and J-122, Plans and Sections. a. Structure J-50b. Lot A-16: Contents of pit under south bench: crude flint point, 4.2 cm long, Cat. no. 52154 (Fig. 4.8c); pieces of worked limestone, 4.3 cm long, Cat. no. 52-151; bone fragment; pieces of shell; sherds. Lot A-17: Contents of pit under north bench: crudely shaped limestone sphere, 6 cm diam., Cat. no. 52-153 (Fig. 4.8a): sherds. Lot A-21: Contents of pit in main platform supporting Group J-50, 5 m west of Structure J-50b; sherds. b. Structure J-122c. Lot A-5: Contents of cist under west end of platform: hammerstone, 6 cm diam., Cat. no. 52-693; pottery whistle, animal, greatest dimension 4.9 cm, Cat. no. 52-70; 11 fragments of obsidian flake-blades, Cat. no. 52-71; flint blade, 8.4 cm long, Cat. no. 52-723 carved shell ornament, 6.5 cm long, Cat. no. 52-73; perforated shell tinkler, 2.5 cm long, Cat. no. 52-74, also 3 odd pieces of shell under same Cat. no.; perforated animal tooth, 5.7 cm long, Cat. no. 52-75; 7 flint chips; sherds (one Plumbate); fragment of human bone; animal bones, ocellated turkey, raccoon (?), turtle, tapir tooth. 1. Entrance into cist.

of repair.

Structure J-50b (Fig. 4.4a) is somewhat L-shaped so that there is a section of bench to the south and a section to the north. In good state

South Section of Bench. Pit (Figs. 4.4a, Lot A-16; 4.8c): Measures 1.20 by 1.80 m. Bedrock encountered 70 cm below top of bench. North Section of Bench. Pit (Figs. 4.4a, Lot A-17; 4.8a): Measures 1.20 by 3.00 m. Bedrock encountered 40–80 cm below top of bench. Rock slopes downward from east to west. Terrace Supporting Group. Pit (Fig. 4.4a, Lot A-21): Roughly 1me square and located 5 m west of structure J-50a. Pit had a depth of 50 cm to bedrock.

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán Structure J-122c (7 N, 645 E) Structure J-122c (Fig. 4.4b) is a bench 2.50 m, wide by approximately 5 m long defining the south side of a three-structure group. A semicircular depressed area in the west end of the bench and two jamb stones on the south edge of the terrace suggested a likely place to excavate. Cist (Figs. 4.4b, Lot A-5; 4.6d). Semi­ circular, with an average diameter of 1.70 m. Crude masonry walls rise to within 12 cm of the floor of the terrace. Opening on the south 45 cm wide defined by two large jamb stones 75 cm high by 45 cm wide. Door sill and floor of the tomb of bedrock, very uneven and rough. Structure 1-94 (15 N, 1075 E) This structure (Fig. 4.5) made up of three benches, is located on the south edge of a poorly defined terrace. East Bench. The east edge of the bench has collapsed and fallen down the slope of the terrace. Pit (Fig. 4.5, Lot A-34). Measures 1 m wide by 2 m long by 1.80 m deep from top of bench to bedrock. Middle Bench. Exposed capstone of a cist under the bench led to excavation. Cist (Figs. 4.5, Lot A-27; 4.6c). Mea­ sures 70 by 90 cm. Walls 50 cm high formed of one and two courses of stones. Floor a 4 cm layer of plaster. No plaster on walls. Not vaulted. Two capstones rest on vertical walls. Underside of capstones 20 cm below top of bench. Entrance to cist through opening on south side where there are two large jamb stones. Trench to south of jambs showed no construction (Fig. 4.5, Lot A-29). Pit (Fig. 4.5, Lot A-30). A pit beneath floor of cist, 80 cm deep to bedrock, showed fill of stones with small amount

4.5. Excavations in Structure I-94, Plan and Section. No catalogue numbers have yet been given to objects recovered; sherd material has not yet been examined. Lot A-27: Contents of cist under center bench: shell fragment, obsidian fragment, sherds. Lot 8-28: Contents of top 60 cm in pit under west bench: worked flint 3.8 by 3 cm (Fig. 4.8f), sherds. Lot A-29: Contents of pit in terrace south of stone-lined cist in center bench (Lot A-27): piece of worked bone, piece of worked shell, piece of obsidian, sherds. Lot A-30: Contents of pit below floor of cist in center bench (Lot A-27): shell bead, flint chip, sherds. Lot A-31: Contents of pit below Lot A-28 in west bench: all objects but the sherds recovered are shown and listed in Fig. 4.8f; animal bones, ocellated turkey, turtle. Lot A-32: Contents of part of pit above floor (5) north of terrace supporting Structure 1-94: 5 pieces of obsidian, sherds. Lot A-33: Contents of pit below Lot A-32: 3 pieces of obsidian, sherds. Lot A-34: Contents of pit in east bench: 4 pieces of shell, 8 pieces of obsidian, sherds, fragment of human bone; animal bones, ocellated turkey, iguana. Lot A-35: Contents of pit between floors of terrace north of passageway between the center and west benches: piece of obsidian, sherds. Lot A-36: Contents of cist resting on floor (4) in pit north of passageway between center and west benches: sherds. Lot A-37: Contents of pit in lower terrace north of pit containing Lots A-32 and -35: sherds. Lot A-38: Contents of pit below Lot A-35: worked deer antler, 2 pieces of shell, 8 pieces of obsidian, sherds; 1. Capstones; 2. Entrance to cist; 3. Jamb of entrance; 4. Plaster floor; 5. Plaster floor.

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Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith

4.6. Excavation in Structures J-131a, I-94, and J-122c. a,b. Tomb under south bench of Structure J-131a, looking west. Cist under central bench of Structure 1-94, looking north. d. Cist under west end of Structure J-122c, looking north.

of earth. Material recovered includes sherds, shell bead, and a flint chip. West Bench. Pit (Figs. 4.5, Lots A-28,-31; 4.8f). Measures approximately 1.30 by 3 m high and had a depth of 60 cm from top of bench to work level on which facing stones of bench rested. Material from the area

(Lot A-28) includes sherds and a worked flint, ellipsoidal in shape, measuring 3 by 3.8 cm. Pit extended beneath work level to bedrock, a distance varying from 1.10 to 1.25 m (Lot A-31). Pits Associated with Terrace of Structure 1-94. Various test pits were made in the terrace supporting the structure. For location of pits and description of the material recovered see Figure 4.5, Lots A-32, -33,

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán

4.7. Excavations in Structures J-49a, J-49b, and J-50a. a. Cist under south end of Structure J-49a, looking south; b. Cist under east bench of Structure J-49b, looking east; c: Pit under east bench of Structure J-50a, looking north.

-35, -36, -37, -38. Sherds from Lot A-36 came from an irregularly shaped, stone-lined cist approximately 70 cm square and having a depth of 25 cm where

it rested on the plaster of an earlier terrace level. Lots A-33–37, and -38 are all from pits extended to bedrock.

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4.8. Artifacts Recovered During Excavation in Groups J-49, J-50, J-131, and I-94. a. Top: limestone mano, 17.2 cm long, Cat. no. 52157, Lot A-15 (Fig. 4.3). Bottom, left to right, fragment of worked stone, Cat. no. 52-150, Lot A-14 (Fig. 4.3); hammerstone, 5.8 cm diam., Cat. no. 52-165 (3), Lot A-15 (Fig. 4.3); crudely shaped limestone sphere, 6 cm diam., Cat. no. 52-153, Lot A-17 (Fig. 4.4a). b. Lot A-2 (Fig. 4.1). Top, left to right, pottery figurine of a woman, 8.6 cm long, Cat. no. 52-64; pottery figurine of a man, 10.2 cm long, Cat. no. 52-65. Middle, deer antler, 9.9 cm long, Cat. no. 5268. Bottom, left to right, shell ornament, 3.7 cm greatest breadth, Cat. no. 52-67; filed human tooth, Cat. no. 52-226; shell ornament perforated for suspension, 3.2 cm long, Cat. no. 52-66. c. Top, left to right, 5 obsidian flake-blades, largest blade 4.3cm long, Cat. no. 52-142, Lot A-10 (Fig. 4.2a); 4 obsidian flake-blades, largest blade 2.8 cm long, Cat. no. 52-11 Lot A-11 (Fig. 4.2b); obsidian flake-blade, 5.1 cm long, Cat. no. 52-144, Lot A-12 (Fig. 4.2A); fragment of obsidian flake-blade, 1.4 cm long, Cat. no. 52-147, Lot A-15 (Fig. 4.3). Bottom, left to right, flat pottery figurine or effigy head, 3 cm greatest dimension, Cat. no. 52-164, Lot A-12 (Fig. 4.2a); chipped flint point, 7.4 cm long, Cat. no. 52-165 (1), Lot A-15 (Fig. 4.3); fragment of chipped flint point, 2.8 cm across, Cat. no. 52-165 (2), Lot A-15 (Fig. 4.3); crude flint point, 4.2 cm long, Cat. no. 52-154, Lot A16 (Fig. 4.4a). d. Lot A-1 (Fig. 4.1). Top, left to right, flint blade 9.5 cm long, Cat. no. 52-62; shell ornament, 6.1 cm greatest diam., Cat. no. 52-61. Bottom, left to right, pottery whistle (seated monkey?), 4.2 cm long, Cat. no. 5260; obsidian blade, 3.8 cm long, Cat. no. 52-63. e. Lot A-22 (Fig. 4.2a). Left: 4 obsidian flake-blades, longest blade 4 cm, Cat. no. 52-139; obsidian core, 9.3 cm long, Cat. no. 52140. Upper right, worked limestone, 4.8 cm long, Cat. no. 52-152. Lower right, pottery spindle whorl, 3 cm diam., Cat. no. 52-149. f. All Lot A-31 except upper right which is Lot A-28 (Fig. 4.5). These artifacts have yet not been catalogued. Top, left to right, rubbing stone, one surface flat; fragment of rubbing stone; stone nose plug (?), 5.3 by 3.1 cm; fragment of green stone celt; worked flint. Lower left: 14 obsidian flake-blades. Lower right, flint arrow (?) point; 3 pieces of shell; perforated shell tinkler; worked bone; perforated animal tooth; fish bone.

4.9. Artifacts From Midden Under East Bench and Back Room of Structure J-50a, Lot A-13 (Fig. 4.3). a. Top, left to right, 9 bone awls, awl at left is 12.8 cm long, Cat. nos. 52-106,-107; bone needle, 7.9 cm long, Cat. no. 52108. Bottom: perforated animal tooth, 4.5 cm long, Cat. no. 52, one needle, point missing, 3 cm long, Cat. no. 52-127. b. 30 perforated human teeth, Cat. no. 52-121, appear to be 8 molars, 9 premolars, 3 canines, 8 incisors, 2 unidentified. c. Upper left corner: fragment of worked bone, 2.2 cm diam., Cat. no. 52-101. To right of Cat. no. 52-101: fragment of perforated mother-of-pearl shell, 3 cm long, Cat. no. 52-102. Below, Cat. nos. 52-101 and 52-102: 3 fragments of worked shell, Cat. nos. 52-103, -104, -105. To right of above: 10 perforated shells, 4 cm largest diam., Cat. no. 52-100; one unperforated shell. d. Upper left: pottery figurine head, 3 cm high, Cat. no. 52-120. Upper right, fragment of pottery whistle, 3.7 cm high, Cat. no. 52-123. Center: pottery spindle whorl, 3.2 cm diam., Cat. no. 52-118. Lower left: fragment of green stone celt, 2.9 cm long, Cat. no. 52-119. Lower right, pottery turtle or lizard head, 3.2 cm long, Cat. no. 52-122. e. Left: fragment of metate with leg, total height, 6.8 cm Cat. no. 52-111. Right: limestone rubbing stone, 10 cm long, Cat. no. 52-112. f. Top, left to right, broken chipped flint point or scraper, 4.1 cm long, Cat. no. 52-113; chipped flint point 7.5 cm long, Cat. no. 52-116. Bottom, left to right, chipped flint point or scraper, 5.3 cm long, Cat. no. 52-114; chipped flint point, 6.8 cm long, Cat. no. 52-115. g. Left to right, 2 large obsidian blades, largest 11.4 cm long, Cat. no. 52-125; obsidian point with very fine chipping on both sides of point, 3.7 cm long, Cat. no. 52-126.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 5 January 1953

Cenote X-Coton at Mayapán Robert E. Smith

The cenotes of Yucatán have been studied by various people and institutions, notably H. C. Mercer (1896), L. J. Cole (1910), Carnegie Institution of Wash­ing­ton (see Pearse and others, 1936), Brainerd (1942), and Lothrop (1952). These studies have been primarily geological, hydrographic, and zoological, the archaeological aspect not being treated save by Mercer, Brainerd, and Lothrop. In this report I plan to emphasize the archaeological importance of one of the numerous cenotes at the ruins of Mayapán. Cenote X-Coton is located in the southeastern section of Mayapán (Jones 1952, map, Square T) close to one of the seven main gates and a small group of ceremonial structures. It is one of 19 named cenotes found within the city wall and is of the type where much of the roof has fallen, but a considerable portion still remains (Figs. 5.1, 5.3; Cole 1910, Fig. 3; see also Pearse and others 1936:18, Fig. 3). The open southern part of the cenote is used to cultivate bananas. The local Indians get in and out by means

of tree roots which reach to the floor of the cenote. We used a 6 m ladder (Fig. 5.4b) for ourselves and employed ropes to lower equipment and remove pottery and other finds. It will be noted from the plan (Fig. 5.1) that the cenote is roughly divided into a southern and a northern section by remains of stone walls and by a centrally located, artificial platform. The floor of the southern part, where the banana grove now stands, is fairly level and represents a good depth of soil. To the north, the floor slopes downward, the surface being covered for the most part by a thick deposit of bat dung. Indeed, deposits of bat dung occur in all areas sheltered by the overhanging roof of the cavern, only the banana grove and Cave 1 being free of this material. There were indications of much washing of surface debris from south to north, an observation amply verified by the results of a heavy rain while work was being carried on in this cenote. This readily accounts for the silting

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5.1. Plan and Sections of Cenote X-Coton. a. Depressions for resting water jars. b. Hole in roof of cenote above platform. c. Water hole in Cave 1. d. Puuc Medium Slate bowl; e,e’. Original Pit 1, and western extension. Northern extension of Pit 1. g. Burial in Cave 2.

Cenote X-Coton at Mayapán

5.2. Sections of Pits and Cave. a. Section of Pit 1. 1, 2, 3. Stratum of dark brown dirt and rocks; 4, 5. Stratum of brown dirt, rocks, and a vein of red dirt; 6. Bat dung and surface soil; 7. Plaster floor; 8. Sascab (?) binding level; 9. East wall of platform; 10. Original Pit 1. b. Section of Pit 2. 1, 2. Stratum of rich reddish brown soil, large rocks, and a few sherds; 3. Rich reddish brown soil, large rocks, and no sherds; 4. Surface soil and sherds. c. Section of Cave 1.

up of the water hole, a feature discovered only by excavation. Work at Cenote X-Coton began in March 1952, with the removal of the surface layer of bat dung that was distributed over the greater part of the floor of the cavern. This uncovered numerous sherds (40.8 percent of all sherds encountered) in a shallow stratum (5–8 cm) of dirt and pebbles and also revealed several of the upper steps of a stairway which we followed downward until water was reached (Figs. 5.1; 5.3; 5.5d). There were 18 steps (Fig. 5.5c): 15 of masonry, two cut from bedrock, and just above water a final bedrock ledge in which two hemispherical depressions had been made, presumably for water jars (Fig. 5.1a). A third depression was hollowed out of the lowest bedrock step. Originally masonry retaining walls had lined the stairway on either side. Much of the east wall remained but the west wall had mostly fallen. The pottery from the surface (R. Smith 1952, Table 1, D-2, surface soil; D-12, soil cov-

ering stairway), as was to be expected, consisted mostly of Mayapán period sherds (80 percent) plus a few Puuc, Regional Polychrome, and Fine Orange types, and a considerable number of fragments too weathered to be identified. The water hole was deep but the opening small, measuring 90 cm by 3 m. Exact depth could not be ascertained because of the narrow, crooked shaft, but a pole was inserted to a depth of 369 cm. In an effort to find artifacts at the bottom of the pool, a steel jaw-like contrivance was attached to a pole. The opening and closing of the jaw could be controlled from the upper end of the handle. Many attempts were made but nothing but pebbles and dirt could be extracted with our curious scoop. However, a few sherds, either of the Mayapán period or too water worn to be identified (R. Smith 1952, Table 1, D-19), were removed from a ledge 30–40 cm below water. Not finding archaeological material deep in the water hole was disappointing, especially when one considers the importance given to it by steps leading down from a presumably ceremonial platform. The most notable artificial feature of Cenote XCoton is the centrally located platform. This structure is wedge-shaped with a stairway at the narrow western end (Figs. 5.1; 5.3; 5.4c; 5.5a). The bulging eastern end appears to have had a terrace 30 cm below the top level and roughly 2 m wide. The north and east sides were in excellent condition whereas the south side was covered with stones dislodged from the top. Apparently this was caused by falling sections of the cenote roof, or dome, the broken rim of which was approximately 4 m, above the southern half of the platform. A hole, probably natural, through the dome immediately above the eastern end of the structure (Fig. 5.1b) may have served some purpose in connection with the platform. The edge of the opening was examined for rope-marks but none was found. The south side of the platform was cleared and the exterior wall traced (Fig. 5.5b). While trenching into the core of the structure from the center of the south side, we encountered an earlier wall about 60 cm inside the outer wall and a still earlier wall 80 cm further inside. The addition of the exterior walls may have been due to damage to the structure from stone falling from the dome in ancient times. The core consisted of small and large rocks piled in between walls made of crudely cut stones and possibly rough mortar. There was no evidence of plaster. It was ascertained that the platform rested on leveled ground. The pottery, 1,392 sherds, associated with the platform came from the top and from narrow, shallow trenches on the west and south sides (R. Smith

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Robert E. Smith

5.3. Sketch of Cenote X-Coton, Looking Northeast, by Tatiana Proskouriakoff.

1952, Table 1, D-13). Any sherds taken from within the structure presumably were intrusive. Pottery belonging to the Mayapán period amounted to 56.8 percent, of which 10 percent was from incensarios. Unidentified pottery was 24.6 percent, Puuc period 16.9 percent. A few sherds were of Classic period, including some Regional Polychromes. There were three Fine Orange specimens and a very handsome, highly polished, incised orange sherd (Fig. 5.6c) of a sort that had not previously been recognized, although it is very distinctive. Artifacts other than pottery consisted of a mano fragment, an obsidian lancet fragment, and a piece of shell. The function of this platform seems to have been ceremonial. This is suggested by its central position in the cenote, by a leveled area covered by a plastered floor at the eastern end of the structure, and by the adjacent stairway leading down to water. The considerable proportion of incensario sherds from the structure should also be noted. In last analysis, possibly the most pertinent evidence, although

negative, is simply that in design and location the platform seems capable observing no other purpose than that of ceremony. In addition to the previously mentioned excavations two pits were dug. Pit 1, east of the platform, started as an exploratory excavation (Figs. 5.1e; 5.2a,10; R. Smith 1952, Table 1, D-3). It was later extended west to the platform in order to determine what underlay that structure and in the search for stratigraphy (Fig. 5.1). Still later, a northern extension was dug (Fig. 5.1f). Although no presently understood chronological stratigraphy emerged from these excavations, a glance at the profile of the pit will show that there were man-made divisions; namely, the upper floor (Fig. 5.2a,7) and the lower sascab (?) binding level (Fig. 5.2a,8). The platform rested on the upper level, although apparently the floor did not extend under the structure. The area between the floor and the binding level included large and medium-sized rocks plus a fair amount of pottery (Fig. 5.2a, Strata 5-3; R. Smith

Cenote X-Coton at Mayapán

5.4. Views of Cenote X-Coton from Exterior. a. From southeast. b. From north, showing ladder on left and a ceremonial structure in distance. c. From west, showing platform top and stairway. d. From south, showing banana trees, other vegetation, and north interior wall of the cenote.

1952, Table 1, D-4, D-5, D-6, respectively). The three strata from this area were taken out as a unit from the northern extension of the pit, the pottery forming a single lot (R. Smith 1952, D-18). Predominant were Mayapán period sherds, Puuc period and Regional Polychrome forming a lesser part. Below the binding level to bedrock (Fig. 5.2a, Strata 2-1) there was a leveled fill of dark brown dirt and a few rocks nearly 1 m deep that also contained a few sherds (R. Smith 1952, D-8, D-11, respectively). In the northern extension, Stratum 2 was removed in two cuts of approximately equal depth and the pottery from the upper and the lower cut kept in separate lots (R. Smith 1952, D-15, D-16, respectively). Pottery from Stratum 1 in the northern extension forms a single lot (R. Smith 1952, D-17). The most numerous sherds from these strata below the binding level were of the

unidentifiable category, than those of the Mayapán period, Regional Polychromes, and Puuc period in that order. The fact that Mayapán period pottery occurred in quantity at the bottom as well as at all other levels of the fill suggests that the platform foundations and presumably the platform were constructed in the Mayapán period. Other phenomena noted in Pit 1 included tiny fragments of charcoal found in a reddish vein beginning about 30 cm below the floor near the east end of the pit and sloping westward towards bedrock. The vein varied in thickness from 12 to 43 cm, but was difficult to trace because of many interspersed large rocks. Artifacts other than pottery consisted of a few fragments of obsidian flake-blades found in Strata 3 and 4 (Fig. 5.2a). Bones, both human and animal, occurred throughout. One animal long bone

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Robert E. Smith

5.5. Views of Interior of Cenote X-Coton. a. Platform from north, showing stairway in foreground. b. Platform from south. c. Stairway down to water hole, looking southwest. d. Water hole (central dark spot) and lower part of stairway, looking northeast.

from Stratum 1 had been cut. A fragment of a spindle whorl made from a sherd was encountered in the original exploratory pit (Fig. 5.2a,10). Pit 2 (Figs. 5.1; 5.2b) was sunk to a depth of 152 cm without reaching bedrock. The excavation was made to see whether this section of the cenote had been filled artificially, as was the area east of the platform, and in the further search for stratigraphy. No floor was encountered, but this was not surprising considering that the area had reputedly been under cultivation for many years. Possibly for this reason also the surface soil was much deeper. No lower binding level was found, but the character of the deposit nevertheless suggested that the area had been filled and leveled off in the same manner as the area under, and to the east of, the platform. The pottery from the several strata in this pit (R. Smith 1952, Table 1, D-10) was unfortunately mixed by the laborers before a detailed analysis had been made. It

is possible to say, however, that Stratum 4 yielded 59 sherds mostly of the Mayapán period, Stratum 3 no sherds, Stratum 2 produced 24 sherds of Mayapán and Puuc periods, and Stratum 1 yielded 15 sherds of both periods. Save for the fragment of a human head, probably from an incensario, found in Stratum 4, the pottery presented the same picture as in Pit 1. In other words, Mayapán period pottery occurred throughout. Along with the sherds a flint chip and some animal bones were removed. While investigating the surface soil of the cenote two niches in the peripheral wall (Fig. 5.1) were encountered and explored to bedrock. Niche 1 contained 478 fragments of incensario ware of the Mayapán period, many sherds of other Mayapán period types, and some Puuc period sherds (R. Smith 1952, Table 1, D-9). Bedrock appeared at a depth of 60 cm. On the surface, covered with green mold and resting against the cenote wall, lay a stone idol (Fig.

5.6. Bones, Pottery, and Sculpture. a,b. Bones cemented to rocks. c. Incised orange sherd from platform (1:2 scale). d. Sculptured stone idol from Niche 1 (ca. 1:10 scale). e. Sculptured stone dog from Niche 2, side view (ca. 1:3 scale). f. Puuc Medium Slate incurvedrim bowl found in Cave 1 (1:4 scale).

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Robert E. Smith 5.6d). It appears to represent a seated human figure wearing an animal skin with the head of the animal used as headdress and the body draped down the back. The figure seems to be offering something with his two hands. Niche 2 produced the usual run of pottery (R. Smith 1952, Table 1, D-20), but only one incensario fragment. Bedrock was encountered at depths of 30 and 40 cm. Near the bottom a carved stone dog (Fig. 5.6e) was discovered. It lacks eyes, mouth, and other details which may have been painted on originally. Other items found consisted of two small pieces of charcoal and 29 bird and animal bones. Among the most interesting features of Cenote XCoton are the caves in the peripheral wall (Fig. 5.1). Caves 3 and 4 are too small for a man to enter, but the two larger caves proved easily accessible. Cave 1 is the only part of the cenote not frequented by bats. The cave had been filled to a depth of about 2 m with rocks (Fig. 5.2c), upon which were deposited the bones of more than a dozen people, including an infant, a child of six or seven (determined by baby teeth being pushed out by secondary teeth), and adults. The bones, scattered promiscuously and mixed with potsherds, dirt and rocks, appeared to have been secondarily buried save for one seemingly articulated arm found near the surface. Many of the banes were cemented to one another and to rocks owing to lime deposit (Fig. 5.6a,b). The debris containing the bones was approximately 1 m deep and was covered with a layer of stones. When the stones, bones, and underlying rock fill had been removed, a narrow entrance to an extension of the cave to the north became visible. Crawling through this opening and following either to the east or west around a central pillar of bedrock, we found a small bowl-size water hole (Figs. 5.1c; 5.2c). This northern extension contained no debris, the entrance having been blocked with large rocks at the base of the fill mentioned above. One fine example of a Puuc Medium Slate incurved-rim bowl with ring-stand base (Fig. 5.6f) was located in the extreme eastern part of the cave (Fig. 5.1d) on top of the rock fill, but covered with dirt and rocks. The great majority of the 1,293 sherds taken from Cave 1 (R. Smith 1952, Table 1, D-7) were earlier than the Mayapán period, which had a small representation 3.8 percent, as compared to 81.1 percent of the Puuc period, 12.8 percent of the Classic period including Regional Polychrome, and 2.3 percent unidentified. Nearly 90 percent of these sherds belonged to jars. This is true of all the pottery from the cenote if one eliminates the sherds from Niche 1 and from the platform, where large proportions of incensarios were found. No artifacts other than pottery were discovered in Cave 1.

Cave 2 was notable for the quantity of bats it harbored. The floor had an 8–10 cm covering of bat dung. That this cave had long been a home for these creatures, therefore, is assured, curious since neither bats nor bat dung were en-countered in Cave 1. Most of the floor space in Cave 2 was excavated to bedrock, the depth depending upon the uneven formation. Only in the western end did we descend more than 30 cm, and there into a pocket which contained an adult burial (Fig.5.1g) covered with rocks. The 147 potsherds that were removed from the cave constituted the only artifacts. These sherds belonged preponderantly to the Mayapán period (R. Smith 1952, Table 1, D-14). Only a few of the bird and animal bones discovered in the cenote were sufficiently well preserved to be identified. These identifications by Drs. R. T. Hatt, J. van Tyne, R. U. Storer, and N. Hartweg include mammals (Homo sapiens, or man, Didelphis marsupialis, or opossum, Sylvilagus floridanus, or rabbit, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, or gray fox, Felis concolor, or cougar, Equus, or horse, Nasua, or pisote), birds (Ortalis vetula, or chachalaca, Agriocharis ocellata, or ocellated turkey), and reptiles (Ctenosaura sp., or iguana, Pseudemys scripta, or turtle). All of these were found associated with the platform, save the rabbit and the turtle, unearthed from an upper level of Pit 1 (Fig. 5.2a, Stratum 5) plus bones of man, chachalaca, and ocellated turkey found in both the platform and Pit 1. The pottery from Cenote X-Coton, except for the incensario cache in Niche 1, a good proportion of incensario sherds from the platform, and a few rare items, is utilitarian. This is true of all the pottery so far found at Mayapán, with the exception of many incensario fragments from the ceremonial structure southeast of the cenote (see Shook 1952:249). It should be pointed out, however, that there has as yet been little work in connection with ceremonial structures. Even the majority or the Fine Orange sherds recovered belong to simply shaped, undecorated vessels. Jars, both water and storage, predominate over all other vessel types encountered in the cenote, a condition true of all Mayapán ceramics according to present findings. In regard to chronology, all that can be said at the moment is that there is evidence of Early Classic and Late Classic, Peten-like pottery types, including dichromes and polychromes, Puuc period pottery which may include early post-Classic (Early Mexican or Toltec Chichén Itzá) specimens, and a quantity of material allocated to the Mayapán period, part of which may eventually separate out to bridge the gap between the Late Classic and late post-Classic or Mayapán period (see Pollock 1952).

Cenote X-Coton at Mayapán In spite of the utilitarian character of much of the pottery, there is little reason to doubt that Cenote XCoton was used ceremonially as well as simply for water. The principal indications of its ceremonial use are the platform, the leveled eastern section with its plaster floor, the possibility that a considerable part of the cenote floor at the south was leveled, the masonry stairway leading to water, the presence of carved stone objects, especially an idol, and the use of caves for burial. It is impossible to be certain of the age or function of the rough stone walls that run east and west from the sides of the cenote toward the platform. The association of the eastern wall with the platform suggests it is of the same period. The western wall may also be of that period, or may have been

built at any time in recent centuries, possibly in the effort to prevent the erosion of soil from the area that now supports the banana grove. Should these walls be ancient, they suggest the division of the cenote into ceremonial precincts, the platform being associated with the southern area. Lastly, one my mention the ceremonial nature of the group of structures just outside of, and presumably associated with, the cenote. The quantity of pottery of the Mayapán period and its association with the ceremonial features leave little question that the “cenote rites” as practiced at XCoton were carried on most intensively, as might be expected, during the principal period of occupation of the city. It is entirely possible, however, that the burials in Cave 1 date from earlier times.

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 6 January 1953

Chacchob, Yucatán H.E.D. Pollock and Gustav Strömsvik

had been so helpful to John L. Stephens and whom the latter remarked as one of the few people in Yucatán to show any interest in the antiquities of the country (Stephens 1843:1:265–267). Although the information provided by this antiquarian of a century ago has from time to time been made use of by modern authors, the truth of his assertions concerning Chacchob, so far as is known to the present writers, had never been confirmed by competent archaeological opinion. The work of Carnegie Institution at Mayapán, the largest and most important walled city known in Yucatán, made it of peculiar importance not only to verify the existence of a possibly similar, nearby site, but to know something of the character of the remains.

The ruins of Chacchob are in the District of Tekax, some 13 km by road and 10 or 11 km airline southeast of the town of Teabo. The site was first brought to the attention of the public over 100 years ago in an anonymous article, signed in Curioso, that appeared in a Merida periodical of the time (Anonymous 1845a). The part of the account that particularly has caught the attention of archaeologists is the statement that the ruins are surrounded by the remains of an ancient wall. Walled sites in the lowland Maya area are rare, and their occurrence is important because of certain implications as to the social structure and the general character of the civilization of the builders (see Armillas 1948 and 1951). It is of passing interest to note that the author of the above-mentioned article probably was Estanislao Carrillo, who wrote in a later volume of the same periodical under the name of P. Carrillo (see Castillo 1866:239, 253). This was none other than the exemplary cura Carrillo of Ticul, who a few years earlier

Exploration In May 1951, Eugenio May, a Yucatecan employee who has worked for many years with the Institution,

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H.E.D. Pollock and Gustav Strömsvik was commissioned to visit Chacchob and to report his observations, particularly with reference to any indications of a wall surrounding the ruins. May spent two days at the site, and his report left little doubt that the ancient settlement had in fact been walled. It was consequently planned that further reconnaissance should take place during the 1952 field season. Pollock and Strömsvik, traveling by truck, left the Institution’s base camp at Telchaquillo February 27, 1952. The road, the old highway to Tekit, ran southeast through the ruins of Mayapán. Just short of Km 12, and approximately 10 km from the center of Mayapán, the site of Chumul was noted at the left of the road. This moderate-sized group of ruins, which was visited on our return journey, rests on a hill. The principal pyramid is clearly seen from Mayapán, and because of its natural elevation gives the impression at that distance of being a much larger structure than it is. This pyramid is flanked by lesser pyramidal structures, one on each side, and several mounds of indeterminate character complete the group. Although all buildings are fallen, the character of the masonry and the stone cutting, the architectural decoration, and certain monoliths mark the ruins as of the Puuc period. Features observed include finely cut lintels and full-width jamb stones, colonette façade elements, tapered columnar (picote) altars, and a rectangular altar. Passing through Tekit (Km 21), a sizable town, our road continued south-southeast toward Chumayel and Teabo. At Km 25 we reached Hacienda Ukum, where there are ruins and where May in the previous year had discovered a sculptured stone built into the floor of the abandoned machine house of the hacienda. This stone, which was photographed on our return trip, appears to have been a door jamb (Fig. 6.6h). It carries a rather typical Maya figure, erect and with plumed headdress, facing a vertical row of glyph blocks and standing above two horizontal rows of glyph blocks. The 13 or 14 hieroglyphs represented have not been deciphered. The sculpture and the character of the jamb stone suggest this to be a work of the Puuc period, an impression strengthened by the presence of certain architectural elements (spools) typical of that period. A superficial view of the nearby ruins disclosed them to be no more than mounds of stone, but better-preserved structures may lie hidden in the forest. Chumayel was passed at Km 34; Teabo, a town of about the same size as Tekit, at Km 38. Teabo clearly was once an aboriginal settlement. A huge mound of rock, a large city block in area, from which much of the present town probably was built, gives ample testimony to the size of the structure that has with-

stood four centuries of quarrying and still remains a massive bulk of stone. Across the street from this great pile are the ruins of a large and once beautiful convent of the colonial period. Leaving Teabo, we continued southeast on the road that eventually reaches the village of Xaya. At Km 48 we reached Hacienda San Diego Max, once a henequen plantation, now turned over to cattle raising. The hacienda is the property of Jose Dolores Salas of Teabo, who most kindly offered us the use of his buildings, apologizing for their roofless condition. Here we made camp, our information being that this was as far as the truck could go. It was later discovered that with a small amount of clearing the road was passable as far as Chacchob. Our entire journey from Telchaquillo to San Diego Max consumed approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes (running time), of which 1 hour and 40minutes were devoted to the 10 km from Teabo to San Diego Max. It was subsequently determined that the additional 3 km to the ruins was a trip of 20 minutes by truck. The Site Chacchob, now the site of a small cattle ranch, lies east-southeast of San Diego Max, on the road to Xaya, The ranch and the ruins are reported to be on the lands of the latter village. Previously this terrain was a part of Hacienda San Diego Max, and until a few years prior to 1845 belonged to the Ucanes of Teabo (Anon. 1845a). This erstwhile cacique family, according to our anonymous author, who apparently had access to documents of the year 1630, had once owned the central part of the town of Teabo, where the church, plaza, and municipal buildings now are, and at the time of this writing still owned the great mound there. The ranch of Chacchob lies almost at the center of the ruins (Fig. 6.1). It consists of several thatched houses and a tiny masonry chapel, all resting on a low, apparently artificial terrace that is probably ancient in origin. Immediately west of the ranch houses are the corrals, the walls and water troughs of which include many stones from the ruins, and a well. This well is worthy of note. At first sight it appears to be of artificial construction, typical of the innumerable wells dug during the colonial period and in later times. On closer examination, however, it is apparent that only the curb and a small depth of fill below are man-made. The well proper is a natural bottle-shaped opening reaching down to water, in other words, a cenote. Deep rope-cuts in the rim of natural rock below the artificial fill indicate centuries of use and almost surely date from the period of the ruins. This was the only source of water observed by

Chacchob, Yucatán

6.1. Sketch Map of the Ruins of Chacchob. Mapping was done with prismatic compass and steel tape. The survey consisted of a traverse of the wall around the site and triangulation from points along the wall and from a 100 m base line in the northeastern sector of the ruins. With the exception of the Castillo and the house platforms inside the wall, which were measured by tape, the size and orientation of all structures is approximated. Magnetic declination is approximately 60 degrees 30’ east of north.

us, or reported by the natives, within the area of the ruins. We did, however, hear of other natural water sources not far distant, and our same anonymous author (1845b) writes of many wells in this area of the sort found at Chacchob, also noting that ruins occur in the environs of the wells. The ruins of Chacchob, which are surrounded by a wall, occupy a relatively small area covered for the most part by low, scrubby brush. Our explorations were confined rather closely to the territory within the wall, but there is no reason to believe that structures of any size lie beyond that limit, although house mounds may extend an indeterminate dis-

tance in any direction. The area outlined by the wall is a rough oval, some 500 m on the long axis, which runs east-southeast and west-northwest, and approximately 350 m on the shorter dimension (Fig. 6.1). Passages through the wall were noted at the northeast, southeast, and southwest, with reference to the center of the oval, and what probably had been a passage was observed at the northwest. The possibility of two other ancient passages, where the road from San Diego Max and from Xaya cuts the wall, should be mentioned. Although no direct effort was made to determine the presence of gateways at these points, destruction of the wall is such that identify-

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6.2. The Wall, Metates, and Vault Stones. a. The Wall. 1. Plan and section of southwest gate; 2. Section of wall 40 m east of northwest gate. b. Metates and Vault Stones. 1. Normal-sized metate made from wall stone, by roadside north of Castillo; 2. Metate used for drinking trough at well. An almost identical specimen is in corral wall nearby; 3. Metate on house mound about 50 m. northeast of ranch house. Another of almost the same size lies close to it; 4. Metate made from stone that apparently had been a lintel, on house mound in northeast section of the ruins. Note length of groove; 5. Giant metate by roadside north of Castillo; 6. Sections of vault stones from Castillo and from corral walls at ranch.

ing features probably could not have been observed. The symmetry of these locations in relation to the other passages, however, is worth noting. Near the center of the ruins, immediately north of the well, are two pyramidal structures, and a similar structure lies just to the south of the ranch buildings. These range in height from possibly 6 m to 10 m, the highest being the northernmost. Farther south is a large, low rectangular platform, some 50 by 60 m, with a fallen, once vaulted building on the western edge. It is this building and the pyramid south of the ranch that have furnished much of the stone for the corrals and other postconquest construction. In the eastern part of the site, approximately on the long axis, is the largest structure in the ruins, the socalled Castillo. An irregularly shaped platform that

supported the remnants of once vaulted structures as well as house platforms occurs in the western part of the area. Remains of house platforms are scattered throughout the site, their number and concentration not being known. The Wall The wall surrounding the site was a matter of primary interest. It differs from the wall of Mayapán in that it follows a course clearly selected to utilize, wherever possible, natural elevations of the terrain. This is strikingly apparent in the southeastern, southern, and western sections, where the wall follows natural ridges several meters in height for a distance that comprises something like two-thirds of

Chacchob, Yucatán the circumference. On the other hand, the Chacchob wall is rather similar to that of Mayapán in design and construction (see Shook 1952). It consists of an inner bench and a slightly higher, outer parapet, the whole built of rather large, roughly shaped stones (Figs. 6.2a,2; 6.6a). At places there are one or two steps or low terraces inside the wall (Fig. 1, at northwest). The parapet is for the most part formed of large stones set on edge, often in two rows (Fig. 6.2a,2), and generally does not rise more than 30 or 40 cm above the bench. The lowness of the parapet and the space between the rows of stone suggest that this was the foundation for a palisade, presumably of timbers set on end and bound together by lianas (Armillas 1948:151). Remains of a plaster floor on top of the bench at one point (Fig. 6.6b) clearly

indicate how that part was finished, and it is entirely possible that all surfaces once were plastered. The total thickness of the wall would seem to average about 4–5 m. It is difficult to give any estimate of the present maximum height because of the confusion, without excavation, between what is natural and what is artificial. It would seem reasonable, however, to guess that the parapet attains at places a height of at least 2 m above ground. Maximum total height, including natural elevation, must be at least 6 m, probably more. Gates are simple cuts through the wall (Fig. 6.2a,l), the best preserved, those at the southeast and southwest, being about 2 m wide. Steps are visible leading up to these gates, this being made necessary by the natural rise. In the case of the southeast gate, steps occur at both approaches; at the southwest gate they were seen only at the inside. The Castillo

6.3. Sketch Plan and Section of Castillo.

The only structure sufficiently well preserved to offer any appreciable amount of architectural detail is the Castillo (Figs. 6.3; 6.4; 6.6c–g). This large complex of terraces and adjoining courts covers an area approximately 60 by 100 m. The principal and dominating building is a pyramid which rises in two great terraces to a height of 13–16 m above ground level, the difference in elevation being due to the natural slope of the terrain. No trace remains of the temple building that once must have crowned the pyramid. There are indications of old excavations here, and it is worth noting that the anonymous author (1845a) reports the removal of stone from the Castillo for a nearby hacienda a few years before his visit to the site. The structure faces west, as is shown by the remains of the stairway that rises from a courtyard at the foot of the pyramid. This courtyard is formed by ranges of vaulted rooms, some of which are still standing, that extend west from the northwest and southwest corners of the lower terrace of the pyramid. To the south of the pyramid and of the courtyard are other courts and terraces, some of which supported vaulted buildings now fallen. The relatively low terrace walls that surround the entire complex except at the northeast, where the first terrace of the pyramid rises directly from ground level, stand a meter or two in height and

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6.4. Architectural Details at Castillo. a. Plan and sections of building at southwest corner of pyramid (see Fig. 6.3). b. Profile and partly restored elevation of upper zone of façade at northeast corner of same building (see Fig. 6.6f). c. Architectural details. 1. Fallen façade decoration (spool) at south of pyramid stairway. 2. Top fragment of altar at foot of pyramid stairway. 3. Cord holder at east of doorway in north-central room in building at southwest corner of pyramid.

are built of large, very rough stones, only slightly worked, or merely selected for shape as they came from the quarry or were gathered from the surface of the land (Fig. 6.6c). The walls of the pyramid are of better construction, consisting of deeply tenoned blocks, the outer faces of which are relatively smoothly cut (Fig. 6.6d–f). Corners of both the upper and lower terraces are built of quarter-round blocks (Fig. 6.6d). A coat of plaster on the northern wall of the stairway suggests that all walls of the pyramid were thus covered. No step stones were observed. The stairway appears to be secondary to the upper terrace, but may only reflect the procedure of construction rather than any appreciable difference in time. At the foot of the pyramid stairway are the remnants of a square stone altar. Only the top part, which carries a three-member molding on all sides (Fig. 6.4c,2), remains intact, and it is impossible to

determine the original height of the monument. South of the stairway, not far from the lower terrace of the pyramid, is a quarter-round spool (Fig. 6.4c,1). This element is normally associated with an engaged column at the corner of a building. Its present position is such that it might have fallen from the southwest corner of the now vanished temple building on the pyramid. The only other decorative elements observed were a good number of colonnettes, scattered throughout the group. They are of a type usually associated with architectural moldings. The ranges of vaulted rooms at the northwest corner of the pyramid are for the most part fallen, and the plan shown in Figure 6.3 involves considerable restoration. It is reasonably certain that there are two parallel ranges, but the number of rooms and the arrangement of doorways are open to question. Part of the vault and the north wall of the southeastern room and a jamb of the southwestern doorway

Chacchob, Yucatán are visible. There are indications that this building is secondary to the lower terrace of the pyramid, but that sequence is by no means certain. What little can be seen of the structure suggests that it is of the same general character and period as the building across the court to the south. The best-preserved building at the site is that at the southeast corner of the pyramid (Figs. 6.3; 6.4; 6.6f–g). Two vaults remain standing; one doorway is intact; there are fragments of three other vaults; a profile of the façade is visible as high as the lower member of the cornice molding. The accuracy of the plan may be judged from the amount of wall shown as observed in place (Fig. 6.4a). Particularly open to question is the great wall thickness between the two central rooms. The southern of these rooms may have been wider than shown on the plan, its rear wall not following the line of the walls in the rooms to the east and west. The totally fallen remains of a second story are not shown, and there is the possibility of a stairway to the second floor at the south, presumably rising over a vaulted passage that gave access to the central room. Alternatively, the upper story may have been approached from the first terrace of the pyramid, which is on approximately the same level. No plinth is visible, although this feature is undoubtedly present, hidden beneath the debris. It has been restored in the sections (Fig. 6.4a) as a single course of stone. A fragment of white plaster floor remains in the north-central room. The walls are of veneer masonry, the facing stone being cut in a manner that may be described as of medium quality in terms of Puuc architecture (Fig. 6g). The outer wall surfaces are of better-dressed stone than are the inner, as is customary in Puuc buildings. The one surviving doorway is constructed of two large stones in each jamb, each stone extending the full thickness of the wall, and is capped by a stone lintel. Inside the doorway, at each side and just beyond the jamb stones, are two cord holders, one near the lintel, one near the floor (Fig. 6.4c,3). Vaults, all of which run lengthwise with the building except those of the northeast and northwest rooms, carry an offset at the spring and one course below the capstones on the four sides of each room. There is a wide range in the shape and degree of specialization of the stones that form the facing of the vaults (Fig. 6.2b, 6.6). In the north-central room the visible length of capstones is markedly greater at the middle of the room than at each end (Fig. 6.4a, transverse section). The arrangement of wooden beams, none of which remains but the locations of which are shown by holes in the walls and vaults of the standing rooms, is shown in the sections. The upper central beam

hole is not present in the shorter northeast room. At the northeast corner of the building the upper façade has been preserved by the abutting terrace of the pyramid. This is visible in profile to the height of the lowest member of the cornice molding (Fig. 6.4b). The topmost members have been restored in the section and elevation according to one common arrangement in Puuc architecture. The only exterior decoration noted is that shown in Figure 6.4b. The façade at the western end of this panel has fallen (Fig. 6.6f), and there may originally have been more than three vertical rows of triangular elements. In the northeast room on the plaster at the northern end of the vault are traces of painting. No color was seen, only fragments of figures or designs drawn in black line. Too little remains to discover the nature of the composition or the subject. The relation in time of this structure to the lower terrace of the pyramid is problematical. The northeast corner of the building clearly underlies the terrace, as witnessed by the buried façade of the former. A few meters farther south the upper façade of the building does not seem to be present, the terrace fill apparently lying against the unfinished outer face of the vault masonry as though the terrace had been built before this part of the building had been completed. Conditions at this point, however, are by no means clear. All that can be said is that the erection of the vaulted structure definitely was begun before the completion of the pyramid terrace, that the building of the two may have gone on at the same time, or that the vaulted structure was erected in its entirety prior to the building of the terrace. Because of the general similarity of the vaulted structure to the ranges of rooms at the northwest corner of the pyramid and the apparently secondary relationship of those ranges to the lower terrace of the pyramid, it is possibly best to surmise for the present that both vaulted buildings and the pyramid were built over a relatively short period of time. At the western side of the courtyard before the pyramid are the remains of what seem to have been structures with low masonry walls (Fig. 6.3). Destruction is such that little can be made out, and small reliance should be placed on the plan shown for the northern of the two structures. The thickening of the masonry at the southwest corner of the building suggests the remains of a bench or altar. The southern construction is too tumbled to attempt a plan, but the contour of the debris seems to indicate a room or rooms. It is supposed that low stone walls of this sort are the foundations for houses of perishable materials. These remains are similar to those found on so-called house platforms, presumably the remains of dwellings.

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6.5. House Platforms. a. Plan of house group north of road to San Diego Max (see Fig. 6.1). b. Plan of house platform and terrace inside wall near northeast gate (see Fig. 6.1).

The terraces, courts, and buildings that form the Castillo group cover a large area and represent a great deal of labor. It is not unnatural to suppose that so large an architectural complex grew by accretion and that construction may have extended over considerable time. More than one cultural period thus may be represented. The fact nevertheless remains that all architectural details well enough preserved to form reliable criteria point to the Puuc period. The vaulted rooms at the western foot of the pyramid are unquestionably of Puuc style, and there are indications that the pyramid was built more or less contemporaneously with these rooms, although this is by no means certain. Nowhere else at the site was there noted standing masonry that would indicate the period of construction. There were, however, many examples of loose building stones which by reason of design and style of workmanship might be associated with the Puuc period. Particularly worthy of mention is the occurrence in the corral walls at the ranch of column

shafts typical of those used in doorways in Puuc buildings. On the other hand, no mask elements were noted. House Platforms A number of structures that appeared to be the remains of dwellings were observed. These occurred both on platforms that supported the debris of vaulted buildings and on platforms with dwellingtype remains only. The characteristic plan is that of a rectangular room, or a series of two or three rectangular rooms, outlined by low stone walls one or two courses high (Fig. 6.5). Doorways to rooms were frequently marked by jambs of larger stones. These low walls presumably were the foundations for houses of perishable materials. There also were instances of simple platforms which showed no surviving traces of houses but which might well have supported perishable construction. These house platforms occurred singly on a larger platform or

Chacchob, Yucatán terrace, or in groups of two or three that formed a small courtyard. The first of the two examples of dwelling-type structures illustrated here (Fig. 6.5a) lies west of the northernmost pyramid and just north of the road to San Diego Max (Fig. 6.1). It is of the courtyard type but not wholly typical in that the several structures are more closely grouped than often is the case. The courtyard presents a gravelly surface of small stone that suggests the remains of what had been a plastered floor. No plaster was noted, however, anywhere at this group. The northern wing is a simple platform about 20 cm high, edged by a single course of stone that retains a rock fill. An outcrop of bedrock protrudes above the fill at the eastern end. The low walls, at no place more than one course of stone in height, that form the other structures in the group are 40–60 cm thick. Some of the stone is well cut, of a type associated with more formal architecture. Door jambs are of larger stones, possibly 50 cm high, shaped but very roughly finished. There are the remains of a bench or altar in the east room of the south wing, and it is just possible that a wall crossed the room in line with the eastern end of the bench. The enclosure behind this wing, built of great rough boulders set on edge, represents a type of construction reminiscent of the property walls at Mayapán, being particularly comparable to the stone circle against a house terrace mentioned by Bullard (1952:39). Another structure examined by us that may have been a dwelling (Fig. 6.5b) lies inside the wall at the northeastern edge of the site (Fig. 6.1). A goodsized terrace, a meter or two high and with a stairway on its eastern side, supports a low platform of which are the remains of a single room outlined by low stone walls. The walls of the terrace are built of large rough stone and are similar to the terrace walls at the Castillo (Fig. 6.6c). The house platform, such it is, stands about 20 cm. high and is faced on all sides with well-cut and dressed stone. The walls of the room, which are 30–40 cm high, are built for the most part of the same well-finished stone, two courses in height. The floor inside the room is paved with nicely dressed stone of the type used in wall construction in Puuc buildings. No mortar was noted in connection with any of this masonry. There is no appreciable amount of debris inside or outside the room. North of the platform, near the northern edge of the terrace, is a circle 80–90 cm in diameter (Fig. 6.5b) made of well-cut stone set on edge, the dressed surfaces of the stones facing the inside of the circle. No mortar or fill is present, the stones resting loosely on the surface of the terrace. The jumbled remains

of what seems to have been an altar or low platform about 1.20 m square occur just south of the house platform. The use of well-cut and dressed building stone in the house platforms just described raises the question of the period of these structures. This stone is of a type associated with the formal architecture of the Puuc period. The mixing of the well-cut variety with stone of much poorer workmanship, particularly in the case of the house platforms first described (Fig. 6.5a), suggests the re-use of stone taken from the disintegrating or abandoned structures of an earlier period. On the other hand, it is entirely possible the stone simply represents a surplus left over from some large construction and used contemporaneously in house platforms of the same period. At no place was there noted the typical Mayapán type of dwelling with benches, nor was there noted an instance of a rear room (Ruppert and Smith 1951: 231). The two examples of houses with benches or altars at Chacchob (Figs. 6.3; 6.5a) are very different from those at Mayapán. Just across the road north of the Castillo a group of houses with low walls that employed much cruder stonework than all others seen suggested a different period of construction, but there was nothing to suggest a similarity to Mayapán. On the whole, the dwellings we observed approximate more closely the low-walled remains, presumably domiciliary, that are found in the Puuc area. Metates and fragments of metates are strewn all over the site. As might be expected, they are particularly common in association with house platforms. Many examples are much larger than the usual utensil of this sort. A range of shapes and sizes is illustrated in Figure 6.2b, l-5. Pottery During our last day at Chacchob time was available to dig one trench in search of pottery. This was located near a house platform in the northeastern section of the site. Soil was found to a depth of 40–50 cm, before bedrock was encountered. Two arbitrary levels were maintained, each about 20 cm in depth. Only 165 fragments of pottery were recovered. R. E. Smith examined this material after our return to Telchaquillo. Thirty-six of the sherds were too eroded or too fragmentary to be identified; the remainder were typical of the Puuc period. Nothing was noted that might be considered intrusive in Yucatán, nor was there a single sherd that might be suspected of belonging to the Mayapán period. There were no significant differences in the pottery from the two levels in the trench.

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6.6. Views of Wall and of Castillo at Chacchob and Sculpture at Ukum. a. Exterior of wall above cave northwest of southwest gate (see Fig. 6.1), looking north. b. Fragment of plaster floor on upper surface of wall about 75 m northwest of southwest gate. c. Southwest corner of low terrace in front of Castillo pyramid (see Fig. 6.3), looking east. d. Southeast corner of lower terrace of Castillo pyramid, looking west. e. Wall of lower terrace and northern wall of stairway of Castillo pyramid, looking south. f. Juncture of lower terrace of Castillo pyramid and building at southwest corner of pyramid, looking south. Note remains of façade decoration on building (see Fig. 6.4b). g. Doorway to north central room of building at southwest corner of Castillo pyramid, looking south. h. Sculptured door jamb from floor of machine house at Hacienda Ukum. Length of stone 1.49 m, width 54 cm thickness 24 cm.

Chacchob, Yucatán Summary We returned to Telchaquillo on March 4, having devoted five days to our reconnaissance of the ruins. The results of our work may quickly be summarized. Chacchob is a small site surrounded by a wall. In many respects the wall is similar to that which encircles the ruins of Mayapán. On the other hand, the architecture of Chacchob, or such of it as was observed, seems to be of the Puuc period. This time of occupation is further attested by the small sample of pottery recovered. As walled sites of the Maya lowlands are commonly considered to be of a period

later than that of the Puuc, and roughly contemporaneous with the major occupation of Mayapán, these findings were unexpected. Interpretation of these observations, however, should proceed with caution. Our evidence is fragmentary, and there certainly remains the possibility that Chacchob underwent a late period of occupation. The wall around the site may represent that period, as may certain mounds, but in such case there should be contemporaneous ceramic remains. Before any conclusions are reached, it would be well to have a better knowledge of house platforms, here and elsewhere in Yucatán, and a much larger sample of pottery from this site.

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 7 December 1953

Archaeological Reconnaissance in Tabasco Heinrich Berlin

Rivers and streams serve as main lines of communication. Riverboat service, with modern outboard motors, is available everywhere though irregular. Most of the larger villages are now connected with the capital of the state, Villahermosa, by plane; and the Ferrocarril del Sureste provides easy access to the hinterland of Tabasco and Campeche. Permanent highways supplement the railway to Villahermosa and to Puerto Ceiba on the coast. Many other places can be reached by bus, at least during the dry season. Our knowledge of the archaeology of Tabasco is limited to a few sites. The principal explorers have been Désiré Charnay and Frans Blom; Berendt, Maler, and Seler have added a few bits of information. In recent times, E. Wyllys Andrews discovered new sites in southeast Tabasco; M. W. Stirling and his group thoroughly explored La Venta, with attention to the sculpture and ceramics. The meagerness of this archaeological record prompted a fresh survey of this region where lie the

Tabasco lies in southeast Mexico on the Gulf of Campeche. It consists mainly of an alluvial plain through which the Usumacinta and Grijalva rivers and their tributaries slowly meander. Only at the southern edge of the state does the plain merge into the northern Chiapas mountain chain. As Tabasco has one of the heaviest rainfalls of all Mexico, the country suffers each year from tremendous floods; even during the dry season, much of the land is perennial swamp. Groves of coconut palms flourish along the coast, cacao is cultivated in the Chontalpa, and cattle are raised wherever possible, with a growing tendency to convert all Tabasco into a huge grassland for pasture. Corn, grown in the old milpa fashion, is insufficient to meet the demand and must be supplemented by imports from Campeche. Bananas, beans, copra, rice, and coffee are the other major agricultural products, followed by oranges, mangoes, and avocados.

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Heinrich Berlin westernmost outposts of Classic Maya culture. It was particularly hoped that we might find indications of a supposed Toltec movement from Tula (Hidalgo) to Chichén Itzá, especially in view of the current belief that the Toltec cultural traits were transmitted to the Itzá by contact with Nahuat-speaking nations west of Laguna de Terminos. Therefore, I spent four months in Tabasco, from January to May 1953. As other institutions were surveying the district of Huimanguillo and the region around La Venta, I did not investigate the western part of the state. To acquire the archaeological background, I visited all known major sites (except Moral and La Venta), which I shall describe under the following more or less geographical groups. The Chontalpa lies north of an imaginary line from Cardenas to Villahermosa, extending almost to the coast and framed by the Rio Gonzalez and the Rio Seco. This region, where cacao shrubs dominate the landscape, has had the highest concentration of Indian population ever since the 16th century. But now the native dialect is rapidly dying out; Nahuatl, or Nahuat, which was spoken in several villages, has disappeared altogether. The search for major evidence of pre-Spanish occupation was disappointing; at a village with the promising name of Macuiltepec (Five Hills) there were no mounds at all. Even if, under strong clerical influence, the old temples were demolished here more rapidly than in the less populated hinterland, at least the substructures should have survived as places of refuge during the periodical inundations. The Coast was surveyed from Laguna Machona to Laguna de Terminos; all along it is lined with coconut palms. The existence or absence of lagoons with brackish water seems to have played an important part in the ancient cultural development of the region. The Lower Usumacinta, from a geographic point of view, should probably end above Jonuta where the Palizada River separates, but here the term Lower Usumacinta denotes the stretch from Tenosique to the point below Jonuta where the San Pedro y San Pablo River branches off. In this region, known in colonial times as El Partido de 1os Rios, are Tabasco’s major cattle reserves, where the beasts graze in open savanna-like country. A few sites outside these three areas will be described, together with two Campeche ruins, under “Miscellaneous Sites.” It was necessary, during the time allotted to this first survey, to probe the region as a whole rather than excavate carefully at minor sites with the risk of having to pass over major sites. Therefore only sketches with estimated distances were made for many sites: Huimango, Iquinuapa, Ahualulcos, Bellote, Las

Minas, El Encanto, Tiradero, and Arenitas. Too inaccurate for publication, these sketches may nevertheless be of use to other archaeologists intending to work in Tabasco and so have been deposited with the Department of Archaeology of the Carnegie Institution of Washington in Cambridge, and with the Institute Nacional de Antropologia e Historia in Mexico City. I have not given in this report any description of pottery, though many sherds were collected from the surface and from test pits. As the next season will be devoted to ceramic excavations at places in Tabasco which, from this year’s experience, seem to be key sites, it is expected that a subsequent analysis of the material will be of more lasting value. The term Fine Paste ware, however, appears occasionally in the text; it refers to a ware with little or no visible temper. Paste colors range from gray to orange. The well-known Fine Orange is considered here as belonging to this ware, but not all Fine Orange falls easily into Brainerd’s (1941) scheme; for in Tabasco, especially along the coast, and perhaps in Campeche, a peculiar late variety of Fine Orange seemed to exist. The relationship of Fine Paste ware, as used here, with Drucker’s Fine Paste ware of La Venta and Tres Zapotes (Drucker 1951) remains subject to more study in the field as well as in the laboratory. For a history of Tabasco at the time of the conquest, the reader is referred to Scholes and Roys, The Maya Chontal Indians of Acalan-Tixchel (1948). The Chontalapa Cunduacan. The present decadent village was once the large and famous Cimatan, Aztec mercantile center of southeast Mexico. Alfaro’s 1579 map (Scholes and Roys 1948:16) shows three pueblos, called the Cimatans and originally “located on the Grijalva a short distance below the point where the Río de Dos Bocas branched off from it . . . Later all three towns were moved to the site of the modern Cunduacan, two suburbs of which are named Cimatan and Cuculteupa” (Scholes and Roys 1948:31). This map also shows “lagoons among the large Cimatans,” one of which may be the present Laguna de Cucuyulapa. An informant at Cunduacan told me that near it were mounds where sherds had been found. Could these mounds be the remains of one of the Three Cimatans? In modern Cunduacan a tradition of three original villages survives, and the wards of Santiago (Cimatan) and Cuculteupa still exist there. In the vicinity of the town itself I noticed only a few scattered overgrown earth mounds.

Archaeological Reconnaissance in Tabasco Huimango. Lying within the jurisdiction of Hui­ mango is a small ranch, which may formerly have been known as San Antonio. It can be reached by turning north off the Cunduacan-Jalpa road at the village of Pichucalco. Here I encountered a group of mounds, covered by cacao shrubs, arranged around a plaza. There were long platforms, 3 m high, and a main pyramid, possibly with a stairway facing east. Eyewitnesses stated that during an excavation on top of the pyramid, a white, chalky floor was reached. Various “idolos” were said to have been found during excavations in the plaza. I found abundant Fine Paste sherds in a ditch that had recently been opened for drainage. Roys (1943:99–100) states that, like Cunduacan, Huimango was moved from its original location. Per­ haps the present ruins correspond to the primitive settlement.

preserved its Indian character to a notable degree. The native Chontal is spoken everywhere. In a ravine near the outskirts of the village is a place of worship with some five natural sandstone rocks where pagan offerings are still made. No information could be obtained about the possible survival of the old Mesoamerican calendar system. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday were said to be days of good luck; Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday were considered unlucky. I was told that, standing in the savanna about 3 km west of the village, were a few low mounds where pottery figurines and whistles had been found. In the village itself, sherds could be seen lying in the streets where they had been washed out by the rain.

The Jalpa-Comalcalco Road. The usual route passes through Chichicapa, but on my survey I followed a supposedly shorter one farther south and noted several archaeological sites. Galeana has a few low mounds and one larger one. At Iquinuapa I saw a nice court about 50 m square, with one mound on each side, the highest rising to 15 m. Beyond the Cuscuichapa River and shortly before reaching the Huimanguillo–Comalcalco–Puerto Ceiba highway, I found mounds at Rancho San Joaquin, which formerly belonged to Finca Esperanza. One of the mounds which I climbed showed abundant use of fired bricks, bound together with lime mortar containing small fragments of shell. Possibly temples, built of brick, once existed on top of these mounds, as is the case in the nearby Comalcalco ruins.

Ahualulcos. Early in 1933, Ignacio Gutierrez of the local legislature of Tabasco, started to explore some mounds west of Paraiso and finally made, in August of that year, a huge funnel excavation in one of the larger mounds, where two “idolos” had previously been found on top of it, either exposed or set up. Gutierrez invited Jose Coffin to see his work, on which the latter took some notes. Coffin published the history of the excavation first in the local newspaper, Redencion, and then in El Nacional in Mexico City, where he printed at the same time a photograph of some very fine Ahualulcos Late Classic ceramic pieces which are now on exhibit in the museum in Villahermosa. This old photograph serves as undisputable proof of the provenience of these pieces; they had always been ascribed to Ahualulcos, but only by oral tradition. Coffin described (1933) what he saw when the excavation was under way: “Durante toda la semana han sido extraídos cuidadosamente valiosos geroglíficos, adronos e imágenes afortunadamente en regular estado de conservación. En el fondo de la excavación hecha en la cúspide de la pirámide apareció una escalinata con cuatro peldaños que termina en una mesa de ‘cemento’ donde aparecieron sepultados varios restos humanos y el de una concha al parecer de Carey donde reposaron quizá la cabeza o alguna otra parte del cuerpo antes de la violación del sepulcro . . .” To reach the ruins, one must first go by bus from Paraiso to the small village of Tupilco. From there, one follows the Arroyo Verde by boat to Laguna Redonda, and then, still by boat, one continues southward to the ruins. They are situated about 4 km to the right of the Santa Ana River, and about 8 km above the point where it enters into Laguna Machona. The ruins stand on an island in the midst

Santa Margarita. This site, located on the Comalcalco-Aldama road, has only a few earth mounds, but holds considerable interest because the owner of one of the mounds had unearthed two fine hachas (Fig. 7.3e,f) under his house. They were found in a vertical position, facing each other. One, 24 cm high, depicts an old man with a bird beak over his head; above the ear the hacha is perforated by a biconically drilled hole. The other, 15.5 cm high, shows a face with deepset eyes and thick lips. Both are of granite, but of different kinds. From around the house, the owner had dug a few late Maya figurines, but apparently these were not directly associated with the hachas. Tamulte de las Sabanas. This is a larger Indian village, northeast of Villahermosa. Despite proximity to the state capital, the village had no bus connection with Villahermosa until 1953 and so has

The Coast

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Heinrich Berlin of swamp. This island is known locally as Isla de Rendon, named for a former owner. Ahualulcos is the modern designation by Jose Coffin, as he considered the site to have been the main settlement in the pre-Spanish Ahualulco region. Scattered over the island are many mounds, ranging from 3 to 8 m high. Several are in parallel rows. I ran a small trench across the top of one, and at a depth of only 80 cm found a good cement floor. On top of it was humus earth, with patches of packed shells; breaking through the floor, we encountered a solid fill of shells and small snails. The mound where Gutierrez had excavated was in poor condition. Only minute fragments of the old structure could be seen. It seemed that the stairway had had inset steps which had been reshaped at least once, for there were two overlying cement layers separated by earth fill. A few of the leftover sherds were collected. They included a wide-everted Chicanel-like rim sherd and a handle of a censer ladle, evidence of widely separated epochs. Bellote. To Désiré Charnay goes the credit of having discovered the important site of Bellote, which he visited in 1881 or 1882. His description of it still holds true in many respects, and it is well worth reading (Charnay 1885:157–158). Despite that well-known text, no other archaeologist has cared to revisit Bellote, even to check on the veracity of Charnay’s information; only M. W. Stirling touched it hastily in 1944. The Bellote ruins extend along the northern shore of Laguna Mecoacan and can conveniently be reached by outboard motor from Puerto Ceiba. More than 20 loosely grouped mounds were counted; coconut palms were growing around and on top of them. Efforts were concentrated on the mound de­s­ cribed by Charnay. After the top had been cleared of vegetation, it exhibited a confused arrangement of heaps, the remnants of excavations started before Char­nay visited the site and probably continued afterward. The structure had suffered much since Char­nay’s day; substructure walls were no longer exposed, and only a short section of a temple platform wall was still visible on top of the mound. Investigation was so brief that only miscellaneous data were gathered, I intentionally left untouched some linking sections so that evidence would not be destroyed for future excavators. An approach trench at the base of the mound revealed that the substructure had at least two phases. Of the outer one, there existed only a vertical surface of plaster, 50 cm high, which was applied

over the sand and shell fill. The inner one showed a continuous batter of 45 degrees, rising to a height of 1.50 m. Red paint was observed on the earlier plaster facing. The trench was not extended farther but it is possible that still older substructures exist. The temple platform is set well back on the northern part of the substructure. It is a simple rectangular construction, with an inset stairway facing south. The steps are in poor condition and show four, possibly five, heavy layers of mortar which probably belong to the various building phases of the temple platform walls. Charnay speaks of four layers of plaster on these walls. I could detect only three, but it is very likely that Charnay’s fourth one has been ripped off in the meantime. The fact that the lower part of the third layer is hidden under a floor would argue for Charnay’s fourth. It was probably from this last that he took the stucco piece illustrated by him and now in the museum at Villahermosa. (For a modern photograph, see Tlatoani, 1952, vol. 1, no. 2, p. 30). The oldest visible layer on the walls of the temple platform rests, in all probability, directly over the fill, which consists of heavily packed shell. This can be seen in an old and large funnel excavation at the rear of the platform. No decorations were observed on this layer. The second layer is 16 cm, thick. A stucco glyph (Figs. 7.1a; 7.3a) can still be seen on its outer facing within an oval frame on the south wall, close to the southeast corner. On the same wall, more toward the stairway, faint outlines of another glyph, possibly a human face, are recognizable. The third layer is 25 cm thick and built of bricks embedded in mortar. It also has many sherds of a heavy, red-brown household ware, just as occurs at Comalcalco (Blom and La Farge 1926–1927:1, Fig. 90). A small excavation made west of the stairway, breaking through the floor of the lower platform, showed that the third layer was decorated with stucco medallions. One was almost completely exposed, the next one (nearest the stairway) partly so. The exposed medallion shows a frame similar to those in House A of the Palace at Palenque; inside the frame is an Ik sign (Fig. 7.1b). Since fragments of frames were also found on the east side of the stairway, the whole south façade, at least, must have been decorated with medallions. It would have been interesting to establish whether all the medallions had only Ik signs, whether there were other signs as purely decorative elements, or whether all 20 day signs were in medallions around the platform. These points could have been determined simply by widening the small exploratory pit, but for reasons stated earlier, I refrained from doing so.

Archaeological Reconnaissance in Tabasco A few more fine stucco pieces were found in front of the temple platform, e.g., a badly damaged head in three-quarter-round relief of the best Classic Maya style (Fig. 7.3a) and a smaller head with facial features gone, leaving only the head-dress. These two pieces were turned over to the museum at Villahermosa; the other less important fragments were returned to their finding place and covered again with all exposed parts of the structure. Another exploratory pit was sunk in the lower platform. By piercing through six cement layers, we ran into solid packed shell. Two complete, though broken, Chicanel-like vessels and a piece of painted modeled stucco were found in this pit. Although the chronological equivalent of similar pottery types in Peten and Tabasco is by no means certain, this discovery suggests that the pyramid had been started by Chicanel times. Another large pit, sunk to ground water in front of the pyramid, soon ran into what seems to have been a multiple grave. One skeleton of an adult lay in slightly flexed position, feet pointing north and head facing east. This skeleton was removed. Another one was left in place; only the out-stretched legs had been exposed, and these pointed north. The skeletons were in remarkably good state of preservation, considering the moisture of the earth in which they rested, with ground water only a few centimeters below them. Around the bones were some 20 very crude, red storage vessels of considerable size, mostly arranged in pairs, one serving as a cover for the other. Several pairs consisted of oblong basins with markedly incurved rims. Though the floors were completely destroyed, available evidence leads one to believe that the plaza floor at the outer wall of the substructure mentioned above, was partially broken in order to make the burial, and a new floor was then laid above the grave. Thus, the placement of the grave suggests a late stage in the occupation of Bellote. Some Fine Paste sherds seem to point to the same conclusion, but their association with the burial is not beyond question. One exceptional vessel from the burial may ultimately turn out to be Fine Paste ware. Bellote is second only to Comalcalco as the major site of the Tabasco plains, and both are fine examples of full Classic Maya development. Even though there are no visible buildings standing at Bellote, it shares with Comalcalco the use of fired brick as an important building material, the ample use of stucco for modeled decoration, and true Maya hieroglyphs. We possess no information as to the historical development of Comalcalco, but in the case of Bellote we at least have the suggestion that activities, including mound building, had already begun during Chicanel times and that the site flourished during

the Late Classic, with a chance that it survived even into Early Postclassic days. No material corresponding to Early Classic has as yet been identified, and this raises the question whether the pre-Classic dating of Chicanel-like pottery at this site is correct. Further excavations at Bellote will most certainly provide ample reward for the archaeologist, as many untouched mounds remain. Just opposite Bellote lies a small island in Laguna Mecoacan, known locally as Isla de Francisco Chable. As at Bellote, thousands of sherds lie along the shore around the island. A few were collected, ranging from Chicanel or even Mamom to Fine Paste ware. The low mounds are built of shell with cement plaster covering the surfaces (Fig. 3b). From one of these mounds the owner had excavated a unique piece of pottery, fortunately unbroken, now on exhibit in the museum of Villahermosa (Fig. 3s). It is a red-pink vessel in the shape of a snail with four low feet and a lateral spout. In a panel it has a carved design of a head closely resembling Kidder’s “Serpent X” (Kidder, Jennings, and Shook 1946, Figs. 97, 98). I believe the vessel belongs to very Early Classic. We have now recorded three sites where shell mounds are associated with what may be pre-Classic material: Ahualulcos, Bellote, and Isla de Chable. A fourth, also in this lagoon area, is La Palma, near Paraiso, where shell mounds were destroyed in order to obtain road-building material. These mounds produced two tetrapods with a low basal ridge. They are now on exhibit in the museum at Villahermosa. As would be expected, these old shell mounds are concentrated around the coastal lagoons of northeastern Tabasco. Thence, to the east, there is none until the lagoon system of Laguna de Terminos, where Ruz (1945:67) reported their existence at El Aguacatal, significantly again, with Chicanel-like material. The two lagoon systems just mentioned are separated by a stretch of land which rises slightly over the southern swamps and follows the coast, roughly from the Gonzalez River to the San Pedro y San Pablo River. It is divided into two sections by the Grijalva. At the time of the conquest, this land was well populated, as can be deduced from the writings of Gomara, Diaz del Castillo, and Las Casas. The incursions of French and English buccaneers forced the natives to abandon their homes in the 16th and 17th centuries, retreating toward the south and returning only after these hostilities ceased. The proximity of the section on the left bank of the Grijalva to the Chontalpa easily led to the reoccupation of this area by Chontal Indians; Chontal is still spoken here today in several villages. A line of mounds extends across this stretch of land, on both sides of the Grijalva. Students agree

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7.1. a. Bellote, Tabasco; stucco glyph on temple platform, Phase II. b. Bellote, Tabasco; stucco medallion on temple platform, Phase III. c. Escarcega, Campeche; plan of mounds. d. El Tortuguero, Tabasco; glyphs on Monument 5. e. Atasta, Campeche; platform, (y), position of scattered bones of two adolescents; (z), position of isolated skull of an adult. f. El Coco, Tabasco; section of trench. Drawings by L. Zavala.

Archaeological Reconnaissance in Tabasco by its present locality. I shall first describe the sites on the left bank of the Grijalva, from east to west, and then those on the right bank, from west to east. El Coco. Several low mounds exist on the property of the Hacienda El Coco, especially on a lot called El Cajete mentioned by Berendt (1896:10). A trench was opened in one of the mounds a few years ago who still keeps the collection of Fine Paste vessels from his excavation. To study the building methods, I dug another short trench in the same mounds (Figs. 7.1f; 7.3c). This disclosed two constructions: the older one (I) was well preserved and showed vertical terrace walls; the newer one (II) was too broken up to allow judging its profile. In both cases the shell mortar which covered the walls was simply spread over a sandy fill. Only a few sherds were recovered from the fill. The top floors that had been seem in the earlier trench no longer existed, but my foreman, who had served in this capacity on the previous excavation, told me that all the pieces collected had been found above the floors. No further construction had been noted below the floors, and it thus would seem that the mound had been built up in only two periods of construction.

7.2. a. Ground plan. b. Section. Drawings by L. Zavala.

that Cintla, where Cortes fought his famous battle, was situated in the western section. Berendt, who visited the area in 1869, professed to have found the exact site, but I consider it doubtful that, with our limited knowledge of the Tabasco coast, any particular mound group could be identified as the old Cintla. Berendt worked around Cintla for six weeks, but I have had access only to Brinton’s short abstracts concerning his excavations, not to his original field notes. The latter, however, may exist in the University Museum in Philadelphia. A short tributary of the Grijalva, entering it opposite Frontera, was formerly called Rio de la Bellota, which gave its name to the nearby ruins, causing much confusion with regard to the site of Bellote, already described in this paper. In order not to further this confusion, I shall not identify each site

Madero. This small village west of El Coco lies on the road which connects Frontera with Allende on the Rio Gonzalez. There are only a few mounds. According to local tradition, a major excavation was carried out in one of them some years ago by Albert R. Morrell. This may be the one which Seler, who visited the region in 1911, described (1915, 5:149–151); he published a photograph of the stairway. I saw a pre-Spanish bell now in private ownership; presumably it had been dug up locally. It is of the wire like type, almost identical with style F4 classified by Lothrop (1952:91–93, Fig. 86g), who considers these bells as belonging to the Mixteca-Puebla period, i.e., the last century before the arrival of the Spaniards. Juarez. In the immediate neighborhood of this small village I happened to find a group referred to by Berendt as Cuyo Grande (Brinton 1896, Fig. 2, 3). The mounds do not seem to have suffered any recent intentional destruction, with the exception of

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7.3. a. Bellote, Tabasco; temple platform wall, Phase II, with stucco glyph and stucco head in front. b. Isla de Chable, Tabasco; wall of a shell mound. c. El Meco, Tabasco; trench. d. Las Minas, Tabasco; e, f. Santa Margarita, Tabasco; hachas. g. Isla de Chable, Tabasco; tetrapod snail vessel now in museum at Villahermosa. Height 14.5 cm; interior slip dark vermilion, exterior carmine slip and creamy wash. Courtesy Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Mexico. Photo L. Limon.

Archaeological Reconnaissance in Tabasco the façade of Mound B, where bricks had been torn off to get foundation material for the village school. It was only in the upper portion of the mound that I could still detect heavy pieces of shell mortar or plaster in the shape of an L, possibly the remains of a stairway that had been ripped off. This group has the best setting in the whole area. Guerrero. A rather high mound, visible from Mound B at Juarez, exists at this village. It may possibly be Berendt’s Cuyos de la Cañada (Brinton 1896, Fig. 5). From the neighborhood of the village came a fine Late Classic Maya censer which is now owned by a collector at Paraiso. Las Minas. These ruins, the first of the sites on the right bank of the Grijalva, consist of only two large mounds, both 15 m. high, which, though overgrown, still show terraces (Fig. 7.3d). Bricks were abundant. The group is surrounded by a deep moat which in March was still full of water, up to the saddles of our horses. It is evident that the fill for the mounds came from this ditch. Ditches are frequently found around the Tabasco earth mounds, but seldom are they so clearly defined as at Las Minas. Boqueron. Where the Frontera–San Pedro road reaches the sea, shortly before arriving at the mouth of the San Pedro y San Pablo River, stand the remains of a mound which is being washed away by the waves and in a few more years will vanish completely. This disappearance of an archaeological site due to water action parallels that of Xicalango postulated by Ruz. El Encanto. Going up the San Pedro y San Pablo River, which is lined with mangroves, I noticed a series of very low mounds, presumably pre-Spanish house mounds, in a clearing on the right bank. About 25 km south of the river mouth is the Hacienda El Encanto, which has a large group of mounds. The main structure, about 7 m high, has largely been destroyed. Bricks are scattered all around. The owners, who were responsible for this excavation, told me that they had found brick structures within the mound, including “arches,” and that they had found bones. Two whistles, still kept by the owners, were truly Maya. From the little that could be learned, it would seem that a Maya vaulted tomb had existed there, probably in Comalcalco fashion. Some of the bricks were said to have had carvings of bars, dots, suns, and faces, implying further connection with Comalcalco, whence Blom and La Farge (1926–1927, Fig. 96) illustrate a few incised bricks.

The region of the Grijalva River mouth presents a rather uniform archaeological aspect at present. No indications of pre-Classic, or even Early Classic, occupation have as yet come to light. All evidence points to a fairly dense population from the Late Classic onward. Mounds here are built of earth with plaster of shell mortar applied over the fill. Ruz (1945:68) found the same technique at Los Guarixes (a site apparently no older than Late Classic); he mentions a similar instance at Las Flores in the Huasteca, which Ekholm found to correspond to a recent epoch. I (1946:26) encountered another at San Pedro Buenavista in Chiapas, which also pertains to a postClassic horizon. The major diagnostic ware is Fine Paste; there is hardly a site where one cannot pick up a few pieces from the surface. In a sherd count of rims from Juarez, Fine Paste sherds ran 40 per cent. All along the Tabasco coast, fired bricks are a conspicuous building material. A possible exception might be the westernmost part of the coast, for which we have no information, although at La Venta sundried bricks or adobes are known to occur (Drucker 1952). Lopez de Gomara (1943:1:93) was the first to draw attention to the use of brick in Tabasco. Diego Quijada, prior to 1566, ordered bricks of a cu to be used for the construction of a chapel (Scholes and Adams 1938:2:354). Since then, even into present times, pre-Spanish bricks have been excavated to form part of modern constructions. These Tabasco bricks are thin and range from red-brown to gray. They definitely appear in Full Classic times at such Maya sites as Comalcalco and Bellote, and probably at Jonuta, continuing in use until the conquest. The Lower Usumacinta As one could expect from the importance of the stream, many small archaeological sites are found along the banks of the Usumacinta, though little can be said of them except that low mounds exist. Such minor sites as I visited are shown on the Archaeo­ logical Map of Tabasco, on which I made comments. Details will be given only for three major sites. Arenitas. This very important site lies about 18 km straight south of Balancan. To reach the ruins, one follows the telegraph line which connects Balancan with Tenosique, turning west at the huts of La Arena for 1.5 km. Credit for the discovery of the site goes to a group of reporters on the Mexican magazine Mañana, who visited it in 1951 (Arguelles 1951). Not far from Arenitas, close to Chacaj, lies a group

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Heinrich Berlin of mounds which appears on Maler’s archaeological map (Maler 1901, Pl. I). As in Maler’s day Chacaj was the settlement closest to Arenitas, it is difficult to establish now whether the entry on his map refers to Arenitas or only to the Chacaj mounds. The main group of the Arenitas ruins is concentrated about a huge plaza, 150 by 75 m (Fig. 7.4a). At the north and south ends of the plaza stand single mounds. Part of the stairway of the north mound is exposed, showing nicely cut stones. Long, high platform mounds bound the east and west sides of the plaza. It is possible that the high debris heaps on these platforms are collapsed buildings, for many fallen sections of compact limestone wall masonry are scattered around (Fig. 7.4b). Mortar has been used amply; a few stucco decorations lying at the foot of one of the mounds seem to have been parts of buildings. East of the plaza is another group, forming a kind of court, built on a platform. No carved or plain stone monuments were noticed, but, according to reports, a few stone sculptures of an unspecified nature had at one time been sent to Villahermosa. Tecolpan. On a reconnaissance trip in 1892, while searching for objects to be exhibited at the great Columbus Anniversary Exposition in Madrid, Captain P. H. Romero visited Tecolpan (or Tecolpa), a site on the left bank of the Usumacinta below Emiliano Zapata. On many maps Tecolpan is shown as belonging to Tabasco, but consultation with the Departamento Agrario at Villahermosa and the local authorities of Catazaja established that Tecolpan belongs to Chiapas. From some excavations along the riverbank, Romero (1926:472) reported having found filed and inlaid teeth, an olla containing a human skull, and metal bells. The last feature is clear evidence of a late occupation. As Romero pointed out, constant erosion by the Usumacinta brings archaeological objects to light, not only at Tecolpan but at many other places. The river continuously takes sand from one bank and deposits it on the other. During the last 70 years at Tecolpan, the Usumacinta has swallowed a stretch of land about 100 m wide where archaeological mounds formerly stood. Even so, about 1 km west of the Tecolpan huts is a group, consisting of one large mound, 8 m high, and a few low platforms. They are standing on slightly raised ground, completely surrounded by swamps that during the rainy season make the group an island. Two random test pits produced a great amount of pottery, with a high percentage of fine, probably

ceremonial, ware, including Fine Paste definitely associated with Late Classic Maya figurines. Because at El Tren, a nearby spot, Chicanel-like material was collected, it is likely that the Tecolpan region will yield a continuous ceramic column from pre-Classic to post-Classic. Jonuta. This outpost of Classic Maya art in the Tabasco plains has never been explored adequately, for the present aspect of the ruins is not suggestive of any former splendor. The ruins are on a bend of the Usumacinta, where many of the lower mounds are serving as foundation for modern huts of the town of Jonuta. The only high mound (some 15 m) has a modern cement platform on top with benches; it has become a lookout. An old photograph by Rickards (1910:1:78) shows the mound untouched. Bricks are abundant, not only in this mound but in the smaller ones, where they were used for walls and stairways (but not as fill) with plaster over them. Where plaster is used in floors, they rest directly over the sandy fill. Jonuta is famous all over Tabasco for the moldmade Maya figurines which abound there; but as there are many other Maya sites in Tabasco, the indiscriminate ascribing of these figurines to Jonuta gives a false picture of their real distribution. From this site came two finely carved sculpture fragments; one has been illustrated by Kelemen (1946:2, Pl. 7b), the other by Proskouriakoff (1950, Fig. 69b). The second fragment shows the lower portion of a standing Maya human figure. It is of limestone, 67 cm wide, 4 cm thick, and at present 56 cm high. According to information, it was found about 20 years ago, upside down, some 30 cm below the surface in the northern mound zone of Jonuta, called Zapotal. A search made then failed to turn up the missing part. This piece has clearly been cut at the upper edge. As it is so thin, it could not have stood alone but must have leaned against a wall. There is no stone in the immediate vicinity of Jonuta so the two fragments must have been imported. As it is hard to believe that a sculpture tradition existed in a stoneless region, we may further assume that the stones were brought to Jonuta already sculptured. According to Proskouriakoff (1950:148), both pieces belong to the Dynamic Phase, from 9.16.0.0.0 to 9.19.0.0.0, a judgment supported by the abundance of Late Classic Maya figurines at Jonuta. Miscellaneous Sites Tortuguero. To Blom’s excellent description of the site (1926:1:145–155) I wish to add only some new data gathered from the inscribed monuments during my short visit to the ruins.

7.4. a. Arenitas, Tabasco; view of plaza from Mound A; b: Arenitas, Tabasco; block of fallen masonry. Courtesy Mañana, Mexico. Photos I. Lopez. c. Atasta, Campeche; modeled prowling jaguars. Courtesy M. W. Stirling. d. Tiradero, Tabasco. e. Escarcega, Campeche; Mound A.

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Heinrich Berlin Monument 2. Since Blom’s visit, the tailpiece has been broken off, but, with the help of a newly found fragment, it was possible to identify the two present fragments of the monument, together with the new piece and the plain shaft that had been designated Monument 4 by Blom, as having originally been a single sculpture, about 3 m high. Its Initial Series was read by Blom as 9.14.0.0.0 6 Ahau 13 Muan. The glyphs are in poor state of preservation, and little can be added to Blom’s reading; but I should like to point out that the numerical coefficient of Glyph A4b, which in Blom’s drawing is shown as 8, could have been 13. The possibility of its being 13 strengthens Blom’s reading and would make Glyph A4b the month glyph. A4a would then probably be Glyph G, or even G/F combined. Monument 3. Since El Tortuguero has been conspicuously overlooked as a Maya site with monuments carved in full round, I present two photographs of Monument 3 (Fig. 7.5g), which, though unsatisfactory, give a better idea of this sculpture than Blom’s drawing (1926:1, Fig. 119). Monument 5. Though we have just seen that Monu­ment 4, properly speaking, does not exist as such because it is really part of Monument 2, I shall, to avoid confusion, start numbering the new monuments, discovered by me and not previously described by Blom, with number 5. Strolling around the plaza where Monuments 2– 4 are strewn, I came across a carved stone fragment (Figs. 7.1d; 7.5d). It is made of the local limestone, 14 cm thick, at present 55 cm high, with maximum width 30 cm. Traces of carving, along with two rows of three glyphs each, are noticeable on the front. Of this double row, only three dots at C1 and three dots and one bar at C2 are still recognizable. It seems, therefore, to have been a Calendar Round 3? 8?; we may venture to read it as 3 Ahau 8?. The presumable month glyph consisted of two elements, but it is very eroded, and we cannot go further in identifying it. On the right aide is an Initial Series, written with bars and dots above the period glyphs and at the left of the day glyph. None of the period glyphs can be identified, and most of the numerals are badly weathered. Each glyph block is only 4.8 cm square. A1–B2. The introductory glyph. The lower tun element is clear beyond any doubt, but the variable element is gone. A3. Unmistakably 9 (bactun). B3. The numeral was divided into three horizontal lines; the lower ones are clearly two bars. Doubt exists only about the uppermost line, but the ex-

istence of it postulates a number between 1 and 5 (inclusive). The best reading is 4, which makes the glyph read 14 (katun). A4. The space available would not allow a numeral higher than 10. B4. Same as A4. A5. Completely eroded. B5. The three supports of the day frame are visible. The space available at the left would not allow a number higher than 10. From what is left of it, a reading of 5 or 10 would seem to be the most likely. A6–B7. None of these glyphs is identifiable.

A correct identification of the numerals is made difficult by the fact that in such tiny glyphs the incision lines dividing two bars erode very easily, and that we do not know what shape the numeral 0 will take after weathering for long periods. Therefore, we are unable to give a definite reading, though 9.14.10.0.0 5 Ahau 3 Mac does not seem to contradict any of the many possibilities; even if wrong, it should be very close to correct. This date is near the two known Tortuguero dates: 9.10.14.14.10 10c 3 Yax, on Monument 1; and 9.14.0.0.0 6 Ahau 13 Yaxkin, on Monument 2. Monument 6. About 100 m south of the plaza, a plain stone column, 1.90 m long, was found on one of the terraces. In addition to the foregoing monuments, I was informed of the existence of another sculpture at the ruins. I failed to discover it but I have no reason to doubt the report. Indeed, it is very likely that more sculptures will be uncovered at these ruins when they are properly cleared. Blom has mentioned the sherds and figurine fragments on the surface; they are abundant and cover the whole Classic period. In the hands of a collector at Macuspana, I saw a fragment of a plain yoke of green granite, a material not indigenous to this region. The owner said he had found it in the ruins, where he also claimed to have found a small colonial silver head, as well as a silver coin, dated 1796, nearby. Tiradero. This site, first mentioned by Andrews (1943:51), can now be visited easily. The ruins are on a bend of the San Pedro Martir River, which almost completely encircles them. South of the ruins, across the river, is the modern settlement of San Pedro, now a railway stop, which, according to information, was formerly on the other side of the river where the few Tiradero huts stand.

7.5. a. Atasta, Campeche; statue, Courtesy M. W, Stirling; b,c. Museum at Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche. b. Jaguar head (ht. 16 cm). c. Stone sculpture (ht. 40 cm). d. El Tortuguero, Tabasco; Monument 5. e. Atasta, Campeche; stone tablet. f. Champoton, Campeche; stone statue in private collection (ht. 50 cm). g. El Tortuguero, Tabasco; Monument 3. h. Champoton, Campeche; stone sculpture in private collection (ht. 70 cm). i. Atasta, Campeche; stone sculpture (ht. 35 cm).

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Heinrich Berlin Andrews speaks of heavy ceramic deposits cut through by the railroad. He observed there a stratified pottery section to a depth of almost 4 m. Apparently in his day the section was fresh, but when I visited the site this cut was so over-grown that only after some weeding could I find a few sherds. On the other hand, at the time of Andrews’ survey the immediate neighborhood was so covered with vegetation that Andrews failed to find any ruins. Now the land has been cleared for milpas, and even from the train, mounds about 20 m high can be seen (Fig. 7.4d). The main group, near Kilometer 453 of the Ferro­ carril del Sureste, lies about 10 m above the river, close to the east bend, where there is a sharp rise; toward the west the decline is gentle. There is a large plaza, bordered on the west by the highest of the surrounding mounds, which shows crude stone masonry. Almost in the center of the plaza stands an altar platform about 3 m square and 75 cm high, outlined by large unhewn rocks. No standing buildings were encountered, though their former existence seems rather likely in a mound group lying northwest of the plaza. In this plaza a broken stela of limestone was found; it may have tumbled down from one of the platforms which limit the plaza toward the east. The stela is plain, 23 cm thick, 68 cm wide, with the top slightly rounded and a present height of 1.65 m. A search around the stela failed to supply the missing part; a pit dug near it to a depth of 1.75 m did not discover plaza floors, which one would have anticipated. The ceramic material from the excavation was almost exclusively of pre-Classic type; only in the upper levels was a low percentage of Fine Paste ware found. Another dig near the railway cut produced only Chicanel-like pottery. Thus, this second visit to these ruins confirms Andrews’ opinion that it is a predominantly pre-Classic site, though the presence of high pyramids with the use of masonry, the stela, and the Fine Paste ware leads one to believe that the site was also occupied in later times. Escarcega, Campeche. The ruins lie about 3.5 km west of the modern village of Escarcega, now a station on the Ferrocarril del Sureste. The road, which passes near ruins, follows the abandoned Matamoros-Pital railway; the rails have now been taken up, and the old bed serves as a rough road, passable for trucks at least during the dry season. Starting from Escarcega, one turns north between Kilometers 43 and 44 for about 300 m to reach the main group of the ruins, about 400 m east of which lies an isolated high mound. Two aguadas were reported nearby but not visited. They do not seem

to be permanent; by March the water supply at Escarcega was extremely low. Because the ruins are so close to the railway, local residents must have known of them long ago, although not until 1953 were they reported outside. They were used at that time as a source for roadbuilding material. The removal of the debris of Mound A uncovered a well-preserved substructure, the stairway of which Carlos Heredia (a prominent citizen of Escarcega) partially cleared and subsequently covered again. To measure the steps, I cleared the previous trench and closed it once more. The mounds of the main group stand on a platform on a hill about 7 m above the surrounding level and form a well-defined plaza. The ascent of this platform is very steep, except on the north side where there is an intermediate platform with a small low mound on it. The central part of Mound C also starts at this lower platform. No standing buildings were observed. Only at Mound A could some architectural data be gathered (Figs. 7.1c; 7.2; 7.4,). Its substructure consisted, I believe, of two terraces. They have inset corners and show apron moldings. The stones used for the facing are well cut. The stairway is divided at the highest step by a projection of the top platform. The temple building may have had three doorways, since two pillars, partly hidden by a later fill of rubble, are still visible. These pillars are covered with good plaster bearing traces of red paint. There is some evidence that the assumed lateral doorways were at a higher level than the central one. This point could have been clarified by removal of the secondary fill, which was in the shape of a clearly defined wall in front of the temple, but time did not allow a major excavation. Atasta, Campeche. The series of lagoons running westward from Laguna de Terminos makes a veritable peninsula of the land lying north of it. During pre-Spanish times there were on this peninsula two main towns, Xicalango and Atasta. The exact location of Xicalango is still a problem. Miguel Angel Fernandez located it near the Xicalango lighthouse (see Atlas Arqueologico). Ruz (1945:105) relates the ruins of Aguacatal with Xicalango. Jakeman (1952:25) is dubious about its exact location. Blom (in Torre 1944–1945:208) suggests that the ruins of Cerritos are the old Xicalango. To Roys (Scholes and Roys 1948:27), who shares this belief, the reader is referred for the history of Xicalango. Atasta is first mentioned by Bernal Diaz del Castillo (1939:3:36) in connection with Cortes’ expedition to Hibueras in 1524–25. In 1545, Tomas de la Torre (1944–1945:169) described it as a “pueblecito . . . donde ni conocían a Dios ni hay apariencia que

Archaeological Reconnaissance in Tabasco lo conozcan.” Today, Atasta faces the lagoon of the same name and stretches along one large street for more than 2 km, with uncultivated swamps to the north. A regular motorboat service connects the village with Ciudad del Carmen. Atasta appears in the Atlas Arqueologico, although neither Ruz nor Jakeman, who worked in the general area, did any excavation there. The archaeological importance of the site was not disclosed until 1944, when it was visited by M. W. Stirling in April of that year. From Stirling’s diary I quote with his kind permission: In Atasta it developed that the monument had been taken away about a month ago and brought to the local museum at Campeche. However, Ramon Hereria, on whose place it was found, had a good photograph of it which he gave to us. It represents a life-size standing figure in two pieces, the head and the body, which do not join properly. It was dug from the summit of a small mound about eight feet high about a year ago. We visited this mound group, which is about a mile west of Atasta. In another small mound in this group there is a cementcovered platform with a frieze of marching jaguars (à la Tula-Chichen) in modeled relief along the curving upper edge of the platform. Each tigre is about three feet long. Just one small corner had been dug into and three slabs of stucco broken off so that the platform is probably likely still intact. The underside of the stucco is covered with bosses or protuberances of stucco so that the cover will adhere better to the clay core of the platform. The stucco-coated platform itself appears very similar to those we saw in the Ceiba shell mounds with their animal friezes in relief. Many fine objects were said to have been dug out of the top of the mound where the stone figure was obtained and were taken away by some ingeniero. One was said to have been an elaborately engraved clay tablet. There appear to be about ten or a dozen small mounds at this site and ft is probable that others contain stuccocoated platforms. The school-teacher at Atasta had a small collection consisting of one small complete bowl of bright brick-red ware, fairly thin and quite hard, and about three-quarters of a tetrapod flanged base bowl also of red ware, a half-dozen or more efffgy legs from similar bowls, the effigies consisting of both animal and grotesque human faces. These likewise, except for the material, appear similar to the specimens we collected at Ceiba. There were also three copper bells, 2 small and plain, and one large one with the upper portion copper-wrapped. They are of the elongated variety. The small bells are about an inch in length and the large one two inches.

When I visited the site, the small collection, which in 1944 had been housed in the school, had disappeared. I could not excavate where Stirling had seen the stucco prowling jaguars, because the owner of the lot was not in the village. The day before I left Atasta, he returned and showed me the spot, but the jaguars could no longer be seen, weeds and bushes having overgrown the site; only a few bossed stucco fragments were lying around. I explored near the low mounds, from one of which the monument described by Stirling had been extracted. A test pit struck ground water at a depth of 2 m. Another random dig, 50 m from the mound where Stirling’s monument was found, resulted in the discovery of a low platform about 2.50 m square, the walls of which were partially standing to a height of 40 cm (Fig. 7.1e). These were faced with plaster, 3 cm thick, applied over the sandy fill with bosses on the inside. The walls did not connect with any outside floor. The platform had rounded corners and a semicircular projection on the east side. No excavation could be made in the center of the platform since a huge coconut palm was growing there. Another tree prevented investigation of the southeast corner, but the structure apparently was asymmetrical. North of the platform, almost at the surface, lay a skull of an adult; at the northeast corner were the scattered bones of two adolescents. Close to the skull, a copper point 5 cm long was encountered, but there was nothing to indicate any relationship between the skull and the point. Two fragments of a crudely carved, very soft limestone tablet (Fig. 7.5e) were discovered facing upward in front of the semicircular projection, but a careful search failed to reveal the rest of the tablet. It may originally have stood on the projection. The stone is 8 cm thick, 44 cm wide, and at present 37 cm high. The main object depicted seems to be a jaguar standing over a frame enclosing something undeterminable. On both sides of the animal appear slight incisions, presumably glyphs. The findings at Atasta, plus other sculptures recorded during the survey, indicate the existence of a sculpture tradition along the coast in southwest Campeche, extending at least from the Rio San Pedro y San Pablo to Champoton. Let us summarize the known examples: 1.

We have quoted the report by Stirling on one monument (Fig. 7.5a). Though Stirling points out that the two fragments do not join properly, Nicolas Heredia and his son, who dug out the monument, were positive that they belonged together and that the whole piece was buried facing upward with the feet pointing east. I was

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Heinrich Berlin able to locate the head in the small museum at Ciudad del Carmen; what had happened to the body, nobody knew. The head had suffered much damage, presumably during transport, and it is only by the old photograph that we can see it was covered with an animal helmet. The material is a mixture of sand and tiny shells, known locally as conchuela sand, which hardens to a degree where it can be used for sculpture. The head is covered with two layers of stucco, painted red. From the visible parts of the older layer, it can be deduced that at least the ear was first done in a simpler fashion. The general treatment of the face is reminiscent of the Xantiles of northwest Oaxaca, a late ceramic product according to Noguera (1940:95). 2.

A mound only 60 m from where Monument 1 was extracted has recently yielded a sculpture that is now in the possession of Ramon Heredia at Atasta (Fig. 7.5i). It shows a human face in the mouth of a snake (?). The piece is broken at the chin in two parts; at the rear it has a tenon. It is also of conchuela material.

3.

The limestone tablet mentioned above.

4.

The stucco prowling jaguars photographed by Stirling (Fig. 7.4c).

All the foregoing pieces came from Atasta, from an area not over 150 m square. 5.

Passing through the recent settlement of Nuevo Progreso, northwest of Atasta on the road leading from the Rio San Pedro y San Pablo to the town, I noticed several mounds, one of which was almost destroyed. According to an informant, this mound had a stairway; during the digging there, something like a “plaque with an eagle and unintelligible letters” was found. No precise information about its material could be obtained.

Two more sculptures of conchuela material are preserved in the museum of Ciudad del Carmen, although nothing is known about their provenience: 6.

A badly eroded jaguar head with a tenon (Fig. 7.5b).

7.

An unidentified piece with decorative elements, probably belonging to a snake (Fig. 7.5c).

Finally, at Champoton, two more sculptures were found in the possession of a dealer in antiques: 8.

A reptilian grotesque (Fig. 7.5h), mentioned by Shook (Shook and Proskouriakoff 1951:239). The piece is said to have come from a mound in Champoton. The material is conchuela in an advanced stage of calcification. As the side at a right angle to the mouth shows some carving, the slab may well have served as a door jamb.

9.

A human head of very simple features, carved in a very hard conchuela stone with almost no sandy inclusions (Fig. 7.5f). The provenience is said to be Champoton. The left ear has been chiseled off, as the finder wanted to use the stone in a balustrade.

Most of the sculptures mentioned were done in conchuela stone, a local material, which excludes the possibility of their having been imported. It would be rash to consider all of them as belonging to a definite style, though it can safely be said that none of them exhibits Classic Maya features. Nor do we find, with the possible exception of the stucco prowling jaguars, clear Toltec elements as identified in Tula and Chichén Itzá. On the other hand, it is well to bear in mind that the ceramic material so far found at Atasta, disregarding the broken tetrapod seen by Stirling in the local school, does not contain pottery of pre-Classic, or even Early Classic, type; nor did Ruz find any such material in his excavation at Champoton. It would seem, therefore, that the southwest Campeche coast sculpture, as now known, belongs to a time no earlier than Late Classic. Archaeological Map of Tabasco (Drawn by L. Zavala) The map is based on the AAF preliminary base chart, 1945. Ismael E. Christen’s 1900 map and the 1946 map of Tabasco, prepared by the Direction de Geografia Meteorologia e Hidrologia de la Secretaria de Agricultura y Fomento, were also used. Location of many ruins still leaves much to be desired. For the archaeological information, the Atlas Arqueologico (1939) and the Tulane-Carnegie Map of Archaeological Sites in the Maya Area (1940 edition) were consulted. The map incorporates Andrews’ (1946) findings in the San Pedro Martir drainage, the principal sites discovered by P. Armillas in 1953, and my work of the same year. New sites not described in the text, as well as deletions from the earlier maps, are briefly discussed below. The Chontalapa Roma (Finca): Low mounds, A Maya figurine head. The Coast El Naranjeño: Two plumbate vessels, now in the possession of a collector at Puerto Ceiba.

Archaeological Reconnaissance in Tabasco Arroyo Hondo: The Atlas Arqueologico cites Spinden (1913), who in turn refers to Seler (1915:3: 578–640). Seler, however, treats only Rio Hondo near Zacapa in Guatemala. But J. Coffin of Puerto Ceiba told me about the existence of ruins at a site called Arroyo Hondo but located farther west of Comal­ calco than shown in the Atlas. Libertad: A few very low mounds. Santa Rita: Low mounds, Low mounds. Zapotal: Low mounds. Buenos Aires: Low mounds. The Lower Usumacinta Estapilla: Low platforms. Sherds including a plumbate fragment. Santa Ana: The reference of Gordon (1898:8) given in the Atlas Arqueologico is incorrect, because Gordon refers to a place in Honduras. There are ruins at Santa Ana, however; I heard about a carved stone there but was unable to find it. Leona Vicario: Near the school of the Ejido there are low mounds. Tierra Blanca: Sherds and archaic figurines. Corral Nuevo: Low mounds. El Pajaral: Low mounds. Sherds. Ramonal: Low mounds. Quien Sabe: Low mounds. Sitio Nuevo: Low mounds. Zaragoza : Low platforms. Sherds. Paraiso: Mounds which include a large rectangular one. Encarnacion: Mounds. Acultzingo: Mounds. Pino Suarez: Low mounds. Oaxaca: One large mound where bricks occur.

Huimanguillo Region (Information from P. Armillas and W. Sanders) Arroyo Hondo: Mounds. This site should not be confused with that of the same name in the coast area. Chapultepec (de Aguirre): Mounds, including house mounds. A yoke is reported from this site. Ocuapan: Mounds. Sanchez Site (Tierra Nueva): Pyramids, ball courts, house mounds. San Fernando: Four sites in the neighborhood, with low mounds. Stone sculpture. Sigero: Pyramids, ball court, platforms. Tecominuacan: Several mound sites in the neigh­bor­hood. Miscellaneous Sites San Miguel: Mounds. Sculptures. Information from J. J. Valenzuela (1941) on file in the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, Mexico. Teapa: A fine Maya incense burner in the Museum of Villahermosa is said to have been found near here. Tapijulapa: A fine incense burner in the Museum of Villahermosa is said to have been found near here. Chotal: Platforms described by Charnay (1885: 369; and map, p. 381). Sites Deleted From Earlier Maps Bellota: [See body of report]. Blasillo: Blom (personal communication) ex­presses doubt about the existence of specific ruins called Blasillo in the neighborhood of Cardenas or Hui­man­guillo. The error probably arose as the La Venta ruins, which are close to the Blasillo brook, belong to the municipio of Huimanguillo. Centla: [See body of report]. Cerro San Diego: According to reliable information received at Macuspana, there are no ruins on the hill.

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7.6. Archaeological Map of Tabasco.

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Heinrich Berlin Chinikiha: This site belongs to Chiapas. Cuscuichapa Riveil: According to informants there are many mounds along the Cuscuichapa River, but as mound is a vague term, the specific site of San Joaquin is substituted on the map. Gracias available.

a

Dios: No reliable information is

Idolos: No proof of ruins at Idolos. The Atlas Ar­que­o­logico quotes Charnay (1885) and Hamy (1897), but the latter only republishes some figurines from Charnay which Charnay had acquired at Frontera without indicating their provenience. Izancanac: A name invented by Maler for the ruins of Canizan. Jalpa: The report of a painted skull’s having been unearthed at Jalpa does not seem to justify the inclusion of the site on an archaeological map.

Los Callejones: According to Charnay’s sketch map (1885:81) this place is in Guatemala. He does not indicate it as a pre-Spanish site. Mecatepec: W. Sanders, who visited Mecatepec recently, informs me that he did not hear about the existence of any ruins in the immediate neighbor­hood. Mecoacan: The reference given in the Atlas Arqueologico is too vague; it might as well refer to Bellote at the Laguna de Mecoacan. Mono Pelado: Pedro Armillas informs me it is very dubious that there are ruins and in any case they would be on the Chiapas side. Petenche: Identical with Chacaj. Zopo Cave: From the available maps, including Blom’s (1926–1927:92), it would seem that the cave is located in Chiapas.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 8 December 1953

A Portal Vault and Temple at Mayapán Gustav Strömsvik

vault was standing almost to its full height and well above the level of the fallen debris. On the south side of the portico the vault had fallen to within a course of the spring of the vault. It is surprising that this much of the structure was still standing, considering that the rudely broken, unshaped stone slabs used for walls and vault were laid dry, as far as can be seen at present (Fig. 8.3a,b). It is possible, however, that mud mortar had been used, and that the many centuries of heavy rains and filtration may have washed it out completely. The portico is nearly square, a little over 3 m by 3 m, with a rectangular pier in the middle and two round columns bearing the west façade. One column shaft is standing to the height of 1.50 m, its sides slightly bulging in the fashion of Puuc doorway columns. It lacks one more drum and the wooden lintels, that probably were about 30 cm thick, to bring it to the height (1.90 m) of the spring of the vault. The other column is missing; only the hole in the floor

Str. Q-127 lies at the western edge (265 S, 110 W) of a small assemblage of ceremonial structures that appears to be distinct from the Main Group, some 70 m to the west (Jones 1952, map). A fair likeness of the ground plan is recorded on the map of Mayapán, and from that and what the cleared mound looked like, the structure seemed surely to be a portal vault. In plan (Fig. 8.1) it somewhat resembles the major gates of the Great Wall (Shook 1952), but the vaulted roofing here is quite different, and it is not connected with any existing wall or visible city division. As it is the only building of the kind, a free-standing portal vault, thus far known at Mayapán, it seemed well to examine the structure more closely. The building was very much in ruin; the outer walls were virtually all fallen and one can only guess at what the outside originally looked like. The passageway from the west was filled to the spring of the vault with the tumbled-down roof materials. In the portico, or hallway, to the east the north side of the

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Gustav Strömsvik

8.1. Plan of Strs. Q-127 and Q-127a.

and a sliver of its bottom end prove its existence. The portico had been provided with a plaster floor, fragments of which were seen at the central pier and around the missing column. Incidentally, this column could not have been long removed, otherwise the edges around the hole would have been more obliterated.

The roofing was the common corbeled arch, built of uncut stone slabs, some almost 1 m wide, each stone projecting 5–10 cm beyond the one below it. The vault of the passageway, as is common with portal vaults, no doubt extended clear through from the west façade to the portico, where it intersected the inner transverse vault. The four inner soffits of

A Portal Vault and Temple at Mayapán

8.2. Sections of Strs. Q-127 and Q-127a (see Fig. 8.1 for locations of sections).

the portico vaults were apparently carried on a rectangular pier, and the outer four soffits rose from the inner transverse wall, the two lateral walls, and the columns and lintels of the east doorway (Fig. 8.2a–c). These lintels were undoubtedly of wood. It is difficult to believe that this structure had ever been plastered even on the inside, as not a trace of it could be found. Fragments can be seen in most cases, as on the neighboring Str. Q-127a. It also seems that the floor of the western passageway had never been plastered, as not the faintest speck could be found when the bedrock bottom was cleared. No cut or dressed stone had been used in this structure, with the exception of a large, rectangular one used in the base of the central pier, and of course the columns. The former most likely is a jamb stone from a Puuc period building, re-used here. The function of this structure can only be guessed. It may have been intended as a portal for

a city division that has been obliterated or never came into existence. It is just possible that it was used at one time, presumably late in the life of the city, as living quarters, as the quantities of utilitarian pottery and various wornout metates found in connection with the building would indicate. There was also found, however, a certain amount of ceremonial pottery (censers), all of which can hardly have come from the nearby Str. Q-127a, and this may point to a sacred function of the portal at one period of its existence. Str. Q-127a, immediately northeast of the portal vault (Fig. 8.1), could at first glance be taken for a building of the Puuc period. The masonry of the substructure is the best yet seen in Mayapán (Fig. 8.3d). On closer examination, however, it is clear that the structure was built for the most part of re-used stones from the Puuc period, presumably during the Mayapán regency and during the same general period as the adjacent portal vault. The substructure, 1.60 m high, carried a simple cornice of three masonry courses with an outward lean of 5–7 cm (Fig. 8.2d). Plaster patches on the wall and cornice show that the entire substructure, with the possible exception of the west side, was at one time plastered. In spite of the protected location, no plaster was found on the wall that faces the portal vault, only 15 cm distant. There was also no plaster floor remaining between the two structures, and it is therefore impossible to be certain which is the earlier. The absence of plaster on the west side of Str. Q-127a, which showed remains of plaster elsewhere, suggests that it was the later building, the ancient masons being unable to plaster the west wall because of the proximity of the portal vault. On the east side four steps led up to a terrace which formed the fifth step. Built against the finished, but unplastered, facing of the substructure, this stairway is built of re-used wall stones of Puuc type (Fig. 8.3e). At each side of the stairs is a smooth balustrade, 50 cm wide, with a vertical block at the height of the two top steps. The terrace is 1.80 m wide from the top step to the 20 cm high plinth on which the superstructure walls and the two columns of the doorway stand. Both the terrace and the room have superimposed floors, the upper some 5–8 cm above the lower. The

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8.3. a,b. Str. Q-127, the Portal Vault, from the east. c. Str. Q-127a, from the east. d. Substructure of Q-127a, from the south. e. South balustrade of stairway to Str. Q-127a, showing first stone of vertical block. f. Leg and head of stone figure from front of Str. Q-127a.

A Portal Vault and Temple at Mayapán columns are 40–45 cm in diameter, only one drum of each remaining in situ. The room is roughly 4 m long, north and south, and almost 2 m across from the columns to the back wall, which is standing to a height of about 1 m. This wall is decidedly inferior in construction to the substructure (Fig. 8.3c). It is built of smaller, more crudely cut stones, laid in lime-mixed, mud mortar. One rectangular, well cut, Puuc-type stone was noted in this wall. The roofing was without doubt a flat, roof of mortar and small stone resting on wooden beams. No vault stones were found, nor was there enough debris to account for a vault. There was, on the other hand, too much debris of small stone and mortar to suppose that the roof was of thatch. A trench was dug through the floor, across the room from the back wall to the front terrace, through the dry fill. Nothing was found in the floor construction except a few sherds of the common Mayapán Red ware. A fine likeness of a human head, carved in stone, was found on the terrace in front of the columns (Fig. 8.3g), and a little farther east was found a leg of about the same proportion (Fig. 8.3f). It seems likely that the figure from which these parts came had once rested in, or in front of, the building. Extending diagonally from the southeast corner of the substructure of Q-127a are two rows of wall stones, a little over 1 m apart, laid as retaining walls (Fig. 8.1). The function of this construction is not apparent. The plan of the building, the ceremonial pottery found in and around it, the stone figure, or idol, described above, indicate that Str. Q-127a was a temple. It is assumed that the midden material between this building and the portal vault did not collect as a result of the ceremonial practices carried on in Str. Q-127a. It seems more likely this deposit was put there by the occupants of nearby dwellings, of which there are several just north of the portal vault. The character of the pottery and artifacts found in the excavation of Strs. Q-127 and l27a is discussed in the following paragraphs by E. M. Shook.

Four lots, C-50 to C-53, of cultural material were recovered from the excavations of Strs. Q-127 and 127a. All except a very small sample, C-53, represents post-construction rubbish accumulated above the floors of the portal vault, the temple Q-127a, and around the base of its substructure. The small lot, C-53, amounting to only 63 pottery fragments of the 7,587 total excavated, came from the core fill of Str. Q-127a. It serves, nevertheless, to place surely the construction of this temple during the site’s major occupation, as over 80 percent of the sherds pertain to wares typical of the Mayapán period. The general surface material was excavated in three separate lots: C-50 from a midden in the corner formed by the northeast edge of Q-127 and northwest base of Q-127a; C-51 from the portal vault, the court east of the portal, and along the south and east base of Q-127a; C-52 from above the terrace and room floors of the same temple. These three lots contained 7,524 fragments of pottery; 329 animal and bird bones; 9 obsidian flake-blades; 3 flint chips and 1 point (Cat. no. 53-200); 1 carved and 3 unworked shells (Cat. no. 53-221); and fragments of lime plaster, apparently fallen from the exterior of Str. Q-127a, bearing red, yellow, green, or brilliant blue paint. There was a preponderance, about 50 percent of all sherds, of human-effigy censers on the floor, front terrace, stairway, and along the east base of Str. Q127a. Many of these censers still retained lumps of burned or partially burned copal. The proportion of censer fragments to other wares diminished around the portal vault and amounted to only 4.5 percent of Lot C-50 from the midden. This rubbish dump contained quantities of ashes, charcoal, the major portion of the animal and bird bones, a few stone artifacts, and 2,340 potsherds. The accumulation lay against, and in the narrow crevice between, Strs. Q127 and 127a, obviously deposited after the two units were built. The high percentage in Lot C-50 of presumably utilitarian pottery, Mayapán Red ware 56.8 percent and unslipped, coarse, light gray ware 33.0 percent, and the presence of house-type structures nearby suggest that the midden may be a relatively pure sample of domestic refuse rather than breakage resulting from ceremonial rituals.

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 9 December 1953

Some Small Ceremonial Structures of Mayapán Robert M. Adams, Jr.

Trench North of Str. Q-79

Although the Main Group is chiefly distinguished by the imposing and easily identifiable ruins of the more important temples and colonnaded halls, there is a considerable number of less impressive structures which also played a part in the activities at Mayapán. The excavations here reported, in and around several structures lying north of the Castillo, are perhaps not very important in their own right, but should be considered part of a continuing attempt to isolate recurrent features which define functional or stylistic categories among the lesser ceremonial buildings. Generally, these structures appear today as small, relatively low mounds of dirt and rubble for which it is difficult to establish a valid typology, yet distinctions between them are probably as important for understanding the nature of the ceremonial center and its function in the community life as distinctions between any of the larger units.

At the beginning of the 1953 field season it was not known whether excavations in the Main Group would provide either a stratigraphic succession of building periods or an adequate assemblage of pottery and small objects to complement the expected wealth of detail on architecture. Attention was turned first, therefore, to the investigation of a sherd concentration that accidentally was discovered in the upper levels of a considerable deposit of fill and debris north of Str. Q-79 (Jones 1952, map, 160 S, 270 W). Later work showed that pottery was often abundant in superficial debris of ceremonial structures, and provided larger samples of early materials for the study of seriation. In this sense, a trench through the deposit, which ultimately was extended to a length of about 10 m, contributed disappointingly little. On the other hand, it along one side are all that remain of some sort of free-standing tomb which

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Robert M. Adams, Jr. protected the bodies, although the lack of ceremony connected with the burials seems inconsistent with the erection of a tomb. Because the bodies lie close to an apparent northern entrance to the court of the Castillo, we might speculate that their deaths were the result of some struggle for possession of a gateway to the enclosure, but they might also have been sacrificial victims. The failure to extract three still-usable blades is perhaps more compatible with the vicissitudes of warfare, but Landa, on the other hand, has confirmed the practice of burying victims of sacrifice in the courts of the temples (Tozzer1941:120). Typological ceramic seriation, although evident in the materials from the trench, is in no way different from changes observed elsewhere in the Main Group. It need only be observed that the general, sudden, and overwhelming predominance of unslipped censer fragments among identifiable sherds from the latest period of occupation, and the slight but significant decrease in wares attributable to the Puuc period from earlier to later levels find their reflection in this trench. The censer fragments, however, may be considered separately, for a number of details about their form and occurrence in the trench are available that cannot yet be checked with the much larger bulk of similar material from other operations around ceremonial structures. First, their distribution in the deposit indicates strongly that the censer vessels were broken in some other place before being discarded in the area of the trench, for although component sherds of individual large fragments are found grouped together in the debris, the several larger fragments into which each vessel had first been broken were widely scattered. As a result, it was not possible to reconstruct more than small portions of any censer. Second, relatively few sherds were found in the talus of Str. Q-79; the great majority was, instead, part of the bedded, debris underneath. Both of these observations are consistent with the suggestion that most of the censers were discarded over the edge of one of the structures close at hand, perhaps after the breaking in connection with a yearly renewal ceremony such as Landa describes (Tozzer 1941:161). The sherds from the relatively small area and short span of time which the upper level in the trench represents came from a minimum of 27 vessels (parts of at least 27 figurines could be counted), and experience elsewhere indicates that similar numbers must be expected around many other ceremonial buildings. It is difficult to believe that normal usage alone would result in this amount of breakage. The vessels consist of thick-walled bowls on pedestals, that might result from the use of molds or

the simple duplication of standardized prototypes; in particular, facial characteristics and headdresses are markedly different. Shrines There is manifest uniformity in some of the details of construction of small shrines, but differences in their position and orientation also suggest that there may have been two or more ceremonial functions for the same basic building plan. For example, a number of mounds which surface examination indicates probably are shrines face colonnaded halls across an open court and may have played a part in the ritual connected with the latter. Close inspection, however, shows that most of the smaller structures are quite imperfectly centered and oriented; moreover, all the shrines that have been excavated so far have proved to postdate one or more plaza floors or earlier fill and the sherd collections associated with them do not seem to represent anything but a late Mayapán period. Thus it is possible that the shrines of this category are all younger than the colonnaded halls they face. One example of this group was excavated during the 1953 season; Str. Q-71 (180 S, 325 W) faces somewhat obliquely toward a hall some 15 m to the west. It also stands near, but in no apparent functional relation to, a western entrance to the court of the Castillo. Another excavated shrine, Str. Q-69 (160 S, 290 W), serves as part of an enclosing ring of buildings and flanks a northern entrance to the same court. Still another group of shrines may be represented in this report by Str. Q-90 (150 S, 215 W); these are independent of any larger complex and seem to have been scattered more or less at random over the open areas left between earlier and larger structures. Two of the shrines, Q-69 and Q-71, were almost entirely cleared of overburden, and each was trenched sufficiently to determine the major phases in, and manner of, its construction. The second structure was among those later restored and left as a permanent exhibit (Fig. 9.7b). The identification of Q-90 as a shrine is less certain; it was excavated only to the extent necessary to reconstruct its plan. All these structures consist of a small shrine on a low platform. Although details vary considerably, the shrine is never larger than one room and is approached by a single stairway and entered through a simple doorway without columns. The generally thin surface accumulation over the floors within the shrines rules out the possibility of vaulted roofs and suggests the use of thatch, although the shrine walls are of typical Mayapán masonry. Roughly shaped and unworked masonry, heavily coated with plas-

Some Small Ceremonial Structures of Mayapán

9.1. Trench North of Str. Q-79. a. Plan and section. b. Enlarged detail of skeletons.

ter, is also characteristic of the substructures, but well-shaped facing stones of the Puuc style of Late Classic Maya architecture were re-used in the stairways, balustrades, and plinths. Retaining walls and rock fill were laid dry, whereas the exposed masonry appears to have been set in lime mortar. An integral part of each structure is an ossuary cist containing the remains of several individuals, child and adult, male and female. Since Landa has observed that nobles and persons of high esteem were generally cremated (Tozzer 1941:130) it is perhaps not surprising that grave goods for these uncremated remains are few and poor and that manner of burial is uncer-

tain. But if these individuals were not nobles, it is by no means certain that they were ordinary peasants either, for Landa describes the burial of commoners in and behind their houses, not in what appear to be shrines. Here the evidence of the pottery is important; the identification of these structures as shrines is partly based on the large proportion of censer ware in the plentiful collections of pottery from the surface refuse around them. Fewer sherds are found on the surfaces of the structures proper, and only a, very small number within the dry rock fill of any of the sub-structures, but in these lots, too, a majority of the identifiable sherds were from censers. In underlying levels penetrated by our shrine excavations, on the other hand, censer sherds were a very much reduced minority. It should be borne in mind, of course, that if the presence of numerous censer sherds in surface debris confirms the ritual function for the area which the architecture suggests, their absence from underlying levels probably has only chronological significance. As might be expected, this rise in popularity of censers is normally accompanied by a slight decline in the proportion of sherds attributable to the Puuc period; in one exceptional lot (C-26) from an underlying level off the southeast corner of Str. Q-69 almost half could be so classified, but only a trace of Puuc period pottery is present in the small shrine substructures and in all of the surface lots. Str. Q-69 conforms with the general characteristics that have been described for shrines, as is evident from its plan and section (Fig. 9.2a), but a more detailed discussion of some of its features is necessary. The inset stairway, in particular, is unique. It was preserved only to a height of four steps but must have risen about as high again, i.e., to the level of the building platform. As reconstructed in the section, the upper half of the stair rises above the level of a low terrace into which the lower half is inset. It might be argued on stylistic grounds that this is extremely unlikely, and since the terrace admittedly lacked a well-laid upper surface at the level shown, it might have risen higher than illustrated; but the dearth of fallen debris against its southern edge is difficult to account for if the terrace originally was as high as the building platform.

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Robert M. Adams, Jr. Very little remains of the shrine except its standing jamb stones, and the positions shown for its north, east, and west walls are unsupported guesses. Whatever their real positions, there would have been very little room inside the shrine if the walls were as thick as the jamb stones suggest. A portion of the plinth is preserved along the west, as well as on the south; only the east wall of the building platform is entirely undetected. The outermost terrace, or enlargement, can be traced continuously, and directly east of the shrine a portion of its wall is still in place to the full height of the building platform. As the plan shows, the different orientation and irregularity of shape of the successive additions are quite striking. The structure faces roughly south, across one corner of the court north of the Castillo, and the masonry on the front is much more uniform than on the other sides (cf. Fig. 9.6a,b). On the west, for example, the plinth stones are roughly cut and poorly matched; on the south, the plinth consists of almost identical stones in the Puuc tradition. The northeast and southeast corners of the latest enlargement are composed, as the plan shows, of large, roughly shaped boulders (90 by 45 by 120 cm high and 45 by 45 by 95 cm high, respectively), but on the whole there is greatest disparity in size toward the rear of the structure. The floor and building sequence may be described briefly. South of the southeast corner of the structure an abrupt depression in the bedrock had been covered with two successive floors. The lower antedates construction of the terrace and seals 75 cm of fill containing a high proportion of pottery that probably can be assigned to the Puuc period; it is likely that the small number of censer sherds recorded for this spot are intrusive. The upper floor, 10 cm or so higher, is later than the terrace. A similar situation is found north and east of the structure. Elsewhere, all phases of the building’s enlargement rest on a single, lime mortar floor laid directly on bedrock, which implies that none of them are separated by any great length of time. The initial structure, of course, was the building platform with its accompanying cist, but as there is evidence that the shrine postdates the complete filling of the cist, it is possible that the shrine was not built in this first phase. Later, the platform was entirely enclosed by a larger platform of about

9.2. Small Shrines. a. Plan and section of Str. Q-69. b. Plan of Str. Q-90.

the same height, and stairs were added on the south face. Most of the sherds from a cylindrical tri-pod cup of Mayapán Red ware (Fig. 9.9d) were included, probably accidentally, in the fill under the steps. Later still, the stairs were either partially or fully inset by the construction of terraces alongside them; at about this time also, irregularities in the terrain to the southwest were covered with a low platform. After about 25 cm of debris had accumulated west of the structure, another floor was laid, for traces of it could still be followed immediately underneath the stone wall that runs directly westward. Depredations of postconquest wall builders have left only a short length of this last-mentioned wall intact, but clearly it connected Strs. Q-69 and

Some Small Ceremonial Structures of Mayapán -70 late in the Mayapán period and thus closed off one of the few remaining avenues of access to the court of the Castillo. Landa has left an account of a walled inner precinct at Mayapán which previous investigations have not verified. His description is also somewhat at variance with this modest double row of slabs (Fig. 9.6a): “They surrounded it with a very broad stone wall, laid dry, of about an eighth of a league leaving in it only two narrow gates. The wall was not very high . . . within the enclosure there were only temples and houses for the lords and the high priest . . .” (Tozzer 1941:24ff). Surface inspection to date has not revealed any trace of continuous inner wall, but the same purpose might be served by the erection of an enclosing ring of ceremonial structures connected by short lengths of wall such as this one. Possibly the Main Group was sufficiently ruined and overgrown by Landa’s time for the ring of structures to have been mistaken for a wall. In any case, the function of this particular wall segment can hardly have been military, for it probably never exceeded 1m in height. The ossuary cist was capped by the east jamb stone in such fashion that it could not have been entered after the erection of the shrine (see section, Fig. 9.2a). Only 90 by 60 by 120 cm deep, it nonetheless contained the bones of seven individuals, six of them adult. Although badly preserved, they appeared to have been articulated at the time of burial. There is not enough room for all to have been interred simultaneously, as in a multiple sacrifice accompanying the erection of the building; we propose instead that each later body was not introduced from above until its predecessors had decomposed and settled. Sherds were present, but whole vessels do not seem to have been included, and other grave goods were entirely lacking. At least three standing human figures, modeled in stone and of about natural size, were associated with the structure. All were badly broken and weathered and none of the fragments was in situ. “one of the “idols” consisted of a torso with portions of arms and feet, holding a vessel possibly containing corn or copal (Fig. 9.6h); it was found in the doorway and seems to have belonged in the shrine proper. Another was found high up in the debris just south of the “inner precinct” wall and consisted of a tenoned head and almost unrecognizable torso (Fig. 9.6g). A better-preserved head, still bearing traces of stucco and paint (Fig. 9.6g) found near the northwest corner, and may belong with a tenoned torso that lay on the surface below the eastern wall of the terrace. Str. Q-71 was somewhat better preserved than Q-69, and can be reconstructed less speculatively (Fig. 9.3). Of the shrine, only the north jamb and

the base of the shrine wall of it were in place, but the latter included the northwest corner; hence it is possible to estimate the length of the shrine in front elevation fairly satisfactorily. The width of the shrine and the length of the plinth, on the other hand, could not be ascertained. The building platform retained its full height for a short section of the east face (Fig. 9.7c and enlarged section CD in Fig. 9.3), making possible a restoration of the moldings which apparently occurred on all four sides of the structure. These moldings were broken only at the wide stairway on the west and by a sloping panel recessed into the north side (Figs. 9.3; 9.7a). Two rectangular projecting blocks flanked the panel at the level of the lower of the two angular members of the molding, and the inset area was backed by roughly surfaced stones that once must have supported a stucco panel. Probably as a result of the greater care which was necessarily devoted to it, the masonry in the moldings was relatively well- shaped and fitted, but the masonry beneath was typical of Mayapán: rough, irregular, and uncut. However, large boulders, such as were encountered in Str. Q-69, were not used. Three complete steps and part of a fourth were in place, as were also the sloping bottom courses of both balustrades. Since many step stones had obviously settled or fallen forward, the determination of tread and riser dimensions is somewhat arbitrary, and it will be noted that it was found advisable to reconstruct the stairway (Fig. 9.7b) with one less step than is shown in the plan and section. No internal evidence for the vertical blocks shown at the top of the balustrades was found, but their use at Mayapán can be shown on Str. Q-77 and by a fragmentary pottery model recovered during the 1952 field season. There is nothing which contradicts the assumption that they were normally employed. The stairway debouches on a low terrace, only 20 cm above the single plaza floor which is present here, and in the surface debris over the floor near the northwest corner of this terrace was found an intact pottery effigy of a frog (Fig. 9.9c). Str. Q-71 rests on a distinctive fill with large, angular inclusions which can be followed for some distance to the east, but the floor which caps it in the vicinity of the court entrance formed by Strs. Q70 and -72 does not underlie the shrine. Since Q-70 rests directly on bedrock, whereas Q-72 postdates this floor, the three structures might be dated in their numerical order, recognizing that continuity in the fill between Q-71 and -72 can only be assumed, not proved, and that in any case no great lapse of time need be involved. On this view, the shrine would bear no relation to the gate, which was formed only

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9.3. Small Shrine, Plan and Sections of Str. Q-71.

by subsequent construction. The later superposition of 11 refloorings in the area of the gate would also not require a long period because of the heavy wear which any opening to the court of the Castillo would receive. Str. Q-71 was largely built as a unit, with only minor renovations and enlargements. Contrary to customary practice, a retaining wall is absent behind the stairway, which thus must be absolutely contemporary with the construction of the building platform, and the condition of the plaza flooring north and west of the structure indicates that even the low terrace at the foot of the stair is also contemporary. On the other hand, patches of flooring underneath the plinth suggest that this and the shrine were later additions; the slight westward extension of the terrace and the rough lines of stones at the northwest corner overlie the plaza floor and thus are also later. The ossuary cist is capped by a large rectangular stone and is surely contemporaneous with the substructure; if the plinth and shrine are later, it may be that, as in Q-69, the cist was filled and sealed before the erection of the shrine. One adolescent and six adult skeletons were jammed into a space not exceeding 50 by 80 by 125 cm, again implying a period of decomposition between burials. Several

pottery vessels, including censer cups and bowls (Fig. 9.7e,f) and a grotesque effigy head (Fig. 9.9c), and a number of beads and other artifacts were included with the bodies. The latter are listed separately [. . .] as Lot C-22. Three small circles roughly centered on the front of the terrace (Fig. 9.3) represent the bases of an unusual style of statuary associated with the shrine. Stalactites, presumably from a cenote, were set vertically in the floor and used as supports for rather small figures modeled in stucco. A similar figure stood on the plaza floor below the extension of the terrace. Many small fragments of painted stucco were found in the surrounding area, but not enough remained in place to determine the subject of the statues. A large, badly weathered stone feline head was found a short distance southwest of Q-71, where it had been re-used in a postconquest wall. It may originally have been associated with the structure, as May also a feline foot found in surface debris near the southwest corner. Architectural embellishments of a fine-grained limestone more typical of Puuc masonry were particularly numerous around the northwest corner of Q-71 and in the area of the gate, but could not be ascribed definitely too any building or period.

Some Small Ceremonial Structures of Mayapán Str. Q-90 can be described as a shrine only with considerable reserve. Lower and more poorly constructed than the others, it has also suffered more through human or natural agency during the postconquest period. No direct evidence for a plinth or the standing walls of a shrine room can be found today on its summit (Figs. 9.2b; 9.6c). On the other hand, a thick accumulation of stone over the small remaining patch of floor on the top of the ‘building platform can be explained most readily as fallen wall, and the absence of a plinth is not surprising in view of the serious denudation that all of the upper surfaces have undergone. In its remaining features, moreover, the structure looks like a variant in the shrine category. The underlying sequence to bedrock was exposed only at the foot of the stairway. A thick, worn floor 35 cm above bedrock passes beneath the lowermost of the steps; however, the shrine does not rest directly on the floor but on close-packed fill above it. This fill is found on all sides of the structure and supported an upper floor, now largely obliterated, a little higher than the base of the outer terrace. Fragments which have been preserved in the shelter of the terrace walls show that this upper flooring curved upward to become the plaster coating for the outer terrace walls; thus it must be approximately contemporary with the outer terrace. The inner building platform is an earlier phase, not a mere retaining wall used in constructing the final form which the structure assumed, for the stairway is contemporary with it and its outer surfaces were carefully plastered. But in the area where it could be most economically tested (the southwest corner) the platform was founded only about 10 cm deeper than the outer terrace and did not extend to or through a floor. In other words, the evidence again suggests a relatively short period of small shrine construction near the end of occupation of the site. The masonry of Str. Q-90 is most typical Maya­ pán “slab and block.” Along the front (east) of the substructure the stones seem slightly more uniform in that all of them are relatively flat and rectangular, but even here there is considerable variation in appearance. At least the southwest corner-stone of the building platform, and all of the cornerstones of the outer terrace, were vertical rectangular blocks somewhat larger than those normally used in the walls, but none approached the proportions of those used in the outer terrace of Q-69. Puuc-style facing stones are used only on the balustrades, and the step stones are indistinguishable from those in the outer terrace that flank the stairway. The use of vertical blocks at the top of the balustrades, as shown in the plan, is as before, pure assumption. An erroneous impression of height is given, perhaps, by the

number of steps shown in Figure 9.2,b; the condition of the stairway (Fig. 9.6c) did not make an accurate reconstruction possible but suggested surprisingly small average tread and riser dimensions (13 and 15 cm respectively). In fact, from the base of the building platform to the shrine floor is slightly less than 2 m. The original height of the outer terrace is not known, but since it was founded slightly higher than the building platform, it is certainly somewhat less than the latter. If the outer terrace rose to the full height of the shrine floor, the upper portion of the stair would have been inset, and the top and edges of the building platform should not have been so extensively denuded; hence it seems more likely that the top of the outer terrace was substantially lower than the shrine floor. In keeping with the generally smaller size of Q90, the ossuary cist was also very small and could be excavated only with great difficulty. Its upper courses were partly broken away, but the chamber appeared to have been constricted at the mouth to about 45 by 45 cm; the depth was estimated at 185 cm. At least three adults and two adolescents were buried in the cist, but only a single, well-chipped flint point (Lot C-37) might have been a grave offering. Surface material around the structure contained no other artifacts than pottery. In particular, no fragments of statuary were found that might have been associated with the shrine. Platforms Str. Q-77. The excavation of a low, roughly square platform north of the Castillo disclosed a sequence of floors of unsuspected depth. Eleven or twelve superimposed floors, some separated by thicker bands of dry fill, had raised the court level around Str. Q-77 (185 S, 280 W) more than a meter (Fig. 9.4a–c). The sides of the platform were cleared to the level of the uppermost floor, which was continuous around the structure, and a trench was extended about 32 m over the well-preserved lime mortar surface to the foot of the west balustrade of the north stairway of the Castillo. Under the protection of the thick mantle of fallen rubble there, five still higher refloorings were observable. The latter may have been local patches, attributable to the greater wear that the foot of a stairway might receive, but the uppermost floor around the platform, at least, was a continuous resurfacing of a large area. Furthermore, the similarity in the two illustrated sequences of fill and floors from different sides of the structure suggests that a number of earlier floors were also continuous. Thus there is unmistakable evidence for continuity of occupation in the center of the Main Group

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9.4. “Dance Platform,” Str. Q-77. a. Plan. b. Section, east stair. c. Section, balustrade of north stair.

for a considerable period. It is expected that further work will be undertaken in the hopes of obtaining a clear-cut stratigraphic record of ceramic seriation, possibly linked to phases of building activity, from the sherds in succeeding layers of floor-capped fill, and no attempt was made during the 1953 season to secure adequate samples. The full deposit was cleared to bedrock only in two small soundings (Fig. 9.4b at the south end of the east stair; Fig. 9.4c against what was originally the west balustrade of the north stair) that were intended primarily to elicit information on details of architecture. Still, it is surprising that the sherd collections obtained thus far from beneath these floors do not reflect greater change than they do. Censers make up the bulk of the surface pottery and diminish rapidly in number

with increasing depth, but even in the earliest levels wares attributable to the Puuc period are distinctly in the minority. Although lacking a comparable overlay of successive floors, the material from the filled depression southeast of Str. Q-69 looks earlier in this respect. In its earliest phase, the platform was ascended by balustraded stairways on all four sides; the lack of debris above floor level indicates that it did not support another structure. One is reminded strongly of the Platform of the Eagles and the Platform of the Cones at Chichén Itzá, and it is interesting to note that the latter structure, too, lay not far from the foot of the north stairway of the Castillo at that city. Unlike the Chichen platforms, however, chac mools were not found in the fill of Str. Q-77. The platform is preserved to its full height only on the north, and there typical Mayapán masonry in the lower courses gives way near the top to a narrow, projecting molding (Figs. 9.4; 9.8a,b) and better-finished stones resembling those used in the Puuc style of architecture. It is possible that this molding was originally a two-member cornice of the type seen on the platform of Str. Q-71 (Fig. 9.3), the upper member leaning outward slightly at one place but being vertical at another. Well-cut and dressed stone is used extensively in the balustrades and stairways, but an occasional stone is very rough. This might be taken to imply that the wellcut, fine-grained blocks were re-used only because of their availability and appropriate size, and that careful working was no longer a virtue. Indeed, the heavy coatings of plaster employed in the Mayapán period might adhere better to rougher stones, and would certainly hide their defects. The use of a number of well-cut stones merely as part of the fill of the structure also indicates that a high valuation was no longer placed on their uniform appearance. A trench in this original platform disclosed no cist or other cultural material except a flattened copper bell resting on bedrock (Cat. no. 53-135, Fig. 9.11c). Probably it was lost or discarded at the time the fill was laid, but since there was no supervening floor, it has been listed with surface material. Two partially disarticulated skeletons of nine- or ten-yearold children were left in a small niche in the bedrock near the north stairway (Fig. 9.4a,c) before the earliest floor was laid, and thus should be contemporary

Some Small Ceremonial Structures of Mayapán with or earlier than the platform’s construction. No grave goods accompanied them. The square platform was founded directly on bedrock. After sufficient time had elapsed for six refloorings of the court (Fig. 9.4,5), all the north stairway but the lower part of its western balustrade and top step was torn out and replaced by a projecting platform which was built to enclose slightly more than the former area of the stair. Fragments of curved plaster attached to the top of the remaining portion of the balustrade inside the wall provide the most direct evidence yet available for the use of a vertical block at the top of a balustrade; the other balustrades have all been denuded substantially below the points where the blocks might be expected to have occurred. It may be suggested, purely as speculation, that only the presence of some sort of projecting head would make it necessary to dismantle the upper part of this particular balustrade rather than to incorporate it into the wall in the same way as the lower portion. Three superimposed floors on top of the original platform, known only in the immediate vicinity of the top of the north stair, are contemporary with the six earliest floors in the plaza, for they underlie the southern end of the new projecting platform. One later platform floor was found which post-dated the renovation; it abutted the new platform to its full height along the west and part of the north sides (note the evenness of the top of the masonry in Figs. 9.4c; 9.8a) and is no higher than the earlier masonry. But the extension of the masonry outline of the later platform over part of the area of the earlier would suggest that the floor of the later, now gone, must have been laid even with the top of the masonry, and thus must have been slightly higher than the floor of the original four-sided platform. It is not possible to tell whether the new extension served as a low and open dais appended to the earlier structure or as the substructure for a small ceremonial building. In either case, the effect of the renovation was to orient the structure as a whole to face the Castillo, and hence it may be connected with some building activity there. Two features of masonry of the new platform are perhaps of some interest. First, not so much care was expended on its upper courses; the molding, in particular, was not continued and the use of betterfinished facing stones was abandoned, To indulge again in speculation, the masonry of the original platform might represent the persistence in attenuated form of earlier standards that were more exacting, while these standards had been given up entirely by the time of the renovation. Second, attention may be directed to the large cornerstone on the new plat-

form (Figs. 9.4c; 9.8a). These have been encountered before in this report in late renovations; they may be an architectural feature of chronological value. A second renovation followed the end of all floor-building activity in the court. It consisted in the elimination of an inner corner formed on the northeast by the original platform and its later extension (Figs. 9.4a; 9.8a,b), and again involved the use of a large cornerstone. Apparently no attempt was made to do this on the northwest. Elements of stone sculpture, possibly including a stela, have been found on the surface in the vicinity of Str. Q-77, but all are too badly weathered to be recognizable. Str. Q-84. Also founded on bedrock in the north plaza was another platform, but this one was very different in plan and associations, and presumably in function. Str. Q-84 was low and circular, possibly with rectangular additions in its latest phase. In appearance, it is broadly similar to round structures at Tulum, Chichén Itzá, Xelha, and elsewhere, which have been attributed by Pollock (1936:144) to an association with Quetzalcoatl and a period of strong Mexican influence. Although it underwent a number of enlargements, the elevation of the platform rose relatively little, and successive refloorings of the surrounding court finally almost covered it. Not discovered until after publication of the Mayapán map, it lies about 15 m east of Str. Q-77 and about 20 m northeast of the Castillo. Even by comparison with the low level of technique which is normal Mayapán construction, the execution of this platform is crude and irregular. In its earlier phases it was only roughly circular (Figs. 9.5; 9.8d), and notions of symmetry or approximation to standard geometrical forms seem to have been dispensed with more and more as enlargements were added. This crudeness is reflected in the masonry also; only a very rare stone, usually in one of the latest phases, has been shaped at all, and great disparity in stone size has been accompanied by very little chinking. Even the stones used in the steps are not at all uniform, and the design of the stairs is uniquely asymmetrical (Figs. 9.5; 9.8c). A single, very fragmentary platform floor could be detected occasionally under a few centimeters of humus, and fallen debris from walls or vaults was not present. The platform may have served as a substructure for some building of pole-and-thatch, but no more permanent structure is indicated. It is surprising that superimposed floors were not found over the center of the platform because each enlargement raised its elevation slightly and might be expected to have been accompanied by a refloor-

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9.5. Circular Platform, Plan and Section of Str. Q-84.

ing of the entire upper surface, but possibly only the earliest floor escaped destruction by root action. Unlike the fill in the previously described square platform and in the substructures of the small shrines, the fill between the walls of successive enlargements of Str. Q-84 contained an appreciable amount of dirt and broken pottery as well as the usual rock. Small fragments of human bone also were scattered through this material, suggesting that middens or abandoned house platforms may have been used as sources. Since the concentric walls were clearly sequential, it seemed possible that the fill might show horizontal stratigraphy as one progressed outward, but in the gross indices relied on in this report no appreciable shift was observable. One factor which undoubtedly tended to obscure what evidences of change there were was the absence of floors sufficiently intact to separate the fill from later surface accumulations. A small pit that penetrated to a depression in bedrock at a point

5 m southeast of the cist at the southwest side of the structure was sunk almost 2 m through intact floors underlying the latest enlargements and undoubtedly contemporary with some of the earlier phases. In contrast with the sherd collections from the fill itself, the proportion of censer ware decreased sharply in earlier levels that were encountered here. As the excavation of Str. Q-77 showed, this sequence is normal for the Main Group, and the presence of censers in the fill accompanying early phases of construction of Str. Q-84 can be explained only as caused by surface intrusion. It should be noted that ware proportions in and around this structure are different from those recorded for other ceremonial buildings. Sherds of Mayapán Red ware are uniformly more numerous than censers, and black-on-cream (coarse slate), Fine Orange, and Porous Gray wares occur in significantly greater quantities. These differences probably reflect the specialized ceremonial function of the platform. Slightly less than 10 percent of the identifiable pottery in both earlier and later phases of the fill was classified as belonging to the Puuc period. Only a slight decrease in the proportion of sherds attributable to this period was found in later levels of the stratified pits underneath Strs. Q-77 and -84, but it is still surprising that this slight decrease does not find some expression in the Q-84 fill if a lengthy period of time is assumed for its accumulation. Late surface intrusions are hardly an explanation when the ware is early, and the uniformity in the proportions of Puuc pottery from succeeding deposits of fill remains a problem. However, the apparent absence of change should not be taken to show that most of the circles are mere retaining walls for a platform whose final form was reached after a single period of construction, for each enlargement was heavily coated with plaster and successively later floors turn up at the foot of each later wall. No very long period of time is necessarily implied for any one stage, or even for the entire sequence, as renovations may have been carried out fairly frequently. In its earliest phase, the platform was about 5 m in diameter, and perhaps was built merely to cover or enhance a slight natural eminence in the bedrock (section, Fig. 9.5). No stairway is known for either this or the first alteration, but stairs on both east and west do appear with the second enlargement. In the

Some Small Ceremonial Structures of Mayapán

9.6. Small Shrines and Statuary. a. Str. Q-69 from southwest. b. Str. Q-69 from southeast. c. Str. Q-90 from southeast. d. Standing column, Str. Q-84. e. Serpent head, Str. Q-84. f. Stone head, Str. Q-69. g. Stone head, Str. Q-69. h. Torso, stone statue, Str. Q-69.

succeeding phase, the same stairs remained in use; a semicircular enlargement was added to the south of the stairs, but there is no evidence for a balustrade

north of them. Next to be constructed was a thickwalled cist, which was sunk to bedrock alongside the semicircular enlargement after the latter had been

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9.7. Small Shrine and Associated Censer Pottery, Str. Q-71. a. From west after excavation. b. From southwest after restoration. c. Moldings at northeast corner of platform. d. Gate formed by Strs. Q-70 and Q-72, after partial excavation, Str. Q-71 in back. e. Brown censer vessel from cist Lot C-22). f. Graybrown censer vessel from cist (Lot C-22). Interior smoked, exterior lightly calcareous-coated.

Some Small Ceremonial Structures of Mayapán completed and plastered. A somewhat wider semicircular enlargement to the north then enclosed the west stair and completed the insetting of the east stair. At about the same time a new stairway was added on the west to replace the one covered over with fill, and the bulge of the cist was included within the first one and then another enlargement to the south. By this time the court floor had risen until the top of the terrace stood only 20 cm or so above it, and still later additions to the south are known only from shallow lines of stone bounding uncertain areas of fill. A low, rectangular extension to the southeast was certainly added; Proskouriakoff was able, although I was not, to identify a companion extension in certain surface conformations to the southwest. In the fill of the southeast extension a few fragmentary remains of an adult were found about 10 cm below the surface; in the absence of grave goods, this may be either a pre- or a postconquest burial. The cist, on the other hand, although it contained a number of burned and unburned fragments of at least two human skeletons, many large sherds (not fitting to form restorable pots), and much charcoal in the sandy fill of its plastered interior, either was used from the beginning only as a repository for rubbish rather than for burials or was subjected to systematic later looting. The absence of any surface disturbance, or even any surface indication of the presence of a cist, makes the second possibility seem highly unlikely. A number of large stone monuments occur at present on the surface of or near Str. Q-84, suggesting the possibility that it may once have served as a monument platform; it was mainly to verify or disprove this hypothesis that the structure was excavated completely. All the monuments were obviously not in situ, but it was hoped that the finding of broken floors, caches, or some other form of subsurface preparation would make possible at least a tentative restoration of the original position of some of them. The hope was not realized. Some of the monuments seem too large to have been moved very far and no reason is known for all of them to have been brought here after the abandonment of the site, but it still cannot be shown definitely that any of them stood on the platform. One probable cache was found about 30 cm below the surface in the fill inside the first enlargement (Fig. 9.5) and near two monuments, but it could not be related to either of them with certainty. It consisted of two basal of a style which Shook presently believes is more typical of the early part of the Mayapán period (Fig. 9.9a,b), and three very large flint and obsidian blades (Fig. 9.11d) resting on a small, roughly cut, circular stone slab. The blades,

as well as the bowls, were broken into a number of pieces; the breaks in the flint were as heavily patinated as the surfaces. Hence there are some grounds for believing that the cache may have been crushed during the raising of one of the heavy monuments. With the exception of a definite serpent head, all the stone is too badly weathered for the subjects of the sculpture to be identified, but several of the monuments appear to have been merely large, shaped stones, devoid of any surface treatment. The present positions of all possible monuments are given by number in Figure 9.5. A brief description of each follows: Q-84-1. Serpent head with seated figure astride (Fig. 9.6e). Length 123 cm, height 86 cm, thickness 28 cm. Q-84-2. Possibly a tenon to Q-84-1 that would add 40–50 cm to the length of the latter. Q-84-3. Very large standing block (Fig. 9.6d) with figures carved in high relief on sides, shallow circular depression in top. 90 by 50 by 140 cm high. Q-84-4. Well-worked oval slab of uniform thickness, basal and somewhat blunter than other. Length 105 cm, width 50 cm, thickness 34 cm. Q-84-5. Rectangular block, 40 by 46 by 53 cm high, with a shallow circular depression in the top. Horizontal channels have been cut around the ends to leave projecting moldings. Q-84-6. Trapezoidal slab of uniform thickness. 26 by 45 by 77 cm high. Q-84-7. Rectangular slab, possibly a stela. 127 by 39 by 20 cm thick. Q-84-8. Trapezoidal slab, found at bottom of cist. 60 by 30 by 17 cm. Q-84-9. Pear-shaped stone, oval in cross section, partly buried in fill and thus somewhat more likely than the others not to have been moved after the site was abandoned. 115 by 63 cm. Material Culture All material other than pottery recovered from excavations described in the foregoing pages is listed below. Asterisks indicate objects illustrated in the figure referred to in each lot.

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9.8. Ceremonial Platforms, Views of Strs. Q-77 and Q-84. a. Str. Q-77 from north. b. Third building phase, northeast corner of Str. Q-77. c. West stairs, Str. Q-84. d. Str. Q-84 from top of Castillo, southeast.

Some Small Ceremonial Structures of Mayapán Trench North of Str. Q-79 Lot C-6. Contents of upper 30 cm in preliminary pit near north end of trench: none. Lot C-7. Contents of lower approx. 30 cm to bedrock in preliminary pit: 1unretouched obsidian blade fragment. Lot C-8. Contents of surface debris above Floor 3 (Figs. 9.1b; 9.11a): fragments of 6 adult skeletons (C-8a–e)*; shell-bead, small snail shell with rectangular perforation,* Cat. no. 53-17; bivalve shell with slit perforation below hinge,* Cat. no. 53-33; 3 flint points or knives (gray chert, white patina, poor chipping, blunted point,* 17.3 by 4.5 by 1.3 cm, Cat. no. 53-1; dark chert, heavy white patina, wide end blunt,* 11.6 by 4.5 by 1.15 cm, Cat. no. 53-2; grayish translucent chert, willow-leaf shape, poor material and chipping,* 17.2 by 4.1 by 1.55 cm, Cat. no, 53-25); 2 unretouched obsidian blade fragments; 1 flint chip; 1 fragment of carved stone; 1 worked shell fragment; stucco fragments; 3 animal bones. Lot C-9. Contents of upper half of fill below Floor 3 in trench (Fig. 9.11a): child burial (C-9a) and 6 scattered bones of human adults; 1 double-perforated bivalve shell pendant,* Cat. no. 53-34; 1 bivalve with cut edge,* Cat. no. 53-36; 8 unretouched obsidian blade fragments; 1 small obsidian core; 14 animal bones; 1 unworked “tinkler” shell; 3 fragments of unworked shell. Lot C-10. Contents of lower half of fill below Floor 3 in trench: 14 human bones; 1 animal bone. Lot C-11. Contents of surface debris north of Floor 3 area and east of area of Floors 1 and 2 in trench, down to approx. the same level as Floor 3 (Fig. 9.11a): 1 human skull and femur; 1 animal bone; 1 broken bone awl, U-shaped section,* 6.3 by 1.5 cm, Cat. no. 53-54. Lot C-12. Contents of surface debris, including fall from Str. Q-79, south of Floor 3 area to same depth as Floor 3 (Fig. 9.11a): 5 human bones, 1 human tooth; 1 broken corner of mano, 8.0 by 6.9 cm, Cat. no. 53-48; 2 broken fragments of 2 bone awls, shallow Ushaped section,* Cat. no. 53-58; 1 baked clay spindle whorl fragment, biconical, striated,* 2.75 cm diam., Cat. no. 53-60; 1 broken obsidian notched blade, 5.3 by 2.1 cm, Cat. no. 53-61; 1 re-used flint chip, 7.0 by 5.5 by 1.7 cm, Cat. no. 53-63; 1 broken flint blade; 1 flint chip; 1 large boulder metate; 1 unworked shell; 31 animal bones, including 1 antler.

Lot C-13. Contents of surface to level of Floor 2 in northern-most extension of trench (Fig. 9.11a): 1 cut human femur, Cat. no. 53-56; 1 fragment of perforated “tinkler” shell,* Cat. no. 53-137; 2 animal bones; 1 unworked shell. Lot C-14. Contents of small pit adjacent to the wall of Str. Q-79 from level of Floor 3 to bedrock: none. Structure Q-71 Lot C-22. Contents of ossuary cist (Fig. 9.11b): 6 adult and 1 adolescent-adult skeletons; 1 greenstone cat fragment, edges worn, Cat. no. 53-39; 3 broken chipped flint points (white chert,* 2.7 by 2.6 by 0.65 cm, Cat. no. 53-41; green-brown chert,* 3.0 by 2.5 by 0.75 cm, Cat. no, 53-42; chert, heavily patinated,* 8.3 by 3.9 by 0.95 cm, Cat. no. 53-44); 1 broken chipped implement of green-brown chert,* Cat. no. 53-43; 1 rubbing stone, 5.0 by 4.5 by 1.7 cm, Cat. no. 53-45; 1 perforated bone needle, end broken,* 8.6 cm, Cat. no, 53-50; 3 circular shell beads (2 pink, 1 white),* 0.4–0.8 cm diam., Cat. no. 53-53; 2 tubular Jade beads, poor quality stone,” 0.6 by 0.6 cm diam., 0.65 by 0.5 cm diam., Cat. no. 53-54.; 2 rectangular white shell beads, 2 diagonal perforations on each from ends to back,* 1.7 by 1.3 cm, Cat. no. 53-55; 4 fragments of 3 bone needles,* longest 11.5 cm, Cat. no. 53-56; 3 unretouched obsidian blade fragments, Cat. no. 53-57; painted stucco fragments; 8 fragments un-worked univalve shell; 1 fragment unworked bivalve shell. Lot C-23. Contents of surface debris (Fig. 9.11b): 1 perforated human canine,* Cat. no. 53-77; 1 double-perforated bivalve shell pendant,* 3.0 cm diam., Cat. no, 53-79; 1 tubular jade bead, burned,* 1.2 by 1.4 cm diam., Cat. no. 53-126; 1 triangular chipped flint implement,+ 5.2 by 4.7 by 1.4 cm, Cat. no. 53125; 9 unretouched obsidian blades; 3 obsidian chips; 4 flint chips; 1 unworked shell; fragments of stucco; 130 small fragments of human, animal, and bird bone. Lot C-24. Contents of area below intact floors around Str. Q-71: 230 small fragments of human, animal, and bird bone. Structure Q-69 Lot C-25. Contents of surface debris: 2 fragments of a broken bone awl, Cat. no. 53-128; 5 unretouched obsidian blades; 3 flint chips; fragments of modeled stucco; 3 unworked univalve shells.

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9.9. Pottery. a. Basal-break bowl from cache, Str. Q-84 (Lot C-49). All-over pallid red polished slip, traces of blue paint applied after firing to interior. Three hollow, cylindrical, round-bottom feet, no vents. Orifice diam. 22.3 cm, height 7.7 cm. b. Basal-break bowl from cache, Str. Q-84 (Lot C-49). Same description as for a. Orifice diam. 22.0 cm, height 7.7 cm. c. Effigy vessels, left to right, frog effigy from Str. Q-71 (Lot C-23). Porous Gray Ware, painted blue. Height 11.0 cm. Effigy cup from Str. Q-71 (Lot C-22). Porous Gray Ware, painted blue-green except for teeth. Orifice diam. 5.2 cm, height 6.8 cm. d. Cylindrical vessel from Str. Q-69 (Lot C-27). Red slip on interior lip and all exterior. Tripod base, solid conical unslipped feet. Orifice diam. 5.2 cm, height 9.0 cm. e. Censer cup from Str. Q-84 (Lot C-44). Orifice diam., 7.8 cm, height 9.6 cm.

Some Small Ceremonial Structures of Mayapán Lot C-26. Contents of an abrupt depression in the bedrock southeast of Str. Q-69; deposit exceeds 70 cm in depth and is sealed by a superimposed floor which antedates the outer terrace of the structure: 1 unretouched obsidian blade fragment; 3 animal bones. Lot C-27. Contents of fill from terrace and platform, where it was removed to facilitate drawing section through stair: 1 broken greenstone celt; fragment of painted and modeled stucco. Lot C-28. Contents of ossuary cist: 6 adult and 1 adolescent skeletons; fragments of painted and modeled stucco. Structure Q-90 Lot C-36. Contents of surface debris: none. Lot C-37. Contents of ossuary cist: 3 adult and 2 adolescent skeletons; 1 chipped flint point, about 7.0 cm long; 1 un-retouched obsidian blade; fragments of painted and modeled stucco; charcoal. Lot C-38. Contents of fill between floor antedating structure and bedrock: 1 unretouched obsidian blade. Structure Q-77 Lot C-39. Contents of surface debris (Fig. 9.11c): 3 broken flint points (rose chert,* 4.5 by 3.1 by 1.0 cm, Cat. no. 53-131; patinated chert, possibly complete,” 5.5 by 3.9 by 1.4 cm, Cat. no. 53-132; gray-buff chert, snapped point and butt,* 6.5 by 4.3 by 1.0 cm, Cat. no. 53-133); 1 chipped flint flake scraper, Cat. no, 53-134; 1 copper bell with pellet clapper, suspension ring on top, 2.6 cm av. diam., slightly flattened,” Cat. no. 53-135; 3 unretouched obsidian blades; 1 unworked “tinkler” shell; 1 stalactite for stucco figure; fragments of painted and modeled stucco and wall plaster. Lot C-40. Contents of fill from between top floor and fourth-from-top floor in court adjacent to structure (for depth of deposit see Fig. 9.4b,c): none. Lot C-41. Contents of fill from between fourthfrom-top floor and either eighth-from-top floor north­ west or ninth-from-top floor southeast in court adjacent to structure (for depth of deposit see Fig. 9.4b,c): none.

Lot C-42. Contents of fill from between eighthor ninth-from-top floor (see Lot C-41) and lowest floor (for depth of deposit see Fig. 9.4b,c: charcoal. Lot C-43. Contents of fill from between lowest floor and bedrock in court adjacent to structure (for depth of deposit see Fig. 9.4b,c): skeletons of 2 nineor ten-year-old children. Structure Q-84 Lot C-44. Contents of surface debris; in the absence of more than fragments of flooring on top of the platform, the upper-most 20 cm here was arbitrarily regarded as belonging in this category (Fig. 9.11c): 1 badly scattered and very fragmentary adult human skeleton; 1 copper pellet bell clapper, 0.5–0.7 cm, diam., Cat. no. 53-140; 1 worked shell burnishing tool (?),* 2.4 by 1.5 cm, Cat. no. 53-141; 1 worked stone burnishing tool (?),* 3.5 by 2.5 by 2.4 cm, Cat. no. 53-139; 1 spherical jade bead,* 1.5–1.7 cm diam., Cat. no. 53-165; 1 crudely chipped flint point,* 8.2 by 2.7 by 1.2 cm, Cat. no. 53-142; 6 unworked bivalve shells; 5 unworked univalve shells. Lot C-45. Contents of fill sealed by floors be­tween 30 and 60 cm depth in pit southeast of cist: 1 small cut stone; 1 obsidian blade; 1 unworked bivalve shell. Lot C-46. Contents of fill sealed by floors be­tween 60 and 90 cm depth in pit southeast of cist: none. Lot C-47. Contents of fill sealed by floors between 90 and 120 cm depth in pit southeast of cist: 2 unretouched obsidian blades. Lot C-48. Contents of fill between lowest floor and bedrock (from 120 to ca. 190 cm) in pit southeast of cist: none. Lot C-49. Contents of fill of Str. Q-84 (Fig. 9.11c, d): fragments of at least 2 adult skeletons (cist), partially burned; 1 tubular shell noseplug (?) with broadened end,* 5.3 by 0.6 cm diam, Cat. no. 53-154, 1 sculptured human head, broken, stone, Cat. no. 53-205; 1 roughly worked stone disc (cache), 25 cm diam., 3.0–4.5 cm thick; 1 ceremonial chipped obsidian knife, in 4 pieces (cache),* 29.0 by 4.4 by 0.85 cm, Cat. no. 53-151; 1 ceremonial chipped chert knife, in 3 pieces (cache),* 28.5 by 7.0 by 1.9 cm, Cat. no. 53-152; 1 ceremonial chipped chert knife, in 2 pieces (cache),* 17.4 by 6.2 by 1.3 cm, Cat. no. 53-153; 1 finely chipped point of dark, translucent chert,* 11.4 by 5.0 by 0.8 cm, Cat. no. 53-149; 1 chipped flint point with elongated

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9.10. Censer Figurines from Trench North of Str. Q-79. a. Head from Lot C-8. b. Mead attached to vessel, Lot C-12. c. Fragmentary heads, left to right, Lots C-8,-12,-12. d. Head from Lot C-11. e. Legs from Lots C-8,-11,-12. f. Arms from Lots C-8,-11,-12.

Some Small Ceremonial Structures of Mayapán tang,* 12.5 by 1.9 by 0.55 cm, Cat. no, 53-150; 2 broken chipped flint points* (6.4 by 4.2 by 1.0 cm, Cat. no. 53-147; 11.5 by 6.0 by 1.4 cm, Cat. No. 53-148); 3 chipped flint point fragments; 98 small obsidian blades and chips, unretouched, found in cluster; 7

unretouched obsidian blades; 1 small obsidian core; 1 stalactite for modeled stucco; fragments of painted and modeled stucco; charcoal; 8 unworked bivalve shells; 4 unworked univalve shells; 44 small fragments of human, animal, and bird bone.

9.11 (overleaf). Small Objects. a. Trench north of Str. Q-79: flints, left to right, Cat. nos. 53-1,-25, -2, -63; shell, top row, left to right. Cat. nos. 53-34,-17,137; shell, bottom row, left to right. Cat. nos. 53-33,-36; bone, top to bottom, Cat. nos. 53-58,-58, -59; clay: Cat. no. 53-60. b. Str. Q-71: flints, left to right, Cat. nos. 53-44,-43,-127, -41,-42; bone, top bottom, Cat. nos. 53-50,-56,-56,-56; beads, etc,, top row, left to right, Cat. nos. 53-126,-55, -54; beads, etc., bottom row, left to right, 53-79,-77,-53. c. Strs. Q-77 and Q-84: top row, left to right, Cat. nos. 53-133,-131,-132,-142,-141,-149, 148; bottom row, left to right, Cat. nos. 53-134, -135, -139, -165, -147, -150, -154. d. Blades from cache in Str. Q-84 (Lot Cat. nos. 53-151,-C-49): -152, -153.

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 10 December, 1953

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán II A.L. Smith and Karl Ruppert

of censers constituted 6.2 percent; in the 1953 excavations the same type of sherds accounted for 20.8 percent. The increase in censer material is seen in structures with shrine rooms and especially in Str. K-52a, thus suggesting a correlation between building type and pottery. Conforming to an agreement with the Mexican Government, we filled all trenches and pits at the completion of the work.

During the 1952 season we excavated in house mounds where depressions in benches or any visible constructions below bench level, such as exposed capstones or bared vault or walls, were noted. These constructions had one, two, or three benches (Ruppert and Smith 1952). In the 1953 season our excavations were confined to four structures: an altar shrine, and three buildings that showed four benches in the front room. In two buildings a shrine room appeared as an extension of the back room. In the third building were two subfloor chambers, one with a stairway. These two chambers had been cleared by pothunters at some time in the past. Trenches were also dug at the base of the platforms supporting Groups K-52 and Q-119. R. E. Smith examined all ceramic material and furnished the data thereon in this report. It is interesting to note that of the 1952 sherd material from house mounds, 4.5 percent is of the Puuc period; the 1953 material is 0.08 percent Puuc. In 1952, sherds

Str. Q-119a (110 S, 10 W) Str. Q-119a (Fig. 10.1) lies on the west side of a welldefined natural hillock (Jones 1952, map) and faces south of east. It is one of two structures forming a group on the hillock; the other building, little of which is now exposed, is entirely in Square R but carries the group identification of Q-119b. Before excavation began, none of the supporting terrace was exposed; we were able only to identify

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10.1. Excavations in Str. Q-119a, Plan and Sections. Lot A-41: Contents of north-central bench: sherds. Lot A-42: Contents of 10 cm of stone and mortar below rough floor under north-central bench: animal bone; human tooth; polishing stone; sherds. Lot A-43: Contents of 10 cm of stone and mortar below rough floor under south bench: 3 shell fragments; sherds. Lot A-44: Contents of pits below floor level of back room: sherds. Lot A-45: Contents of bench in inner subfloor chamber: sherds. 1–3. Plastered floor. 4. Layer of stone and mortar 10 cm thick. 5. Jamb stones not found in position. 6. Column drums not found in position. 7. Niche. 8. Tight fill.

some of the benches and make an adequate plan. Most of the back room had fallen down the slope of the hillock. Apparently no previous excavations had been attempted on the portion of the structure above terrace level. Some stones had been removed and used in post-conquest walls, one of which crossed the structure transversely at the south end. Two vaulted subfloor chambers, one containing a stairway, were noted. Access to the stairway was through an opening in the floor of the front room of the structure, in line with the central passageway. The two subfloor chambers had at some time in the past been opened and cleared, and a bench in the inner chamber had been explored by pothunters. The platform directly supporting Str. Q-119a is in poor state of preservation except for the east side. Only traces were noted on the north and south and none on the west.

Exposed on the east or front is a platform 74 cm high, its face only 11 cm beyond the line of the columns of the building. This platform had been extended eastward 1.42 m in two non-uniform and off-center sections. Between these extensions were remains of a single step. With these additions the floor level of the supporting platform seems to have been raised 24 cm. In general the plan (Fig. 10.1) shows a row of four columns across the front; four benches, those at the ends being L-shaped; and a back room, now indicated primarily by three doorways leading to it and by the plastered floor of the passageways extending into this area. Stones which suggest the remains of a wall at the south end of the front room presuppose a similar wall at the north end. Large flat wall stones in the debris on the floor of the outer room at the south end of the structure were lying in a position

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán II to suggest a fallen wall which originally blocked the space between the southernmost column and the south end of the building. Masonry is similar to that in Str. R-100, with a fair amount of well-cut and dressed Puuc-type stones used here. The column drums, 50 cm in diameter, are not worked with care. The lower drum of the south column was found in situ. A number of drums were recovered from the post-conquest wall crossing the structure. No estimate could be made of the height of the columns or of the number of drums in each. The jamb stones of the north doorway are in position. Each jamb is a single large block nicely squared. These stones project slightly from the line of the bench. The south jamb stones of the central and south doorways had been removed but were replaced when we finished the excavation. The benches have an average height of 45 cm. The facing is in general a single course of stones set on end (Fig. 10.5aa). The stones rest on a 10 cm layer of lime and stone which formed the working level from which the building rose. Three distinct floors abutted the bench and jambs. Here and there patches of plaster still adhere to the bench facing. The fill of the benches is miscellaneous small and large, rough and unworked stones with some mortar. In the south face of the south-central bench is a niche, its floor on the same level as that of the passageway (Fig. 10.5a). The niche is 32 cm deep, 27 cm wide, and 36 cm high. Test trenches were made in the south and northcentral benches, which produced, respectively, Lot A-43, and Lots A-41 and -42. Lot A-43 extended from the working level underlying the bench to the loose fill of the platform and yielded three shell fragments and 120 sherds, all Mayapán period except one which was not identifiable. The lot included one sherd of Fine Orange and 10 of censers. Lot A-41 came from above the carelessly smoothed working level on which the bench rests and contained 23 sherds: 21 Mayapán period, one Puuc period, and one unidentifiable. Lot A-42 extended 10 cm through the working level. It contained fragments of animal bones, a human tooth, a polishing stone, and seven sherds of Mayapán period. In the area of the back room two trenches were made in the fill of the platform. The material from these two trenches is listed as Lot A-44 and contained 48 sherds: 43 Mayapán period, including four of censers, and five unidentifiable. There are two subfloor chambers: one contains the stairway and forms a sort of antechamber; the

other is the inner chamber with a bench (Fig. 10.1). Entrance to the stairway was through an opening in the floor of the front room, more or less in line with the medial axis of the building and to the east of the faces of the benches. As the opening was in poor state of preservation, it is not known if the entrance was closed or left open when the structure was occupied. The masonry of the antechamber is crude; the stones are not carefully worked. Chinking is noted, and in some places plaster remains on walls, steps, and vault (Fig. 10.6a–c). The vault rises from an irregular offset to the capstones. The floor in both chambers was virtually destroyed; traces are seen where it curves up to the walls, step, or bench. The doorway between the two chambers has corbels supporting the two stones of the lintel. The jambs are of slabs and blocks, and had been plastered. The doorway is now blocked to a height of 38 cm, although at one time it may have been blocked to the lintel. The floor in the doorway is carefully plastered. The masonry of the inner chamber, as in the antechamber, is of irregularly shaped, unfaced stones. There is an average 10 cm offset at the spring of the vault and at the ends of the room. The vault is made of slabs and blocks, none beveled. Suggestions of stepping of the vault faces are probably only irregularities in construction; traces of a heavy coat of plaster still adhere in places. Much chinking was noted throughout the masonry. Perhaps due to weathering, much of the north end of the vault has been destroyed. A decided cant of the north end wall of the vault is probably the result of recent architectural failure rather than intention. The bench, averaging 1.07 m wide by 38 cm high, was built at the time of the construction of the chamber. It had been carefully plastered on top and front. Much of the fill of the bench, of large stones and mortar, had been removed at some time in the past. That which remained was examined and the excavation extended to bedrock, an average distance of 20 cm below the floor of the chamber. In this trench 10 sherds (Lot A-45) of Mayapán period were recovered. A trench was made in the talus of the terrace to the northeast of Str. Q-119a. The trench had a width of 1.3 m, a length of 2.5 m, and a depth to bedrock of 70 cm at one end and 1.3 m at the other. The fill, which contained midden material, was of rock and earth with a 10 cm layer of sterile earth directly above bedrock. Recovered from the trench and listed as Lot A-46 were five fragments of animal bones, 23 shell fragments, five flint chips (one small, possibly

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10.2. Excavations in Str. R-100, Plan and Section. Lot A-47: Contents of pit in bench and fill in shrine room: flint chip; sherds. Lot A-48: Contents of pit below floor at south end of central passageway: 2 human bones; animal bone; shell fragment; 2 flint chips; obsidian lancet fragment; sherds. Lot A-49: Contents of pit below floor in back room in line with central passageway: animal bone; 3 obsidian lancet fragments; 2 shells; flint chip; flint point; sherds. Lot A-50: Contents of pit below floor at north end of central passageway: 1–5. Remains of adult skeleton, skull and some bones. 6. Pottery figurine of a woman (Fig. 10.9e). Miscellaneous objects: obsidian lancet fragment; flint chips; pieces of charcoal; sherds. Lot A-51: Contents of pit below floor in front of bench in shrine room: stone disk, sherds. a. Jamb, a re-used metate. b. Passageway filled to level of benches.

for polishing), six fragments of gray-streaked obsidian flakes, two bone awls, one pottery tubular ornament, one square iron nail, and 1,283 sherds. Of the latter, 946 sherds are Mayapán period (106 of censers, 14 Fine Orange, one Puuc, six Peten-like polychrome) and 337 unidentifiable. Str. R-100 (295 S, 135 E) Str. R-100 is situated on relatively low land between two large and imposing groups. One of the latter, including Strs. R-95 through R-98, lies to the west and is approached from the southwest by a sacbe (Jones 1952, map). The other group, Strs. R-102 through R-107, rises from a low hillock to the east. Str. R-100 faces roughly north and rests on a platform approximately 20 cm in height that projects 2 m in front of the building. In plan (Fig. 10.2) it originally had four benches in the front room with three passageways leading to the back room.

At some time the west passageway had been filled, making a single continuous bench for the west half of the structure. Two benches were in the west end of the back room. The western of the two was somewhat wider than the other although its south face had fallen so that no definite measurements could be made. At the time the passageway between the two benches in the front room was filled, the fill was extended into the back room as far as the south face of the eastern of the two benches. Benches in both rooms are comparatively low, now rising an average of 30 cm. In the front room their width is 1.4 m. A doorway, 1.22 m wide, in the center of the back wall of the back room leads to a small chamber, the shrine room, which measures 1.6 by 2 m. The door sill and the floor are 5 cm above the floor of the larger room. A bench 1.1 m wide, extending the length of the shrine room and built against the back wall, has a height of 19 cm.

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán II Doorways are marked by large stones having the same width as the walls. Such stones form the jambs in all openings between the front and back rooms. At the entrance to the shrine room a reused metate forms the west jamb; two stones form the east jamb. The masonry throughout the structure varies. It is composed of roughly shaped blocks and slabs, some almost unworked, as well as a considerable number of well-cut, faced, and carefully dressed stones. The latter are re-used here, coming from some earlier buildings of the Puuc style of Late Classic Maya architecture. The walls average 40 cm in thickness and rarely rise more than two courses or an average of 50 cm. The paucity of debris precludes a greater height. The stones embedded in lime mortar are generally set on end to form a rough facing on both sides of the wall. Above the masonry, there no doubt were upright poles supporting a thatch roof. Excavations in the structure consisted of a series of north-south trenches in line with the central passageway and extending to the underlying bedrock. Two trenches were made between the central benches of the front room. One, yielding Lot A-50, was 85 cm deep. Remains of five human skulls were recovered from locations shown in Figure 10.2, all lying on, or a few centimeters above, the natural limestone. Skulls 1 and 2 showed the occipital opening upward; Skull 3 was face up; Skull 4 was too badly destroyed to indicate position; Skull 5 had the top up and the face to the west. All skeletal material was in poor state of preservation and nowhere did an entire skeleton appear to be present. Long-bones were not articulated but were noted above and at the sides of Skulls 1, 2, and 5, undoubtedly representing secondary burial. Besides a pottery figurine of a woman (Fig. 10.9e), this lot yielded fragments of charcoal, one fragment of an obsidian flake, one flint chip, and 89 sherds. Of the last, 20 were unidentifiable; the rest, including three of censers, are Mayapán period. The second trench, producing Lot A-48, had a depth of 80 cm, the bedrock sloping upward from north to south. This contained fragments of two human long bones and one of animal bone, one fragment of shell, two flint chips, one fragment of obsidian, and 131 sherds. Of the last, 42 were unidentifiable; all others, including seven censers, were Mayapán period. The trench in the back room varied in depth from 60 to 80 cm. Its Lot A-49 included one fragment of animal bone, three obsidian lancet fragments, one flint point, and 83 sherds. Fourteen sherds were discarded as too badly weathered for identification; all others, including four of censers, were Mayapán period.

The trench in the shrine room in front of the bench had an average depth of 47 cm. From its Lot A51 came a stone disc and seven sherds, all Mayapán period. The entire area of the bench in the shrine room was excavated. Bedrock was encountered at a depth of 72 cm. One flint chip and 82 sherds (Lot A-47) were recovered. With the exception of 16 sherds which were unidentifiable, all, including one of Fine Orange, were Mayapán period. Eleven sherds were from censers. Group K-52 (250 N, 260 E) Group K-52 rests on a fair-sized platform surmounting a natural hillock. The platform proper was not studied in detail but it was evidently enlarged by at least four separate additions. The final addition, on the southeast, may have been under construction when the group was abandoned. On the south side and abutting this last addition are the remains of a stairway 3.5 m wide and rising with four treads to a height of 1.2 m (Fig. 10.7a). The first riser rests on bedrock. Balustrades 70 cm wide flanked each side of the stairway. Leading south from the stairway are two rows of large stones defining a lane (Fig. 10.7b), which is a branch of a major one extending east and west. A second stairway rising to the platform is on the north side. It has a width of 2 m, plus 70 cm balustrades. There is no evidence of a lane leading from this stairway. Str. K-52a is in fair state of preservation. The terrace directly supporting the building rises on the east side with two steps which extend the entire length of the building (Fig. 10.3). Where examined by excavation, the lower 20 cm portion of the first riser is made of two courses of rough stones, the upper 20 cm of a single course of fairly well cut stones. The tread measures 1.43 m. The second riser measures 30 cm and is faced with a single course of well-cut stones. In line with the central passageway of the building and lying against the face of the second riser is a large, well-cut stone block, 72 cm long, 23 cm wide, and 30 cm thick. In the corner formed by the second riser and this block was found a small tripod vessel (Lot A-72). Lying east of the first block was a second one of similar dimensions which may have fallen from a position above the first. The building proper lies 66 cm west of the second riser. The plan of the structure shows four benches in the front room, a long back room with two late partition walls, and a shrine room (Fig.10.3). At the front of the building are three doorways. The two masonry wall sections that separate the

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doorways are each 2 m long and 50 cm thick; each end or jamb is formed of a single large stone rising about 1 m. The masonry in general is good, perhaps better than average. Many carefully worked Puuc-type stones are used. All jambs are of single stones. The north jamb of the south doorway leading to the back room is formed of a re-used metate (Fig. 10.3c). The highest section of standing wall rose approximately 60 cm above the floor or 20 cm above the top of the bench. The face of the benches, not including the one in the shrine room which shows much mixture, is with rare exception made of a single course of stone. The benches in the front room are similar to those in other structures of this type. Those at the ends are L-shaped; the north one has been enlarged (Fig. 10.3d). Trenches through the floor of the front room were carried to bedrock. Those in the south and north passageway were extended into the back room. At the east edge of the trench in the south passageway bedrock was encountered 30 cm below Floor a; at the

west edge of the trench where it abuts the back wall, bedrock was encountered 75 cm below the same floor. Thus there is much irregularity in the contour of the bedrock. The material above the floor in the south passageway (Fig. 10.3, Lot A-75) yielded one fragment of an obsidian blade and 43 sherds. All but 12 sherds, which were too fragmentary to be identified, are Mayapán period. Four of the sherds are from censers. The material below the floor (Lot A-78) included one animal bone, one fragment of obsidian, one flint chip, and 101 sherds. The sherds, except for 20 which were unidentifiable, are Mayapán period. In opening the trench in the south passageway we found a nest of crushed jars (Fig. 10.3, Lot A-80-1) just under the stones forming the face of the southcentral bench. The sherds rested on a large stone slab and were covered by a second slab. Mixed with the crushed jars was a fine clean earth which the laborers said might be potter’s clay. The crushed jars of Mayapán period ware are represented by 580 sherds. Lot A-53 in the central passageway between Floors a and b, which are 24 cm apart, yielded a bro-

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán II 10.3. Excavations in Str. K-52a, Plan and Section. Lot A-52: Contents of debris above floor in shrine room: 1. Remains of adult skeleton. Miscellaneous objects: 2 rubbing stones, Cat. nos. 53-176, -177 (Fig. 10.8c,e); fragment of stone ring with tenon (Fig. 10.8a); fragment of mano, Cat. no. 53-178 (Fig. 10.8c); fragment of lava metate showing part of a leg, Cat. no. 53-179 (Fig. 10.8a); fragment of obsidian blade; sherds. Lot A-53: Contents of pit in central passageway above Floor [b]: obsidian blade; sherds. Lot A-54: Contents of pit in central passageway below Floor [b]: 1. Remains of skeleton of a child. Miscellaneous objects: bone spindle whorl, Cat. no. 53-171 (Fig. 10.8f); nearly whole pottery ladle incense burner (Fig. 10.9a); nearly whole human effigy jar (Fig. 10.9f); pedestal base, restricted-orifice vessel (Fig. 10.9b); sherds. Lot A-55: Contents of pit in shrine room between Floors [a] and [b]: fragment of lava metate showing back leg, Cat. no. 53-235 (Fig. 10.7d); sherds. Lot A-58: Contents of pit in shrine room below Floor [b]: 1. Neck of pottery jar set in Floor [b]. 2. Remains of adult skeleton, skull and some long bones beneath. 3. Remains of child skeleton, portion of skull. 4. Remains of adult skeleton, lying on right side, skull and some long bones. 5. Remains of adult skeleton, skull facing north and some vertebrae. 6. Remains of young adult, skull facing west. 7. Remains of adult skeleton, skull. 8. Adult mandible. 9. Shell pendant, 3 by 3 cm, Cat. no. 53-172 (Fig. 10.8f). Miscellaneous objects: small obsidian flake 3.3 cm long; sherds. Lot A-59: Contents of debris in back room in line with central passageway above Floor [a]: obsidian blade fragment; sherds. Lot A-60: Contents of south bench from surface to 50 cm below: sherds. Lot A-62: Contents of pit in back room in line with central passageway below Floor [a] to bedrock? 1. Remains of adult skeleton, skull and long bones. 2. Remains of adult skeleton, skull to east, body extended west. 3. Mandible of old adult. Miscellaneous objects: rubbing stone, Cat. no. 53-180 (Fig. 10.8e); 17 obsidian blades, fragments; carved tinkler shell, Cat. no. 53-181 (Fig. 10.8f); 3 pottery pellets; sherds. Lot A-63: Contents of pit in south bench from below Lot A-60 to bedrock, 1.10 m below top of bench: obsidian blade fragment; 2 animal bones; sherds. Lot A-70: Contents of pit through north bench from top of bench to bedrock: whole conch shell (Fig. 7e); core of a conch (?) shell (Fig. 10.8f); obsidian blade fragment; 6 animal bones; sherds. Lot A-71: Contents of pit in bench in shrine room from top to bedrock: pounding stone, 7 cm diam., Cat. no. 53-175 (Fig. 10.8e); stone pot lid, Cat. no. 53-174 (Fig. 8d); lots of human-effigy censer fragments; 2 obsidian blade Fragments; small rectangular polished stone 16 mm long, Cat. no. 53-173 (Fig. 10.8f); sherds. Lot A-74: Contents of debris above floor in north end of central chamber of back room: obsidian blade fragment; 2 flint chips; sherds. Lot A-75: Contents of debris above floor in south passageway: obsidian blade fragment; sherds. Lot A-76: Contents of debris above floor in north passageway: half of pottery tripod bowl (Fig. 10.9g); pounding stone (Fig. 10.8e); 2 pieces of flint with polished surfaces, Cat. no. 53-184 (Fig. 10.8d); piece substance. Lot A-77: Contents of pit in north end of central back room below floor: rubbing stone (Fig. 10.8c); small worked stone, 4 cm diam., Cat. no. 53-186 (Fig. 10.8d); shell (Fig. 10.8f); obsidian blade fragment; 2 animal bones; sherds. Lot A-78: Contents of pit in south passageway from below floor to bedrock: obsidian blade fragment; flint chip; animal bones; sherds. Lot A-79: Contents of pit in north passageway and in back room in line with passageway from below Floor [a] to bedrock: piece of shell; 4 animal bones; sherds. Lot A-80: Contents of pit under south edge of south-central bench: 1. Nest of pottery vessels. Miscellaneous objects: obsidian blade fragment; sherds. Lot A-81: Contents of pit in north-central bench from top of bench to level of Floor [b]: worked shell (Fig. 10.8f); obsidian blade fragment; animal bone; sherds. Lot A-82: Contents of pit through south-central bench from level of Floor [a] to bedrock: 2 pounding stones, Cat. nos. 53-188, -189 (Fig. 10.8e); piece shell; shark vertebrae; sherds. Lot A-83: Contents of pit through north-central bench from level of Floor [b] to bedrock: worked conch shell (Fig. 10.7e); animal bone; sherds. a. Plastered floor. b. Plastered floor. c. Jamb, a re-used metate. d. Addition to bench, e. Step down into shrine room, step later covered by Floor [a] (Fig. 10.6d).

ken obsidian blade and 76 sherds. Nine sherds were unidentifiable and were discarded. Below Floor b to bedrock (Lot A-54), the greatest depth being 70 cm, was found material as listed in the caption for Figure 10.3. The 42 sherds were all Mayapán period, exclusive of eight which could not be identified. Censers were represented by nine sherds. Lots A-76 and -79 are from the trench of the north passageway and its extension into the back room (see caption to Fig. 10.3). It further includes 154 sherds, of which 23 were unidentifiable; the rest, including 24 of censers, are Mayapán period. Lot A-79 is from floor level to a depth of 95 cm, where bedrock was encountered (see caption to Fig. 10.3). The 89 sherds include 13 unidentifiable; the remainder are Mayapán period wares, of which two are Fine Orange. Lots A-60 and -63 are from the south bench. The former is from the top of the bench to a depth of 50

cm; the latter from there to bedrock, an added depth of 60 cm. (see caption to Fig. 10.3). Sherds from Lot A60 numbered 36, of which 25 are Mayapán period and 11unidentifiable. In Lot A-63 were 66 sherds, all but six, which were unidentified, being Mayapán period. Lot A-82 is from the south-central bench, from Floor a, on which the bench rests, to bedrock, a distance of 74 cm (see caption to Fig. 10.3). The 128 sherds are Mayapán period. Lots A-81 and -83 are from the north-central bench. The former is from top of bench to Floor b at a depth of 70 cm; the latter is from Floor b to bedrock: a distance of 50 cm (see caption to Fig. 10.3). Of the 54 sherds in Lot A-81 seven were too badly weathered for identification; all others are Mayapán period. In Lot A-83 were 12 sherds, all Mayapán period. Lot A-70 is from the north bench (see caption to Fig. 10.3). Of the 165 sherds, 14 were unidentifiable;

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A.L. Smith and Karl Ruppert the others, all Mayapán period, include four of censers and one of Fine Orange. The back room has the same length as the front one and has an average width of 1.45 m. Two partition walls were added later, forming three chambers. The south chamber has a doorway in the back wall which probably gave on a terrace. A doorway in the central chamber leads into the shrine room. As most of the back wall of the north chamber has fallen, there are now no indications of a doorway as in the south chamber. The debris in the back room, in line with the central passageway and above Floor a, formed Lot A-59. A total of 31 sherds, all Mayapán period, were recovered; 14 sherds are from censers. Lot A-62 extends from Floor a to bedrock at an average depth of 78 cm. Floor b as seen in the front room was followed with difficulty into the central chamber of the back room. At the east side of the trench two large flat stones are set on end. The location of the skeletal material is shown in Figure 10.3. Of the 89 sherds, six were not identified; all others, except one of Puuc period, are Mayapán period, including one of Fine Orange and four of censers. Lots A-74 and -77 are from the north end of the inner room. The former, from the surface to top of Floor a, includes two flint chips, one fragment of an obsidian blade, and 53 sherds. The last are classified as one Recent period and the others (except four unidentified) as Mayapán period, including 10 from censers. Lot A-77 is from Floor a to bedrock, an average distance of 90 cm (see caption to Fig. 10.3). It is interesting to note that the coursed masonry of the back wall extends 52 cm below the floor level. The 56 sherds, including six from censers, are all Mayapán period. The shrine room is entered by a 1.35 m wide doorway in the middle of the east wall. The room measures approximately 2 by 3.8 m and has a bench 65 cm wide built across the back wall. Floor a as seen in the front and back rooms of the structure extends into the shrine room. The debris on this floor had a depth of 37 cm (see Lot A-52 in caption to Fig. 10.3). Of the 279 sherds, 30 are much weathered and not identifiable, one is Recent period, and the remainder, including 151 of censers, are Mayapán period. Floor b is the same as seen in the front room. It varies from 25 to 30 cm below Floor a. Two large flat stones (Fig. 10.3e) were placed on Floor b across the doorway forming a step. The step is 85 cm long, 40 cm wide, and rises 10 cm above the floor. The plaster of the floor curves up over the stones. The sill of the doorway is of stones and a 5 cm layer of plaster on a level with Floor a. Material found between Floors

a and b is listed as Lot A-55 in the caption to Figure 10.3. The sherds numbered 540, of which 20 were not identified, three are Recent period, and the remainder, including 346 of censers, are Mayapán period. The neck of a Mayapán Red ware jar had been set in Floor b, in the northeast corner of the room (Figs. 10.3, Lot A-58-1; 10.7c). Bedrock encountered at an average of 58 cm was below Floor b. The facing of the bench on the west side of the room extends to bedrock. On the east side the masonry of the wall at the level of Floor b is set out 20 cm and continues to bed-rock as rough foundation. Approximately in line with the south jamb of the doorway and rising 40 cm from bedrock is a row of four large flat stones set on edge. They extend from the line of the bench to the foundation wall to the east. No purpose is known for the stones. Material from the area, Lot A-58, is listed in the caption to Figure 10.3. The sherds number 161, of which five were not identified, and one is of Puuc Thin Slate, The rest, including 94 of censers, are Mayapán period. The original height of the bench is not known. When excavated, it rose 37 cm above Floor a. The masonry facing of the bench is similar to that of the benches of the front room, with perhaps more coursing. The facing extends slightly below Floor b whence it continues 54 cm to bedrock as rough foundation. Lot A-71, from within the bench, yielded the material listed in the caption to Figure 10.3, plus 119 sherds, of which eight were unidentifiable and the remainder, including 94 of censers, are Mayapán period. Str. K-52b lies 3.3 m south of K-52a, to which it is connected by a 60 cm wide wall pierced by an 80 cm opening. Str. K-52b is of the two-bench dwelling type and faces east. The north bench measures 1.45 by 2.15 m and rises not more than 30 cm. The length of the south bench is not known, as the southern end has fallen. The passageway, 1 m wide, is blocked in line with the wall at the west edge of the benches. Str. K-52c, an altar shrine (Fig. 10.4), lies 4.3 m east of Str. K-52a. The original shrine was a single rectangular unit with a doorway to the west (Figs. 10.4; 10.6e). The walls rise from the floor (Fig. 10.4b) associated with the lower step in front of Str. K-52a. Masonry is relatively crude, large stones set on end and rising approximately 50 cm. Doorway jambs are of single large blocks. A second floor (Fig. 10.4a), 5 cm above the first, was seen inside the shrine; traces extended out the doorway and abutted the exterior west wall. A bench 15 cm high and 60 cm wide is built against the east interior wall and on Floor a. Excavations in the area of the bench (Lot A-64)

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán II

10.4. Excavations in Str. K-52c, Plan and Sections. Lot A-64: Contents of pit in bench in north room: sherds. Lot A-65: Contents of fill between Floors [a] and [b], north room: sherds. Lot A-66: Contents of pit in bench in south room: sherds. Lot A-67: Contents of pit below Floor [b] in north room: stone Olmec face, 7 cm high by 6.5 cm across, stone not local, Cat. no. 53-170 (Fig. 10.9c); sherds. Lot A-68: Contents of tomb under north room: remains of an adult skeleton; fragment of pottery vessel; sherds. Lot A-69: Contents of pit below Floor [b] in south room: sherds. Lot A-72: Contents of trench between Strs. K-52a and K-52c from surface to bedrock: miniature tripod vessel (Fig. 10.9d); shell fragment; sherds. a,b. Plastered floor.

yielded 12 sherds, of which two were unidentifiable and the remainder all Mayapán period, include five of censers. Lot A-65, from the area between the two floors, contained 12 sherds: two were unidentifiable and the others, including two of censers, are all Mayapán period. Lot A-67, from the area within the shrine but beneath Floor b, which completely sealed off the area above, and to a depth of 20 cm, yielded eight sherds: three were unidentifiable; the others, of Mayapán period, include one of a censer. In this lot was found a carved stone Olmec face (Figs. 10.4, Lot A-67; 10.9c). A burial vault beneath the north section of Str. K-52c was closed at the top by several large slabs, the under side of the slabs being an average of 30 cm below Floor b (Fig. 10.4b). The vault had a depth to bedrock of 75 cm and is irregular in shape. The side walls slope in toward the capstones whereas the end walls are relatively vertical. The walls are formed

in part by the limestone ledge and by rough dry masonry. The lower 35 cm of the vault were filled with earth in which were parts of a much disintegrated adult skeleton, fragments of a pottery bowl, and 14 sherds, all Mayapán period (Lot A-68). A south addition to the altar shrine abuts the south end of the part just described (Figs. 10.4; 10.6f). The bench in the addition, 20 cm high and 70 cm wide, was built at the time of the construction of Floor a. Material in Lot A-66 from the bench includes one flint chip and 21 sherds, of which seven were unidentifiable and the others are all Mayapán period, including three of censers. Excavations below the bench to bedrock, at a depth of 75 cm beneath Floor b (Fig. 10.4, Lot A-69), yielded 15 sherds: three unidentifiable, the remainder of Mayapán period. In a trench between Strs. K-52a and K-52c bedrock was encountered at irregular depths, the average being 25 cm below Floor b (Fig. 10.4), with pock-

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10.5. Str. Q-119a. a. Looking west at front of structure. b. South-central bench, showing niche in south side (no. 7 in Fig. 10.1). c. Opening into subfloor chambers (Figs. 10.1; 10.6a–c).

ets as much as 55 cm deep. Material recovered (Lot A-72) includes one small tripod vessel, one shell fragment, and 90 sherds. All sherds except 33, which

were too weathered to be identified, are Mayapán period and include 15 of censers, one of Fine Orange and one Fine Gray.

10.6. Strs. Q-119a, K-52a, and K-52c. a. Str. Q-119. Looking east at doorway between two subfloor chambers (Fig. 10.1). b. Str. Q-119a. Looking east up stairway leading to subfloor chamber (Fig. 10.1). c. Str. Q-119a. Looking at south end of inner subfloor chamber (Fig. 10.1). d. Str. K-52a. Looking east at step into shrine room, step later covered by Floor [a] (Fig. 10.3e). e. Str. K-52c. Looking east (Fig. 10.4). f. Str. K-52c. Looking northwest (Fig. 10.4).

10.7. Group K-52. a. Looking north at stairway on south side of platform supporting group. b. Looking south at lane leading to stairway on south side of platform supporting group. c. Str. K-52a. Neck of pottery vessel associated with Floor [b] in northeast corner of shrine room (Fig. 3, Lot A-58-1). d. Fragment of lava metate showing back leg 24 cm across, Cat. no. 53-235, Lot A-55 (Fig. 10.3). e. Left to right, worked conch shell, Lot A-83 (Fig. 10.3); whole conch shell, 13.5 cm long, Lot A-70 (Fig. 10.3).

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán II

10.8. Artifacts Recovered During Excavation in Group K-52 and During Mapping in Square X. a. Left to right, fragment of stone ring with tenon, 18.5 cm long, Lot A-52 (Fig. 10.3); fragment of lava metate showing part of a leg, Cat. no. 53-179, Lot A-52 (Fig. 10.3). b. Metate fragment, 14 cm high, 30 cm long, 23.5 cm wide, with groove at one end, Cat. no. 53-236, Lot A, surface from Str. X-62. c. Top, left to right, fragment of mano, Cat. no. 53-178, Lot A-52 (Fig. 10.3); stone hand, Lot A-40. Bottom, left to right, rubbing stone, 10 cm long, Cat. no. 53-177, Lot A-52 (Fig. 10.3); rubbing stone or small mano, Cat. no. 53-185, Lot A-77 (Fig. 10.3). d. Top, left to right, flint with polished surface, Cat. no. 53-184, Lot A-78 (Fig. 10.3); stone pot lid, 14 cm diam., Cat. no. 53-174, Lot A-71 (Fig. 10.3). Bottom, left to right, flint with polished surface, Cat. no. 53-184, Lot A-76 (Fig. 10.3); small worked stone, 4 cm diam., Cat. no. 53-186, Lot A-77 (Fig. 10.3). e. Top, left to right, pounding stone, Cat. no. 53-188, Lot A-82 (Fig. 10.3); pounding stone, 6.5 cm diam., Cat. no. 53-183, Lot A-76 (Fig. 10.3); rubbing stone, Cat. no. 53-180, Lot A-62 (Fig. 10.3). Bottom, left to right, rubbing stone, Cat. no. 53-176, Lot A-52 (Fig. 10.3); pounding stone, Cat. no. 53-189, Lot A-82 (Fig. 10.3); pounding stone, Cat. no. 53-175, Lot A-71 (Fig. 10.3). f. Left row, top to bottom, perforated shell, Cat. no. 53-182, Lot A-73, trench in east side of platform supporting Group K-52; shell pendant 3 by 3 cm, Cat. no. 53-172, Lot A-58 (Fig. 10.3); carved tinkler shell, Cat. no. 53-181, Lot A-62 (Fig. 10.3). Center row, top to bottom, core of a conch (?) shell, 10.5 cm long, Lot A-70 (Fig. 10.3); bone spindle whorl, Cat. no. 53-171, A-54 (Fig. 10.3). Right row, top to bottom, shell, Lot A-77 (Fig. 10.3); small rectangular polished stone, 16 mm long, Cat. no. 53-173, Lot A-71 (Fig. 10.3); worked shell, Cat. no. 53-187, Lot A-81 (Fig. 10.3).

Str. K-52d lies in the northeast quadrant of the platform supporting the group. Now in poor preservation, as some of it has fallen down the east talus of the platform, it included two benches. The north bench is 5 m long and rises from a terrace 2.2 m wide on the west and 75 cm on the south. The south bench, 9 m long to its fallen south edge, rises from a terrace, 1.3 m wide on the west, which seems to be built against the terrace supporting the north bench. Both terraces rise 15 cm above the platform. The benches are 35 cm high; the passageway between them is 1.85 m wide. A trench was made in the platform directly west of the terrace supporting the north bench. The trench

was 2 m square and had a depth of 1 m to bedrock. Its Lot A-57 consisted of three fragments of obsidian blades, one flint chip, one worked sherd from a red jar, and 60 sherds. Of the latter, four were unidentifiable and the rest are all Mayapán period, including nine of censers. From a trench at the base of the east edge of the platform and in line with the passageway between the benches of Str. K-52d, Lot A-73 yielded one animal bone, one fragment of obsidian blade, one perforated shell (Cat. no. 53-182), one flint chip, and 265 sherds. Among the last, 159 were too weathered to be identified, the rest were Mayapán period, including one of Fine Orange and 33 of censers.

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10.9. Objects Recovered During Excavations in Group K-52 and Str. R-100. a. Pottery ladle incense burner, Lot A-54 (Fig. 10.3). b. Pedestal base, restricted-orifice vessel, Lot A-54 (Fig. 10.3). c. Greenish stone Olmec face, 7 cm high by 6.5 cm across, Cat. no. 53-170, Lot A-67 (Fig. 10.4). d. Miniature tripod vessel, Lot A-72 (Fig. 10.4). e. Pottery figurine of a woman, 12.2 cm high, Lot A-50 (Fig. 10.2). f. Human effigy jar, Lot A-54 (Fig. 10.3). g. Half of a tripod pottery vessel, Lot A-76 (Fig. 10.3).

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 11 December 1953

The X-Coton Temples at Mayapán Edwin M. Shook

Investigations began at X-Coton because the two ceremonial structures there were clearly associated with two major entrances through the Great Wall and with the cenote (see map of Mayapán). One of the ceremonial structures, T-72, contained an open circular shaft in the center of the temple floor; the second, T-70, had twin temples supported by a common substructure with surface evidence of at least two balustraded stairways. Also, the discovery within the cenote of an artificially constructed platform, a partially buried stone stairway leading down to a funnel-shaped depression, and quantities of pottery scattered over the surface were further incentives for excavation. Accordingly R. E. Smith (1953) undertook the study of Cenote X-Coton, while I excavated Gate T, Blocked Gate T (Shook 1952a:12, 13), and the two ceremonial units described in this report. The work on the latter buildings has been summarized briefly in earlier reports (Shook 1952, 1953).

An examination in 1952 of the Mayapán map (Jones 1952) disclosed a major concentration of presumably nonresidential buildings within Square Q. We assumed the clustering of these structures to indicate the civic and religious center of the city. The remaining area inside the Great Wall and for some distance beyond was, with a few exceptions, occupied by residential structures. The fairly even distribution of house mounds was interrupted twice within the walled section: (1) by a group of ceremonial. structures, in orderly arrangement around a small plaza, lying along the east side of Cenote Itzmal Ch’en in the northeastern sector of Mayapán; (2) by a second cluster, smaller than the first, situated just inside the Great Wall near Gate T and Cenote X-Coton at the southeastern extremity of the site. Preliminary reconnaissance included both groups, but excavations and intensive field studies have thus far been conducted only at the latter.

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Edwin M. Shook Str. T-72 (480 S, 1225 E) Investigation of the southernmost unit, Str. T-72, was limited to surface examination of the substructure and temple, and to excavation of the shaft within the temple. The structure faces slightly east of north, directly toward Cenote X-Coton about 40 m away. It consists of a terraced rectangular substructure, 3.4 m high, with a wide stairway on the north side, and a lowwalled, single-room temple. The substructure and stairway are in such state of disrepair that little information could be learned from surface observation. It is not known if the stairway carried balustrades as do the majority at Mayapán associated with moderately high sub-structures. The terraces of Str. T72, encasing a core fill of large uncut stones without mortar, have square corners and vertical walls built of typical Mayapán block-and-slab masonry. The facing stones are roughly shaped and, from the small sections now exposed, appear to have been laid without mortar. Had mortar and plaster been used at the time of construction, all traces have since weathered off. The substructure rose in two, possibly three, terraces to the summit platform at the back of which stood the temple. This rear position afforded a moderately wide area for ceremonies at the top of the stairway directly in front of the temple. Both the summit platform and the temple room had been surfaced at least twice with lime concrete floors, the first being contemporary with the original structure, the second possibly representing minor repairs or remodeling. There was no plinth beneath the temple nor any abrupt change of floor level from the front of the platform to the chamber. The building, rectangular in plan, has relatively thin masonry walls (40–50 cm thick) standing at present to a maximum height of 30 cm. The debris on the summit platform and within the room varies from 10 to 20 cm in depth; therefore, the masonry walls when built probably stood no more than 50 cm high. Above this stone base the walls may have been of upright wooden poles set close together and supporting a thatch roof. The base stone of the east jamb of the doorway remains in position, permitting the location of the missing west jamb to be estimated quite accurately. The resulting span is too wide for continuous lintels, and such widths at Mayapán normally call for two doorway columns. These in Str. T-72 were evidently Wooden posts because no stone column shafts or drums were found on the summit platform or in the debris below. We therefore visualize the superstructure as a single-room temple with a triple doorway, built of perishable materials except for the low base walls of masonry.

In the center of the temple chamber we encountered an open circular shaft about 1 m deep with a low mound of debris surrounding the orifice. It was quite obvious from the freshness of the debris and the sides of the shaft that the latter had been opened within the past decade. The looters thoroughly mixed the upper contents of the shaft but failed to reach bottom. We searched their back-dirt and excavated the remainder of the shaft prior to refilling it to the level of the temple floor (Fig. 11.2a). We were able to determine that the shaft was artificial and had been built in ancient times. Its roughly circular wall was constructed of uncut limestone rocks laid without mortar. Incorporated in this irregular lining was a single well-cut and dressed stone. This one, obviously re-used, and several similarly well-cut and dressed wall and vault stones in the surface debris of Str. T-72, are of the type commonly used in vaulted buildings of Puuc-style architecture. The contents of the shaft and the debris thrown out by the previous excavators (Lot C-2) consisted of dry earth heavily mixed with ashes and charred bones of cremated adults, children, and animals. Mixed with these were fragments of pottery vessels and effigy censers, flint chips, and obsidian flakeblades. Practically all (97.1 percent) of the pottery belongs to the Mayapán period, one-fifth consisting of human arms, hands, legs, feet, and bowl fragments from effigy censers. Many of these bear white, yellow, orange, red, and blue paint and are typical of human-effigy censers found in the latest occupational debris at Mayapán. It is evident that Str. T-72 served as a temple where ceremonies took place involving the cremation of humans and animals, and much burning of incense in effigy containers. Ashes and charred bones were deposited with broken pottery censers and vessels in a repository constructed for the purpose within the temple room. The repository, or shaft, may have had a removable stone cover to allow the residue from these ceremonies to be added from time to time. Str. T-70 (465 S, 1255 E) This structure is located near Gate T in the Great Wall and just southeast of Cenote X-Coton. Prior to our investigations, the mound bore little evidence of having been disturbed since the abandonment of Mayapán. What destruction had occurred appeared to have been caused principally by natural agencies. Some minor damage may be attributed to the clearing and burning of the forest for planting corn and to stone robbing for the fencing of the cornfields. The area immediately surrounding Str. T-70 was

The X-Coton Temples at Mayapán planted in corn when we began excavations in 1952. A thin mantle of soil and fallen debris partially covered the mound, leaving exposed enough features to permit Jones (1952, map) to draw a reliable plan of two small buildings supported by a single platform. He correctly noted two stairways, one for each temple. The presence of twin temples and stairways on a common substructure aroused our interest because it represented the only structure of that type depicted on the Mayapán map. Excavations in 1952 were limited to clearing the surface debris from each temple interior, and clearing the frontal terraces, stairways, substructure, and a series of altars at the base of the south temple (Shook 1952:248, 249). During the 1953 field season narrow east-west trenches were cut through each unit from the stairway to the rear wall of the building. The south temple proved to have stood alone in its earliest stages and to have undergone several renovations prior to the addition of its twin. The earliest construction encountered in the trench through the stairway and frontal terrace was identified by a lime concrete floor, its western edge cut away by the builders of a later addition (Fig. 11.2c,l). The thin lime floor continued east beneath the unexcavated portion of the temple. The floor overlay a grouting of crushed stone, which served also to level the substructure fill. The lowest fill rested on limestone bedrock or on sterile red earth (kancab) where depressions occur in the natural rock (Fig. 11.2c). There was no evidence in either of the two main trenches of a plaza floor associated with this primary unit. That it was erected during the major occupation of Mayapán could be ascertained by the presence of sherds in the substructure fill belonging to wares typical of the Mayapán period. The second addition to Str. T-70 was a major renovation. The earlier unit was partially destroyed and the remainder buried by a dry rock fill spread over the primary floor and retained by a vertical wall of large stones (Fig. 11.2c). This formed a solid core, capped by a thin layer of lime grouting, over and around which was erected the substructure for a new temple. The substructure, rectangular in plan with vertical retaining walls, had a stairway on the west side (Figs. 11.1a; 11.2c,2). Five steps led to a wide frontal terrace 1m. above the general ground level. Toward the rear of the terrace two steps, first a low then a high one, gave access to a level platform on which the temple stood. Our narrow exploratory trench exposed only a central strip of the platform floor and a short section of the rear wall of the temple with a masonry altar against it. Therefore, the plan in Figure 11.1a is hypothetical except for the parts drawn in solid line. The unusual form of the

masonry altar was clearly marked by the turn-up of the temple floor and the position of two large stones tilted against the rear wall (see section, Fig. 11.2c,2). The upper part of the altar had been removed in ancient times, presumably to make way for an addition. This was true, also, of a circular altar or column erected on the broad frontal terrace directly on the axis of the temple. One minor renovation occurred while this unit functioned. A lime floor resurfaced the frontal terrace and temple interior. The third major building activity witnessed the removal of the older temple and its altars, the raising of the same substructure another 50 cm in height, and the addition of a new balustraded stairway on the west side. A new temple (restored plan, Fig. 11.1b) like the earlier one was built on a rectangular platform-one step high (Fig. 11.2c,3). Again, we found the floor turning up to what apparently had been a rectangular masonry altar against the back wall of the temple. Contemporaneously with this third stage were built three altars or ceremonial platforms on the plaza level in front of the stairway and aligned on the axis of the temple (Figs. 11.1b; 11.2c,3). A plaza floor, the earliest we encountered associated with Str. T-70, extended west from the stairway as far as the second altar, and probably had originally continued beyond the third one. The plaza floor did not run under any of the three altars. The altar nearest the stairway was circular and made of a single moderately well cut stone surfaced with a thick coating of lime plaster, to which traces of blue-green paint still adhered. The second and third altars are square platforms faced with large roughly trimmed stones set on edge and retaining dry rock fill. The top levels on either platform are no longer preserved, though undoubtedly they bore a plastered surface. A plain stela stands at the east edge of the largest platform (Fig. 11.2c). Its base rests on the rim of a deep natural pocket in the limestone bedrock, and the monument is firmly held upright by tightly packed stones around the base of the shaft. Despite the undisturbed position and the natural hole below, there was no evidence of a substela cache. Unassociated with the stela and perhaps the altars was a cache below the primary plaza floor between the circular and middle altar (Fig. 11.2c4). The cache contained a single pottery vessel of un­slipped, light gray ware. It is the same type and form illustrated last year (Shook 1952a, Fig. 18.5), and frequently occurs in caches at Mayapán. The fourth major renovation of Str. T-70 changed it from a sin le temple to twin temples supported by a common substructure (Figs. 11.1c; 11.3a–e). The older single temple with its altar was torn-down,

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11.1. Str. T-70. a. Restored plan showing second major rebuilding of temple during its existence as a single unit. b. Restored plan of third major stage. c. Plan of final stage showing twin temples supported by a common substructure. d. Plan of altar in south temple on which sat a human figure modeled in stucco. Irregular outline in center indicates the area removed in ancient times to receive cache (Figs. 11.2c,6; 11.3s) prior to erection of plain altar shown in Figs. 11.1c and 11.3a.

and a cache of two pottery vessels and several jade beads (Fig. 11.3k–m, r) were placed where the altar had been. Over the cache (Fig.11.2c,5) another rectangular masonry altar was built against the rear wall of a new and smaller single-room temple. The substructure of the earlier temples was extended northward sufficiently to accommodate a second temple with its separate balustraded stairway. The balustrades of the two stairways were similarly constructed. Large, full width, roughly trimmed blocks (Fig. 11.3a–c) formed the basal portion of each balustrade. Above these base stones the sloping faces of the balustrades were not preserved, though the lack of large blocks in the debris nearby make it evident that the upper portion of each balustrade had been finished with masonry of smaller uncut stones. Between the north and south stairways other steps were added. These six steps, though they appear superfluous, are constructed in the same manner and are as functional as those of the main stairways. Whether they were built at the same time or later than the north stairway was not determined.

The two temples share many features. Each has a single room with low, relatively thin masonry walls built of roughly shaped, undressed blocks and slabs bedded in weak mortar. This, when applied, was principally mud with varying amounts of lime or lime gravel. Scattered among the roughly trimmed stones were others easily recognized by their surface finish. These were well-cut, faced, and carefully dressed wall, vault, plain, and decorated molding stones from vaulted buildings belonging to the Puuc style of architecture. In Str. T-70, these stones quite obviously had been re-used. Often they were laid upside down or lengthwise, thus burying the smoothed faces in the wall masonry. We encountered none of these well-cut stones in the construction of the earlier units of Str. T-70. The few observed were all in the walls or surface debris of the latest buildings. Among the differences between the two temples we note first the roofing. It is certain from the existing heights of the walls and the shallowness of debris covering their floors that neither temple had been

The X-Coton Temples at Mayapán

11.2. Strs. T-70 and T-72, Sections. a. Section of shaft in center of temple floor, Str. T-72. b. Section A-A’ of north temple, Str. T-70. c. Section B-B1 of south temple, Str. T-70. 1. Floor of earliest construction below south temple. 2. Second major renovation (Fig. 11.1a). 3. Third major stage (Fig. 11.1b). 4. Position of cache vessel of Unslipped Light Gray Ware. 5. Position of cache containing 1 fragmentary Fine Orange tripod vessel (not illustrated), Red Ware vessel (Fig. 11.3r), and jade beads (Fig. 11.3k–m). 6. Position of cache containing Mayapán Red Ware bowl (Fig. 11.3s), 2 jade beads and fragment of ornament, 1 stone and 2 shell beads.

vaulted. The north unit, the larger of the two, had so little debris that it evidently had pole walls above the low masonry ones. For the same reason a roof of thatch on a pole frame doubtless covered the temple. Next, the breadth between doorway jambs necessitated two equally spaced columns. These may have been wooden posts though columns built of stone drums are a possibility. There were seven stone drums scattered on the temple floor, front terrace, and in surface debris off the north edge of the substructure. Two of the seven were crudely trimmed drums of the type normally employed in columns of the Mayapán period. The remaining five drums were well-cut and dressed. Three are plain drums 39 cm. diameter and 22 cm high; another of the same

size has a shallow depression in the top and the fifth has an 8 cm wide collar or flange at one end. These, and particularly the latter two, are more suggestive of altars than column drums. All five may represent re-used stone elements from buildings earlier than the Mayapán period. The smaller south temple has masonry walls now standing to an average of 60 cm and fallen debris of about the same height. The debris covering the room floor consisted of 10–20 cm of lime and gravel at the bottom and large stones above. These conditions suggest that the building had masonry walls to a height of approximately 2 m supporting a flat beam-and-mortar roof. The temple, as previously mentioned, in its earliest stage had a rectan-

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The X-Coton Temples at Mayapán 11.3. Str. T-70 and Artifacts. a. Balustraded stairway of south temple, looking east. b. Same, looking northeast. c. Stairway of north temple and miniature shrine secondarily built on plaza floor and lower steps, looking southeast. Note large stone forming base of south balustrade. d. View of south temple from northwest. e. Interior of south temple, showing last masonry altar constructed in this room. f. Jade pendant, mottled grayish green stone carved in style suggesting Maya Late Classic. Possibly an heirloom. Three conical perforations through earplugs and chin, one biconical perforation through top of head from side to side. Max. ht. 4.5 cm. Lot C-3. g. Jade pendant, polished bright green. Lateral, biconical perforation near upper edge. Max. length 2.5 cm. Lot C-3. h. Tubular jade bead, triangular in section, medium polish, opaque light green. Length of fragment 2 cm. Lot C-3. i. Tubular jade bead, low polish, dark green stone with white mottling. Length 1.7 cm. Lot C-3. j. Spherical jade bead, low polish, light green. Biconically perforated. Lot C-3. k. Jade bead, high polish, blue-green. Length 2.7 cm. Lot C-4. 1. Jade bead polished, light gray-green. Lot C-4. m. Jade bead, polished, light green, mottled. Lot C-4. n. Tubular shell bead. Length 1.6 cm. Lot C-3. o. Highly polished, grayish brown pebble, possibly a charm stone. Width 1.8 cm, thickness 0.5 cm. Lot C-3. p. Obsidian arrowhead of clear, transparent to slightly cloudy black obsidian. Edges finely chipped; excellent workmanship. Length 3 cm. Lot C-3. q. Greenstone celt of dark green diopside jadeite (?). Well-polished faces, sharp cutting edge, Length 4.7 cm. Lot C-3. r,s. Mayapán Red Ware vessels from caches below altars in south temple. The larger, (r), with fragmentary Fine Orange tripod vessel and the jades, (k–m), had been deposited in an earlier construction (Fig. 11.2c,5) than the cache containing the small bowl, (s) (Fig. 11.2c,6), Greatest diam. of (r), 11 cm. Lot C-4. t. Miniature vessel of Unslipped, coarse paste, light gray pottery found on plaza floor just north of south stairway. Max. diam. 5.5 cm. Lot C-3.

gular masonry altar or raised platform 60 cm wide, projecting 65 cm from the center of the back wall. The altar sealed a cache of jades and pottery vessels (Figs. 11.2c, 5; 11.3k–m, r). Thereafter, the temple underwent at least five alterations, each marked by the addition of a new lime concrete floor. Several of these changes included renovation of the altar (Fig. 11.2c). The earliest was ripped away and a low rectangular platform built in the same position to support a seated human idol modeled in stucco (Fig. 11.1d). The front half of each sandaled foot, and the plaster turning up to the rump of the figure were the only remaining evidence of the statue. It had been torn out to place there another cache (Fig. 11.2c,6) of jade and shell beads and a small Mayapán Red ware bowl (Fig. 11.3s) prior to building the final, rectangular masonry altar (Figs. 11.1c; 11.3e). The primary floor and each of the five succeeding ones, normally white, were severely burned to grayish black on and around the altars, in the temple doorway, and on the front terrace. Many fragments of pottery incense burners lay on the top floor of both the north and south temples and their front terrace, but the heaviest concentration of effigy censers littered the stairways and plaza floor along the west base of the substructure. Evidence of burning, however, was observed only in and around the south temple. Further additions to Str. T-70 appear to have been minor. A miniature shrine was built at the foot of the north stairway, resting partly on the plaza floor and overlapping the lower steps (Figs. 11.1c; 11.2b). Quantities of broken effigy censers covered the floor on the interior and exterior of the shrine. At the base of the south stairway, only the circular altar underwent changes. The first remodeling consisted of a circle of stones with plaster on the exterior

around the original altar, enlarging its diameter to 1.1m. Two successive plaza floors joined this circular altar (Fig. 11.2c). Subsequently the altar was buried by a square masonry platform, about 2 m on a side, which resembled the other small platforms (Fig. 11.1c). Material Culture Lot C-2. Contents of ossuary in Str. T-72 (Fig. 11.2a): charred and fragmentary human and animal bones; 1 obsidian flake-blade and 1 chip; 17 flint chips; sherds. Total sherds: 1,264: 710 vessel body fragments (140 Red ware, 570 Unslipped) too small or weathered for classification; 554 (153 rims, 401 body sherds) are 97.1 percent Mayapán period; Unslipped jars, 19.3; Effigy censers, 19.8; Ladle-Type censers, 4.8; Uncertain Forms, 11.9; Slipped Red ware, 41.3), 2.9 percent Puuc period, all noticeably more weathered than Mayapán period pottery. Lot C-3.Collection from surface of Str. T-70: 18 flint chips; 11 obsidian flake-blades; 1 obsidian arrowhead, Cat. no. 52-76 (Fig. 11.3p);1 polished pebble charm (?), Cat. no. 52-79 (Fig. 11.3o);1 greenstone celt, Cat. no. 52-79 (Fig. 11.3s); 5 jade beads and pendants, Cat. no. 52-77 (Fig. 11.3f–j); 2 shell beads, Cat. no. 52-78 (one illustrated, Fig. 11.3n); fragments of painted stucco ornaments; 1 complete miniature vessel, Cat. no. 52-80 (Fig. 11.3t); sherds. Total sherds: 4,901; 3,536 too weathered for classification; 1,365 (253 rims) are 87.2 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 20.6; Effigy censers, 52.4; Slipped Red ware, 13.8; Fine Orange, 0.4), 6.4 percent Puuc period, 6.4 percent Miscellaneous and

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Edwin M. Shook Unidentified slipped wares. Among the last were a single polychrome sherd from a basal-flange bowl resembling Early Classic Peten types and one early post-Classic Tohil Plumbate body sherd. The latter, from surface debris in the north temple (possibly fallen from the wall masonry), is one of two Plumbate sherds found to date among some 100,000 sherds excavated at Mayapán. Lot C-4. Contents from sealed fill of south temple: 1 small sculpture of chalky limestone, possibly profile head of a fish, Cat. no. 53-203; 1 dark brown stone bead, Cat. no. 53-198; 5 jade beads, Cat. nos. 53-199, -196, -195 (Fig. 11.3k–m), and -197, -200; fragment of light green, highly polished jade ornament, Cat. no. 53-194; 2 shell beads, Cat. nos. 53-201, -202; 2 Red ware vessels (Fig. 11.3r,s); sherds. Total sherds: 319; 75 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped jars, 13.7; Noneffigy censers 2.2; Miscel­ laneous and unidentified 6.2; Red ware 39.2; Blackon-Cream or Coarse Paste Slate 5.6); 25 percent Puuc period. Lot C-4a. Contents from trench through substructure fill of north temple (as practically no floor remained, surface material filtered down through the loose rock fill): 3 obsidian flake-blades; 1 fragment of stone turtle, Cat. no. 53-204; sherds. Total sherds: 355; 20.5 percent Puuc period; 79.5 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped jars, 10.4; Effigy censers, 32.4; Unidentified, 6.0; Red ware, 28.2; Blackon-Cream or Coarse Paste Slate, 2.5). High percentage of effigy censers is believed due principally to the accumulation of such material on terrace and stairway and filtration into loose substructure fill when floors disintegrated. Discussion The presence of a water supply in Cenote X-Coton may be considered the prime factor in the development of human activities in this locality. That they began at least as far back as the Early Classic period was demonstrated by the finding of certain dichrome and polychrome pottery types in the cenote (R. E. Smith 1953:73) and a similar sherd in Str. T-70. Ceramic evidence also indicated heavy occupation of the area and use of the cenote in Late Classic times. Also, it is virtually certain that nearby there were contemporary, decorated, vaulted buildings in the Puuc style of architecture. Had we found only the specialized wall, vault, and cornice stones of such buildings re-used in the X-Coton temples, one might reason that the builders of the late structures transported these stones from some distant

source. However, the presence of Late Classic pottery from trace to appreciable amounts around and below Gate T, from Blocked Gate T, Strs. T-70 and T-72, and the cenote favors the theory that contemporary structures existed in the immediate vicinity of Cenote X-Coton. Singularly lacking here is recognizable ceramic or architectural evidence of the early post-Classic or Toltec period in Yucatán. The one Tohil Plumbate sherd from the debris in the north temple of Str. T-70 represents the only identified material of that period. Perhaps during the Toltec period there was a hiatus in the occupation of the Mayapán region other than for casual farming operations. It may be that during this span of time the relatively numerous Puuc buildings, presumably abandoned, began to disintegrate, and the founders of Protohistoric Mayapán encountered these buildings already in ruins. Our investigations disclosed that the major activities around Cenote X-Coton took place during the Mayapán period. An artificially constructed platform and a stone stairway leading to the water hole were built within the cenote. Outside, on its southern periphery, were erected Strs. T-70 and T72. These temples and cenote formed part of the confines of the walled city of Mayapán and their importance is suggested by the placement close-by of two major entrances, Gate T and Blocked Gate T, through the Great Wall. Str. T-72, unexcavated but for the remains of a shaft on its summit, proved to be a single-room building with a triple doorway atop a relatively high substructure. It served in this final form as a temple in which the cremated remains of adults, children, and animals were interred in a centrally placed depository. It seems probable these individuals and the animals had been sacrificed during religious rites held at this temple. Str. T-70 in its early stages was a single building on a low platform. Repeated alterations to this unit were evident, until at one stage the substructure was extended northward and two temples erected upon it. We can only wonder if the Mayapán architects were attempting to imitate a style of architecture, two temples on a common substructure, in vogue at approximately the same time in the far-off Mexican and Guatemalan highlands. They did produce a structure which, to our knowledge, is unique in Mayapán and the northern peninsula of Yucatán. The placement of offerings (pottery vessels, stone and shell ornaments), the evidence of much burning, and the frequent renovations suggest that the south temple of Str. T-70 may have been a more sacred shrine than the north one. Both, however, served as important temples, particularly after their

The X-Coton Temples at Mayapán last remodeling, for ceremonies involving the use of large effigy incense burners. Fragments of these littered the floors, terrace, and especially the front base of the platform. It would seem that the Maya in their final days in Mayapán, as indicated here and in the central area of the site, were constantly attempting

to appease their gods with the burning of copal and the sacrifice of humans, animals, and birds. Strs. T-70 and -72 at X-Coton may have been the first and last stations to show devotions to the gods as the Maya entered or left this sector of the city through Gate T in the Great Wall.

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 12 January 1954

Cenote Exploration at Mayapán and Telchaquillo Robert E. Smith

Cenote X-Coton (Smith 1953) at Mayapán uncovered ceremonial and utilitarian pottery and other artifacts associated with artificial constructions resting on a leveled fill of dirt laid down during the Mayapán period. Although stratigraphy was well marked in the successive fill levelings in this part of the cenote, a clear-cut chronological sequence was lacking because the fill was composed of refuse debris. The town cenote at Mani, however, yielded a sequence ranging from pre-Classic to postconquest deposits (Brainerd 1942:255), indicating that extensive chronological deposition may be found in cenotes. During the 1953 season two cenotes were investigated: Ch’en Mu1 at Mayapán, and one in the nearby village of Telchaquillo. Further research was also done at Cenote X-Coton. Our knowledge of cenotes was thereby increased by the finding in both Ch’en Mu1 and X-Coton of early kancab deposits that had been mined by the ancient Maya.

In Europe prehistoric archaeology has largely been established on the results of exploration in caves. More recently archaeological data have been obtained from cave investigation in the United States. As might be expected, therefore, the cenotes of Yucatán have yielded remunerative finds of the same nature. In a land lacking rivers and lakes, cenotes served the ancient Maya of Yucatán both as important sources of water and as sacred places where man could propitiate the gods. Because dwelling centers as well as religious groups often developed around these deep natural wells, an excavator might expect to find in them layers of both utilitarian and ceremonial refuse. Plenty of artifacts have, indeed, been encountered in the few cenotes so far, dug, although rarely in undisturbed human rubbish layers. The dredging of the Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá produced a considerable collection of unstratified ceremonial objects. The excavation of

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12.1. Section of Pit-Trench in Cenote X-Coton. The strata (6-2) in the original exploratory pit which occupied 1.5 m at the south end of this trench have lot numbers D-78 to D–82, respectively.

Kancab (kankab or chac kancab) is red earth. It is used today, and presumably was used in preconquest times, as a slip for pottery and, with sascab (marl) and grass, in the construction of native house walls. Redfield and Villa (1934:35) mention that it is mostly found where ants live. They suggest that ant hills may be employed for these purposes. A very deep deposit of red earth on Actun Spukil, disturbed by the ancient Maya possibly for use on pottery or house walls, is recorded by Hatt (1953:23). Kancab thus furnishes another reason for man’s use of cenotes. Cenote Ch’en Mul The first two months of the 1953 season were spent investigating Cenote Ch’en Mul, just east of Str. Q162, the Castillo, at Mayapán (Jones 1952, map). This cenote was selected because of its important location in the main ceremonial group, its large size, the number of its water holes, and the abundance of visible potsherds as well as the considerable depth of debris unearthed in two test trenches dug some years ago by Brainerd (1942:254–255). Ch’en Mul is a jug-shaped cenote with low cavelike extensions (Fig. 12.2; east and west extensions not shown on plan). A few banana trees grow on the floor in soil washed in through the rather large circular opening. The mouth is near the southern end of the cavern, which is roofed by natural rock

extending north and northeast for more than 60 m and possibly as far to the west, a low roofed area hard to penetrate. Three main water holes were located by following paths strewn with pottery. The largest, Z (Fig. 12.2), about 4 m in diameter and most accessible, is approximately 40 m north and slightly east of the mouth. The other two, reached by some of the smallest laborers, are in the extreme east and west sections of the cenote that are difficult to crawl to. Before work began, a number of depressions (Fig. 12.2, W,X,Y) flanking the path to the north waterhole (z) were observed to be bristling with potsherds. During the period of high water these small pools probably served the people until recession of the water made available the deeper water hole. The depressions were systematically cleaned. W, 50 cm deep, was divided into three strata. The two lower strata averaged 20 cm each; the upper stratum, 10 cm. Nearly 4,000 sherds, fairly evenly distributed but somewhat more numerous in the lowest stratum, came from this cut. The material is preponderantly late, save for a few Puuc period sherds at top and bottom. Perhaps of most significance is the rarity of effigy censers in all strata (0.7 percent) and the concentration of Black-on-Cream ware (Brainerd’s Coarse Slate) in the lowest (1.6 percent) and middle (2.9 percent) strata with only 0.3 percent in the upper. X, about 45 cm deep, was divided into a top

Cenote Exploration at Mayapán and Telchaquillo

12.2. Plan and Sections of Cenote Ch’en Mul.

level of 15 cm and a bottom level of 30 cm, most of the latter in mud and water. Over 3,000 sherds were taken from X, the bulk (84.3 percent) coming from the lower level. Again, the Black-on-Cream ware was most abundant in the lower level with 4.4 percent as against 1.2 percent in the upper. A few effigy censer fragments were removed from the lower stratum, none from the upper, an unusual reversal in order. A few Puuc and a much larger collection of probably Classic-type sherds occurred in the lower level, none in the upper. Y, 10–20 cm deep, was cleaned out as a single lot. Noteworthy here was the fact that blackon-cream ware was more abundant than usual (10.3 percent). Work on the mound of earth and debris below the mouth of the cenote was started by cutting a 1.5 m wide trench through the center from north to south, beginning at the south side of Brainerd’s southernmost cut (Figs. 12.2, 12.3). This trench was divided into six parts (A–F), of which only two (E and F) were sectioned. The pottery from Parts A–D, amounting to approximately 1,800 sherds, was not examined stratigraphically in order to save

time in reaching the deeper section of the mound. Furthermore, the sloping, north end, from which these sherds came, was judged to be partially disturbed when Brainerd’s trench was dug, some of the bottom debris from his cut perhaps being left on top of the new trench location. Parts E and F were excavated stratigraphically, the former being divided into three levels, the latter into four. E contained no red earth, or kancab. Its lowest stratum was composed of black earth and few rocks, the middle of brown earth and numerous medium and large rocks, and the topsoil of humus and small stones plus a few large rocks. F, the largest part of the trench, exhibited sizable areas of red earth, apparently extending from just below the surface soil (Fig. 12.3, plan) to the natural rock base. Besides the red earth, F contained sections of black below brown earth similar in profile to E. The stratigraphic ceramic sequences of E and F remained the same even though the red earth material in F was inadvertently lumped with the rest. The same ceramic sequence was obtained from a column about 2 m square, isolated on three sides

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12.3. Plan and Sections of the Trench and Its East and West Extensions in Cenote Ch’en Mul. The plan is shown with the surface soil stripped off.

and cut from the west side of the trench close to the center of the crater. This column (H), approximately 2 m deep, was arbitrarily separated into six strata (Fig. 12.3, section C-C’), whereas only five strata were made in the north (G) and south (I) isolation cuts. Once again the ceramic material from a red earth section on the north side of the column and in G was lumped with the sherds from the black and brown sections. Therefore, a separate examination of the red earth, with particular emphasis on its contents and relation to the adjacent black-brown sections seemed desirable. In order to accomplish this a sizable area, showing red, and black-brown sections in profile on the east side of the trench almost opposite the column,

was excavated (Fig. 12.3K,L, M, N). To begin with, it was noticed that all other earth deposits were covered by the surface soil, under which only the red earth extended to bedrock. On examination the red earth proved to be sterile save for the larger root channels harboring black soil, and for badly weathered tiny potsherds and insignificant bone fragments in the root channels and elsewhere. As the digging progressed it became increasingly evident that sizable sections of kancab had been removed before the accumulation of the topsoil. Thus, open pits, often having evenly cut vertical walls, remained and in time became filled with deposits of refuse, rock, and earth. The order of the last was consistently black below brown, a sequence found in E, located outside the red

Cenote Exploration at Mayapán and Telchaquillo earth zone. This zone appears to be confined to an area immediately underlying the cenote mouth. The sterility, depth, and location of the red earth go far toward proving its early deposition, whereas the sequence of the black and brown earth below the surface soil suggests later and gradual accumulation. The theory of gradual accumulation is strengthened by the ceramic findings, which show a distinct chronological change from bottom to top. The date of the start of this accumulation is of course marked by the latest sherds found on the bottom. These were of early Mayapán period type. The orderly bottom-to-top chronological development consists of the following: Puuc and Classic types diminish and Mayapán Red types increase; effigy censers, which belong primarily to the late Mayapán period, are usually absent at the bottom and become increasingly abundant as one moves upward; blackon-cream ware, most prolific in the middle levels, is often absent at the top. This order is the rule at Mayapán whether in cenotes, ceremonial assemblages, or house-platform groups. Cenote X-Coton Additional work was done at Cenote X-Coton to determine if the southern section had been filled artificially (Smith 1953:70, 71, Figs. 12.1; 12.2b). A pittrench (Fig. 12.1) gave us what is probably the best stratigraphy so far encountered. This exploratory pit, 1.5 m square and 1.8 m deep, later extended to a 5.3 m trench, was sunk about 9 m north of Cave 4 and 1 m west of Pit 2 (Smith 1953, Fig. 1). Like the trench in Cenote Ch’en Mul, this pit-trench contained sections of kancab. The surface soil, varying from 50 to 80 cm deep and composed of humus, roots, and some small stones, included some very large rocks, a few of which, probably fallen from the rim of the cenote, showed on the surface. Below were sections of sterile kancab and many large rocks, small stones, refuse debris, and sherds interspersed in a reddish brown earth. Finally, at the bottom tremendous rock segments of the original cavern roof were encountered. A small man was able to squeeze between some of these and, working in brownish sandy soil possibly reaching to bedrock, obtained a small sample of largely Puuc and Classic ceramic types as well as a large percentage (32.9) of unidentifiable sherds but no definitely Mayapán period pottery. The manner in which the kancab sections are associated with the brownish sandy and reddish brown earth levels is very like the situation found in Cenote Ch’en Mul, if black and brown are substituted for brownish sandy and reddish brown levels.

Thus, a similar procedure of early kancab deposition and gradual accumulation of debris in excavated sections may be hypothecated, especially since once again it is substantiated by ceramic stratigraphy. Therefore, if the deposit in the rest of the southern section corresponds with the finding in this trench, that entire area may be assumed to have been filled by natural accumulation. Cenote Telchaquillo In the main plaza of Telchaquillo, a village close to Mayapán, there is a sizable cenote with a large main water hole. The cenote is jug-shaped but has two mouths, one centrally placed, the other a ramplike entrance from the west which terminates in crudely fashioned steps near the water (Fig. 12.4). Another stairway, well constructed, was partially uncovered in the center of the cenote. There is also a well shaft cut through the roof of the cavern, presumably in colonial times, but no longer used. Brainerd (1942:254) had dug a pit (Pit 1) in the southeast corner of the cenote but found only postconquest pottery. After the cenote was mapped, Pit 2, almost 2 m square, was sunk about 2 m northwest of Brainerd’s. Four 30 cm levels were cut in uniformly brown soil, well provided with medium-sized stones. The surface level contained nothing but post-conquest red jars (some are brownish) and three glazed white or polychrome pieces. The next level included 16 Mayapán Red jar sherds plus two Black-on-Cream pieces with 172 fragments of postconquest red jars. The stratum below had 558 sherds, of which eight were Mayapán Red. The bottom level contained a small lot of 92 sherds, including 17 Mayapán Red and one from a Puuc Medium Slate jar. The pottery from these excavations that has been identified as Mayapán Red may conceivably be, with the exception of two rim sherds, of postconquest period. At times body sherds of these red wares are all but indistinguishable, a slight difference in surface texture being the only identifying mark. Rim forms, however, are distinctive, and the two rim sherds mentioned are unquestionably Mayapán Red. A second but much smaller water hole was found due west of Pit 2, and a small near-by pocket containing dirt and potsherds was excavated. This lot of 45 sherds had only two postconquest examples; the rest included two Mayapán Red, 28 Blackon-Cream, three Puuc, seven Early Classic, and three Unidentified fragments. Pit 3 was dug under and north of the crude north stair-way. It had two strata, the upper with a preponderance of post-conquest red jar fragments plus a few Mayapán Red, Blackon-Cream and Puuc-type sherds; the lower includ-

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12.4. Plan of the Cenote in Telchaquillo Plaza and Section of Pit 2.

ing fewer post-conquest jar sherds and a greater proportion of the earlier types. Cenote Pottery It is too early to attempt a careful analysis of the pottery from Mayapán, and a brief summary of the material thus far collected has been offered elsewhere (Smith 1953a:281–282). We have noted in the present report, however, the general trends of pottery found in cenotes, trends also typical of the ceramic material in ceremonial centers and house-platform groups. It should be noted that the small amount of material from house groups, due to insufficient excavation, does not allow us to put much weight on that part of our findings. Naturally, the pottery found in cenotes differs in type from that encountered in other parts of Mayapán. For instance jars, mostly for carrying

water, form the largest percentage (57.9 percent) of cenote sherds of all periods, whereas censers, mostly of the effigy type, are preponderant (43.5 percent) in ceremonial centers. In cenotes, censers, especially the effigy type, of course do not have the importance (13.5 percent) given to them in ceremonial centers where jars, although well represented (33.5 percent), fall well below the record attained in cenotes. Bowls, on the other hand, are very constant (about 11.2 percent) wherever found. It is interesting to note that bowl rim sherds (4.6 percent of all sherds) are consistently more numerous than jar rim sherds (3.9 percent), even in the cenote collections, although jar body sherds (39.5 percent) far outnumber bowl body sherds (6.2 percent) wherever found. As might be expected, unidentifiable (weathered and fragmentary) sherds are most abundant in surface soil and, interestingly enough, in red earth collections, apparently owing to the filtering of surface sherds through root channels.

12.5. Cenote Ch’en Mul. (For lot numbers see Fig. 12.2). a. View from west. b. Sculptured stone animal-like head ca, 29 cm high, Lot D-30. c. Sculptured stone human head with tenon, traces of stucco, 33.5 cm long, Lot D-29. d. Animal femur carved to represent a jaguar with glyph-like spots on body, full size, Lot D-30. e. Flint projectile point, full size, Lot D-69.

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Robert E. Smith Cenote Artifacts There appear to be comparatively few artifacts in the Mayapán cenotes so far investigated. Bone fragments, both human and animal, are more abundant. Only 119 artifacts of stone, obsidian, flint, shell, bone, and pottery were recovered from cenotes in 1953, compared to 55 from a single pit in a sascab quarry. The 1953 cenote sherd count equaled 40,200; that from the sascab quarry pit, 3,561. Only 11 of the 119 artifacts could be considered as ornaments and two as ceremonial pieces, the remainder being implements of one kind or another. These figures merely point to

the sascab pit as harboring a true midden, whereas the cenotes were natural depositories for washed-in surface debris. It is of interest that 70 percent of the artifacts from cenotes were obsidian flake-blades, of which 70 percent came from the upper and 30 percent from the lower levels. Approximately this same proportion in upper and lower levels holds true for all artifacts found in the Mayapán cenotes. Other types encountered were: flint points (Fig. 12.5e), worked bone (Fig. 12.5d), carved stone (Fig. 12.5b,c), worked sherds, shell and bone ornaments, and one stone hammer.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 13 February 1954

Boundary Walls and House Lots at Mayapán William R. Bullard Jr.

The walls in Squares H, I, and Q (Jones 1952, map) were completely plotted, other parts of the ruins were surveyed in order to investigate certain specific problems, and several small excavations were undertaken for possible features of construction not apparent from surface observation. As a somewhat fuller picture of the first year’s work was obtained, it seems desirable to repeat here some of the ground covered in Current Report 3. For the term property wall, used previously, we are substituting the less specific term boundary wall. We called attention to the great number of stone walls built since the abandonment of Mayapán. The extent of this activity has varied from one part of the site to another, but at least some relatively recent walls are to be found everywhere. The majority of them seem to have been built as milpa boundaries; some, especially those near Rancho San Joachin, as cattle enclosures. Where postconquest wall building has been considerable, ancient boundary wall

During the field season of 1952, preliminary studies were made of the rough stone walls found in great numbers through-out the ruins of Mayapán. The results indicated that the walls surrounded dwelling-type structures and in all probability marked the boundaries of house properties (Bullard 1952). During that season, effort was directed mostly toward examination of the walls in the central and southwestern parts of the site. Although valuable knowledge concerning the basic function of the walls was obtained, much of the information was not entirely satisfactory, largely owing to the great amount of destruction and disturbance of old wall patterns during postconquest use of the land. We needed more information about the general pattern of walls over a broad area, as well as on such specific problems as the relationship of walls to ceremonial groups, correlation of the size of property enclosures with the size of house groups, etc. The work of the 1953 season was aimed at answering these questions.

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William R. Bullard Jr. patterns are almost completely obliterated. Stones were removed, and the direction of old walls was changed as they were incorporated into the later walls. Very likely parts of some ancient walls were demolished because they interfered with the uses to which the modern enclosures were put. Although in relatively late times a great many stone walls have been built in Mayapán, presentday Indians construct very few of any extent in the ruins, although they take advantage of already existing enclosures where convenient. They do, however, commonly utilize ancient boundary walls as foundations for the thick brush fences which protect cornfields from deer and cattle, and they not infrequently build up and repair the old walls to further this purpose (Fig. 13.5a). Squares H and I, in the eastern part of Mayapán, were selected for investigation because reconnaissance had shown that they contained relatively few postconquest walls, and therefore would presumably have original wall patterns relatively well preserved. The area also contained such features as a well-developed lane system and the ceremonial group at Cenote Itzmal Ch’en. Of all the areas examined for boundary walls. Squares H and I proved to be the most informative (Fig. 13.1). The walls were plotted also in Square Q, which contains the main ceremonial group of Mayapán, to determine the relationship of boundary walls to ceremonial and other nonresidential buildings and to detect any difference in pattern of walls around house structures close to the Main Group. The results of much of this work were disappointing. In contrast to Squares H and I, Q is covered by a dense network of walls of unquestionably postconquest origin, indicating intensive farming and ranching in this part of Mayapán from the colonial era on. Ancient walls are so fragmentary that little in the way of pattern could be determined, but even here, where disturbance is at a maximum, a few relatively long sections of ancient wall still stand, in close proximity to large modern walls. These traces permit conclusions of a general nature only. The walls were plotted on 2½× photostatic enlargements of sections of the Jones map, which gives the convenient scale of 1:1,000. Corners of ruined buildings and other features on the map served as reference points. Each wall, regardless of its antiquity, was followed; then areas between walls were examined. Many ancient walls, especially in sections of heavy postconquest disturbance, may consist of only a rough alignment of well-spaced or well-scattered stones, all too easy to overlook.

Construction of the Walls The walls are of the simplest construction (Figs. 13.2a,b; 13.5b,c). Large, irregular slabs or boulders from the limestone bedrock were tilted upright and placed in a row with their edges either touching or a few centimeters apart. Their bases were braced with smaller stones as the nature of the terrain or the shape of the stone required, but often the base of a stone was sufficiently wide and flat for adequate support. The size of the stones varied from wall to wall and even within the same wall. Most commonly they ranged from 60 cm to a meter in height, 40–80 cm in length, and 30–50 cm in width. The largest wall stones seen were 1.5 m high. The intervals between the stones were probably chinked with smaller stones, a few of which still remain in most walls. Debris around the walls consists of a scattering of small stones and chips as well as larger stones which have toppled from their former positions. Some of the debris must represent fallen chinking stones, but much of it comes from breakage and spalling of the larger stones caused by weathering, tree roots, and especially milpa fires. Only occasionally is the debris sufficient to suggest that the walls rose higher than the tops of the stones now standing, probably not more than one additional course of small boulders. It is always possible, of course, that the small stones were added in relatively recent times by farmers. Conversely, the presence of a postconquest wall nearby suggests that smaller stones may have been robbed from the ancient wall. No evidence was found that boundary walls were ever plastered over or otherwise smooth-surfaced. Their original appearance was probably that of a rough field-stone wall. Perhaps wood or brush fencing was placed on top of the stones. Of the many boundary walls observed, only two differed to any appreciable extent from the description given above. Str. G-8 (712 N, 1563 E) and Str. T18 (10 S, 1275 E) both had surrounding walls which were formed in part of a small stone fill between retaining walls. In the first instance, the total width of the filled part of the wall was about 1.2 m. and the height 60 cm; in the second, the width was about 1.4 m and the height about 75 cm (Fig. 2c). The remainder of each wall was one stone thick, as is standard. No reason for these two exceptions, besides the whim of individual householders, is apparent. The problem of distinguishing Mayapán period walls from later ones, which may also have considerable age, is always present, even in parts of the city where there are few late walls. No hard and fast criteria are possible, but postconquest walls tend

Boundary Walls and House Lots at Mayapán to be constructed of small stones generally laid in rough courses. Ancient walls, on the other hand, have larger slabs and boulders set upright. Column drums and cut stones are used in the late walls in areas where these features occur in the ruined architecture. Late walls are better preserved, on the whole. All these characteristics, however, can be confused by the fact that old walls were rebuilt and often incorporated into later ones. Pattern, of course, is a most useful determinant. Ancient walls in most instances surrounded or were definitely related to ruined buildings. Postconquest walls, in contrast, usually blocked out large areas with no regard for the position of ruins, crossing over house platforms and terraces and cutting older wall lines. House Groups and Settlement Pattern Boundary walls are necessarily studied in close connection with settlement pattern and housing. The general characteristics of Mayapán dwellings have been described by Ruppert and Smith (1951:231). Houses occur alone and, perhaps more frequently, in groups. A house group consists generally of two or three associated structures, usually in rectangular arrangement and often standing on a common terrace. Considerable variation occurs, however. The central and western parts of the city have more groups which are larger and which not infrequently have more elaborate features of construction, such as stone columns. Five or six structures are probably about the maximum for a single group, but most commonly the Mayapán houses occur singly or in twos or threes. Sometimes small stone altars stand on the terraces in front of the houses, and often a stairway leads from ground to terrace. In general size and arrangement the Mayapán house groups resemble the dwelling units to be seen in the Yucatán villages of today, where, besides the family dwelling, there is often a separate kitchen or storehouse and sometimes another dwelling for a closely related family. Detailed studies of dwelling-type structures, now in progress (Ruppert and Smith 1953), may afford more precise information concerning the social significance of the Mayapán house groups. The maximum concentration of dwellings is around the main ceremonial group and in the central and western parts of the city generally. Here also are most of the more elaborate groups where the leaders of Mayapán probably lived. Density is less in the eastern part, where much of the past season’s work was conducted. It should be noted that houses do not cluster around the cenotes and ceremonial

groups at Itzmal Ch’en and X-Coton. Outside the city wall, we saw isolated groups as far as 0.5 km, but in most directions settlement seems to stop almost immediately beyond the city wall. There are prehistoric house ruins in and around the modern village of Telchaquillo, about 1 km north of Mayapán, but this seems to have been a separate settlement, and the chronological relationships between the two are not yet clear. The Mayapán houses appear on the map to be scattered over the terrain with no formal city plan. Actually, terrain was a major factor in the location of a house. Slight elevations, particularly the tops of low rocky knolls, were clearly preferred as sites. Where settlement was dense, there were not, of course, enough elevated positions for everyone, but in thinly populated districts a greater proportion of houses are on knolls. Outside the city wall, the number of houses drops abruptly and almost every one is on a prominent elevation. House Lots A glance at Figure 13.1 will show that the great majority of boundary walls surround house groups. There seems little question that they mark the bounds of the properties belonging to individual groups and we can therefore properly call these units of land house lots. Figure 13.3 illustrates a rather typical house group and lot. Some of the characteristic patterns formed by individual walls were illustrated previously (Bullard 1952, Fig. 3.2). All of these can be duplicated in Squares H and I, but the most common is a simple oval enclosure or a rectangular enclosure with rounded corners. The use of common walls between adjoining lots is frequent. It is also usual for a house next to the city wall to use that as one boundary for its lot. Walls abutting house platforms or terraces were somewhat scarcer in Squares H and I than in other squares. Sometimes smaller enclosures lie within a house lot, as, for example, in the house lot of Group 103 near the southern edge of Square I. Actually, every enclosure has its own features, the range of variation being shown in Figure 13.1. Frequently a house group will not be encompassed completely but the wall will make only a partial circuit around the buildings. Several explanations are possible for this. In many instances parts of the walls have almost certainly been demolished by farmers since the abandonment of the city. Also, when a particular house was deserted in ancient times, the neighbors may have carried off stones from the boundary wall for their own use. Near the northwest corner of Square I, for example, there are

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13.1. Plot of Walls in Squares H and I.

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William R. Bullard Jr.

13.2. Mayapán Boundary Walls. a. Plan and elevation of part of boundary wall around Group I-40 (250 N, 1224 E). The size of the stones is typical of the Mayapán walls in general. The bases of the stones rest on bedrock. b. Elevation and sections of part of boundary wall around Str. EE-11 (1125 S, 300 W). The stones in this wall are exceptionally large. Their bases rest on rather uneven bedrock and are braced with small stones. c. Plan and section of part of boundary wall around Group T-18 (10 S, 1275 E). This wall is one of two seen in Mayapán which consist of a fill of small stones between retaining walls.

several considerably demolished house platforms and fragmentary walls in close proximity to houses and walls which are well preserved. Stone-robbing of deserted structures would seem a plausible explanation in this instance. A further reason for the incomplete circuit could be the practice of closing the gap with wooden or brush fences. Finally, it is also conceivable that some householders may not have desired a complete wall around their property. Houses in the residential areas of Mayapán without any trace of an associated boundary wall are relatively rare. Although structures and boundary walls are well preserved in this part of Square I, careful search failed to reveal any sign of walls

around Groups 62 and 63 (Fig. 13.1). Other buildings without boundary walls are near the main ceremonial group and near the Itzmal Ch’en ceremonial group. Ordinarily, each house group had its own boundary wall, but sometimes a wall fenced more than one group. Groups 109 and 110, near the southern edge of Square I, are apparently included within the same enclosure. Evidence from the central and southwestern parts of Mayapán faintly suggests that this situation may have been more common there. One instance in the southern part of Square AA seems to consist of a large group of four structures surrounded by four or five groups of two structures each, all surrounded

Boundary Walls and House Lots at Mayapán

13.3. Map of House Group and Lot (750 S, 620 W) in Square AA. A characteristic example of a Mayapán house group and its associated boundary wall. The group consists of two house platforms standing on a common terrace. Many of the boundary wall stones are tilted and fallen from their original positions so that it is no longer possible to determine the location of the gateway which must once have existed. The terrain within the lot is almost entirely bedrock.

by the same wall (945 S, 567 w). Nevertheless, the standard pattern throughout Mayapán is unquestionably a separate lot for each house group. Watch was kept for boundary walls which might encircle large areas containing several separate house lots. A prominent feature of Square I is two long lanes (Fig. 13.1). Between the lanes and their interlocking branches it is possible to recognize large enclosures containing two or three house groups, each with its own encircling wall. Taken alone, these might be adduced as evidence for enclosures larger than individual house lots, but when the lane

system is examined, it seems more likely that they are accidental groupings formed by the branchings of the lanes. Also in Square I, the long wall which arcs around Groups 109 and 110 seems to continue so as to partially include Group 112, which has its own boundary wall. Just north of this occurrence, the conformation of walls around Groups I-56, -60, and -64 hints of a similar grouping. But none of these instances are sufficiently well defined to permit the conclusion that enclosures larger than individual house lots existed. The weight of evidence is to the contrary.

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William R. Bullard Jr. It is logical to assume that most boundary walls had some sort of gateway, certainly those walls completely encircling a house lot, yet discovery of intact gateways was exceedingly infrequent. From the few probable instances, the common type of gateway seems to have been merely a gap in the wall about 1 or 1.5 m wide. In some cases the stones on either side of the gap may have been slightly larger than the rest of the wall stones but this was probably not a regular feature. Actually, even in relatively well preserved walls, so large a proportion of the stones are tilted and fallen from their original positions that the location or character of a gateway could easily be obscured. A few houses, not over half a dozen in all the areas investigated, have traces of more formal entranceways. These are short lanes formed by parallel walls 1–2 m apart. They lead from a gap in the boundary wall of the house lot toward, usually, a stairway leading to the terrace on which the house stands (Bullard 1952, Fig. 3.3d). In Square I, Groups 28 and 41 have such entrance lanes (Fig. 13.1). The size of individual house lots varies, but usually there is only enough space for a small yard around the buildings. The amount of available land does not seem to be a factor. Lots are not appreciably larger in the lightly occupied parts of the city than where population was dense, nor in the most isolated groups on the fringes of settlement outside the city wall than those inside. A specific aim of the 1953 work was to look for correlation between the size of house lots and the size and elaborateness of house groups, a correlation which would have important sociological implications since the most elaborate houses were probably the residences of the leaders of Mayapán. Unfortunately, most of the elaborate groups are situated in those parts of Mayapán where the wall patterns are most poorly defined. But many groups of this sort were included in the areas plotted during the first season and in Square Q which was done this past year. In addition, a number in other parts of the ruins were visited and the walls around them examined. No evidence was found that the elaborate groups had larger enclosures than the ordinary ones. Some had only small enclosures built along one side of the group; others, although they included dwelling-­type structures, apparently lacked houselot walls completely, a fact which might bear on the interpretation of their function. The type of terrain within house lots varies with the location of the house. Some lots contain areas of deep soil; others, including many of the desirable elevated sites, consist almost entirely of bedrock. One receives the impression that no particular effort

was made to include within a lot land which would be advantageous for growing crops. This, of course, does not preclude gardens within house lots. The modern Maya are adept at raising plants in small rock crevices, pottery vessels, hollow logs, etc.; and these talents were no doubt fully exploited in the past. Other than houses and boundary walls, there are no features consistently associated with house lots. Occasionally a lot includes a small stone circle, some 2–5 m in diameter, formed by upright slabs of the same size as those in boundary walls. Two of these were excavated in an attempt to discover their purpose. Both were cleared of soil (one shown in Figs. 13.4b; 13.5d), one being a small structure built against the side of a high house terrace. All the examples seen were footed on bedrock and bedded in very shallow soil. Nothing showed their purpose. One possibility, sheer speculation, is that they were filled with soil and planted with trees or other vegetation. Such raised gardens, similar in size though usually square, are sometimes found in modern Maya villages (Wauchope 1938, Fig. 49f). Relationship of Boundary Walls to Ceremonial Centers One aim of the 1953 season was to determine the relationship, if any, of the boundary walls to buildings and areas of obvious ceremonial or public function. Good information was obtained from Square H where the Itzmal Ch’en ceremonial group is located (see Fig. 13.1). In addition, a wall plot was made of Square Q, which contains the main ceremonial group of Mayapán. At Itzmal Ch’en, a wall curves around the southern half of the cenote proper, but boundary walls are conspicuously scarce in the area around the ceremonial buildings from the cenote to the gate in the city wall east of Itzmal Ch’en. House groups bordering this area are surrounded by walls except in three instances, Groups 21, 26, and 28. The three are not distinguishable in either size or construction from the common run of dwelling-type structures throughout the city; but their lack of boundary walls is unusual and this fact, coupled with their location near the ceremonial center, suggests that they may have served some special purpose in connection with the center, perhaps as residences for certain functionaries. The great number of postconquest walls and the fragmentary condition of the ancient boundary walls in Square Q have already been mentioned. The data are such that only broad generalizations can be made. It is clear, nevertheless, that, like the Itzmal

Boundary Walls and House Lots at Mayapán

13.4. Stone Circle and Lane Pavement at Mayapán; Boundary Wall at Chichén Itzá. a. Pavement in lane (310 N, 1030 E) in Square I. The surface of the pavement was found 10–15 cm below present ground surface. It consists of a strip about 25 cm thick of small irregular stones (Fig. 13.5e). Near the center of the lane are laid some irregular slabs 40–60 cm across. The surface of the pavement is reasonably level. At this section the lane is built on soil rather than on bedrock. Exact location of the original ground surface outside the lane could not be determined in the excavation. b. Stone circle (330 N, 22 E) next to Group K-44. The stones rest on bedrock and are propped by smaller stones (Fig. 13.5d). There is a small natural cavity in the bedrock near the center of the circle. c. Sketch plan of boundary wall and house platforms near Chichén Itzá. The stone-filled platforms are broken down and benches or other surface features could not be recognized. The boundary wall resembles the Mayapán walls in construction. The stones are about 50 cm high. The group is located roughly 2 km west of the Castillo.

Ch’en group, the Main Group is practically free of boundary walls. A few segments of what look like boundary walls were found close to colonnaded halls and temple structures, one actually abuts the back wall of a hall, Str. Q-99 (200 S, 175 W), but these can nearly all be associated with small dwelling-type

buildings, several of which are on the immediate fringes of ceremonial areas. Excavations within the Main Group have uncovered occasional low walls of shaped stones which apparently mark the limits of ceremonial plazas or precincts, but these do not seem comparable in either construction or purpose with the rough boulder-and-slab walls found throughout the residential areas of Mayapán. The data from the Main Group, supported by those from Itzmal Ch’en and from observations made at the small ceremonial group at Cenote X-Coton, indicate clearly that the temples, shrines, colonnaded halls, and other ceremonial or public buildings did not have associated boundary walls; these walls are almost exclusively associated with residential buildings. Outside of the Main Group, Square Q contains a dense concentration of ruined buildings. Many are ordinary house structures but there is also a liberal scattering of groups which are larger and more elaborate and where we suspect the wealthier or more important residents of the city lived. Broken remnants of boundary walls occur throughout this presumed residential area. Although no over-all pattern could be worked out, it was noticed, particularly in the south and east parts of the square, that the remnants become scarcer as one approaches the Main Group. Many houses, both simple and elaborate, have no trace at all of associated walls. Furthermore, the scantiness of the remaining fragments suggests the possibility that the nature of landholdings close to the Main Group may have been somewhat different from that which prevailed elsewhere in Mayapán. As was suggested for Itzmal Ch’en, many of the house structures here may have had some functional relationship to the ceremonial center, such as quarters for priests, attendants, or other officials.

Lanes and Routes of Passage The first season’s work brought to light numerous short winding lanes, formed by the walls of neighboring house lots, which provided access to dwell-

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William R. Bullard Jr. ings in crowded areas. We found little lane systems of this sort throughout Mayapán. An especially clear one is in the south part of Square H (Fig. 13.1; also Bullard, 1952, Fig. 3.1). Prominent features of Square I are two long lanes running east-west across the square (Fig. 13.1) and formed by parallel walls about 2 m apart. In appearance they resemble the shorter lanes mentioned above, but are unique because of their great length and because, in the main, they run independently of house-lot walls. The north lane, discovered during the 1952 season, starts near the west edge of the square and continues east for 400 m, coming to an end about 100 m southwest of Cenote Itzmal Ch’en. The south lane winds across the square in a southwest-northeast direction and joins with the first lane a short distance before its eastern terminus. Both lanes tend to follow low areas and seem to be laid out so as to avoid house lots, suggesting that they are of relatively late construction. Although the lane walls seem in general to be independent of house-lot walls, an occasional house may use a lane wall to mark one side of its lot boundary, as, for example, does Str. I-83. The walls of the long lanes are constructed in the same manner as all the boundary walls. The height of the standing stones varies from about 40 cm to 80 cm, averaging about 60 cm. The lane is about 2 m wide for the most part but some sections are as much as 3 m. The southern lane shows a gap in the north wall where it goes by Group 1-40, but the other wall is unbroken. For most of their length the lane walls are set directly on bedrock. Near Group I-24, the northern lane crosses a low area with a relatively deep accumulation of soil. We trenched across the lane at this point and uncovered a pavement composed of irregular slabs and smaller stones (Figs. 13.4a; 13.5e). Since the low area would become very muddy in wet weather, it is to be supposed that the pavement was intended to provide a dry footing. Several short lanes branch from the two long ones. One leads to the stairway of Group I-28; another may have led to the stairway of Group I-26. Near the center of the northern long lane two shorter lanes converge from north and south respectively. At their junction is a small cave or sink with three or four steps leading into it (Fig. 13.5f).This proved to be the entrance to a cenote, which natives of Telchaquillo say was blocked within recent years by farmers. We made an entrance and followed a natural passageway, in which rough stone steps had been laid, down to water. The lane leading south from this cenote joins with the southern long lane; the lane leading north could be followed for only

about 60 m. The location of the cenote at a junction of what were probably main routes of travel shows its importance as a water source for this district of the city. About 40 m west of the cenote, one wall of the long lane swings out to include a natural shaftlike sink hole in the limestone. The diameter of the opening is about 1 m from ground surface there is a straight drop of about 4 m from which level a sloping passage descends out of sight. This also is probably the entrance to a cenote. Despite the presence of the cenotes, the location and direction of the long lanes suggest that they served primarily as routes of travel to Cenote Itzmal Ch’en and its nearby ceremonial group. Their eastern terminus is only a short distance from this large cenote, and between the two points there are no intervening walls which could have impeded passage. An attempt was made to follow the lanes farther west, into the adjoining Square J, but without success. As far as we could determine, both lanes end near the west edge of Square I. These two long lanes are the only thing we could find in Mayapán suggesting formal routes from one part of the city to another. The whole problem of routes of travel in Maya­ pán has been a bothersome one. Throughout the city there is so dense a maze of house-lot walls that one wonders how the residents found their way about. It is likely that fairly direct avenues did exist. During both field seasons, reconnaissance was made through parts of the ruins where detailed wall plots were not made. Particular attention was given to locating lanes and, when encountered, following them. Nothing was seen comparable to the long lanes in Square I; all the lanes followed were short passageways between adjacent lot walls. Special effort was spent trying to locate avenues or roadways leading from the major gates in the city wall to the Main Group. A reasonably straight passage could be made from the large gate in the city wall in Square P nearly to the Main Group without crossing ancient boundary walls, but there was no evidence of any kind for a roadway or formal route. Elsewhere, postconquest wall building has obscured evidence of possible straight routes between house lots, but if lanes or artificial roadways had existed, traces would certainly have been found. There is, to be sure, a causeway near the center of Mayapán connecting two large groups of structures and there is another short section of what may be a causeway in Square E (Jones 1952, map), but these were clearly not major avenues of travel about the city. The “main streets” of Mayapán must have been for the most part simple trails which ran through the spaces between house lots.

13.5. Boundary Walls, Stone Circle, lane, and Cenote Entrance. a. Ancient boundary wall used as base for modern brush fence (300 N, 1275 E). b. Boundary wall around Group 1-67 (180 N, 1335 E). The stones stand on irregular bedrock. The edge of Str. I-67a shows at the extreme left. c. Boundary wall around Str. H-34 (150 N, 1535 E). The bases of the stones in the foreground have been excavated. They stand on level bedrock. d. Stone circle (330 N, 22 E) in Square K (see Fig. 13.4b). The bases of the stones have been excavated. They stand on bedrock and are propped upright with smaller stones. e. Pavement in lane (310 N, 1030 E) in Square I (see Fig. 13.4a). f. Cenote entrance (338 N, 1188 E) in Square I. The opening of the passage leading to water is visible in the side of the cave below and to the left of the workman. The stones which blocked it have been pulled aside. Three or four stone steps (not visible in the photograph) lead from ground level into the cave. The cenote is at the junction of four lanes.

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William R. Bullard Jr. Boundary Walls and Cenotes A number of cenotes were located in the squares where detailed investigations were made. In no instance did we see a cenote entrance within the boundary walls of a house lot. They were always in areas between house lots and thus presumably accessible to the general populace. At Cenote Itzmal Ch’en, at the border of Squares H and I, a boundary wall encircles the southern half of the wide opening at a distance of 3–7 m from the edge (Fig. 13.1). The wall does not tie in with other boundary walls in the vicinity, nor is there any trace of a wall around the north half of the opening. In Square I, just northwest of Group 56, there is in the bedrock a depression 4 or 5 m across which has been almost filled with boulders. It is completely encircled at a distance of about 3 m by a brokendown boundary wall, stones from which have obviously been used as filling material. According to a native of Telchaquillo, this is the entrance to a cenote which was blocked many years ago to prevent livestock from entering. We were able to move enough stones to see a passage, but the blocking stones were too entwined with tree roots to force an entrance. In the south part of Square F there is a natural pothole (520N, 380 E) which, like the possible cenote mentioned above, is completely encircled at a distance of 4 m by a wall. The pothole is bell-shaped, 1.5 m in diameter at the opening and 4 m in diameter at the widest part. It is filled with soil to within 1.2 m of the surface. My Maya helper insisted that this could not be a cenote entrance. Conceivably, if cleaned out, it might have served to retain water. Mention has already been made of the cenotes in the long lane in Square I. A fully comparable situation was not noted elsewhere in the ruins. However, Cenote X-Leth in Square R has a lane leading to within a few meters of its entrance. The lane could be followed for only a short distance, and attempts to find its relationship to boundary walls in the immediate vicinity were without conclusive results. Summary and Discussion Except for occasional use in lanes and in connection with such features as cenotes, boundary walls are almost exclusively associated with dwelling-type structures, forming the limits of house lots. In the main, these lots surround single house groups only, although an occasional lot will contain more than one group. There are suggestions that the pattern of house lots around dwellings close to the main ceremonial group may have differed somewhat from that prevailing elsewhere in the city, but our information is too poor to define the exact nature of the

difference. Although nearly every house group in Mayapán has associated walls, some of the houses close to ceremonial centers lack them completely, suggesting that these buildings may have had some special function in connection with the center, such as residences for officials. The size of house lots does not correlate either with the amount of available land or, as far as we could determine, with the degree of elaborateness of house groups, the latter being taken as an indication of the wealth or prestige of the inhabitants. Nor is the type of terrain a factor. The lots seem to have been merely small yards around the buildings, and we can infer no purpose for the stone walls other than as boundary markers. Often, short winding lanes formed by neighboring houselot walls provided access to individual houses, but, with the exception of two relatively long lanes in the eastern part of the city, we found no evidence of formal roadways or streets to provide routes of travel from one part of Mayapán to another. Mayapán house groups bear a general resemblance to the modern Yucatán dwelling units. The presence of a walled lot around each modern unit offers a further parallel, although today the walls are necessary for the control of livestock, a problem the ancient Maya did not have to consider. The Mayapán data, however, show that the custom of carefully marking property boundaries is part of a cultural tradition that has its origins prior to European conquest and influence. The Mayapán pattern of a boundary wall ordinarily enclosing only one house group is very similar to the modern custom in Yucatán, and it is reasonable to expect that, as regards settlement, an analogous social situation prevailed. Conclusions concerning the significance of the Mayapán boundary walls are hampered by the absence of comparative material from other Maya ruins. The only mention in the literature is by Wauchope (1934:143; 1938:9). While digging house mounds at Uaxactun, he uncovered some walls, the function of which was doubtful since they did not retain any core of fill. They were excavated for some distance and, although they were never traced completely, Wauchope suggests that the walls from two neighboring mounds may have been connected and that these very likely were stone boundary walls comparable to the modern Maya walls. During the 1953 season, visits were made to the ruins of Uxmal, Kabah, and Sayil in the Puuc region. Settlement around these centers was obviously a great deal more dispersed than at Mayapán. Although isolated examples of rough boulder walls were seen rarely, it is clear that there was no such system of boundary walls as at Mayapán. A visit was also made to Chichén Itzá, where, although the

Boundary Walls and House Lots at Mayapán same remarks hold generally true, we saw one good example of three small stone platforms surrounded by a wall that was identical in construction to the Mayapán boundary walls (Fig. 13.4c). It is difficult to appraise the significance of this occurrence, since it is located about 2 km from the center of Chichén Itzá and there is no clue to its relative date. Explorations around Chichén Itzá were extensive enough to show that walled house lots are not a regular feature of that ruin. Present indications seem to be that, for Yucatán at least, the emphasis on delimitation of property boundaries was a relatively late phenomenon. Reasons for this will not be clear until we have more knowledge of Maya settlement patterns and their changes.

Some words of caution are necessary. The extreme shallowness of the soil in northern Yucatán makes it easy to see and trace the crude stone boundary walls, but elsewhere in the Maya area, where soil accumulation is more substantial, the existence of a wall system might be revealed only by excavation, as were Wauchope’s questionable boundary walls at Uaxactun. Furthermore, whereas in Yucatán where, with its overabundance of readily available stone, we might expect house lots to be walled with stone as are those at Mayapán, elsewhere boundary markers might well have been of some perishable construction such as rail or wattle, so that the absence of stone walls is not in itself proof of the absence of house lots.

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 14 June 1954

Three Temples and Their Associated Structures at Mayapán Edwin M. Shook

The following report describes the investigations, during the 1953 field season, of several ancient structures within the central group of religious and civic buildings at Mayapán. There are approximately 100 of these units tightly clustered around the central and dominant architectural feature of the site, the Temple of Kukulcan, or Castillo (Str. Q-162). The ones reported here are among the cluster forming the northern ring around the Castillo: Strs. Q-58 to -60 about 100 m north, and Q-82 and Q-95 roughly 75 and 125 m northeast of the Castillo (Jones 1952, map).

Also, a gaping hole in the center of the temple floor exposed the artificially constructed walls of a deep, bottle-shaped shaft. The presence of a shaft penetrating the pyramid from the floor of the temple spurred us to further investigation, because a similarly placed shaft in a temple at Chichén Itzá had been discovered and excavated many years ago by E. H. Thompson (1938). He encountered a series of graves within the shaft and for that reason named the structure the Osario, or High Priest’s Grave. There the burial shaft was associated with a temple and pyramid architecturally and stylistically belonging to the Toltec period of that site, whereas at Mayapán the same feature appeared in a temple and pyramid of the typical Mayapán style of architecture. The study of Str. Q-58, therefore, presented possibilities of demonstrating the degree of cultural continuity or change from the earlier Toltec phase at Chichén Itzá to the later stage of Yucatán history as depicted at Mayapán.

Str. Q-58 (125 S, 300 W) (Figs. 14.1, 14.2, 14.5, 14.6) Prior to investigation this structure appeared as a huge, pyramid-shaped, steep-sided pile of rock. Closer examination, however, disclosed short sections of terrace and temple walls, evidence of doorway columns, and a single stairway on the east side.

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Edwin M. Shook The excavations of Str. Q-58 were restricted to those features not observable by surface examination but necessary to establish reasonably complete data on the architecture, pottery, and function of the unit. Digging took place at the southeast base corner of the pyramid, the front and north side of the stairway, the northeast and northwest corners of the upper terraces, the superstructure, and the remains within the shaft. There were two major rebuildings of the unit, and at least five minor additions or renovations. The earliest construction identified consisted of a thin, lime concrete floor overlying a shallow fill of brown earth and stones which rested on bedrock. This floor (Fig. 14.2a,1) sloped eastward and ended a few meters beyond Str. Q-58 where it merged with bedrock. It may have served to level an area in preparation for building the primary structure, or as a plaza floor associated with structures other than Q-58. A small pottery sample (Lot C-18), re-covered below this earliest floor, contained mostly early Mayapán period ceramic types. The first major structure consisted of a terraced pyramid width, we believe, a single stairway on the east side and a temple-type superstructure. The stairway and the superstructure had been torn down in ancient times when the second rebuilding of the unit took place. We encountered only the bottom step of the primary stairway (Fig. 14.2a,2) and the plaster turn-up to the superstructure on the top terrace of the-pyramid (Fig. 14.2a,3). This early pyramid rose in four narrow terraces to the summit platform, its plain battered terrace walls lacking embellishment in either stone or stucco (Figs. 14.2; 14.5a–c). These walls were built of roughly trimmed blocks laid without coursing in a weak mortar of lime, earth, and gravel. Leveling and chinking were achieved by frequent use of small stone fragments (Fig. 14.5a). Generally, larger blocks formed the terrace corners, each trimmed in a small arc on the outer face to produce an abruptly rounded corner (Fig. 14.5b). The resulting uneven surface of the terrace walls was smoothed somewhat by a thick coating of poor quality lime plaster. Little of it remained on the walls despite the protection afforded by an enveloping, later pyramid. Apparently, one of the most important features, around which centers the question

of the function of this temple, was the slender bottle-­ shaped shaft penetrating the core of the pyramid (Fig. 14.2a). The shaft; was constructed at the same time as the primary structure because its casement

14.1. Plan of Strs. Q-58 to -60.

Three Temples and Their Associated Structures at Mayapán retains the loose, dry rock fill of the pyramid. The builders erected the shaft much like a smoke stack or well casement, and as it gained height they added the pyramid fill. The masonry casement consists of roughly trimmed blocks and slabs set in lime mortar (Fig. 14.2a,4). Also observed among these undressed stones were a few well-cut and, dressed Puuc-type wall stones. These undoubtedly had been salvaged and re-used from more ancient buildings. The fairly even surface of the shaft walls was further smoothed by plaster. No sockets or projecting stones had been left in the wall to provide a means of entry or exit. Unfortunately, the remains in the shaft had been disturbed in modern times. We found the orifice open, and the greater part of the shaft’s contents heaped around the opening and spilled down the back slope of the pyramid. These tailings were culled, and Strömsvik excavated the remaining debris on the floor at the bottom of the shaft. He recovered bones and teeth of more than four children and adults, animal and bird bones, and a few artifacts and fragments of pottery (Lot C-20). The small orifice and diameter of the shaft, the lack of means to descend, the absence of formal grave furniture, and particularly the variety of skeletal remains indicate that humans, animals, and birds were sacrificed and dropped into the shaft from the temple floor. The depository was in use during the existence of the primary unit as well as the later temple, which suggests that the razed earlier temple served the same ceremonial purpose as the subsequent one. The second major phase of building activity associated with Str. Q-58 witnessed a complete remodeling of the unit. A new, larger pyramid was erected directly over and in the same architectural style as the older one (Fig. 14.2a). On the east, a single stairway with a wide balustrade flanking each side, led to the temple on the summit (Figs. 14.1; 14.2a; 14.5e,f). Contemporaneously, a plaza floor was laid over an extensive area surrounding the pyramid and especially towards the east (Figs. 14.2a; 14.5). This floor continued beyond Str. Q-60, the eastern extent of our excavations, but terminated to the north at a plaza edge (Fig. 14.2c). Here a sectional trench, dug to bedrock, disclosed that a low east-west wall or parapet bordered the edge of later plaza floors and that a similar one may have marked the extent of the first floor. The only difference noted between the terraces of the second pyramid and those of the earlier appeared in the masonry of the terrace walls. The later walls were faced with stones tending more to slab form than those used in the primary structure, and they were hid in courses, though quite irregularly (Figs. 14.2a; 14.5d,e).

The re-use in the substructure of well-cut and carefully dressed Puuc-type stones was limited apparently to the steps and balustrades of the stairway (Fig. 14.5e,f). None of these stones appeared in the terrace walls of either pyramid. They did occur frequently in the plinth and walls of the later temple, possibly having been salvaged from the razed primary one. Toward the rear of the pyramid summit was erected a temple with a triple doorway formed by serpent columns. The building rested on a simple plinth, one step high, and consisted of a single large chamber with a small, central shrine room against its rear wall (Figs. 14.1; 14.2a; 14.5g, h). We found most of the back and end walls sheared off and spilled down the steep slope of the pyramid, but enough remained in place to ascertain the temple plan accurately. The turn-up of the lime concrete floor, in many instances, indicated the extent of the room. The position of the missing south column of the doorway was clearly shown by the floor plaster. Both doorway columns had been, fashioned to simulate serpents, though we found no trace of stone or stucco heads at the base of the columns or on the front terrace. With the debris at the east base of the pyramid were two fragments of sculptured stone serpent heads which may have come from the doorway. If so, their positions and the absence of drum sections of the south column on the front terrace suggest willful destruction of the temple. The sculptured stone representing the rattle tail of each serpent lay in the fallen debris on the front terrace (Figs. 14.2a,6; 14.6a,b). These elements normally form the capitals of the columns. A collapsed section of masonry from the upper zone of the temple also lay on the terrace (Fig. 14.2a,6). It provided some evidence of the original appearance and height of the building. Underlying the mass of fallen wall masonry and covering the temple floor was a layer averaging 20 cm thick, composed principally of roof debris. The layer included some painted wall-plaster fragments but in the main contained lime, gravel, and chunks of mortar from the lime concrete roof cap which fell when the supporting wood beams decayed. The restoration of the upper zone and roof shown in Figure 14.2a is based on this evidence. The temple underwent frequent refurbishing (Figs. 14.2a,7; 14.2b), necessitated perhaps by the stench and blood stains of the sacrifices. Also, ceremonial fires and the frequent burning of copal incense within the temple undoubtedly heavily smoked and obscured the polychrome painted walls. Each of the five lime floors, normally white, had gray and black areas resulting from surface burning on the front terrace, between the doorway columns, and around the orifice of the burial shaft. Quantities of broken

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Edwin M. Shook pottery censers (Lot C-17a) covered the uppermost temple floor, especially in the shrine room. Another heavy deposit of censer fragments was found in the corners formed by junction of the terraces and the stairway. Here it appeared as if the rubbish had been swept or thrown off the front terrace of the temple. The distribution of human-effigy censer fragments, though present everywhere, was noticeably less around the foot of the stairway of Str. Q-58 despite the presence there of a masonry altar built in late times. Also sherds of the same type of censers were thinly distributed over and around Strs. Q-59, -59a, and -60. Excavations along the north stairwall of Str. Q-58 uncovered the skeleton of a male adult lying against the stairwall. The articulated body, minus the head, had been placed without furniture in a shallow grave cut through the latest plaza floor. Apparently the head had been severed from the body before burial and the lower jaw removed from the crania and placed in the grave next to the left elbow. The position of the grave, the casualness of the interment, and the lack of mortuary furniture may indicate that the individual was an enemy warrior slain in battle rather than a human sacrifice. Several fragments of stone sculpture, so severely eroded that details could not be studied, lay scattered in the mass of fallen building debris at the foot of the stairway of Str. Q-58. One zoomorphic sculpture projects from a horizontal tenon. The sculptures lay well out in the talus from the stairway and from their positions surely fell from the temple or upper portions of the pyramid. Following the building of the outer pyramid and temple of Str. Q-58, and the laying of its plaza floor, a series of minor structures were added from time to time at the east base or Str. Q-58 and aligned on its central axis. These units, Strs. Q-59, -59a, -59b, and -60, will be described in the chronological order of their construction rather than in the numerical order assigned prior to excavation. Str. Q-59a (Figs. 14.1; 14.2a; 14.6c,g) This structure, a low nearly square platform surrounding a slightly higher round altar or platform, was the first addition at the east base of Str. Q-58. The builders began by digging a pit through the existing plaza floor to bedrock, then erected a circular shaft of roughly trimmed stones (Figs. 14.2a; 14.6e). The shaft walls flared slightly toward the orifice which projected above the simultaneously constructed square platform. The latter rested on the plaza floor and had a single stairway on the east side. The pri-

mary purpose of Str. Q-59a seems to have been for burials, three of which were found on the bottom of the shaft. Prior to excavation, a shallow depression could be observed in the loose rock surface of Str. Q59a. This depression led to the investigation which disclosed the circular burial shaft. The upper portion contained loose rock, with no remaining evidence of the lime concrete floor we believe originally sealed the shaft. The 90 cm depth of rock fill contained fragments of painted stucco from a modeled, life-size human figure, two limestone manos (Cat. nos. 5346,-47), and weathered pottery fragments, including a few from human-effigy-type censers. Below the loose stone fill we encountered a tightly packed gray layer of ash, lime, and gravel in which lay a human skeleton (Skel. 3). The bones, though in poor condition, showed that the body had been articulated when placed in the circular cist, with the head against the north-east wall, the torso extended in a southwest direction, and the lower legs flexed at the knees. Directly below Skeleton 3, another, Skeleton 2, lay in an east-west line with the head toward the east. The bones rested on a bed of ashes, charcoal, copal, and broken pottery. It was evident that the burning had been done within the cist and after the placement of the corpse. Many of the bones were calcined, others partially burned, and some bore no trace of fire. This condition suggests that the body had been placed on a pyre and partially cremated. A third, Skeleton 1, in better state of preservation than the upper skeletons and showing no trace of burning, lay below Skeleton 2 on the bedrock floor of the cist. Like the burned one, the body lay extended, head against the east wall, and legs flexed at the knees which touched the west wall. The small diameter of the burial cist prohibited the placing of the three bodies in fully extended positions. In each instance the limited space required that the legs be flexed at the knees. However, the three separate interments indicated that care had been exercised in placing the corpses. In this respect, these burials differed markedly from those of sacrificial individuals dropped into the deep burial shafts of Strs. Q-58 and -95, to be described later in this report. The question arises. May not the adults interred here in Str. Q-59a, and the ones in similar burial cists in Strs. Q-59b and -60, have been of a different social caste than the individuals sacrificed in the temple rites? Accompanying the three skeletons in the burial cist of Str. Q-59a were eight restorable, ladle-type censers, of which two are illustrated (Fig. 14.10t), two Mayapán Red ware tripod bowls (Fig. 14.10u), and a single jade bead (Fig. 14.9i). Many of these mortuary offerings clustered under and around the burned skeleton. It was observed that neither the

Three Temples and Their Associated Structures at Mayapán

14.2. Strs. Q-58 to -60. a. Detailed east-west section adjusted to show the central axis of each unit, and section through the terraces north of the stairway of Str. Q-58. 1. The primary plaza floor of lime concrete representing the earliest construction at this location. 2. Basal step of the stairway pertaining to the primary pyramid of Str. Q-58. 3. Terrace floor turning up to the destroyed primary temple of Str. Q-58. 4. Circular masonry casement which forms the burial shaft and retains the dry rock fill of the primary pyramid. 5. Plaza floor of lime concrete laid at the time of building the outer pyramid of Str. Q-58. 6. Tail element of rattlesnake (Fig. 14.6a) probably forming south column of doorway and stones fallen from the upper façade of temple. 7. Temple floors. Only three of the five existing are shown (see detail in Fig. 14.2b). 8. Cist burials in Strs. Q-59a,b and -60. 9. Cache of two pottery vessels (these are shown in Fig. 14.10r). b. Detailed section of north wall of shrine room, Str. Q-58 (also see Fig. 14.5h). This is fairly representative of Mayapán block-and-slab masonry. The roughly trimmed stones were laid in mortar of lime and gravel. Note the many refloorings. c. Section of masonry parapet bordering the north edge of the plaza.

lower nor the upper skeleton bore evidence of burning and that each was separated vertically from the middle severely burned skeleton. This fact may be interpreted to mean that the cist had been re-opened at least twice to admit the two upper bodies. After Skeleton 3 was placed in position, the cist had purposely been filled with loose rock to the top of the shaft and presumably sealed with a lime floor. Str. Q-59b (Figs. 14.1; 14.2a; 14.6c,f–i) This unit, a small round platform with a, steplike projection on the west side, was built on the plaza

floor between Strs. Q-58 and -59a. Like the latter unit, it contained a circular burial cist. The ancient builders first erected a ring of stone masonry approximately 75 cm high with an interior diameter of 80 cm, and exterior of 220 cm. At this stage, most likely, the body of a young adolescent was placed in a tightly flexed position on the floor of the cist. No formal mortuary furniture accompanied the burial although a small heap of charcoal beside the skeleton suggested some ceremonial burning. The cist had then been filled with stones tightly packed in lime and earth containing broken pottery and fragments or painted stucco or plaster. Perhaps at the time the cist was filled the steplike projection

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Edwin M. Shook was added on the west side of the round platform, the plaza level raised, and the round structure surfaced with a heavy cap of lime plaster. The finding of the platform intact with the sealed cist provided us with a numerically small but valuable pottery sample (Lot C-19) for the chronological ordering of certain Mayapán ceramic types. The lack of humaneffigy censers in Str. Q-59b, which postdates the construction of both the outer pyramid and temple of Str. Q-58, and Str. Q-59a, adds further verification to the evidence gathered elsewhere in Mayapán that the use of ornately decorated human-effigy censers began comparatively late in the history of Mayapán. Further additions were made around Str. Q-59b, from time to time. We recovered traces of three successive plaza floors abutting the unit, and remains of a square or rectangular masonry platform which must have completely buried the round unit. The south and west walls of the square platform were found in our excavations, but the north and east walls had been destroyed in ancient times, presumably during the construction of Str. Q-59. Str. Q-59 (Figs. 14.1; 14.2a; 14.6c,f) Owing to considerable destruction, little more than outlines of this unit remained. It consisted of a low rectangular platform one step high facing the stairway of Str. Q-5Q. Upon the platform, we found traces of masonry walls, piers or columns, and a raised square altar (Figs. 14.1; 14.2a). None of these were preserved sufficiently to permit a restorable plan. The general scarcity of fallen debris over the platform, and the presence of low masonry walls and piers or columns did suggest that the structure may have been roofed with thatch partially supported by perishable timbers. The square altar projecting from the center of the west side of Str. Q-53 possibly once supported a life-size human statue, polychrome painted and modeled in lime stucco. Fragments of such a figure lay buried in the surface debris on the floor of Str. Q-59, on the plaza floor, off the platform edges, and over Str. Q-59a. The smashed condition and wide distribution of the stucco fragments, apparently from a single figure, could have been caused only by human agencies, again suggesting willful destruction. This figure, and many others discovered since in Mayapán, had been modeled in lime stucco around natural stalactites obtained from cenotes and caves. The stalactites were most frequently utilized in the arms and legs, simulated limb bones. They also served a practical purpose, that of strengthening the lime stucco figure.

A plain circular stone altar and a pottery cache were brought to light in the excavations along the west side of Str. Q-59. The altar, 36 cm in diameter and 22 cm high, rested on the uppermost plaza floor (Figs. 14.1; 14.2a); the cache (Figs. 14.2a; 14.10r) evidently had been placed in a shallow hole cut through the same floor. Str. Q-60 (Figs. 14.1; 14.2a; 14.6c,d) The final structure added to those centered on the principal temple was a square platform or shrine with balustraded stairways on the east and west sides. The unit, like Strs. Q-59a and b, contained a burial cist, which in this instance had a rectangular rather than a circular form. Prior to the building of Str. Q-63, an area of the plaza floor 1.5 m in diameter, subsequently covered by the structure, had been subjected to a considerable amount of burning. The normally white lime floor had turned dark gray to black from fires which, to judge from the prominent position on the central axis of Str. Q-58, were probably ceremonial. The placement of Str. Q-60 directly above, its cist centered upon the burned area, did not appear fortuitous and suggests that the adult male buried in the cist was of some importance. The structure consists of a masonry block constructed of roughly cut stones laid horizontally in mud mortar. Occasionally, larger stones used in the facing were set vertically on edge. The masonry conforms to the typical Mayapán block-and-slab type. The platform, which encased a small rectangular shaft, was erected before the addition of a narrow flight of stairs on both the east and west sides. The skeleton of an adult male, tightly flexed due to the limited space, was placed without grave offerings on the cist floor. The shaft then had been filled with loose rock without mortar. The top of the structure probably bore a lime floor and plaster on its sides and stairways, however, we found no plaster in situ. The ruined condition of the top level also precluded determining if the platform had supported a super-structure of thin masonry wails or of poles and thatch. All our excavations around Str. Q-58 were refilled to prevent future deterioration. Strs. Q-59, -59a,b, and -60 were solidified by Strömsvik and left exposed. Str.Q-82 (165 S, 235 W) (Figs. 14.3, 14.7, 14.8) This is a temple in the northeast corner of the north court of the Castillo. It pertains, however, not to the

Three Temples and Their Associated Structures at Mayapán Castillo enclosure but to a court formed by temples, colonnades, shrines, and a house structure lying farther northeast. Str. Q-82 faces east directly over a shrine, Str. Q-89, and across the court towards a long colonnaded building, Str. Q-95. Before excavation, the temple appeared as a mound of rubble, with a bare trace of walls and doorway columns exposed on the surface. Pollock began excavations here for the purpose of obtaining an accurate plan for the detailed map of the central ceremonial group in Mayapán. These initial investigations disclosed no modern disturbance of the building debris, a somewhat better state of preservation of the temple than we had found in Str. Q-58, and a marked similarity in plan between the two units. Therefore, it was decided that I should investigate Str. Q-82 more thoroughly, and that Strömsvik should solidify and partially restore it as a typical example of a Mayapán temple (Fig. 14.7e,f). Str. Q-82, like every larger unit so far studied in Mayapán, had undergone a series of changes from the earliest construction to the final stage before the abandonment of the site. We recovered evidence of the structural sequence principally from an east-west trench, on the central axis, dug to bedrock through the stairway to the retaining walls of the substructure (Fig. 14.3e) and from a shallow trench in the same line through the temple. This permitted the exposure of only narrow, trench-wide portions of the earlier units; fuller information on the later ones came from excavations through the floors and benches of the final temple. The earliest construction is represented by a plaza floor and a vertical terrace wall (Fig. 14.3e,l). The latter, made of large uncut stones laid horizontally in mud mortar with an abundant use of spalls, rests on bedrock. The wall face bears no trace of ever having been plastered, though the terrace has a thin lime floor grouted on crushed rock. The level terrace floor continues westward beyond the limit of our excavations. It is therefore uncertain whether the terrace is the lower of several terraces or a front esplanade for a building standing farther west and buried by the later construction. The turn-up of the primary plaza floor 1.6 m east of the vertical terrace wall is fairly certain evidence

14.3. Structure Q-82. a. Restored plan of temple during third stage. b. Restored plan of temple during fourth and fifth stages. c. Restored plan of temple during sixth stage. d. Plan of temple and substructure during the seventh, eighth, and ninth stages and a late addition, Str. Q-82a. e. Detailed section on central axis except for the terraces near the southwest corner. 1. Plaza floor turning up to razed stairway. Terrace wall of oldest construction. 2. Plaza floor representing second stage. 3. Remnants of the razed third-phase temple. 4. Plaza floor part of fourth stage. 5. Temple floor representing fifth addition. 6. Plaza floor, stairway, plinth, walls, and altar of sixth stage. f. Banner holder (?) of limestone with large tapering perforation, found in surface debris at base of substructure.

that a stairway giving access to the summit platform originally existed here. We were able to distinguish the line marking the division between the fill of brown earth and stones below the presumed stairway and the large stone fill of a later stairway. The thin, lime concrete plaza floor extending eastward sealed a leveled stratum composed of occupational debris mingled with brown soil and

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14.4. Structure Q-95. a. Plan showing all additions to the primary temple and substructure. The square in dashed lines at the head of the stairway is the orifice of the burial shaft. Just beyond, shown as a small truncated pyramid is the presumed location of a tapering sacrificial stone found in neck of shaft. b. Section along line shown on the plan. Note: not all floors of the temple are shown. c. Fragments of wall paintings from interior walls of temple. The upper and lower right pieces came from the same design area. In these examples the white background is blue on the original, crosshatching represents red, and black represents black. The fragment in lower left, from a different layer of plaster, had blue background with designs in specular hematite red and various tones of yellow.

14.5. Structure Q-58 a,b. Close-up views looking east and south to the terrace walls of the primary pyramid. Note in b the rounding of the stones forming the terrace corner. c. A distant view of the excavated northwest corner of Str. Q-58 showing the position of the terraces in a and b. d. West side. Terrace walls at lower right belong to the latest pyramid. e. Looking southwest to the stairway, north balustrade, and terraces of the outer pyramid, after excavation. Workmen at upper right center are standing on the temple floor. f. Stairway of the late pyramid from the east. The edges of the flanking balustrades show on the extreme lower left and right, and in the center the remains of a low altar or platform built over the two bottom steps. g. View of the temple, from the northeast, showing the building plinth in the foreground, the north column and jamb of the double-columned doorway. The front wall and doorway of the shrine room may be seen in the background; the orifice of the burial shaft is obscured by the column. h. Detail of masonry in shrine room, showing a section of the front wall on the right, and elevation of the north end wall.

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Edwin M. Shook 14.6. Strs. Q-58 to Q-60. a. Stone sculpture fragments representing rattle tail of serpent presumably from south column of temple doorway, Str. Q-58. b. The same, probably from north column of doorway. c. Looking east to small structures at the base of Str. Q-58, after their repair. The first, in the foreground, is Str. Q-59, which completely buried the earlier circular unit, Q-59b. The middle structure is Q-59a; farther one, Str. Q-60. d. West side of Str. Q-60 before repair. The small square platform contained a burial cist, as did Strs. Q-59a and -59b. e. Circular burial cist extending to bedrock in Str. Q-59a. This cist contained skeletons of three adults, pottery, artifacts, and other material listed under Lot C-15. f–i. Views of circular structure, Q-59b, during excavation. [f] shows the unit from the north with the remnants of Str. Q-59 overlying it. The line of stones at the right formed the west edge of a raised level in Str. Q-59. Many of these stones, including the carved element at the near end, were re-used from earlier building belonging to the Puuc style of architecture. [g], same view after removing the remnants of Str. Q-59. Note lime concrete floor sealing the burial cist within the circular structure. [h] and [i], looking south and north to Str. Q-59b after excavation of burial cist, which contained a skeleton of a young adolescent (Lot C-19). The small stone mortar at center left in [i] was in the fill of the cist.

scattered stones. This stratum, resting directly on bedrock, contained midden rubbish deposited before the beginning of building activity at this immediate locality. The rubbish was composed of charcoal, ashes, disarticulated animal and bird bones, stone and bone artifacts, and a consider-able number of pottery fragments (Lot C-34). The sherd material demonstrated that despite the long sequence of construction in Str. Q-82, the first unit had not been erected until some time after the inception of the Mayapán period, Lot C-34 containing 95 percent Mayapán period pottery, still may confidently be assigned to the early part of that period. There was a high percentage (20 percent) of Black-on-Cream pottery, a type associated with the initial stages of the Mayapán period. The absence of human-effigy-type incense burners in the sherd sample adds corroborative evidence that these censers are a later manifestation of the culture in Mayapán. The second addition to Str. Q-82 apparently consisted only of raising the plaza level with another floor (Fig. 14.3e,2). A layer of fine-textured, light brown ashy material was spread thinly over the primary floors and surfaced with lime concrete. Subsequently, a major re-building took place which increased the size and developed the plan of Str. Q-82 almost to its final form. The builders utilized the older unit as a foundation, erecting a high substructure retaining wall upon it (Figs. 14.3e,3; 14.7c,d). This wall of rough uncut stones laid horizontally without the use of mortar rose on a slight batter and retained the fill of large rocks. A stairway on the east side, built against the early vertical wall and the new sloping one, lead from the plaza level to the wide terrace before the two-room temple. The stairway, like the postulated early one for the primary unit, had been destroyed in ancient times for a later addition to Str. Q-82. We encountered only the basal step of the stairway remaining in position (Fig. 14.3e,3). The single riser, and likely the miss-

ing steps, was formed of well-cut, dressed Puuctype wall stones, obviously re-used in this Mayapán period structure. The temple consisted of two long parallel chambers with triple entrances and a step-up to each room (Fig. 14.3a). The exterior plinth, one course high, ran the length of the façade. It did not continue, as in most Maya buildings, around the ends or the rear of the temple. The entrance to the anterior chamber was formed by two plain circular columns equally spaced between door jambs. Similarly placed, freestanding wall sections provided three wide entrances into the back room of the temple. The raising of the floor level of the rear room a step above the front is an uncommon practice in Mayapán. This example in Str. Q-82 represents the only one yet reported at the site, and is a feature more typical of older, Classic Maya architecture. The temple floors had been surfaced with good quality, hard lime concrete and smoothly polished. Walls, with the exception of a few well-cut Puuc-type stones, were built of normal Mayapán block-andslab masonry. The use of cut and dressed Puuc-type wall, vault, and cornice stones was reserved principally for stair risers, facing of balustrades, building plinths, and door jambs. The last were entirely faced with re-used Puuc-type stones (Fig. 14.8a–c). Doorway lintels, owing to the wide span, must have been of wood. Columns most probably were built up of roughly trimmed, stone drums, and the temple roofed with wood beams capped with thin slabs and lime concrete as in the final structure. Uncertainty on these details was due to the fact that the major portion of this temple had been razed at a later time and a similar one erected over the remains. Only the medial wall sections and room benches were utilized in the later temple, whereas the exterior walls, columns, and plinth of the original had been either torn down to the floor level or left standing a maximum of 30 cm.

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Edwin M. Shook The third stage of Str. Q-82 described in the above section was followed by two seemingly minor building phases before a major renovation, the sixth stage, took place. The fourth change consisted of masonry benches added to the north and south end of the rear chamber of the temple (Fig. 14.3b), and at about the same time, the raising of the plaza floor adjoining the substructure stairway (Fig. 14.3g). The substructure and temple plan remained essentially the same during this stage and during the fifth, which was a general refurbishing of the entire building. The floor levels of both chambers were raised slightly, and the benches and walls replastered. Succeeding these building activities, another major renovation of the substructure and temple was inaugurated. The outer walls, doorway columns, and plinth of the older unit were razed, and new ones erected almost identical to hose destroyed. The proportions of the new temple changed slightly, i.e. the front wall, columns, and plinth were shifted eastward about 35 cm. The masonry of the walls in the new unit could hardly be distinguished from that in the earlier structure. Roughly trimmed blocks and slabs, heavily chinked with spalls, were laid in a poor quality lime mortar (Fig. 14.8a,d). The plinth, one course high (Fig. 14.8a,d) and the door jambs were built entirely of re-used Puuc-type stones (Fig. 14.7b). The doorway columns were built in layer-cake fashion of roughly circular stone drums averaging 21 cm in height and 58 cm in diameter. These drums, normally quite irregular though occasionally showing evidence of more care in shaping, had been set one on top of another in a thin bed of lime mortar and leveled with spalls (Fig. 14.8a). Around the edge, where the gap between drums was the greatest, thin stones were driven in like wedges to fill the space. The column then received a thick coat of lime plaster which often noticeably increased the diameter. This plaster coating obscured the rough masonry and produced a smooth, monolithic-appearing doorway column. The temple had been covered with a flat beamand-mortar roof. We recovered large chunks of lime mortar in the surface debris, some bearing casts of the supporting timbers. One fragment, evidently from the roof edge, indicated that a rectangular molding projected approximately 6 cm beyond the upper wall zone, and that shallow gutters modeled in the surface plaster provided drainage to special outlets on the roof edge. At the time of construction of this final temple, the earlier benches on the interior were extended to fill each end of the front room (Fig. 14.3c). Also, a masonry altar was added for the first time in the center of the rear chamber against the back wall. A

small square cist in the altar probably had held a dedicatory cache (Fig. 14.3e,6). The substructure also underwent change. Two new vertical terrace walls encased the older ones, the plaza level was again raised, and a new stairway was built on the east side against the earlier terrace walls (Fig. 14.3e,6). The stairway, supported by a dry rubble fill of small stones, had flanking balustrades. Both the stair risers and the sloping faces of the balustrade were built exclusively with well-cut and dressed Puuc-type stones (Figs. 14.3e6; 7c–f). Two stone serpent heads, each with a horizontal tenon, were found in the surface debris on the plaza floor fronting Str. Q-82. One (Fig. 14.8g,h) lay at the foot of the south balustrade; the other (Fig. 14.8j) had fallen several meters northeast of the base of the north balustrade. As both balustrades were preserved at the base, neither showing a gap for the tenoning of a head, we are certain they fell from a higher position on the substructure. During the repair of Str. Q-82, the better-preserved example was re-set in the vertical zone at the top of the south balustrade, the most logical place (Fig. 14.7e). Another fragment (Fig. 14.8k) from a carved serpent head also came from the surface debris, as did a plain circular stone disc with a central tapering perforation (Fig. 14.3f). It lay approximately 2 m southeast from the base of the south balustrade. The perforated disc may have served as a banner holder on the front terrace of the temple. Lastly, the torso of a human figure sculptured in the round was uncovered in the debris on the front terrace near the southeast corner of the temple (Fig. 14.7b). It is of interest to note that severely burned floor surfaces appeared for the first time in association with this new temple and its masonry altar in the rear chamber. Whether the evidence of burning and the addition of an interior altar may be indicative of a change in function of the structure or of its increased popularity for religious practices cannot be ascertained. Be this as it may, the excessive burning caused the normally white lime floors to be blackened along the central east-west axis from the front terrace through to the altar in the back room. At least three minor renovations followed the completion of the sixth-stage temple. Each change included a new floor over the interior and a replastering of the benches and walls. The final, ninth, stage (Fig. 14.3d) of building activity witnessed, besides the floor and plaster renewal, the building of cross walls in the rear chamber. These formed an interior plan identical to that of Str. Q-58. The story of the final activities associated with Str. Q-82 may be gleaned from the records left as rubbish strewn over the interior and exterior of the

14.7. Structure Q-82. a. Looking west after partial excavation of the temple. b. Looking northwest to partially excavated temple. The much eroded carved stone in front of the building plinth (lower center of photo) represents the body of a human figure; the head was not found. c. Looking west, after partial excavation of the substructure. d. The same from the northeast. The well-cut and dressed stones utilized in the stairway and elsewhere in Str. Q-82 were salvaged and re-used by the Mayapán people from older and presumably long abandoned Puuc-style buildings. e,f. Looking west and southwest, after solidification.

Three Temples and Their Associated Structures at Mayapán 14.8. Structure Q-82 a. Close-up of double-columned doorway, looking southwest. b. Shrine room, looking southwest. c. Doorway of shrine room partially excavated. Thin stones leaning against north jamb are slabs which fell when the supporting wood lintels rotted. d. Plinth of final building made of re-used Puuc-type wall stones. The trench on the central axis of the temple exposed a succession of lime concrete floors. e. Trench showing exploration of the numerous floors, altars, and benches in the shrine room. The rear wall of the temple is typical Mayapán block-and-slab masonry. f. Exterior southwest corner of the temple and secondary platforms built against it. g–i. Tenoned serpent head found in building debris at foot of the south balustrade of the stairway. Max. length, 95 cm. This sculpture was reset at the top of the balustrade (see Fig.14.7f). j. Fragment of a tenoned serpent head from the debris in front of the stairway. Max. length approx. 50 cm. k. Fragment (eye element) from a serpent sculpture found in debris at foot of the stairway. Fragment 25 cm diam.

temple. It would seem from the enormous amount of broken incense burners of the human-effigy type that the temple had been in constant service for appeasing the Maya gods. The floors bore the signs of burning; charcoal and ashes intermingled with a few artifacts and thousands of fragments from pottery censers covered the temple floors to a depth varying from 5 to 20 cm. The heaviest concentration lay before the altar and in the shrine zoom doorway. The rubbish was distributed more thinly at either end of the rooms, on the benches, and on the front terrace. A thick deposit lay around the base of the substructure, particularly in the corners of the stairway, as if the temple floors occasionally were swept clean and the debris thrown off the terrace edges. Altogether, we recovered from the surface of Str. Q82 over 8,300 pottery fragments (Lot C-32), of which 80 percent came from censers. The proportion of censers reached over 96 percent of all sherds from above the floors inside the temple. One of the last human activities identified within Str. Q-82 apparently was an act of vandalism. The top of the masonry altar in the shrine room was torn off and the contents of the cist were removed. One large jade bead (Fig. 14.9g) found in the debris at the front of the altar may have been from the cache and have accidentally been dropped and lost by the looters. Also, the complete tripod cup (Fig. 14.10s) found near the jade bead conceivably could have been from the cist and have been discarded as worthless. Such vessels often accompany dedicatory offerings in temple and shrine caches in Mayapán. The looting may have taken place at the time of abandonment of Mayapán, or shortly thereafter. The act occurred before the collapse of the temple roof, because we found undisturbed roof and wall debris covering the altar, benches, and floors to a depth of 0.5–1.0 m. Str. Q-82 differed in one major feature from Strs. Q-58 and Q-95 described below. There was no burial shaft within the structure, no minor platforms with burial cists associated with the unit, nor any evidence recovered in the excavations to suggest sacrificial rites.

Str. Q-82a (Fig. 14.3d) A late construction added to the substructure of Str. Q-82 was a small single-room shrine located off the southwest corner of the temple. The shrine faced south to the Castillo court and was built of rough stones set on edge without mortar. The lack of surface debris precluded its having been vaulted. The tiny building may have had a flat, beam-and-mortar roof and resembled the numerous miniature shrines found at Tulum and along the east coast of Yucatán. Str. Q-95 (125 S, 200 W) (Figs. 14.4; 14.9a–f) Our attention was drawn to this unit because of its irregular plan as depicted on the map, its relatively high substructure, and the presence of a slumped area in the debris on the summit platform. Pollock began the investigation of the substructure; Strömsvik partly excavated the temple and the deep burial vault which was indicated by the slumped surface debris; and I completed the study of the temple and substructure. Str. Q-95 stands at the northeast corner of the same court on which Str. Q-82 is situated. The building faces south toward a low square mound, Str. Q-96, on the court floor. This structure, though not excavated, suggests a shrine or platform with a burial cist comparable to those at the base of Str. Q58. The investigation of Str. Q-95 disclosed that this unit also had undergone many remodelings over a long period of time. Four major changes were distinguished in the substructure and there were frequent renovations of the temple, but we were unable to determine, except for the primary structure, which additions to the platform coincided with those on the temple. The oldest feature identified in connection with Str. Q-95 was a small oval subterranean chamber (Fig. 14.4b). Evidently all successive architectural and ceremonial activities centered around it. Originally

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Three Temples and Their Associated Structures at Mayapán 14.9. Structure Q-5 and Material Culture. a. Junction of the fourth- and third-phase terrace walls with the north wall of the second-phase stairway. Note lack of balustrade on this stairway. b. Second-phase terrace wall at the center of the north side. The apron molding shows at center of picture. c. The northwest corner showing the second-phase terrace wall and abruptly rounded corner. d. View looking northeast to square pillars forming the triple-entrance doorway of the temple. Note the secondary partition wall abutting the pillar in the foreground. e. East pillar of the temple doorway showing the numerous replasterings on the inner face. f. Looking southwest to the entrance to the burial shaft on the front terrace of Str. Q-95. g. Unusually large spherical head, low polish, mottled light green jade, 3.9 cm diam. found in front of altar on shrine floor. Str. Q-82. Lot C-32, Cat. no. 53-113. h. Irregular-shaped bead, polished, mottled clear green jade, 2.2 cm max. length. From room below burial shaft in Str. Q-95. Lot C-30, Cat. no. 53-91. i. Flattish bead, highly polished, mottled light green jade, 2 cm long. From burial cist in Str. Q-59a. Lot C-15, Cat. no. 53-20. j. Flattish bead, low polish, mottled green jade, 1.7 cm long. From surface excavations of Str. Q-95. Lot C-31, Cat. no. 53-161. k. Tubular jade bead, burned by fire to gray color, 2.3 cm long. Found in lower levels of burial shaft in Str. Q-95. Lot C-29, Cat. no. 53-67. l. Celt-shaped bead, polished, clear green jade, 0.8 cm max. dimension. From the burial shaft in Str. Q-58. Lot C-20, Cat. no. 53-40. m. Obsidian flake-blades, clear gray stone, largest 8 cm long. From above the temple floor, Str. Q-82. Lot C-32, Cat. no. 53-115. n. Obsidian core of abnormally small size, clear black stone, 2.6 cm long. From surface excavations of Str. Q-59. Lot C-17, Cat. no. 53-62. o. Arrowheads, opaque brownish chert. Complete one 4.7 cm long. Both found together below earliest floor joining west side of Str. Q-59a. Lot C-17, Cat. no. 53-38. p. Fragment of chipped flint point, 5.3 cm long. Found in lower levels of the burial shaft in Str. Q-95. Lot C-29, Cat. no. 53-64. q. Chipped flint point, fragment 3.4 cm long. From surface of Str. Q-82. Lot C-32, Cat. no. 53-114. r. Chipped flint point, 8.3 cm long. From the lower levels in the burial shaft of Str. Q-95. Lot C-29, Cat. no. 53-65.

there may have been a natural cavity in the porous limestone which the Mayapán people enlarged, leaving a round opening on the surface. The chamber first served as a place of burial, then seemingly a refuse dump. The bodies of an elderly couple, the female’s skull highly deformed, lay on the chamber floor. Heaped over them, and filling the cavity to within a few centimeters of the roof, was midden rubbish containing ashes and charcoal intermingled with an extraordinary number of animal and bird bones; artifacts of bone, shell, and stone; two complete pottery bowls (Fig. 14.10v); pot sherds; and the disarticulated skeletons of two young children. Both skeletons had artificially deformed skulls. Except for the human bones and the whole vessels, the material from the chamber (Lot C-30) appears to be normal household refuse. The two whole vessels sat on top of the midden unassociated with the aged adults on the floor or the scattered bones of the children. Yet the importance of the chamber and its contents was sufficient to cause the sealing of the room with a capstone and the erecting, directly over it, of an elaborate burial shaft around which centered the major activities thereafter. The earliest architectural unit consisted of a massive substructural platform, 4 m high, erected simultaneously with the circular burial shaft, supporting a single-room temple. The shaft, founded on bedrock, was constructed in the form of a tallnecked bottle with the narrow upper part square in plan (Fig. 14.9f) and just large enough to permit a human body to pass freely. The opening at the level of the front terrace doubtlessly had been covered with a capstone, removable when necessary.

The platform of Str. Q-95, lacking terraces, differed from the substructures of Q-58 and Q-82. Instead of having terraces its walls rose on a batter from ground level to summit and bore a heavy apron molding around the top (Fig. 14.4b). The walls were constructed of roughly trimmed blocks and slabs laid in poor mortar of lime, earth, and gravel. Somewhat better-shaped blocks were employed at the platform corners and trimmed to produce an abrupt rounding like those of the second phase (Fig. 14.9c). The temple, set far back on the rear half of the substructure and thus leaving an unusually broad front terrace, has a triple entrance formed by square pillars or columns (Figs. 14.4a; 14.9d,e). The absence of a building plinth, a single large room, and the square pillars are features distinguishing Str. Q-95 from Strs. Q-58 and -82. Indeed, doorway pillars built of squared blocks are unknown elsewhere in Mayapán. In this one example, the stones are laid one upon another in the same manner as the circular drums in the normal Mayapán columns. Wall masonry in Str. Q-95 is the typical rough block-andslab type. Doorway jambs are built of full-width stones. These and the square blocks of the pillars are evenly cut but not dressed, a fact which demonstrates that on occasion in the Mayapán period some fair stone-cutting was achieved. The quality, however, never equals that of the normal workmanship evident in Puuc-style buildings. The primary temple of Str. Q-95 continued in use, with exterior unchanged, probably up to the abandonment of the site. Minor renovations of the interior took place many times. One of the first changes witnessed the building of a partition wall

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Three Temples and Their Associated Structures at Mayapán 14.10. Material Culture. a,b. Limestone manos, large surfaces smooth from wear, (a) 14.6 cm long. Both from sealed chamber below the burial shaft in Str. Q-95. Lot C-30, Cat. nos. 53-167,-168. c. Hammerstone, probably re-used fragment of limestone mano, 8.8 cm diam. Found with a,b, Cat. no. 53-169. d. Bark-beater, fine-grained limestone, apparently re-used as a hammerstone, 9.4 cm long. From surface of Str. Q-95. Lot C-31, Cat. no. 53-104. e. Unidentified object of limestone, traces of plaster on all surfaces except tenon, 14.5 cm long. From surface excavations of Str. Q-59. Lot C-17, Cat. no. 53-49. f. Shell pendant, perforated at narrow end, 2 cm long. Found in burial shaft of Str. Q-95. Lot C-29, Cat. no. 53-69. g. Tubular shell beads, longest 2 cm. These and the shell tinklers [h], were found on the surface of Str. Q-82. Lot C-32, Cat. no. 53-116. h. Shell tinklers, av. 2.5 cm long; 2 in center are complete univalves, the others are halves cut from univalves. Cat. no. 53-117. i–l: Perforated shell ornaments, [i] 5 cm diam. All from Str. Q-95. [h] on surface, Lot C-31, Cat. no. 53-106. [i] and [l] in burial shaft, Lot C-29, Cat. no. 53-66. [j] from sealed room below burial shaft, Lot C-30, Cat. no. 53-89. m. Bone awl with trident at opposite end, 6.7 cm long. Found under lowest plaza floor at base of Str. Q-82 stairway, Lot C-34, Cat. no. 53-130. n. Sting-ray tail, incomplete, 4.8 cm long. From surface of Str. Q-82. Lot C-32, Cat. no. 53-116. o. Perforated animal tooth, 2.8 cm long. From sealed room below the burial shaft in Str. Q-95. Lot C-30, Cat. no. 53-90. p. Copper ornament, irregularly shaped disc, thin metal with blue patina, 1 cm diam. Found with gold fragment, (q), in burial shaft of Str. Q-95. Lot C-29, Cat. no. 53-71. q. Gold fragment of very thin sheet metal, 1.8 cm long. Cat. no. 53-70. r. Cache vessels of unslipped, coarse paste, light gray pottery, largest 11.8 cm max. diam. The miniature pot lay inside the larger at the west edge of Str. Q-59, just below the topmost plaza floor, Lot C-17. s. Miniature tripod cup, same ware as above, 7.5 cm high. From temple floor, Str. Q-82. Lot C-32. t. Ladle censers, same ware as above, no perforations in bottom of bowl, handles hollow, large bowl 19 cm diam. Both found with Mayapán Red Ware bowls, [u], in burial cist of Str. Q-59a. Lot C-15. u. Mayapán Red Ware tripod bowls, solid conical feet, interior slipped red and polished, exterior unslipped cream, larger vessel 23 cm diam. Lot C-15. v. Mayapán Red were tripod grater bowls, hollow feet, polished red slip over all exterior and down to scoring on interior, left bowl 17.8 cm diam. Both from sealed chamber below the burial shaft of Str. Q-95. Lot C-30.

(Fig. 14.4a) across the west third of the interior, thus creating a cell-like end room. Thereafter, apparently, all new additions were concentrated in the larger east chamber. Could the smaller one have served as a guardroom for victims awaiting sacrifice? Quite certainly the east chamber was a place of importance ceremonially. A rectangular masonry altar built against the rear wall became the focal point for the burning of copal incense. In one instance a layer 4 cm thick of partially burned copal covered the floor in front of the altar. From time to time in the east room were added benches; steps leading to the altar, new floors, and new plastering of the chamber walls. At least 10 successive refurbishings were recorded (Figs. 14.4b; 14.9e). Both the floors and walls had been painted, the floors monochrome in black, blue-gray, or light gray, and the walls in polychrome designs (Fig. 4c). The second phase of building activity on the substructure saw the complete encasement of the primary one by another (Figs.14.4a,b; 14.9a–c). The new platform was an exact replica of the easier substructure except for size. A broad stairway, without the usual flanking balustrades, led from the plaza level to the temple terrace. Step risers were principally of re-used Puuc-type stones perhaps salvaged from the torn-out primary stairway. A third enlargement of the platform of Str. Q-95 considerably increased its areal dimensions but not its height. This addition differed slightly from the

earlier ones in having vertical walls to the height of the apron molding along the front of the structure, while retaining battered walls on the west side as shown by our excavations, and presumably on the rear and east sides. We encountered the wall preserved as high as the first course of the molding only in one place where it joined the north stairway. It is uncertain if the molding continued vertically or rose on a batter as on the earlier platforms. The fourth renovation of the substructure may have been incomplete, as we could trace its walls only from the north stairwall around to the northeast corner. The addition may have been structurally necessary to buttress the older walls. It was built vertically like the third phase wall on the south side. The stairway of the second period continued in use throughout the later stages. The function of Str. Q-95 may be surmised from the gruesome contents of the deep burial shaft. Its greatest part, from the sealed orifice of the subterranean chamber to the beginning of the constriction towards the shaft neck, had been filled with over 40 skeletons of children, adolescents, and adults of both sexes; bones of animals and birds; charcoal; ashes; broken pottery; and artifacts of metal, bone, shell, and stone. That the humans, animals, and birds had been sacrificed upon a tapered stone altar in front of the temple appears indubitable. Such a stone was found in the collapsed part of the shaft’s north side. It is certain from the stratigraphy of the contents of

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Edwin M. Shook the shaft (Lot C-29) that the tossing in of the bodies and refuse continued over a lengthy period. As an example, pottery censers of the human-effigy type comprised approximately 50 percent of all sherds in the upper levels and were entirely absent in the bottom level. The debris mixed with the bones throughout the shaft probably represents the sweepings from the temple and front terrace. The shaft would seem a most unlikely place to sweep trash had it contained persons of importance. This disregard for the dead and the lack of formal mortuary furnishings with these individuals further suggest that they were the victims of sacrifice by the Mayapán priests. Material Culture Lot C-15: Contents from burial cist in Str. Q-59a: 3 adult skeletons; burned copal; charcoal; 6 fragments of stucco from a modeled human figure; 1 obsidian flake-blade; 1 jade bead, Cat. no. 53-20 (Fig. 14.9i); 2 limestone manos, Cat. nos. 53-46, -47; 2 Mayapán Red ware tripod bowls and 8 Ladle-Type Censers (Fig. 14.10t,u); sherds. Total sherds: 653; 1.8 percent Puuc period; 98.2 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 11.8; Effigy Censers, 20.1; Ladle-Type Censers, 32.3; Unidenti­ fied, 10.8; Mayapán Red ware, 22.1; Red-on-Cream, 1.1). Lot C-16: Contents from below second plaza floor and above primary floor or bedrock: 3 fragments of human bone; 1 obsidian flake-blade; sherds. Total sherds: 646; 9.4 percent Puuc period; 90.6 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 23.2; Effigy Censers, 4.5; Ladle-Type Censers, 0.3; Unidentified, 18.0; Mayapán Red ware, 43.4, Black-on-Cream, 1.2). Most of the 29 effigy-censer fragments came from a trench along the north stairwall of Q-58, where a heavy deposit of censers lay above the plaza floor. Though unnoticed in the field, the plaza floor may not have been unbroken, thus permitting surface sherds to filter through. Lot C-17: Contents from surface and unsealed construction fill from east base of Str. Q-58 and from Strs, Q-59 and Q-60: 44 fragments of human and animal bones; 15 fragments of modeled and painted stucco architectural ornaments and human figures, Cat. no. 53-51; 6 obsidian flake blades; 1 very small obsidian core, Cat. No. 53-62 (Fig. 14.9n); 2 arrowheads, Cat. no, 53-38 (Fig. 14.9o); 1 stone object, Cat. no. 53-49 (Fig. 14.10a); 3 fragments of unworked shell; 2 cache vessels (Fig. 14.10r); sherds. Total sherds: 3,577; 2.7 percent Puuc period; 97.3 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 6.1;

Effigy Censers, 27.7; Ladle-Type Censers, 0.7, Miscel­ laneous; and Unidentified 28.9; Mayapán Red ware, 33.2; Fine Orange, 0.4; Black-on-Cream, 0.2). Lot C-17a: Material from above room floors in Str. Q-58: 1 obsidian flake-blade; sherds. Total sherds: 2057; 0.4 percent Puuc period; 99.6 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 1.8; Effigy Censers, 71.9; Ladle-Type Censers, 1.1; Unidentified, 16.0; Mayapán Red ware, 7.7; Red-on-Cream, 0.6; Black-on-Cream,0.4; Fine Orange, 0.1). Lot C-18: contents from below primary plaza floor at east base of Str. Q-58: 16 animal and bird bones, one perforated bone; 1 obsidian chip and 1 flake-blade; sherds. Total sherds: 226; 4.4 percent Puuc period; 95.6 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 23.9; LadleType Censers, 3.1; Miscellaneous and Unidentified, 7.1; Mayapán Red ware, 55.7; Black-on-Cream, 4.9; Fine Orange, 0.9). Lot C-19: Contents from burial cist in Str. Q-59b (Fig. 14.6f–i): 1 skeleton of young adolescent; charcoal; 1 obsidian flake-blade; 1 stone basin (Fig. 14.6i); 3 fragments of painted stucco; sherds. Total sherds: 193; 2.1 percent Puuc period; 97.9 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 6.2; nonEffigy Censers, 43.5; miscellaneous and Unidentified, 5.2; Mayapán Red ware, 43.0). Lot C-20: Contents of unsealed and disturbed burial shaft in Str. Q-58 (Fig. 14.2a): bones of more than 4 adults and children, some bones show evidence of burning; charcoal; ashes; 1 jade bead, Cat. no. 53740 (Fig. 14.9l); 12 obsidian flake-blades; 2 fragments of unworked shell; sherds. Total sherds: 466; 3 percent Puuc period; 97 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 15.5; Effigy Censers, 24.7; Ladle-Type Censers, 0.4; Unidentified, 9.0; Mayapán Red ware, 46.6; Black-on-Cream, 0.4; Fine Orange, 0.4). Lot C-21: Sherds from fill of late pyramid, Str. Q-58. Total sherds: 174; 10.3 percent Puuc period; 89.7 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 6.3; Effigy Censers, 16.1; Miscellaneous and Unidentified, 23.0; Mayapán Red ware, 34.0; Black-on-Cream, 8.6, Fine Orange, 1.7). Lot C-29: Contents of burial shaft in Str. Q-95 (Fig. 14.4b): Bones of more than 41 children, adolescents, and adults; large quantity of animal and bird

Three Temples and Their Associated Structures at Mayapán bones; charcoal; ashes; 2 jade beads, Cat. nos. 53-67 (Fig. 14.9k), –68; 44 obsidian flake blades; 1 obsidian thumbnail scraper, Cat. no. 53-164; 2 flint points, Cat. nos. 53-64, –65 (Fig. 14.9p,r); 8 flint chips; 3 fragments of unworked shell; 3 perforated and 1 small tinkler shell, Cat. no. 53-66 (Fig. 14.10i); 2 shell pendants, Cat. nos. 53-69 (Fig. 14.10f), –163; 14 snail shell beads, Cat. no. 53-73; 5 tubular bone beads, Cat. no. 53-72; 1 fragment of gold, Cat. no. 53-70 (Fig. 14.10q); 1 copper disc, Cat. no. 53-71 (Fig. 14.10p); sherds. Total sherds: 2,211; 0.1 percent Puuc period; 99.9 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 10.5; Effigy Censers, 41.7; Ladle-Type Censers, 2.3; Unidentified, 19.1; Mayapán Red ware, 24.2; Hard Red ware, 0.8; Red-on-Cream, 0.5; Black-on-Cream, 0.4; Fine Orange, 0.4). Lot C-30: Contents of sealed chamber below burial shaft of Str. Q-95 (Fig. 14.4b): one aged male and one female skeleton; 2 deformed skulls of children 4–6 years of age: quantities of animal and bird bones; charcoal; ashes; 1 jade bead, Cat. no. 53-91 (Fig. 14.9h); 12 obsidian flake-blades; 3 limestone manos, Cat. nos. 53-167, –168 (Fig. 14.10a,b); 1 hammerstone, Cat. no. 53-169 (Fig. 14.10j); 2 shell ornaments, Cat. nos. 53-88, –89 (Fig. 14.10j); 5 unworked shells; 1 animal tooth, perforated for suspension, Cat. no. 53-90 (Fig. 14.10o); 2 Mayapán Red ware grater bowls (Fig. 14.10v); sherds. Total sherds: 657; 0.3 percent Puuc period; 99.7 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 50.0; Miscellaneous and Unidentified, 1.1; Mayapán Red ware, 45.7; Hard Red ware, 1.1; Black-on-Cream, 0.5; Fine Orange, 1.3). Lot C-31: Material from surface and general excavations of substructure and temple, Str. Q-95: charcoal; copal; 1 jade bead, Cat, no. 53-161 (Fig. 14.9j); 6 obsidian flake-blades; 1 flint chip; 1 bark beater, Cat. no. 53-104 (Fig. 14.10d); 1 polishing (?) tool of very hard, fine-grained limestone, Cat. no. 53-105; 5 shell ornaments, Cat. nos. 53-87, –106 (Fig. 14.10k), –160; 2 unworked shells; 1 cut deer (?) bone;

many fragments of painted wall plaster with colors in blue, yellow, orange, red, and black (Fig. 14.4c); sherds. Total sherds: 2,072; 0.3 percent Puuc period; 99.7 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 5.3; Effigy Censers, 66.2; Ladle-Type Censers, 0.5; Unidentified, 4.7; Mayapán Red ware, 21.7; Red-on-Cream, 0.2; Black-on-Cream, 0.5; Fine Orange, 0.5). Lot C-32: Material from above floors, terraces, and stairway of Str. Q-82: 20 animal and bird bones; charcoal; ashes; 3 jade beads, Cat. nos. 53-112, –113 (Fig. 14.9g), –159; 16 obsidian flake-blades, Cat. no. 53-115 (Fig. 14.9m); 1 flint point, Cat. no. 53-114 (Fig. 14.9q); 1 flint chip; 1 limestone disc, pot cover (?); 1 small, carved stone figure, Cat. no. 53-211; 9 shell ornaments, Cat. nos. 53-116 (Fig. 14.10g), –117 (Fig. 14.10h), –210, –212; 1 bone awl, Cat. no. 53-209; 1 sting-ray tail, Cat. no. 53-118 (Fig. 14.10n); 1 miniature tripod cup (Fig. 14.10s); sherds. Total sherds: 8,364; 0.1 percent Puuc period; 99.9 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 1.9; Effigy Censers, 80.2; Ladle-Type Censers, 0.4; Unidentified, 3.2; Mayapán Red ware, 13.5; Red-on-Cream, 0.2; Black-on-Cream, 0.4; Fine Orange, 0.1). Lot C-33: Contents from fill of benches, below floors, and stairway of Str. Q-82: 1 obsidian flakeblade; sherds. Total sherds: 399; 2 percent Puuc period; 98 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 22.6; Effigy Censers, 12.3; Ladle-Type Censers, 135; Unidentified, 1.5; Mayapán Red ware, 52.4; Black-on-Cream, 7.3; Fine Orange, 0.2). Lot C-34: Contents from below earliest plaza floor under stairway of Str. Q-82 (Fig. 14.3b): 72 animal and bird bones; charcoal; 2 flint chips; 1 bone implement, Cat. no. 53-130 (Fig. 14.10m); sherds. Total sherds: 785; 5 percent, Puuc period; 95 percent, Mayapán period (Unslipped Jars, 10.5; NonEffigy Censers, 0.4; Unidentified, 14.5; Mayapán Red ware, 49.0; Black-on-Cream, 20.0; Fine Orange, 0.6).

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 15 July 1954

The Northern Terminus of the Principal Sacbe at Mayapán H.E.D. Pollock

occur in both the northern and southern regions. For the most part they presumably date from the Classic period, but at Chichén Itzá certain examples appear to be from Toltec times. Recently, after the work described in this paper was completed, William T. Sanders informed me of the existence of two sacbes on the island of Cozumel, a fact of which I was ignorant. It is entirely possible that those roads are of the same late period represented by the Mayapán remains. It should also be noted that there are two other constructions at Mayapán, one in the southwestern part of Square E, the other in the southern part of Square Y, that are considerably smaller than the principle sacbe and of which there is some question as to function. They probably are small roads and deserve the designation sacbe. The work described here was undertaken to find the time of construction of the sacbe: first, in relation to that of the quadrangle (Strs. R-95 to -99) at the northern end; secondly, and if possible, in relation

The principal sacbe, or causeway, at Mayapán is seen on the map of the ruins (Jones 1952) running from the western part of Square R in a southwesterly direction to the northeastern part of Square Z. The roadway connects two groups of structures, each group forming a quadrangle about a court, that give the impression of having been of some importance, to judge from size of structures and quality of workmanship. The northern group (Strs. R-95 to -99), which is the larger, appears to be domiciliary in character and it is probable that the oft misused term “palace” can appropriately be applied to it. It is likely that the southern group also was primarily domiciliary, but its character is less clear from superficial observation. One cannot, moreover, in the absence of further excavation disregard the possibility that these assemblages may have served as community ritual centers. Artificially constructed roads, or sacbes, are of course well known in the Maya area, where they

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H.E.D. Pollock to the period of occupation of the site. There are ample traces at Mayapán of remains that almost surely date from a time earlier than that of the great epoch of the city, remains apparently of the Puuc period of Yucatán history. These occur in the form of pottery and of loose and re-used building stone. No structure that can be assigned to Puuc period, or for that matter to the Toltec period of Chichén Itzá, has yet been identified. We wondered if the sacbe, and possibly some underlying construction in Group R-95 to -99, might be of an early time. This did not turn out to be the case. The sacbe apparently was constructed not only during the Mayapán period but probably late in that era. In order to relate the detailed plan given here (Fig. 15.1) to the plan of the group shown on the map of the site, it should be noted that Str. R-95 is the small southern mound on the map and Str. R-98 is the western mound. Str. R95a was mostly buried and developed only by excavation. On the map Str. R-98 appears to rest immediately on the southern edge of the general terrace supporting the group, whereas the building proper, of which only the southeast corner is shown in Figure 15.1, actually rests about 4 m north of the edge of the terrace. Only the west end and southwest corner of the substructure of Str. R-95 are shown in Figure 15.1, our excavations not having been carried as far east as the superstructure. The line of this substructure on the detailed plan closely approximates that shown on the map. So far as I know, no earlier excavations, with one minor exception, had been carried on in connection with the sacbe or at Group R-95 to -99. The northern end of a vaulted passage that forms an entrance to the quadrangle at the northeast corner of the court (shown in dashed line on the map) had been cleared of debris, presumably by E. W. Andrews in 1942. A photograph of this excavation shows four or five steps rising from ground level to the floor of the passage. The present excavations are indicated in Figure 15.1 and shown elsewhere in the illustrations accompanying this report. Digging extended to bedrock at the east side of the sacbe and at the southwest corner of the substructure of Str. R-95, at the west side of the sacbe, along the west side and along part of the south side of Str. R-95a, and along the south face of the main terrace of the group from

15.1. Plan and Sections of the Northern Terminus of the Sacbe. Numbers on plan are referred to in text. Numbers in sections show stages of construction as described in text.

its juncture with Str. R-95a for 2 or 3 m westward. North of this line of the main terrace we penetrated, except in one small area, only to an earlier floor level about 50 cm below surface. A detailed description of the progress of our excavation would seem to add nothing to an understanding of the situation and will not be given. Building Sequence As previously noted, the determination of the relative time of construction of the sacbe was the primary objective of our work. Owing to discontinuity of floors, which often occurred as disconnected patches, it is not possible to be certain of the precise sequence of construction of all terraces and platforms uncovered. In major outline, however, the sequence is clear, the description that follows will

The Northern Terminus of the Principal Sacbe at Mayapán indicate where we appear to be on sure ground, where uncertainty prevails. The earliest construction uncovered is a buried terrace or platform later incorporated into the main terrace of Group R-95 to -99. The southern edge of this buried platform, which rests on bedrock, is shown in Figures 15.1, 1–2; 15.2a. An old corner is located at 1, where the edge of the platform originally turned and extended north (Fig, 15.1, 1–3) for an undetermined distance. A down-turn of the plaster upper surface, or floor, of this early platform at the line 4–5 in Figure 15.1 suggests the location of the eastern side of this structure, and one might expect a corner at 5. This corner is strictly hypothetical and indeed the eastern edge of the platform is surmised only from the down-turn of the plaster floor which was traced about 40 cm north of Str. R-95a. Both east and west sides of the buried platform are indicated in Figure 15.1, A-A. It will be noted from the sections (Fig. 15.1, A-A, B-B, C-C) that the upper surface of the platform is about 50 cm below the final level of the court of Group R-95 to -99. The next construction uncovered by our digging was the extension westward for an undetermined distance of the buried platform. This is shown in Figure 15.1 by line 1–6, There was also an eastward extension of the buried platform beyond the plaster turn-down (Fig. 15.1, 4–5) mentioned above, but we do not know if this occurred at this time. The eastern addition was built prior to the construction of Str. R-95a, as the primary floor covering it was broken by the erection of the later structure. The addition may, however, have come about at any time between the building of the original buried platform and the construction of Str. R-95a. Next in order of building was an extension southward (Figs. 15.1, 7–8, B-B, C-C) by less than 50 cm of the original buried platform, first mentioned above, and its western extension. This addition, which was no more than a secondary facing where it overlies the earlier wails (Fig. 15.2b), seems to have carried as far west as the southwest corner of the group. It was excavated for only a short distance, but its course may be traced above ground for the full distance. To the east it runs under Str. R-95a for an undetermined distance, as shown in Figure 15.1, 7-8. The eastern addition to the original buried platform may well have come at this time. Apparently at the time of this refacing of the south wall of the terrace, and by now the main terrace of the group was probably beginning to take form, a parapet (Figs. 15.1, 9-12) approximately 50 cm high was added along that edge of the terrace. The parapet could not have been earlier, as it rests on the new wall, and the floor covering the western exten-

sion of the original buried platform turns up to the inner face of the parapet, indicating that the parapet must have been built when the new southern face (Figs. 15.1, 7-8) was applied. It should be noted that only one floor was found here, although two might be expected, the first laid at the time of the western extension of the original buried platform, the second laid when the new southern face of the terrace and the parapet were built. This can be explained best, it seems to me, by assuming that the present floor was broken to erect the parapet and a patchwork turn-up to the parapet made at that time. Different explanations can be given, but this strikes me as more likely than any other. The sequence of construction so far described, with the exception of the time of the eastern addition to the original buried platform, has been relatively clear cut, with little doubt as to the order of building. The placing in the sequence of the next construction, on the other hand, is dependent upon the tracing of floors, and, as mentioned earlier, these floors are often discontinuous. The problem is whether one is correct in identifying a particular floor, or sequence of overlying floors, by means of patches that may be interrupted by intervening areas of a meter or more where the floor is destroyed. I believe that the next building operation consisted of the raising of the general terrace level north of the parapet described above. The east wall of this raised area, or platform, is shown at 10-13 in Figure 15.1 (also see Fig. 15.1, A-A, and Fig. 15.2c). The new level was that of the top of the parapet so that the inner face of the parapet was buried. Str. R-98 rests directly on this level, and it is entirely possible that the new construction was to serve as a building platform for R-98. On the other hand, as will subsequently be seen, Str. R-98 may have been erected later. The above-described building activity is placed at this stage in our sequence because of two floors associated with the east wall (Fig. 15.1, 10-13) of the new platform. The lower of these floors, presumably that of the original buried platform, runs under the wall; the upper floor turns up to, and is contemporaneous with, the wall. Both floors can be traced eastward, although by means of unconnected patches, where they either underlie, or are cut by, the north wall of Str. R-95a (Fig. 15.1, B-B). This platform supporting Str. R-98 would thus seem to be earlier than Str. R-95a, the next in our sequence, and to be later than the parapet, which it buried, and the secondary facing wall (Fig. 15.1, 7-8) on which the parapet in part rests. Str. R-95a (Figs. 15.1; 15.2b,d–g) was built next. It will be remembered that both the original buried platform (Fig. 15.1, 1-2) end the later southern

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H.E.D. Pollock extension, or secondary facing (Fig. 15.1, 7-8), underlie this new platform (Fig. 15.2a,b). It is footed on bedrock and stands about 50 cm higher than the constructions it overlies (Fig. 15.1, B-B, C-C), rising to the same level as the platform supporting Str. R-98. At the north side of the structure are two small steps (Figs. 15.1; 15.2e,f) giving access to the new platform from the then lower level of the main terrace or court of the group. Following the building of Str. R-95a, the platform (Fig. 15.1, 9-10-13) on which Str. R-98 rests was extended eastward (Figs. 15.1, 10, 14-16; 2c) so as just to overlap the northwest corner of Str. R-95a. It seems certain that this building operation followed the construction of Str. R-95a because the plaster on the corner of R-95a underlies the wall (Fig. 15.1, 15-16) that forms the east face of the new extension. Str. R-98 may, of course, have been built prior to the eastward extension of its platform, at the time of the extension, or any time later. Only one floor was found at the southeast corner of that building, a floor that turned up to the building. One might expect two floors had Str. R-98 been erected before the eastward extension of its platform. It is of course possible that any higher floor than the one we found has disappeared, as it presumably would have formed the final surface of the main terrace and court of the group. As it is, we only can say that Str. R-98 was built after the raising of the old terrace level beneath it (but how long after we do not know). The finding of fewer floors than might have been expected occurred again in the area north of Str. R95a and east of the extension to the platform supporting Str. R-98, just described. It will be remembered that two floors ran eastward from the earlier east face (Fig. 15.1, 10-13) of that platform and that these floors were broken by the construction of R95a (Fig. 15.1, B-B). The small steps at the north side of R-95a rest on these floors. One might expect that with the building of R-95a a third floor would have been laid, turning up to it and to the earlier east wall of the platform supporting Str. R-98, and a fourth floor with the eastward extension of that platform. We found only three floors, the topmost turning up to Str. R-95a, to its steps, and to the wall forming the new east face (Fig. 15.1, 15-16, A-A) of the platform of R-98. Moreover, only two floors ran under this wall. A conceivable explanation is that when Str. R95a was built the then existing floor continued to be utilized, the wall plaster of the new structure being curved down and outward to join the old floor. In this case the third and topmost floor noted by us would have been laid at the time of the eastward extension of the platform of Str. R-98. There was the suggestion, but we could not be certain, of two lay-

ers of plaster on the north wall of R-95a east of the platform (Fig. 15.1, 15) but only one layer where the platform overlaps R-95a, a condition that favors the above explanation. At the south side of Str. R-95a, near its southeast corner, a secondary wall runs southward a short distance (Fig. 15.1, 17-18). This wall faces west and is footed on bedrock, as is Str. R-95a. At the southern end of the wall there is the suggestion of an old corner (Fig. 15.2h), as though the wall had turned east at that point. Whether it turned east or continued south, the wall seems to have been destroyed in ancient times beyond that point. It should be noted that there is no way of relating the time of this construction to that of the last building operation north of Str. R-95a, described above, beyond knowing that in each case the work took place after the construction of R-95a. Eastward and south of the wall just mentioned is the face of an old buried platform or terrace (Fig. 15.1, 19-20) that seems to form a corner and turn east at its southern end but merely ends in rock fill at the north. It is impossible to be certain of the time relationship of this construction with Str. R-95a or the secondary wall (Fig. 15.1, 17-18) running south from the latter. The matter does not seem important in our sequence leading to the building of the sacbe, and rather than argue the several possibilities I shall only say I think it most likely that the secondary wall referred to above and the buried terrace face are contemporaneous and that a short eastward jog (Figs. 15.1, 18-19) of the former, later ripped out, closed the gap between the two. The final building operations uncovered by our digging were the raising of the level of the court north of Str. R-95a to the height of that structure (Figs. 15.1, A-A, B-B, C-C), thus burying the small steps to R-95a, the construction of the sacbe, and the building of the substructural platform of Str. R-95 (Figs. 15.1, 21-22). We cannot be sure of the place of the construction of the sacbe in this sequence. The south face of R-35a and the secondary wall (Figs. 15.1, 17-18) near the east end of that structure were buried with the building of the sacbe (Fig. 15.2g, h) and it seems clear that the causeway postdates R95a and the secondary wall. I am inclined to believe that the raising of the court level north of Str. R-95a, which became the final court level of Group R-95 to -99, preceded, or was contemporaneous with, the construction of the sacbe. This conclusion is based only on the idea that with the building of the road a major approach or entrance to Group R-95 to -99 was created, and the small steps that had previously given access to Str. R-95a would hardly have been adequate as a major approach to the group.

The Northern Terminus of the Principal Sacbe at Mayapán It is quite certain that the final substructural platform of Str. R-95 was built after the court of the group was raised to its ultimate level. The retaining wall of this platform starts from a corner (Fig. 15.1, 21) at the south, where the wall is footed 15–25 cm above bedrock, about on the level of the footing of the sides of the sacbe, runs northward to climb over the top of Str. R-95a (Fig. 15.2i) and farther north to rest on the topmost fill of the court of Group R-95 to -99 (Figs. 15.1, 21-22, A-A, B-B, C-C; 2f). It is thus clear that the wall was built after the court had been raised to its final level. This retaining wall of course buried the old terrace face at the south (Fig. 15.1, 19-20), and it seems probable that the destruction of the secondary construction (Fig. 15.1, 18-19) south of Str. R-95a occurred with the building of this retaining wall. We cannot be certain whether the sacbe was built before, at the same time, or after the construction of the final substructure of Str. R-95. A short wall (Fig. 15.1, 23-24), secondary to both constructions, links the east wall of the sacbe with the substructure of R-95 but gives no clue as to which was built first, This short cross-wall was probably to hide the rather poor joints that the wall of the sacbe and the wall of the substructure of Str. R-95 make with the earlier, buried construction. The walls of the sacbe and the southwest corner of the substructure of R-95 are footed 15–25 cm above bedrock (Fig. 15.2h,i), in contrast to all earlier terrace and platform walls which are footed approximately on bedrock, suggesting that the general ground level had been raised somewhat by this time. It is probably best to think of the sacbe and the substructural platform or Str. R-95 as roughly contemporaneous. One minor construction remains to be mentioned. In the plan and section (Fig. 15.1, 25-26, C-C) it will be noted that a single course of stone, apparently a step (Fig. 15.2b,g) runs westward from Str. R-95a. It was not traced to its western extremity. This step is clearly secondary to R-95a. The fact that the foot of the step is on the general level of the foot of the wall of the sacbe suggests that the step was installed when the ground level had been raised to that point, in other words, probably with the building of the sacbe. It may be useful to review the major stages of construction, those of which we are certain, disregarding lesser alterations and those that are problematical in our sequence: (1) The construction of the original buried platform (Fig. 15.1, 15.2, 1-3) and its later western extension (Fig. 15.1, 1-6). (2) The addition of a later southern face (Fig. 15.1, 7-8) to the buried platform and its western extension, which probably formed the south face of the main terrace of Group R-95 to -99. (3) The building of Str. R-95a.

(4) The raising of the court of Group R-95 to -99 to its final level, the building of the sacbe, and the construction of the substructural platform of Str. R-95. We can be very brief in our description of the construction of platforms and terraces. This is shown in the photographs and sections accompanying this report. Generally speaking, wall masonry and fill are typical of what is found throughout Mayapán. Such construction has been illustrated and described in numerous places in this series of reports. In a word, wall stone is roughly shaped but not dressed. There is the occasional re-use of Puuctype building stones. It seems that there is some tendency to set the stones of the lowest course in a wall vertically rather than horizontally, but this is by no means universal. Walls resting on bedrock are usually footed on smaller stones and earth, the top of the small stone and dirt layer presumably marking the approximate ground level. The almost universal presence of earth between stones suggests the use of mud mortar. Little wall plaster was found, but where encountered, it tends be heavily applied, and it probably was used profusely. Fill is of rock with a varying admixture of earth. I suspect that all fill encountered here was originally of rock alone and that the dirt and soil have washed in from wall masonry and from surface accumulation, but it is impossible to be certain of this. Floors, wherever preserved, are of lime mortar and typical or those found elsewhere in Mayapán. The construction of the sacbe is simplicity in the extreme. It consists of side walls of rough thick slabs of stone (Fig. 15.1, B-B, C-C, and Fig. 15.2g,h) set on end or side, which retain a loose fill of stone. The stones of the walls are footed on smaller stone and earth which rest on bedrock. The thickness of this bottom layer varies with the contours of the bedrock. Whether the upper surface of the sacbe was of lime plaster, sascab, or packed earth cannot be told. At present this surface is no more than a jumble of loose stone. It is known that in certain instances, at an earlier time, sacbes were surfaced with lime plaster floors, and there was wide use of such typical maya flooring at Mayapán. The fact remains, however, that no trace of any floor on the sacbe at Mayapán has been noted and we can only guess how the road was surfaced. The causeway has not been searched from end to end but there is little chance of any floor surviving on so exposed a surface. Artifacts and Pottery The pottery and other objects that came from these excavations were separated into what was considered to be surface material and what seemed to be,

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H.E.D. Pollock 15.2. Views of Excavations, Details of Construction, Artifacts. a. South side of early buried platform, showing old southwest corner (lower left) and platform wall running beneath Str. R-95a (right), looking northeast. b. Secondary facing on south side of early buried platform and west wall of Str. R-95a, looking northeast. Note re-used column drums (cut by Section C-C in Fig. 15.1) in secondary wall, parapet (left), upper edge of early platform behind secondary facing, and the latter running beneath Str. R-95a at right, Also note step running west from Str. R-95a. c. East wall (rear) of platform supporting Str. R-98 and wall (front) of later eastern extension of that platform, looking northwest. The southeast corner of Str. R-98 can be seen near the center of the picture, and the northwest corner of Str. R-95a is just visible at lower left. d. Southwest corner of Str. R-95a, looking northeast. The southern face of this platform, exposed here by a trench cut to bedrock, had been buried by the construction of the sacbe (see Fig. 15.2g). e. North side of Str. R-95a and small steps leading to it, looking southeast. Note wall of substructure of Str. R-95 beyond farther step. f. East step at north side of Str. R-95a and substructure of Str. R-95, looking east. Note that wall of substructure is footed on fill at level or top of Str. R-95a. g. Juncture of west wall of sacbe with southwest corner of Str. R-95a, and step (left) running west from end of R-95a, looking east. Note smaller stones and dirt that form footing for large, rough slabs that form the side wall of the sacbe. h. East wall of sacbe and its juncture with secondary wall running south from Str. R-953, looking north. Vertical squared stone overlapped by horizontal stone near right edge of picture is what may have been old corner in secondary wall (Fig. 15.1, 15.18). i. West wall of substructure of Str. R-95 at its southwest corner, looking northeast. Note that footing of substructural wall rises to the north (left) so as to rest on top of Str. R-95a. j. Chipped discs of limestone and one pottery disc (bottom) from surface excavations, Lot A-131. Pottery disc has lime plaster adhering to convex surface; 8.5 by 1.4 cm. Thickness of stone discs varies from 3.8 cm (54-118) to 1.6 cm (54-119), Cat. nos. (top) 54-114, -121, -115, -116, (middle) 54120, -118, -117, -119, (bottom) 54-122. k. Arrowpoints of chert (left) and obsidian (right) from surface excavations, Lot A-131. Chert point 4 by 1.4 by 0.03 cm, Cat. no. 54-131; obsidian 3.4 by 1.2 by 0.03 cm, Cat. no. 54-130.

as nearly as could be obtained, an unmixed sample from beneath the sacbe. The surface finds, Lot A-131, came from all excavations with the exception of the lower levels of a cut into the sacbe. Since much of the digging was in artificial fill, there is little question that a good part of the material recovered was deposited where found during the course of construction of Group R-95, -99 and the sacbe. None of it, however, was found under strictly sealed conditions or at any considerable depth. Because of the ease of surface sherds and other small objects filtering through the loose fill, both over the years and during the course of excavation, it was thought best to list all these finds as coming from the surface. Lot A-132 represents material gathered from a cut into the west side of the sacbe along the west side of the sacbe along the south side of Str. R-95a (Fig. 15.1). A 50 cm deep trench was first dug across the top of the sacbe. The pottery from this trench was considered to be from the surface. Next, this trench was cut to bedrock at the west and carried halfway across the sacbe at that level (Fig. 15.2d). The objects recovered from this second operation form Lot A132. Although it should be a pure sample of material buried at the time of construction of the road, there is of course the chance that some surface sherds may have sifted down through the loose fill of the sacbe and that an occasional sherd may have tumbled down in the course of our digging. The specimens recovered from these excavations are not very impressive. Among the objects included in Lot A-131 are eight chipped discs of limestone, often referred to as pot lids, and a pottery disc (Fig. 15.2j) that came from the digging south of the main

terrace of the group, along the west side of Str. R-95a and the west side of the sacbe. Two arrowpoints (Fig. 15.2k), one of chert, the other of obsidian, came from the same area. Although these objects have been classed as “surface” remains, as explained above, it is highly probable they were in fact thrown in with the stone and earth, or fill, that raised the general ground level at the west of Str. R-95a (Fig. 15.2, C-C), presumably at the time of construction of the sacbe and the single step that runs west from R-95a. Other artifacts recovered from surface excavations are a triangular chipped tool of chert of a type common at Mayapán (see Adams 1953, Fig. 11b, top row, third from left), a broken stone disc similar to those illustrated here, flakes and chips of obsidian, chips of chert, a shell fragment, and animal bones. Pieces of a glass bottle found well below the present surface illustrate how later intrusive material can become mixed with earlier remains unless the deposit is sealed off by a floor or some other relatively impenetrable form of construction. A perforated shell tinkler of common type (see Ruppert and Smith 1952, Fig. 8f, lower right), chips of chert and animal bones are the only artifacts in Lot A-132 from beneath the sacbe. The pottery from these excavations was analyzed by R. E. Smith. Lot A-131 consists of slightly over 1,000 sherds, one quarter of which are too weathered to be identified. A single sherd of Puuc-type pottery is clearly of a time earlier than the Mayapán period. Two specimens of Fine Orange may or may not be earlier than that period. A single Black-on-Cream sherd presumably represents an early phase of the principal occupation of the site. The vast preponderance of the pottery is of types common during Mayapán

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H.E.D. Pollock times but which cannot yet be arranged chronologically. There are 75 sherds of effigy incense burners, plus 30 body sherds that may be from these vessels, and 22 sherds of the relatively rare Red-on-Buff pottery, both very late types in the Mayapán period. Lot A-132 amounts to a little under 600 sherds, slightly over one quarter of which are too weathered to be identified. Not a single identifiable sherd is earlier than the Mayapán period. The bulk of the pottery is of common Mayapán types. Effigy incense burners account for 20 sherds, plus 27 body sherds that may be from this type of vessel. There are six Red-on-Buff sherds. Summary The excavations around the northern terminus of the sacbe and the southern entrance to the quad-

rangle known as Group R-95 to -99 reveal a series of architectural changes that presumably have to do with the growth of the quadrangle and the creation of a major southern approach, as witnessed by the building of the sacbe. Owing to the limited extent of our digging, little is known of the function, or the relationship to the rest of the group, of the walls and platforms uncovered. The relative time of erection of those constructions touched by our excavations is, however, in general outline clear. The sacbe is one of the latest constructions exposed by our digging, and if one is to hazard a guess, the road was built when Group R-95 to -99 had come close to attaining its final form. The finding beneath the sacbe of sherds of effigy incense burners and of Red-on-Buff vessels, pottery that first appears at Mayapán during a late phase of the principal occupation of the site, confirms the relative lateness of the road.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 16 July 1954

A Round Temple at Mayapán, Yucatán Edwin M. Shook

Adams 1953:158–161; Shook 1954:259, 260). Patton, while mapping the site of Mayapán in 1938 (Morley 1938:142), discovered three circular buildings besides the large one, Str. Q-152, which was made known first by Stephens (1843:1:136). Except for platforms, some containing burial cists, no additional round structures have been encountered by either Jones (1952) or the Carnegie staff during four seasons of intensive study at Mayapán. The largest of the four round temples in Mayapán was standing in fair state of preservation until sometime after Brasseur de Bourbourg’s (1867:241–43) visit. It has since fallen, leaving exposed only traces of the circular walls. The temple rests on a large square platform with a much destroyed stairway on the west side (Proskouriakoff 1953: 267, Fig. 1). The three additional round units discovered by Patton, Strs. Q-126, Q-214, and H-18, also were fallen. The true form of the last two buildings was most difficult to discern because of the advanced state of ruin.

Since the exhaustive study of round structures in aboriginal Mesoamerica by Pollock (1936), a number of these specialized units have been discovered and a few of them excavated. The round form in prehistoric architecture occurs sporadically throughout Mesoamerica; its use ranges from pre-Classic times up to the Spanish conquest. Despite the wide geographical and temporal distribution, round structures are rare except in the Huasteca region of northern Veracruz, southern Tamaulipas, and eastern San Luis Potosi. There, in certain places where excavations have been undertaken, round units outnumber all other architectural forms (Ekholm 1944:500). The normal rectangular structure elsewhere remained the predominant type. In Yucatán, since Pollock’s report, a round structure has been reported from Caucel (R. H. Thompson 1951:234), one in Kantunilkin (W. T. Sanders, verbal information), another at Chichén Itzá (Ruppert 1952:7), and several in Mayapán (Morley 1938:142;

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Edwin M. Shook Str. Q-214, the first round temple to be excavated in Mayapán, is in the central ceremonial group about 100 m south of the Castillo (Jones 1952, map, 325 S, 300 W). The building faces east across a plaza to a temple with serpent columns (Str. Q-218) on the opposite side. The plaza is bordered on the north and south by long colonnaded buildings and on the southwest by another colonnaded unit (Str.Q-213) which abuts the south side of the platform supporting the round temple (Fig. 16.1). Before excavation, Str. Q-214 ap­peared as a cone-shaped mound of rubble, heaped on the rear half of a crumbling stone platform. Closer inspection disclosed several stones of the circular plinth on which the temple rests, and traces of a medial wall. Strömsvik, early in the 1954 field season, cleared part of the plinth and enough of the substructure to define the corners. I extended the excavations to include the temple interior, most of the exterior, and the substructure. The substructure apparently was erected on a prepared level overlying bedrock. Our excavation did not extend to bedrock, although an outcrop in the plaza east of the unit and the depth of the excavations in front of and behind Str. Q-214 proved the westward slope of the natural level under the substructure. The lowest stratum exposed (Fig. 16.1b) consisted of brown earth and rocks which elsewhere in Mayapán normally represent the thin sod mantle overlying bedrock. This stratum underlay the substructure, and the cultural material (Lot C-73b) in the soil predated the construction of Str. Q-214. All the material recovered from this level pertained to the Mayapán period. Therefore, it is certain that the building of the round temple took place sometime during the main occupation of Mayapán, from the ceramic evidence probably in the early half or middle of the period. The substructure has square corners in front and is faced with a plain vertical wall. The sides of the platform range from vertical at the front to sloping as the widely rounded rear corners are approached. A broad stairway with flanking balustrades originally provided access from the plaza level to the spacious terrace before the temple. Subsequently a section was cut from the center of the stairway and a miniature shrine built there (Figs. 16.1; 16.2a–c).

16.1. Plan and Section of Structure Q-214. a. Wall niche. b. Excavated area of stratified middens. c. Cache of warrior figure (see Fig. 16.2j). d. Cache of effigy tripod cup (Fig. 16.2i) containing a jade fragment, jade and shell beads. e. Female idol in stairway shrine.

The thin masonry walls of the shrine and the nature and depth of fallen debris suggest that the small chamber may have been roofed with wood timbers capped with lime concrete. On excavation we discovered in situ, on a raised level against the rear wall of the shrine, a crude stone statue of a female (Figs. 16.1e; 16.2a–e). It faced east to the shrine doorway. Prior to the installation of the sculptured figure, a dedicatory cache had been buried below the raised section of the shrine (Fig. 16.1). The cache consisted of a miniature tripod cup bearing a human face on the side (Fig. 16.2i). The cup contained four small jades and two shell beads. The sculpture (Fig. 16.2b– e), crudely wrought in an inferior grade of fossiliferous limestone, depicts a bare-breasted female, seated

A Round Temple at Mayapán, Yucatán with knees tightly drawn up, and wearing a sphinxlike expression. The poor quality of the natural stone may have been overcome by the addition of plaster over the whole, for traces of a white plaster coating still adhered to the surface. There was no evidence of paint on the remaining bits of plaster. The presence of broken, human-effigy-type censers and burned areas on the shrine floor directly in front of the idol further suggested ceremonial activities in association with the statue, shrine, and round temple. Another cache had been placed in a small hole cut through the final plaza floor in the corner formed by the platform and the south stairwall (Fig. 16.1c). The cache consisted of a miniature pottery figure bearing a large circular shield in the left hand and a poised spear in the right (Fig. 16.2j).The male figure is crouching on the left knee, in an aggressive posture. His protruding upper teeth, the sharply slanted left eye, and features of dress may eventually permit the identification of this warrior figure. The temple of Str. Q-214 rested on a round plinth (Fig. 16.1). This created a single high step from the terrace to the temple floor level. All of the exterior wall facing except a segment north of the doorway had fallen. Fortunately, here was preserved another architectural trait. There were two stones (Fig. 16.2f) in situ, laid on an incline, indicating the presence of a sloping basal zone around the exterior of the temple wall. It was not possible to determine if the sloping basal zone carried a molding at the top. The interior of the round temple was divided into two small semicircular chambers by a heavy medial wall. This stood to a maximum height of 1.55 m, and fallen building material, consisting principally of large blocks and slabs, filled the single doorway in the medial wall to the same height. The fallen debris sloped off sharply on all sides from the medial wall and doorway. The amount of stone and lime mortar in the debris indicated a vaulted masonry roof, possibly like that shown as restoration in the section (Fig. 16.1). The masonry of the temple and the substructure conformed to the block-and-slab type most common in Mayapán. In Str. Q-214, roughly trimmed blocks and slabs were laid horizontally in poor quality mortar of lime, earth, and gravel. Spalls for leveling were employed frequently, and stone coursing was so irregular and haphazard as to appear accidental rather than purposeful. Rarely was a cut and dressed Puuc-type stone used in the interior walls of the temple. These re-used stones occurred more frequently on the exterior and in the steps and balustrades of the stairway. A number of carved Puuctype stones clustered in the building debris on the south side, probably having fallen from a decorative

panel in the façade of the round temple. Also, several small death’s-head and animal-head sculptures with horizontal tenons occurred at intervals in the debris around the structure. These may have been tenoned into the façade at intervals. The excavation of the temple interior produced few significant features. A rectangular niche or cupboard (Fig. 16.1a) was found in the medial wall north of the doorway. The floor and walls of the temple has been evenly surfaced with lime plaster. Little remained of the wall plaster, but the fragments recovered bore red and blue paint. A burned area, 50 cm in diameter, on the floor at the center of the rear chamber, and fragments of human-effigytype censers (Lot C-75) provided evidence of some ceremonial activity within the temple. The amount of such activity, based on the quantity of censer fragments, copal and ashes, was small compared to that which took place in Strs. Q-58, -82, and -95 (Shook 1954) and many other units excavated in Mayapán. Another feature in Str. Q-214 which may indicate infrequent copal burning within the temple was the evidence of only one floor and a single layer of wall plaster. Most structures so far excavated in Mayapán have had many floors and layers of wall plaster, implying that frequent refurbishing was deemed necessary. It may be that in the case of Str. Q-214 the major ceremonial activities, involving heavy burning and the use of large censers, took place on the terrace before the temple doorway rather than inside. Our excavations at the southwest corner of Str. Q-214 to determine the architectural relationship between it and the colonnaded building, Str. Q-213, abutting the south side, disclosed not only a sequence of construction but a stratified midden (Fig. 16.1b). Here the lowest level, as mentioned earlier in this report, predates the construction of the round temple (Lot C-73b). The second stratum of homogeneous earth, small stones, and refuse (Lot C-73a) also was laid down prior to the erection of Str. Q-214. This material, however, may have been spread for leveling purposes immediately preceding masonry construction. The substructure, the erection of which followed, rested directly on this stratum. Overlying it and abutting the base of the terrace wall was another thin, compact layer of small rocks, earth, and potsherds (Lot C-73a). This layer apparently served as foundation leveling for a structure adjoining the south side of Str. Q-214 and older than the colonnaded building, Str. Q-213. While the early building and the round temple were in use, a midden accumulated in the corner formed by their junction. The midden (Lot C-73) consisted of ashes, charcoal, animal and bird bones, pottery, artifacts,

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Edwin M. Shook 16.2. Structure Q-214. a. Looking northwest to south half of shrine, stairway, and substructure. Note sculptured figure in shrine at lower right. Low wall at upper left is round plinth of temple and at upper center may be seen the medial wall. b. Detail of stairway shrine with female idol in situ. c. Looking northwest to stairway shrine. d. Female figure from stairway shrine. Max. ht. 51 cm. e. Rear view of female figure. f. Looking west through doorways of temple. Round plinth shows in lower foreground two remaining stones of sloping and basal zone of the temple wall at right. g. Doorway in medial wall of temple, from southwest. h. Rounded southwest corner of substructure mostly buried by secondary construction of Str. Q-213 at center and right in photograph. Stratified rubbish deposits were discovered in this corner (Fig. 16.1b). i. Porous gray tripod cup from cache under female sculpture in stairway shrine (Fig. 16.1d). On exterior vessel bears prime coat of white lime beneath outer layer of light greenish blue. Human face was cast in mold. Solid conical vessel supports. Max. ht. 12 cm. j. Porous Gray Ware figure of warrior found in corner south of stairway (Fig. 16.1c). Body and head are hollow with single large perforation in back of shoulders. Exterior is coated with white lime on which are painted details of the figure. Headband, ear pendants, collar, point and butt of spear are red; slanting left eye, blade of spear, and shield are orange; brow of right eye is blue. Max. ht. 12 cm.

and several fire hearths, the last evidently serving for cooking purposes. The midden subsequently had been covered and sealed by a lime concrete floor laid at the time the earlier building was partly razed and the colonnaded unit, Str. Q-213, erected over it. Again a thick bed of refuse accumulated on the lime floor behind the round temple and the colonnaded building. This midden postdated the construction of both units, and while it accumulated, graves were cut into it from time to time. One grave (Fig. 16.1b) held the flexed skeletons of two adults, without mortuary furnishings. This upper midden (Lot C-74) eventually was covered by rubble from the collapsed walls of Strs. Q-214 and -213. It contained, besides human, animal, and bird bones, and artifacts, a high percentage of pottery from humaneffigy-type censers, a type not found in the material below the lime floor. The heaviest concentration of human-effigy-type censers occurred on the latest floors around the base of the substructure of Str. Q-214. This presumably indicates that the temple and terrace were kept clean and that the copal, ashes, and broken censers were swept or thrown over the platform edges, particularly toward the rear of the building. It is unlikely, however, that the refuse in the southwest corner came entirely from the round temple. Some undoubtedly had been thrown there from the colonnaded building, Str. Q-213, but the quantity of bird and animal bones, Mayapán Red jars and bowls, and unslipped utilitarian pottery indicates either that Q-213 was a residence or that other living quarters were close by. The plan of Str. Q-214, its position on a platform over 2 m high facing a plaza, the shrine set in its stairway and containing a carved stone idol, and the abundance of censer fragments are all factors indicating the religious function of the unit. That the statue may represent the Maya goddess Ixchel, and that she may have been the patron deity of the round tem-

ple, can be mentioned only as possibilities. Certain round structures in Mesoamerica were assuredly associated with the worship of Quetzalcoatl, either as the Feathered Serpent or in his aspect as the wind god, Ehecatl. In Str. Q-214 at Mayapán, however, other than the fact that the temple was round, there were no features disclosed in the excavations that would seem to associate the unit with the worship of Quetzalcoatl. Materials Recorded Lot C-73b: from deepest stratum (see Fig. 16.1b) at the southwest corner of Str. Q-214, deposited before the construction of the temple: 10 fragments of animal and bird bones, several partly burned; 2 obsidian flake-blades. Total sherds: 156, 100 percent Mayapán period (unslipped vessels, 40.4; noneffigy-type censers, 0.7; Mayapán Red, 53.8; Black-on-Cream, 5.1). Lot C-73a: from two strata (see Fig. 16.1b) associated with the primary construction of Str. Q-214: 46 fragments of animal and bird bones, including 1 cut deer bone; charcoal; ashes; 6 obsidian flake-blades. Total sherds: 537, 0.6 percent Puuc period, 99.4 percent Mayapán period (unslipped vessels, 31.6; noneffigy-type censers, 1.5; Mayapán Red, 59.4; Fine Orange, 0.9; Black-on-Cream, 6.0). Lot C-73: from midden sealed below a lime floor (Fig. 16.1b) and postdating the construction of a building buried under Str. Q-213: 54 fragments of animal and bird bones, including deer and turtle; fire hearths; charcoal; ashes; 4 obsidian flake-blades; a small, crudely carved human head of limestone. Total sherds: 546, 0.4 percent Puuc period, 99.6 percent Mayapán period (unslipped vessels, 41.8 percent; Noneffigy-type Censers, 9.3 percent; Mayapán Red, 45.9; Fine Orange, 0.2; Black-on-Cream, 2.4).

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Edwin M. Shook Lot C-74: from postconstruction midden above lime floor (Fig. 16.1b), mixed with a few sherds from the collapsed walls of Strs. Q-214 and -213: 2 adult skulls; 18 fragments of human, animal, and bird bones; red-painted plaster; 3 stalactites from modeled stucco figures; 2 obsidian flake-blades; 1 flint chip; 1 unworked univalve shell. Total sherds: 1,647, 0.3 percent Puuc period, 99.7 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 22.0; Noneffigy-type Censers, 2.5; Human-effigy-type Censers, 35.7; Mayapán Red, 38.1; Red-on-Cream, 1.0; Fine Orange, 0.2; Black-on-Cream, 0.2). Lot C-76: from surface and general excavation of the substructure of Q-214 on the east and south sides: 2 caches—one, an effigy warrior (Fig. 16.2j) in the corner formed by the south stairwall and the platform, the second, below the female statue in the stairway shrine—an effigy tripod cup (Fig. 16.2i)

containing 1 jade fragment, 3 jade and 3 shell beads; 3 fragments of modeled stucco painted red and blue; 2 stalactites from modeled stucco figures; 31 fragments of animal and bird bones, several partly burned; 4 flint chips. Total sherds: 1,749; 0.1 percent Puuc period, 99.9 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels 13.3, Noneffigy-Type Censers, 2.6; Human-Effigy-Type Censers, 56.1; Mayapán Red, 27.0; Red-on-Cream, 0.3; Fine Orange, 0.3; Black-on-Cream, 0.3). Lot C-75: from surface of floor and in fallen masonry within the rooms of Str. Q-214: fragments of wall plaster painted red and blue. Total sherds: 489, 0.2 percent Puuc period, 99.8 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 4.7; Noneffigy-Type Censers, 1.2; Human-Effigy Type Censers, 82.4; Mayapán Red, 10.3; Red-on-Cream, 1.0; Black-on-Cream, 0.2).

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 17 September 1954

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán III Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith

of Squares Y, Z, and AA not mentioned in the text but shown in Figure 17.8 as follows: b. fragment of lime-stone metate, unusual in that it has legs and is grooved, Lot A-104; e. copper bell, Lot A-94; f. fiber beater, Lot A-92; f. stone plug, Lot A-96. At the close of the excavations all pits and trenches were filled, in conformance with agreement with the Mexican Government. Str. Q-62 was solidified under the direction of Gustav Strömsvik.

Excavations in the 1954 season were confined to a relatively thorough examination of Group A-3 and Str. Q-62 and to spot digging in nine other structures. The spot digging was done at likely places for encountering tombs and cists noted during the survey and surface examination of the areas. R. E. Smith, as in the past, examined the collection of sherds and furnished for them the data given in this report. Of the 8,622 sherds recovered, 7,067 (98.6 percent) are of Mayapán period, 81 (1.13 percent) are of Puuc wares, and 1,474, due to weathering, were unidentifiable. Among the Mayapán sherds those from effigy censers number 1,410 and Fine Orange, 31. The highest percentage of Puuc sherds appeared in Lot A-140 (tomb beneath passageway of Str. AA-37). When complete contents of a Lot are not given under the description of a structure, they will be found in the caption of the drawing of the construction. Surface material recovered during the survey

Group A-3 (551 N, 1386 W) Group A-3 is within the area of projected Square A but not on the map or in the area examined by Jones. Str. A-3f lies 62 degrees west of magnetic north of the Castillo and 252 m outside the city wall. The group was of particular interest because it was enclosed within a wall (Fig. 17.1). It rests on a hillock with the wall at its base except on the south and southeast where the wall appears rather high

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Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith on the slope of the natural rise. The area enclosed is approximately 900 m2. For the most part the wall rises from bedrock to a height of no more than 1.3 m. It is made of large unworked stones on the inner and outer face, with fill of small stones and mortar (Fig. 17.6d). The wall thickness varies from 1 to 1.4 m. A single gateway, 70 cm wide, is located at a low point at the north end of the group (Figs. 17.1,1; 17.6c). The entrance is faced with large unworked stones much as is the wall itself. No trace of a plaster floor was noted. In the excavations of the gateway and the area directly north and south, the material recovered is listed as Lot A-90 and includes eight sherds, one unidentifiable, the others Mayapán period. East of the gateway and on the inside of the wall are two large stones set on end (Fig. 17.1,2). They rise an average of 70 cm above the present surface level. In this group are five structures within the wall and one, A-3f, outside to the south. Str. A-3a is now represented by a section of terracing with no trace of a superstructure. It forms the highest part of the group within the wall (Fig. 17.1a). Str. A-3b is a platform, averaging 30 cm in height on the south, which supports a building having a single bench rising 30 cm above the floor (Fig. 17.1b). A wall 60 cm high extends the entire length of the north side and continues on the west side to within 70 cm of the south edge of the platform. The west wall is made of two large stone slabs. The north wall is of large stones roughly worked and set on end to form a facing on both sides of the wall. Its east end terminates with a single jamblike stone. The large terrace supporting Strs. A-3b, -c, and -d has a height at the back (west) of Str. A-3c of 1.2 m. The platform directly supporting Str. A-3c is clearly indicated on the east and has a height of 40 cm. The building had two chambers (Fig. 17.1c). The front, or outer, had a single doorway in the medial wall. There were probably two benches although they are now only indicated by fill material in the corners formed by the medial and end walls. The back room probably did not have an exterior opening. A pit was opened at the north end of the outer chamber in what may have been one of the benches. The pit measured roughly 1.5 m square; bedrock lay at a depth of 1.27 m below the floor of the building. From this pit (Lot A-89) 34 sherds, all Mayapán period, were recovered. A trench, opened in the passageway and extended into the back room, exposed a tomb. The walls of the tomb are lined with rough masonry; the floor, 1.2 m below the building platform, is of plaster. Bedrock was reached 20 cm below this floor. The material from the tomb (Lot A-88) included frag-

ments of two human skeletons found on the floor at the north side with heads to the east, 1 broken bone awl (Fig. 17.8g), 1 piece of coral, and 6 sherds, 2 unidentifiable, the others Mayapán period. A masonry-lined cist lay beneath the remains of the bench in the southwest corner of the outer room (Fig. 17.3a). Irregular in shape, it has a length of 2.1 m and was in poor repair. A secondary plaster floor was exposed 88 cm below the platform supporting the structure. The original floor, also of plaster, sloped downward from east to west (Fig. 17.3a,2) and is 12–27 cm below the secondary floor. Bedrock lies from 5 to 20 cm beneath the primary floor. In the south wall of the cist and at the west end is a niche 35 cm deep and 60 cm wide. It is masonry lined and roofed with a stone slab. Both floors extended into the niche. Material from above the secondary floor (Lot A86) consisted of 40 sherds: 5 could not be identified; the others are all of Mayapán period. Lot A-87 represents the area between the floors. The sherds recovered number 6: one unidentifiable, the others Mayapán period. Str. A-3d (Fig. 17.1d), in poor state of preservation, shows an outer and an inner chamber rising from a platform 20 cm high on the north. The outer chamber had two benches, the one to the east being Lshaped and now rising not more than 20 cm above the platform floor. No facing remains of the west bench. A single doorway led into the inner room, where the masonry of the back wall has a height of 60 cm. Str. A-3e, formed of unworked stones lying on the surface or slightly embedded but not in a definite arrangement, roughly suggests an arc of a circle (Fig. 17.1e).To the south of Str. A-3e and in a hollow, a trench was made for pottery samples. Sherds (Lot A91) total 311: 154 unidentifiable, the others Mayapán ware (3 of possible Unslipped Effigy Censer ware). Str. A-3f (Fig. 17.1f) lies just south of and outside the wall of the group. It rises from bedrock at the highest part of the hillock. The remains of a tworoom structure show a platform on the south 15 cm high. The outer room had two simple benches with sections now standing 25 cm above the platform. The medial wall rises 50 cm above the top of the bench. The back room is poorly defined although the end walls are indicated in part. Structure Q-62 (93 S, 270 W) The structure is located on the northern edge of the main ceremonial group approximately 100 m directly north of the Castillo. The platform rises from the great, artificially leveled area supporting struc-

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán III

17.1. Group A-3, Plan and Sections. a. Str. A-3a, terrace. b. Str. A-3b, platform with wall along north and west sides and bench in northwest corner. c. Str. A-3c, house foundation. d. Str. A-3d, house foundation. e. Str. A-3e, rough circle of stones. f. Str. A-3f, house foundation. 1. Entrance into Group A-3. 2. Stones set on edge. Lot A-86: From tomb under south bench of Str. A-3c, above Floor 1 (Fig. 17.3a): sherds. Lot A-87: From tomb under south bench of Str. A-3c, between Floors 1 and 2 (Fig. 17.3a): sherds. Lot A-88: From tomb under passageway of Str. A-3c: broken bone awl (Fig. 17.8g); piece of coral; remains of two adult skeletons; sherds. Lot A-89: From pit under north bench of Str. A-3c: sherds. Lot A-90: Sherds from around gateway into Group A-3. Lot A-91: From trench in east side of Group A-3: sherds.

tures in this section of the city. The long axis of the structure is more or less east-west, with the building facing south. Str. Q-64 lies to the east. Owing to the ruined condition of the two structures, from weathering and tree roots, no connection by floors could be determined. To the south, Str. Q-61a may be a small shrine, now represented only by several stones rising a few centimeters above ground level. Three meters to the north is a small platform (Q-63) with a masonry wall on the east side. This construction may have served for some household pursuits in connection with Str. Q-62. A test trench made directly south of Str. Q62 and in line with the central passageway (Fig. 17.2) exposed a stone-lined tomb. The masonry of

the tomb is rough and irregular. The floor, formed of bedrock, was encountered 80–90 cm below the surface. Material recovered (Lot A-114) is listed under Figure 17.2; also see Figure 17.7a. The sherds numbered 1,876: 313 unidentifiable, 4 Puuc ware, remainder Mayapán period (1,059 of censers; 1 of Fine Orange). Before excavation only small sections of the platform were exposed. At no place did it rise more than 20 cm above the debris. When excavated, the platform showed a height on the south of 40 cm. On the same side and near either end was built a masonry block (Figs. 17.2; 17.6a,b), rising approximately to the height of the platform level. The facing of the platform proper is mostly a single course of roughly worked stones set on end.

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17.2. Structure Q-62, Plan, Sections, Excavations. Lot A-114: From tomb directly south of center of Str. Q-62: 3 large effigy censers (Fig. 17.7a–f); whetstone; polishing stone; 4 flint chips; flint point (Fig. 17.8g); shell tinkler (Fig. 17.8g); piece of worked shell (Fig. 17.8g); piece of shell; obsidian core; fragment of obsidian core; 14 obsidian chips; fragment of cylindrical mano; remains of 3 adult skeletons (for a position of skulls, see X); sherds. Lot A-115: Surface pottery and objects from Str. Q-62: stone polisher (Fig. 17.8f); fiber beater (Fig. 17.8f); 2 hammerstones; hammerstone, tufa polishing stone (Fig. 17.8f); grinding stone; fragment of used stone; stone pot lid; cylindrical mano, tufa (Fig. 17.8d); tripod metate, tufa (Fig. 17.8d); pottery bird whistle (Fig. 17.8h); flint blade; obsidian arrow point (Fig. 17.8g); fragment of flint (Fig. 17.8g); shell bead; worked shell, tinkler-type; small fragment of stalagmite; 6 tinkler-like shells; 9 pieces of shell; 20 flint chips; 42 fragments of obsidian blades; 3 fragments of obsidian cores; carved animal bone (Fig. 17.8g); fragment of flint blade; miscellaneous animal bones; fish bone; sherds. Lot A-118: From pit below floor level of central passageway and central back room: bone awl (Fig. 17.8g); human tooth perforated for suspension; 2 perforated shell tinklers (Fig. 17.8g); tinkler-like shell; 2 polishing stones; 2 fragments of shell; flint chip; fragment of obsidian blade; sherds. Lot A-119: From pit in east bench: sherds. Lot A-120: From pit below floor level under east bench to bedrock: flint chip; sherds. Lot A-121: From pit in east back room, floor level to bedrock: sherds. Lot A-122: From pit in central bench: tinkler-type shell; sherds. Lot A-123: From pit below floor level under central bench, floor level to bedrock: fragment of worked shell; tinkler-type shell; human vertebra. Lot A-124: From pit in bench along back wall of central back room: sherds. Lot A-125: From tomb under central bench: fragment of copper; pottery whistle, iguana (Fig. 17.7n); pottery whistle, dove (Fig. 17.7n); pottery whistle, owl (Fig. 17.7o,p); 2 pottery whistles, jaguars (Fig. 17.8a); pottery whistle, human figure (Fig. 17.7i,j); small pottery effigy censer (Fig. 17.7g, h); small pottery effigy censer (Fig. 17.7k,l); pottery cup (Fig. 17.8c); spiked pottery cup (Fig. 17.8c); pottery effigy censer, figure mostly gone (Fig. 17.8c); upper half of pottery whistle, woman (Fig. 17.8a); pottery whistle, monkey head (Fig. 17.8a); pottery bird head; tinkler-type shell; 3 small sea shells; 3 fragments of obsidian blades; 22 shell beads (Fig. 17.8e); 3 child skeletons; sherds. Lot A-126: From pit below floor level of west back room: 4 fragments of obsidian blades; worked tinkler-like shell; 3 sea shells; miscellaneous animal bones; sherds.

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán III On the north side, in the area behind the central room, the platform facing and that of the building are in the same plane. Here extremely large slabs of unworked limestone are set on end, the stone of the platform facing rising above the level of the platform and forming part of the facing of the back wall of the building proper. At the northwest corner of the building the platform facing extends southward a short distance and then, as if a change had been made in the plan, the platform enlarges. At the west end the platform is in very poor repair. Some additions seem to have been made and there are indications of a narrow flight of steps. On the north an exterior low platform has been added. In plan the building proper shows three benches in the front room, and the back divided, by two walls, into three chambers. The masonry of the walls varies somewhat but in general is of large, roughly shaped blocks and slabs. The stones had been embedded in lime mortar and were set on end to form a rough facing on both sides of the wall. Single large stones were used for the jambs. At no place did the masonry of the walls rise more than 70 cm. The benches are faced with stones similar to those used in the walls. The benches of the outer room have a height of 50 cm. Although no traces of a plaster capping remained at this level, it is presumed that this was the original height of the benches. The two walls dividing the long back room into three chambers are built against the back and front walls of the long room and rest on a well-plastered floor extending under them. Built against the back wall of the central chamber, which may have served as a shrine, is a bench or altar 60 cm wide and now rising to a height of 25 cm. The floor is here much destroyed; no traces of it were seen extending under the altar facing. The building probably had wooden posts along the front of the platform and was covered with a thatch roof. The upper walls were surely made of perishable materials rising from the masonry foundations. All the material recovered from excavation in the structure is listed according to Lots under Figure 17.2. The following analysis of the pottery is furnished by R. E. Smith: Lot A-115: surface material. 3,047 sherds: 684 unidentifiable, 11 Puuc type, remainder Mayapán period (228 of censers and 23, Fine Orange). Lot A-118: from pit below floor to depth of 75 cm where bedrock was encountered. The fill was of

large stones, sweepings, and some ash. 245 sherds: 8 unidentifiable, 13 Puuc type, and 224 Mayapán period (5 Fine Orange and 16 of censers). Lot A-119: from east bench to floor level. 69 sherds: 5 unidentifiable, remainder Mayapán period (4 of censers). Lot A-120: below Lot A-119 from floor to bedrock at depth of 70 cm. 94 sherds: 5 unidentifiable, 89 Mayapán period (10 of censers). Lot A-121: from pit in east back room, floor level to bedrock at depth of 60 cm. 103 sherds: 6 unidentifiable, remainder Mayapán period (22 of censers). Lot A-122: in central bench. 17 sherds: 2 unidentifiable, 15 Mayapán period (2 of censers). Lot A-123: below floor of central bench to depth of 1.15 m (bedrock not encountered). 278 sherds: 7 unidentifiable, 1 Puuc ware, remainder Mayapán period (5 of censers). Lot A-124: from shrine room bench to depth of 25 cm below floor. 70 sherds: 9 unidentifiable, remainder Mayapán period (10 of censers). Lot A-125: from irregularly shaped stone-lined tomb under central bench and partially under wall of bench. Base of tomb 75 cm below floor level (Fig. 17.2). In the tomb were remains of three children’s skeletons so fragmentary that their position in the tomb could not be determined. It is of interest to note that much of the furniture is in the nature of toys. 16 sherds: all Mayapán period. Lot A-126: from the west back room to depth of 1.15 m but not to bedrock. 185 sherds: 10 unidentifiable, 2 Puuc ware, remainder Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange and 20 of censers). Structure Z-4b (593 S, 490 W) Str. Z-4b faces north and lies on the south side of a group of four constructions. It is an elaborate dwelling-type building with two masonry columns and the inward-turning end walls dividing the open side of the front room into three entrances. There are three benches in the front room, those at either end being L-shaped. Two passageways lead into the back room, which has a doorway in the rear wall. An opening under the west bench, showing part of a vaulted chamber, led to the excavation of a stonelined room. Built at the time of the construction of

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17.3. Excavations in Structures A-3c, AA-13c, AA-37, and AA-112a. a. Str. A-3c, cist under south bench, plan and sections. 1,2. Floor. Lot A-86: From fill above Floor 1 in cist: sherds. Lot A-87: From fill between Floors 1 and 2 in cist: sherds. b. Str. AA-13c, cist under central bench, plans and sections. 1. Line dividing Lots A-134 and A-135. 2. Floor. Lot A-134: From fill in cist above Line 1: obsidian flake-blade; animal bone; sherds. Lot A-135: From fill in cist below Line 1; miscellaneous animal bones; sherds. c. Str. AA-37, tomb under central passageway, plan and sections. Lot A-140: From tomb. 1. Pottery figurine made for articulated arms and legs (Fig. 17.8h).2. Fragment of pottery female figurine (Fig. 17.8h); 2 adult skeletons; sherds. d. Str. A-112a, tomb in terrace, plan and section. Lot A-141: From tomb. 2 small flints; adult skeleton.

the building, the room was entered by means of a passageway in the south end of its west wall (Fig. 17.5b). The passageway, below the level of the terrace floor, started on the west side of Str. Z-4b and continued eastward, passing under the west wall of the structure to open into the subbench chamber. Where the passageway extends under the west wall, the masonry of the wall projects 10 cm to form a panel. The rectangular sub-bench chamber has a rough floor of packed earth to level the uneven surface of the bedrock. The north part of the chamber is roofed with two flat, horizontal capstones; the south part by large flat stones, three on the east side and two on the west, set on edge and leaning inward to touch at the apex so as to span the gap. These last rise from a course of projecting stones that also support the capstones at the north end. On the east side the offset forming the spring line of the vault is 80 cm above the floor; the vault soffit is formed of three steps. On the west side the spring line is 1.1 m above the floor, and there is only a single course of projecting stones. The wall at the north end of the room is vertical; the one at the south end, also vertical, projects 5 cm at a height of 1.1 m above the floor. The chamber had been filled with earth and stones to 1.1 m above the floor. Of special interest among the artifacts and pottery in the fill (Lot A-148) were several pottery arms and legs, made to articulate, and the torso of a pottery figurine made to receive such arms and legs (Fig. 17.8h). The material recovered in Lot A-148 is listed under Figure 17.5b. The 1,022 sherds contain 90 unidentifiable and 929 Mayapán period, including 41 of censers, 2 of Fine Orange (1 Black-on-Red and 1 Polychrome Veracruz type), and 1 Puuc Coarse Striated ware. Besides the material listed in Figure 17.5b as from Lot A-149, there were 256 sherds: 30 unidentifiable, 226 Mayapán period (26 of censers). Structure AA-13c (543 S, 605 W) Str. AA-13c lies on the west side of a terrace supporting three constructions. The terrace is poorly defined

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán III and rises to a height of less than a meter on the north side. Although in a poor state of preservation, the plan of Str. AA-13c shows two L-shaped benches separated by a simple rectangular bench and two passageways. The back room is much destroyed. The platform directly supporting the structure is 50 cm high on the east, where fragmentary remains of two steps were noted. Excavations in the north passageway, where a sunken area suggested a likely place to dig, exposed the exterior wall of a cist under the central bench. The masonry-lined cist (Fig. 17.3b) has a well-defined plaster floor 2 cm above bedrock. The floor slopes down 10 cm from north to south. The masonry of the walls is mixed, some large stones set on end combined with rectangular blocks. No plaster was noted on the walls. Lot A-134, from surface above the cist, contained 1 obsidian flake, 1 animal bone, and 75 sherds, 7 unidentifiable, the rest Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange effigy foot in form of human head). Lot A-135, from the cist below Lot A-134, yielded miscellaneous animal bones and 125 sherds, 11 unidentifiable, the remainder Mayapán period. Structure AA-24c (553 S, 765 W) This construction is an altar associated with Group AA-24 and located 10.7 m north of Str. AA-24a. The altar, which measures 1.2 by 2.5 m and has its long axis east-west, is formed of large stone slabs at each end that rise 1.5 m and have an average thickness of 20 cm. Between the ends, the floor of the altar is the same level as the terrace on which the construction rests. Excavations in the altar showed the bedrock 10 cm below the floor, with a 55 cm deep cup-shaped depression in the bedrock. Material from the depression (Lot A-136) consisted of 23 sherds: 5 unidentifiable, 15 Mayapán period, 3 Puuc type (1 Medium Slate).

17.4. Excavations in Structures AA-60a and AA-94. a. Str. AA-60a, vaulted chamber under west bench, plan and sections. 1. Floor. Lot A-144: From vaulted chamber above floor: sherds. Lot A-145: From fill below floor: sherds. b. Str. A-94, cist under south bench, plan and sections. 1. Metate. 2. Line dividing Lots A-146 and A-147. Lot A-146: From cist above Line 1: sherds. Lot A-147: From cist below Line 1; metate; worked bone (Fig. 17.8g); 4 manos; 3 rubbing stones; 4 stone pounders; flint chip; 2 animal bones; sherds.

Structure AA-31d (530 S, 880 W)

Lot A-137, from above the floor, yielded 1 obsidian end scraper, 1 fragment of an obsidian blade, and 12 sherds, 5 unidentifiable, 7 Mayapán period.

Str. AA-31d consists of a front chamber with three benches and of two rear rooms. Two passageways

lead between benches from the front chamber to the rear rooms. A test trench was made in the east passageway and extended part way into the back room.

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Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán III 17.5. Excavations in Structures AA-103a and Z-4b. a. Str. AA-103a tomb under platform at south end of structure, plan and sections. 1. Position of three copper rings on phalange of skeleton. 2. Position of shell bead (Fig. 17.8g). 3. Outside bench at south end of Str. AA-103a. 4. East edge of platform of Str. AA-103a. 5. Level of platform of Str. AA-103a. 6. Rough floor to level bedrock. Lot A-127: From tomb nos. 1 and 2 above; 2 pottery figurine heads; fragment of pottery figurine; copper tweezers (Fig. 17.8e); fragment of obsidian blade; 2 animal bones; fragment of tripod metate, tufa; 2 adult skeletons; sherds. b. Str. Z-4b, vaulted chamber under west bench, plan and sections. 1. Level of west bench, Str. Z-4b. 2. Rough floor of packed earth and stone to level bedrock. 3. Line of west wall of chamber north of passageway leading into chamber. Lot A-148: From vaulted chamber: hammerstone; fragment of copper bell; fragment of metate, tufa; fragment of obsidian core; 3 fragments of obsidian blades; 7 flint chips; 2 pieces of shell; torso of pottery figurine made for articulated arms and legs (Fig. 17.8h); 2 fragments of pottery legs made for articulation (Fig. 17.8h); fragment of pottery arm made for articulation (Fig. 17.8h); fragment of pottery figurine (Fig. 17.8h); sherds. Lot A-149: From passageway leading into vaulted chamber: fragment of grooved metate; 2 flint chips; light greenstone axe (Fig. 17.8c); rectangular stone, hole in center (Fig. 17.8c); stone plug (Fig. 17.8f); pounding stone, piece of stalagmite; oval polishing stone; 4 miscellaneous animal bones; sherds.

Lot A-138, from floor level to bedrock at depth of 95 cm, contained 1 copper ring (Fig. 17.8e), 2 flint flakes, 1 shell fragments of obsidian blades, 1 fragment of a flint point, and 175 sherds, 13 unidentifiable, 7 Puuc type, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 15 of censers). Structure AA-37 (637 S, 917 W) Str. AA-37 rests on the west slope of a hillock supporting Strs. AA-38, -39, -40, and -41. The plan of Str. AA-37 shows a platform on which rests a building composed of an L-shaped bench to the north, a passageway, and a simple rectangular bench with end wall to the south. An exterior south bench has been added. The back room is 1.85 m wide. The section of its back wall remaining is formed of a single row of large stones rising 55 cm above the floor. Excavations in the single passageway between the benches revealed a masonry-lined tomb (Fig. 17.3c). The floor of the tomb, of bedrock, is 1.4 m below the floor of the building. The masonry of the walls is mixed; in places bedrock is exposed, but for the most part it is large slabs set on end with some blocks laid in courses. On the floor of the tomb were two human skeletons. One, an adult, with head to east, was lying on its back. A headless pottery figurine (Figs. 17.3c,2; 17.8h) may have been held in the right hand. In the southwest corner of the tomb was the skeleton of an adolescent lying on its right side with knees flexed. Associated with this skeleton was a clay figurine which had had articulated arms and legs (Figs. 17.3c,1; 17.8h). Other material in the tomb, Lot A-140, included 61 sherds: 10 unidentifiable, 16 Mayapán period, 35 Puuc type. Lot A-139, surface material, included 1 portion of a tufa metate (Cat. no. 54-179), 1 hafted flint

point, 3 flint chips, 1 obsidian chip, and 43 sherds, 4 unidentifiable, 36 Mayapán Period, 3 Puuc type. Structure AA-60a (655 S, 595 W) Str. AA-60a is on the north edge of a terrace supporting a group. It rests on an independent low platform that is partially exposed on the south side. The building is in poor state of repair. Much of the back room and the entire back wall have fallen down the north talus. There is definitely an L-shaped bench to the east, and the bench to the west may also have been L-shaped. Exposed capstones and vaulting under the west bench led to the excavation of a cist. The entrance to this cist was by a covered passageway having its opening in the south wall of the back room (Fig. 17.4a). The floor of the passageway and that of the back room are on the same level. The walls are of large faced stones. From its entrance the passageway, now covered in part with large slabs, extends 1.6 m to the south where it continues eastward a short distance to open into the cist proper. The south and west sides of the cist, which rise to a height of 60 cm or to the spring line, are of bedrock. The north and east sides are of large slabs. The vault is built of six courses of irregularly cut stones and is closed by large capping blocks. The cist was partially filled with material that had sifted and washed in. Lot A-144, from the cist and passageway, contained 133 sherds; 25 unidentifiable, 108 Mayapán period (3 of censers). The floor is of roughly worked plaster. The material between floor and bedrock, averaging 25 cm, includes Lot A145 with 3 sherds of Mayapán period. Structure AA-94 (723 S, 675 W) This is a two-bench structure resting on a platform having a height of 20 cm on the east side. The

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17.6. Str. Q-62 and Group A-3. a. Looking north at Str. Q-62 (Fig. 17.2). b. Looking northwest at Str. Q-62 (Fig. 17.2). c. Looking north through entrance to Group A-3 (Fig. 17.1). d. North face of wall at south end of Group A-3 (Fig. 17.1).

17.7. Pottery Objects Recovered from Tombs Associated with Str. Q-62. a–f. Front and side views of heads of effigy censers, Lot A-114 (Fig. 17.2). g,h. Front and side views of effigy censer, 18 cm high, Lot A-125 (Fig. 17.2). i,j. Front and side views of human figurine whistle, 17.5 cm high, Lot A-125 (Fig. 17.2). k,l. Front and side views of effigy censer, 13 cm high, Lot A-125 (Fig. 17.2). m. Dove whistle, 14 cm long, Lot A-125 (Fig. 17.2). n. Iguana whistle, 16 cm long, Lot A-125 (Fig. 17.2). o,p. Front and side views of owl whistle, 16.5 cm high, Lot A-125 (Fig. 17.2).

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Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith 17.8. Pottery Objects and Artifacts Recovered During Excavation in Strs. A-3c, Q-62, Z-4b, AA-31d, AA-37, AA-94, and AA-103a, and on the Surface of Strs. Q-62, Y-26b, Y-92a, Z-74a, and AA-57a. a. Pottery objects, Lot A-125 (Fig. 17.2), left to right, upper half of female-figure whistle, 10 cm high; 2 jaguar whistles, 9 cm high; monkey-head whistle, 6.5 cm high. b. Fragment of metate, limestone, 28 cm wide, Cat. no. 54-107, Lot A-104 (surface, Str. Y-92a). c. Pottery vessels, Lot A-125 (Fig. 17.2), left to right, spiked cup, 7.5 cm high; pottery cup, 8 cm high; effigy censer, figure mostly gone, 9.5 cm high. d. Mano, tufa, 24 cm long, diam. 8 cm, Cat. no. 54-157, Lot A-115 (Fig. 17.2, caption); three-legged metate, tufa, 30 by 22 cm, Cat. no. 54-158, Lot A-115 (Fig. 17.2, caption). e. Top, left to right, copper bell, Cat. no. 54-9, Lot A-94 (surface, Str. Q-74a); copper ring, diam. 1.5 cm, width 1.2 cm. Cat. no. 54-13. Lot A-138; 3 copper rings, average diam. 2 cm on phalange of skeleton, Cat. no. 54-175, Lot A-127 (Fig. 17.5a,l); copper tweezers, length 5.5 cm, diam. of end 3 cm, Cat. no. 54-176. Lot A-127 (Fig. 17.5a. Bottom: 22 shell beads, Cat. no. 54-173, Lot A-125 (Fig. 17.2). f. Top, left to right; polishing stone, 10 by 8 by 3.2 cm, Cat. no. 54-141, Lot A-115 (Fig. 17.2, caption); fiber beater, 6.8 cm wide, 5.5 cm thick, Cat. no. 54-6, Lot A-92 (surface, Str. AA-57a); fiber beater, smooth one side, 9 by 9 by 3.5 cm, Cat. no. 54-150, Lot A-115 (Fig. 17.2, caption); polishing stone, 9.5 by 7.5 by 3.5 cm, Cat. no. 54-149, Lot A-115 (Fig. 17.2, caption). Bottom, left to right, rectangular stone, 7 by 6.1 by 2.6 cm hole in center, Cat. no. 54-263, Lot A-149 (Fig. 17.5b); stone plug, 6.2 by 4.2 by 3.2 cm, Cat. no. 54-80, Lot A-96 (surface, Str. Y-26b); stone plug, 7 cm long, greatest diam. 2 cm, Cat. no. 54-264, Lot A-149 (Fig. 17.5b); green stone axe, 9 by 6 by 2 cm, Cat. no. 54-262, Lot A-149 (Fig. 17.5b). g. Top, left to right, flint blade, 8 by 4 cm, Cat. no. 54-159, Lot A115 (Fig. 17.2, caption); fragment of flint point, 5.3 by 3.7 by 1 cm, Cat. no. 54-161, Lot A-115 (Fig. 17.2, caption); flint point, 4.2 cm long, Cat. no. 54-148; Lot A-114 (Fig. 17.2); carved bone, Cat. no. 54-164, Lot A-115 (Fig. 17.2, caption); bone awl, 10 cm long, Cat. no. 54-165, Lot A-118 (Fig. 17.2); worked bone, 9.5 cm long, Cat. no. 54-181, Lot A-147 (Fig. 17.4b); broken awl, Cat. no. 54-38, Lot A-88 (Fig. 1). Bottom, left to right, perforated shell tinkler, Cat. no. 54-169, Lot A-118 (Fig. 17.2); perforated shell tinkler, Cat. no. 54-170, Lot A-118 (Fig. 17.2); worked shell, Cat. no. 54-145, Lot A-114 (Fig. 17.2); obsidian arrow point, 3.5 by 1.2 cm, Cat. no. 54-160, Lot A-115 (Fig. 17.2, caption); perforated shell tinkler, Cat. no. 54-146, Lot A-114 (Fig. 17.2); shell bead, Cat. no. 54-177, Lot A-127 (Fig. 17.5a,2). h. Top, left to right, pottery figurine made for articulated arms and legs, 12 cm long, Lot A-140 (Fig. 17.3c,l); fragment of pottery female figurine, 6 cm long, Lot A-140 (Fig. 17.3c,2); fragment of pottery figurine, Lot A-149 (Fig. 17.5b); fragment of pottery figurine made for articulated arms and legs, 5.5 cm long, Lot A-148 (Fig. 17.5b). Bottom, left to right, pottery bird whistle, 5 cm high, Lot A-115 (Fig. 17.2, caption); fragment of pottery arm made for articulation, Lot A-148 (Fig. 17.5b); first fragment of pottery leg made for articulation, Lot A-148 (Fig. 17.5b); second fragment of pottery leg made for articulation, Lot A-148 (Fig. 17.5b).

benches rise 35 cm and are in fair condition. Little remains of the medial wall. There are remnants of an altar or shrine in the inner chamber in line with the passageway between the benches. It was probably built against the now fallen back wall. A depression in the south bench suggested a likely place for exploration and led to the opening of a cist. This cist (Fig. 17.4b) has a depth from top of bench stones varying from 0.7 to 1.15 m. The masonry of the walls in some places is cut from bedrock and supplemented with roughly worked stones. The base of the cist is formed of bedrock which is very irregular, at one place having a pocket extending 50 cm inward and 70 cm down. This must have been open at one time, for a mano was found partially embedded in the earth in the pocket. No definite floor was seen. Lot A-146, from top of bench to a depth of 60 cm, yielded 40 sherds: 6 unidentifiable, 34 Mayapán period (8 of censers). Lot A-147, from base of Lot A-146 to bedrock, yielded the material listed under Figure 17.4b. The 14 sherds are all Mayapán period.

Structure AA-103a (795 S, 858 W) Str. AA-103a, of the dwelling type, lies on the west edge of a large terrace. There are three benches in the front room and an exterior south bench. The bench to the north is L-shaped. Two passageways lead into the back room which, though not in poor repair, shows a doorway at the south end. The building rests on a platform, approximately 20 cm high on the east, which extends 4.4 m south of the exterior bench. It was in this southern extension of the platform that the capstones of a possible vault were seen and led to the excavation of a tomb. The tomb, roughly circular, had for the most part been cut out of bedrock. As the bedrock sloped down to the south, this side and the upper part of the west side were built of roughly worked stones (Fig. 17.5a). Entrance to the tomb was by a narrow passageway on the east. Rough steps cut out of the bedrock on this side facilitated access down to the chamber, where a rough floor had been built to level off the uneven surface of the bedrock. The passageway had been covered by four large capstones. One, not in position, had fallen and was resting on a fill of earth and stones which came to within a few centimeters of the top of the tomb.

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Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith How the remainder of the tomb was roofed is not known as no large stones which could have spanned the opening were found. It is possible that wooden beams were used. If the tomb had no roof and was filled level with the platform after deposition of the skeletons, there was little reason for the passageway and its capstones. Also, there must have been a space between the fill and the top of the tomb as one of the capstones of the passageway rested on this fill. The tomb held two young adult skeletons lying on the floor, their long axis north and south. The skeleton in the western side of the tomb, that of a male, had its legs partially flexed and its arms extended, hands below the pelvis. It lay on its right side and faced west. The skeleton in the east side of the tomb, that of a female, had its legs partially flexed and its arms flexed. It lay on its left side and faced east. The latter skeleton had three copper rings on one of its phalanges (Figs. 17.5a,l and 17.8e). A pair of copper tweezers was also found with the burial (Fig. 17.8e). Material from the tomb (Lot A-127) is listed in the caption to Figure 17.5a. The 235 sherds include 56 unidentifiable, 179 Mayapán period (8 of censers).

Structure AA-112a (867 S, 746 W) This structure is formed of a platform 10.65 m long, built on two levels. The section to the east is 5.1 m wide. The western section, 6.1 m wide and 35 cm higher than the portion to the east, supports, in its northwest corner, the remains of an L-shaped bench. Set in this west part of the platform, 1 m and 3.5 m respectively, from the east and south edges, is a masonry-lined tomb (Fig. 17.3d). The tomb has a depth of 50 cm. The floor is of plaster directly on bedrock. The masonry of the walls is of slabs set on end, averaging 5–6 cm in thickness. Some of the slabs lining the tomb rise a few centimeters above the present level of the terrace. No means of covering the tomb was indicated; it may be that it was filled with earth as found. Within the tomb, lying on the floor, were remains of a human skeleton in very poor state of preservation. Fragments of the skull were at the north end of the tomb, the body lying on its right side with legs semiflexed. Material from this excavation (Lot A-141), besides the skeleton, included two flint fragments.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 18 September 1954

Exploration on the Outskirts of Mayapán Robert E. Smith

and a small pyramidal structure. The pyramid and five of the platforms are clustered around a sizable jug-shaped cenote, which supplies water to the farmers of Tecoh and Telchaquillo who own and work the land of Santa Cruz. The platforms have been lettered from A to H; the pyramid is I (Fig. 18.1a). The term “platform” refers to the basal-platform type defined in Satterthwaite (1943:16). Only three were investigated: Platform A, because early sherds were found on or near the surface; Platform B, because it supported a number of house platforms of the simple type (Pollock and Strömsvik, 1953:90); Platform C, because it sustained two single-room shrines which looked as though they might harbor burials or caches. The other structures offered little prospect of either ceramic stratigraphy or rewarding architectural disclosures, at least without more protracted excavation than was planned. All were badly eroded. Some showed traces of what may have been house platforms or, in the case of Platform G,

The excavation of a small site near a large one, such as Mayapán, often adds valuable information, confirmatory, supplementary, or explanatory, to the archaeological findings at its sizable neighbor. And further, a study of the ruins in the immediate environs of Mayapán helps to explain what was going on outside that metropolis during different periods of its occupancy. Santa Cruz The first small site investigated was Santa Cruz, about 1.5 km by trail southeast of Cenote Ch’en Carro, which is in the south-central part of Mayapán (Jones 1952, map, Square Y). These ruins, which occupy a relatively small area, roughly 200 by 300 m, part of which is used for pasturage and part for growing corn, squash, and peppers, were discovered and mapped (Fig. 18.1a) by Gustav Strömsvik in November 1953. There are in all eight platforms

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Robert E. Smith a single-room shrine, but in many places bedrock showed above the surface, thus eliminating them as likely repositories of sequent cultural material. Platform A, originally L-shaped, is now Z-shaped owing to an addition to the west side extending about 15 m west and about 7 m south. The original projection to the north that made the L contains a badly ruined, single-room shrine from the back wall of which the Castillo in the Main Group at Mayapán may be seen well to the north. This shrine, the only recognizable structure on the platform, conforms closely to the Mayapán shrines described by R. M. Adams, Jr. (1953:148– 155), save that it may have had a dais centered against the rear wall and it did not include an ossuary cist. The identifiable surface pottery associated with the shrine tends to place it late in the Mayapán period because of the large proportion of effigy-censer sherds, the scarcity of Mayapán Red ware, and the lack of all other types associated with earlier Mayapán period phase. The investigation of Platform A consisted in digging three trenches and making a plan and sections. The West Trench disclosed the original west wall of the platform to a depth of about 1.5 m. This wall was constructed of large and medium-size stones (Fig. 18.5d) and was probably built during the Puuc period; both the appearance of the wall and the ceramic evidence from inside the original platform support this suggestion. The strata in the trench, including two below a floor which turned up to the wall, contained all pre-Mayapán period pottery save for one possible effigy-censer fragment found in the top strata. The proportion of Formative to Puuc period types increased from top to bottom. Percentages are: Top level: Mayapán, 0.2; Puuc, 62.3; Classic, 3.0; Formative, 0.5; Unidentified, 34.0 Middle level: Puuc, 63.6; Classic, 5.2; Formative, 8.4; Unidentified, 22.8 Bottom level: Puuc, 18.0; Classic, 4.0; Formative, 54.0; Unidentified, 24.0

The artifacts found in this trench comprised a flint chip, a flint point, and a shell ornament, all from Stratum 3.

18.1. Santa Cruz. a. Plan of site. b. Plan and sections of Platform C, showing House Platforms 1 and 2.

Perhaps the most instructive of the excavations was the North Trench, dug alongside, but not directly next, the north wall of the platform. After sinking an exploratory pit well to the west, and finding only Puuc and Formative pottery types but for a single effigy-censer sherd, the pit was prolonged into a 1.8 m broad trench that reached the west wall of the northern extension. Two infant burials, both in Puuc-type jars (Fig. 18.2b,c), were encountered in Stratum 3; another infant burial (Fig. 18.2a) and two Puuc Medium Slate bowls (Fig. 18.6g,f), one on top of the other and apparently associated with an adult burial, were recovered from Stratum 2. The ceramic pattern resulting from the three levels excavated closely resembles that of the West Trench, with a greater abundance of early types. Percentages are:

Exploration on the Outskirts of Mayapán

18.2. Platform A, Plan and Sections. a. Jar containing infant burial found in Stratum 2 of North Trench; b,c. Jars containing infant burials found in Stratum 3 of North Trench. c is illustrated in Fig. 18.6j. d. Two Puuc Medium Slate vessels (Fig. 18.6g,h) apparently associated with an adult burial, recovered from Stratum 2 of North Trench. e. Miniature Mayapán Red jar (Fig. 18.6f). f. Polished Black Classic bowl (Fig. 18.6k). g. Puuc Medium Slate Tripod dish (Fig. 18.6i). h. Puuc Medium Slate tripod dish (Fig. 18.6l). i. Small crude tripod bowl (Fig. 18.6e).

Top level: Mayapán, 0.5; Puuc, 62.4; Classic, 4.7; Formative, 2.0; Unidentified, 30.4 Middle level: Puuc, 38.9; Classic, 0.7; Formative, 15.1; Unidentified, 45.3 Bottom level: Puuc, 2.2; Formative, 67.2; Unidentified, 30.6

The artifacts from the North Trench included a doughnut stone (Fig. 18.6s, right) and a univalve shell from Stratum 2, and a shell pectoral from Stratum 3. Both the West and North Trenches were outside of Platform A. The East Trench, 17 m long from south to north, passed through several terraces and finally bisected the single-room shrine at the north edge of the plat-

form. A number of floors at different levels were encountered. Close to the surface at the south end and above the top floor in the shrine at the north end, two rather crudely made, small Mayapán Red vessels (Fig. 18.2i,e, respectively) were found, whereas about 1.3 m below the top floor and sealed beneath the earliest and best-preserved floor a formal crypt burial (Fig. 18.2, crypt plan and Section BB’) of Puuc period was encountered. The burial contained an adult male skeleton, three pottery vessels, which include 2 Puuc Medium Slate plates (Fig. 18.6i,l) and 1 polished black Classic bowl of Uaxactun type (Fig. 18.6k), 3 perforated jade discs, 1 spherical jade bead, 2 perforated shell discs, 1 cylindrical shell ornament, 1 univalve shell, 3 cylindrical bone sections cut at

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Robert E. Smith both ends, and 5 jaguar (?) teeth (Fig. 18.6r). Other artifacts associated with this trench were a flint point from the top level, and 4 flint points, an obsidian flake-blade, a bone awl, and a univalve shell from the middle level. The ceramic pattern derived from the three levels in the East Trench differs considerably from that of the West and North Trenches. More Mayapán types occur in the top level and fewer Formative types in the bottom. A percentage summary of types follows: Top level: Mayapán, 31.6; Puuc, 26.8; Classic, 0.5; Formative, 0.5; Unidentified, 40.6 Middle level: Mayapán, 5.4; Puuc, 38.8; Classic, 2.7; Formative, 8.7; Unidentified, 44.4 Bottom level: Puuc, 35.4; Classic, 14.5; Formative, 7.4; Unidentified, 42.7

In the final analysis it appears that, except for a short late occupation, Platform A was laid down in Puuc times amid Formative remains, as suggested by the earliest levels inside and just outside of the platform. Platform B, approximately square, measuring 45 by 48 m, supported several house platforms, two of which, and an altar, were investigated. House Platforms 1 and 2 and the small altar were enclosed within a walled area on the southeast part of the platform. For the most part the walls appeared to be of postconquest construction, possibly quite recent, but with some sections presumably dating from ancient times. In order to determine the manner in which Platform B was built, as well as to collect a pottery sample, a broad trench (about 1.3 m wide by 10 m long) was cut into the north side. This North Trench uncovered at least three terraces and two floors. The ceramic pattern resulting from the four levels excavated resembles that of the West Trench in Platform A. A percentage summary of types follows: Top level: Mayapán, 8.4; Toltec Chichen, 0.6; Puuc, 83.2; Classic, 0.6; Unidentified, 7.2 Middle levels (Strata 2 and 3): Puuc, 69.7; Classic, 5.5; Formative, 1.2; Unidentified, 23.6 Lowest level: Puuc, 77.4; Unidentified, 22.6 Very few artifacts (4 flint chips, 1 flint scraper, 1 obsidian flake-blade, and 2 univalve shells) were found and all came from the surface level.

House Platform 1 (Fig. 18.3), rectangular in plan and located in the southeast corner of Platform B, was bisected by a trench (1.5 m broad) reaching to bedrock. Just south of the house platform a cache was encountered 68 cm below a large rectangular fallen stone (1.48 m long, 54 cm wide and 30 cm thick

at mid-point), which may have been a monument or a jamb. It was not carved and showed no trace of paint. The cache contained two small vessels, one a lustrous streaky brown jar (badly broken, no illustration), the other used as its cover, a Puuc Medium Slate tripod dish with red floor design (Fig. 18.6m,n). Near the cache, but above and to the west of it, two flint points or blades were discovered, one especially well made. Within the house platform there was a fairly good floor 32 cm below the surface; 80 cm below this floor, just inside the south edge of the house platform, a burial with three pots was found. Most of the skeleton, an adult, was lodged under an enormous rock. The vessels, one of which covered the skull, consisted of two tripod dishes (Fig. 18.6p,q) and a cuspidor-shaped bowl (Fig. 18.6g), all Puuc Medium Slate types. The pottery found in the trench totaled only 185 sherds and owing to a cave-in during the removal of the burial vessels some late sherds were mixed with material from Stratum 1. However, Stratum 2, which was removed prior to the cave-in, held no pottery later than the Puuc period. The only artifacts encountered, all in Stratum 3, were 6 flint chips, 1 flint point, and 7 obsidian flake-blades. House Platform 2 (Fig. 18.3), rectangular in plan and located just northwest of House Platform 1, was examined by means of a narrow 40 cm deep trench skirting its northern half. Later, a pit was sunk off the west side to bedrock, a depth of 94 cm as compared to 1.32 m in House Platform 1. In the upper 40 cm a quantity of Mayapán period Porous Gray jar sherds were uncovered. They rested in ash and were surrounded by medium-sized stones as if some ceremony had been performed, but the sherds were not burned. All levels associated with House Platform 2 had a preponderance of Mayapán types. A few artifacts were found in the surface level, including a crude pottery spindle whorl (?), 18 flint chips, 1 flint point, 1 skin scraper (Fig. 18.6s, center), 1 hammerstone (Fig. 18.6s, left), 3 obsidian flake-blades, and 1 univalve shell. Approximately 9.5 m due east of House Platform 2 a small altar-like arrangement was investigated. This comprised a roughly cut rectangular stone (1 m long, 50 cm high, 35 cm thick) resting on its long edge and embedded about 12 cm into the soil. In front of this stone to the west was a crude form of paving (Fig. 18.3), about 1.25 m by 55 cm, made of uncut small flattish stones. Beneath the paving and extending farther west a cache of five Mayapán-type vessels was found buried 20–70 cm below the surface. The vessels included a large Porous Gray jar, a red tripod dish with effigy feet (human head with turned-up nose), a small red jar, a red cylindrical tri-

Exploration on the Outskirts of Mayapán

18.3. Platform B, Plan and Sections. a. Cache under rectangular stone just south of House Platform, including a Lustrous Streaky Brown jar badly broken, with a Puuc Medium Slate tripod dish (Fig. 18.6m,n) as cover. b. Burial below floor of House Platform 1, including remnants of an adult skeleton and 3 Puuc Medium Slate vessels (Fig. 18.6o–q). c. Mayapán period Porous Gray jar with low neck, wide mouth, and lightly striated body. One badly damaged but probably whole jar of this type, plus a considerable quantity of body fragments of other like jars, was found. d. A cache of 5 vessels associated with an altar. Four vessels are illustrated (Fig. 18.6a–d).

pod vase, and a complicated, badly damaged effigy vessel (Fig. 18.6a–d; the Porous Gray jar is not illustrated). The only artifacts represented were 4 flint chips, a spherical limestone bead, and a flint point. Platform C (Fig. 18.1b) originally may have supported three single-room shrines, two of them nearly square, opening north and south, respectively, and between them a larger, rectangular construction that faced Cenote Santa Cruz to the west. There is at present no trace of a shrine at the south, but there is ample space on the platform for it. Each existing shrine originally had a beam-and-mortar roof and a centrally located altar or dais (Fig. 18.5a,b). On the floor between the dais and the back wall of the larger shrine, there was centered a stone ring formed of two semicircular stones and some

mortar. An opening on the south side of this shrine was puzzling. It was too small for a doorway and unnecessarily broad and high for a drain. However, it may not originally have extended clear through the wall but have been a recessed space or niche. The main difficulties of reconstruction hinge upon the fact that the outer part of the wall on that side had fallen and the shrine floor near the inside of the wall had been destroyed. In most respects these shrines resemble the one on Platform A, but there were no burials or caches associated with either. The pottery collected in the two trenches which cut through the doorways of the shrines and descended to bedrock was predominantly of Mayapán period type with little change from top to bottom. Therefore it may be assumed that this platform was a late construction belonging to the Mayapán period, in contrast to

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Robert E. Smith Platforms A and B, which were in all likelihood built during the Puuc period. Cenote Santa Cruz (Fig. 18.5c) was cursorily investigated but not mapped. In size and general shape of the mouth and area immediately below, it was comparable to Cenote XCoton (Smith 1953), without an artificial platform but with a retaining wall to hold back the mound of soil and debris and with a stairway leading to a semicircle of water along the northeast side. A pit dug into the accumulated debris showed that the ceramic pattern in the three levels excavated was one of increase in early types at the expense of late types as the pit progressed downward. From the ceramic evidence, then, it would appear that Platforms A and B were originally constructed during the Puuc period upon the remains of a Formative living level, and that both were subjected to later building activity. Platform C suggested only late Mayapán period construction. In other words, Santa Cruz was occupied in Formative times, saw considerable construction activity in the Puuc period, and seemingly was used ceremonially during the late Mayapán period. Telchaquillo The next work undertaken was at the large mound in the village of Telchaquillo. This ruin, situated south of the cenote in the plaza and 18.4. Trenches Into Large Mound in Telchaquillo. still standing after years of robbing of stone for a. Trench into south side. b. Trench into west side. a’-e’, stoneproperty walls and house foundations, remains constructed cells (Fig. 18.5f); f’, latest terrace wall; g’, early terrace an impressive mass of masonry. At one time wall showing plastered floor 1.75 m above-bedrock (Fig. 18.5e). these ruins may have been connected with the east entrance to the cenote by means of various constructions, now largely destroyed, ending at ever, that Mayapán wares were always present. a stairway leading down to a natural ramp which was The ceramic trend suggests that farther inside the joined by a broad stairway descending to the water mound a pure sample of Puuc pottery might have hole. The principal aim in trenching into this large been encountered. complex was to determine something of its history through its growth, both horizontal and vertical. It was by reason of the horizontal accretions with their The South Trench (Fig. 18.4a), 2 m wide and 13.35 time-sensitive pottery inclusions that a chronologim long, began with a shallow exploratory pit and cal sequence developed. That the sequence did not penetrated several terrace walls of varying heights, evolve into something more conclusive is probably the one farthest north being 4 m high. Because of because the mound was not sufficiently penetrated, this height and the loose rock fill, we were forced to owing to excessive outlay in time and labor. The two slope the trench sides in order to avoid land-slides trenches, one on the south, the other on the west, or serious cave-ins. In the digging of the trench, leveach penetrated several terrace walls. In the pottery els were not taken until the first terrace was encounlots Puuc types were usually more abundant than tered, since everything south of that quite obviously Mayapán. Actually, the farther into the mound we was fall. Just beyond this first terrace wall a dip in progressed the greater became the predominance of the bedrock (Fig. 18.4a, Stratum 2) provided a reposiPuuc over Mayapán types. The fact remains, howtory for somewhat earlier material than that encoun-

18.5. Views of Santa Cruz and the Large Mound in Telchaquillo. a. Small single-room shrine on north end of Platform C, Santa Cruz, viewed from south and showing dais centered on back wall. b. Single-room shrine on Platform C, Santa Cruz, viewed from west and showing centrally located dais. c. Cenote Santa Cruz in center foreground. Viewed from east. d. Original west wall of Platform A, Santa Cruz. Viewed from west. Note size of stones. e. Two terraces on west side of large mound in Telchaquillo. Viewed from west. f. Stone-constructed cells (Fig. 18.4b,a’,-e’). Viewed from north.

Exploration on the Outskirts of Mayapán 18.6. Pottery and Other Artifacts from Santa Cruz. a–d. Altar cache vessels (large badly broken Porous Brown, lightly striated jar, not included here but shown in Fig. 18.3d, right, Section C-C’. Lot E-78. a. Mayapán Red tripod vase, lip diam. 4.4 cm, overall height 6.8 cm. b. Small Mayapán Red effigy jar, lip diam. 6.0 cm, height 12.0 cm. c. badly damaged unslipped effigy vessel, overall height 25.5 cm. d. Mayapán Red tripod dish with effigy feet (human head with turned-up nose), lip diam. 23.5 cm, overall height 12.0 cm. e. Small crude tripod bowl, may have had red slip although none showing (Fig. 18.2i), lip diam. 8.0 cm, overall height 5.8 cm. Lot E-60. f. Miniature Red jar with horizontal handles (see Fig. 18.2e for location), lip diam. 3.5 cm, height 5.0 cm. Lot E-51. g. Puuc Medium Slate hemispherical bowl (Fig. 18.2d, bottom), lip diam. 17.5 cm, height 9.0 cm. Lot E-56. h. Puuc Medium Slate tripod dish (Fig. 18.2d, top), solid slab feet, lip diam. 25.5 cm, height 6.0 cm. Lot E-56. i. Puuc Medium Slate tripod dish (Fig. 18.2g), solid conical feet, lip diam. 25.3 cm, overall height 7.1 cm. Lot E-59. j. Puuc Streaky Brown jar with neck broken off to make room for infant burial (Fig. 18.2c). Cover is a fragment of Puuc coarse striated jar. Lot E-49; k. Polished Black Classic bowl of Uaxactun type with incised line encircling exterior just below lip (Fig. 18.2f), lip diam. 16.5 cm, height 8.8 cm. Lot E-59. l. Puuc Medium Slate tripod dish, everted rim, solid slab feet, black decoration on interior and no slip on exterior (Fig. 18.2h), lip diam. 25.7 cm, overall height 8.0 cm. Lot E-59; m,n. Profile and interior view of Puuc Medium Slate tripod dish, red (black in some places) design on floor, solid slab feet (Fig. 18.3a), lip diam. 24.0 cm, overall height 6.1 cm. Lot E-687. o. Puuc Medium Slate cuspidor-shaped bowl, evidence of pink stucco coating (Fig. 18.3b, highest of three vessels and on left), lip diam. 18.3 cm, height 10.1 cm. Lot E-79. p. Puuc Medium Slate tripod dish, red (some places black) scroll surrounded by dabs as floor decoration, solid slab feet (Fig. 18.3b, under cuspidor-shaped bowl), lip diam. 23.3 cm, overall height 5.9 cm. Lot E-79. q. Puuc Medium Slate tripod dish, red (some places black) scroll surrounded by dabs as floor decoration, solid conical feet (Fig. 18.3b, lowest of three vessels and on right), lip diam. 23.0 cm, overall height 6.8 cm. Lot E-79. r. Artifacts from crypt burial, Platform A. Lot E-59. Top row: 3 perforated jade discs (Cat. no. 54-50), diam. ca. 4.0 cm, thickness 0.3–0.5 cm. Second row: cylindrical shell ornament (Cat. no. 54-54), diam. at top 1.2 cm, height 1.0 cm; two shell perforated discs (Cat. no. 54-52), diam. of larger is about 3.0 cm, smaller about 2.0 cm, thickness 0.1–0.15 cm. Third row: left, fragment of shell (Cat. no. 54-53); center, spherical jade bead (Cat. no. 54-51), diam. 1.9 cm; right, perforated tinkler shell (Cat. no. 5453), height 2.5 cm. Bottom row: 5 jaguar (?) teeth. s. Stone objects. Left, hammer stone (Cat. no. 54-46), diam. 6.0 cm, Lot E-73. Center, skin scraper (Cat. no. 54-45), diam. 11.6 cm, Lot E-73. Right, doughnut stone (Cat. no. 54-47), diam 10.5 cm, Lot E-56.

tered in the other strata, even including Stratum 1. A percentage summary of ceramic types follows: Stratum 1: Mayapán, 17.7; Puuc, 68.8; Formative, 0.4; Unidentified, 13.1 Stratum 2: Mayapán, 12.0; Puuc, 76.6; Unidentified, 11.4 Stratum 3: Mayapán, 55.1; Puuc 36.7; Unidentified, 8.2 Stratum 4: Mayapán; 42.8, Puuc 39.9; Unidentified, 17.3 Stratum 5: Mayapán, 28.2; Puuc 43.0; Formative 0.4; Unidentified, 28.4 Stratum 6: Recent, 1.9; Mayapán, 28.7; Puuc, 37.5; Formative, 1.0; Unidentified, 30.9

Artifacts associated with the South Trench were very scarce. They included a deer antler from Stra­ tum 2, a mano fragment from Stratum 4, a conch shell ornament (?) fragment from Stratum 5, and an obsidian flake-blade from Stratum 6. The West Trench (Fig. 18.4b), 2 m wide and 10.35 m long, uncovered at least two terrace walls (Fig. 18.5e) and a floor mostly removed to make space for a cluster of stone-constructed cells giving the impression of a honeycomb. Originally the floor probably belonged to a room, the interior faces of the south

and west walls of which were located. Most of the cells which were covered with one or two capstones and reached down to a sascab-and-dirt binding level, contained nothing but dirt and a few late sherds. Cell c’, however, included a considerable amount of ash. The dry rock fill below the binding level contained some early and late sherds. As was the case in the South Trench, the surface level was removed as soon as the digging of the exploratory pit showed up the first terrace wall. From then on the progress was eastward, and vertical strata were established when and where possible. A percentage summary of ceramic types follows: Stratum 1: Mayapán, 35.1; Puuc, 54.5; Classic 2.6; Unidentified, 7.8 Stratum 2: Mayapán, 22.7; Puuc, 63.6; Unidentified, 13.6 Stratum 3: Mayapán, 37.1; Puuc, 40.0; Unidentified, 22.9 Stratum 4: Mayapán, 25.6; Puuc, 31.9; Unidentified, 42.5 Stratum 5: Mayapán, 48.0; Puuc, 42.0; Unidentified, 10.0 Stratum 6: Mayapán, 73.9; Puuc, 12.8; Unidentified, 13.3 Stratum 7: Recent, 5.5; Mayapán, 56.2; Puuc 5.5; Classic, 1.4; Formative, 1.4; Unidentified, 30.1

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Robert E. Smith In the West Trench artifacts were even less frequent than in the South Trench. They comprised two obsidian flake-blades, one from Stratum 1, the other from Stratum 7. The pottery from the ruins of Santa Cruz and Telchaquillo indicates the presence of a considerable population during the Puuc period as well as in the Mayapán period, and points to a lesser occupation in Formative times. These sites show the same dearth of artifacts, other than pottery, found at Mayapán. Architecturally, little was learned from the cursory explorations. However, the findings do corrobo-

rate the lateness of single-room shrines. They also confirm the practice of building within cenotes and establish the use in this area of the basal platform in the Puuc period. The burial practices of Puuc times appear to be more elaborate as well as different from those of the Mayapán period. The Puuc types are illustrated by the reasonably rich burial under the shrine on Platform A and the infant urn burials from the North Trench of the same platform. Contrasting types at Mayapán include multiple shaft burials and probably cremation.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 19 December 1954

A Presumed Residence of the Nobility at Mayapán J. Eric S. Thompson

Structure Q-208

Str. Q-208, situated some 80 m south of the apparent southern edge of the ceremonial center at Mayapán (390 S, 335 W), was chosen for excavation because the surface remains, principally the arrangement of the rooms and the fine masonry, suggested that the building probably had been the residence of some family of consequence, for certain of the Relaciones de Yucatán inform us that important chiefs lived in stone houses. Str. Q-208 was not completely excavated. The center and the eastern half of the front room, the center and east back rooms, and the floor area of the east room were cleared; minor excavations established details of the platform on which the building stood and of the stairway which gave access to it (Fig. 19.1). Excavation below the floor brought to light part of an earlier residence, named Q-208-sub. The adjacent structures, Q-208a, Q-207, and Q-209, were examined in view of their contiguity to see if any functional relationship between any of these and Str. Q-208 could be established.

A single long room, with an open front in which are set four columns and flanking sections of wall, forms the front of the house. Doorways in the back wall of this room lead to three small and narrow rear rooms. At the east end of the structure is a fifth room, added later, without direct communication with the other rooms. Masonry. The drums of the columns, like most of those at Mayapán, were poorly shaped, so that the illfitting drums seemed like large-scale reproductions of gladioli corms placed one above the other. Pre­sumably, all irregularities in the drums were hidden beneath heavy coats of stucco, as observed in some cases, but of this there was no evidence in Str. Q-208, although stucco was general on walls and bench faces. Well-dressed stone of Puuc style of workmanship was largely used to face the walls and benches.

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19.1. Plans and Sections: Strs. Q-207, Q-208, Q-208a, and Q-209.

Many of these stones were of excellent quality and appeared to have been carefully chosen for re-use in this building. Generally, they were set upright in the walls, and that was particularly evident in the faces of the benches and in the parts of the walls visible behind benches. Doorjamb stones were commonly of considerable size (average 60 cm high, 50 cm wide); in one case the butt pierced the floor and rested on a bed of heavy stones and mortar 39 cm below. Walls in no place stood to a height of more than 1.10 m (Fig. 19.2a–d). Ceiling. Debris on the floor was 50–55 cm thick in the center of the front room, where accumulation from falling wall should have been minimal. Save for a top layer of about 15 cm, representing humus mixed with rock and mortar, and some wall stones, the debris comprised mortar, some small rocks and pebbles, and large quantities of charcoal and ash. For the most part, the mortar was pulverized but

in places it lay in solid masses, up to 25 cm thick, just as it had fallen. A number of sherds were scattered through the mortar. Some of these were deeply embedded in hard mortar, and there is no doubt that they were mixed in it by the masons. In this way it would be perfectly plausible for early sherds to be found above the floor of a late building. Many pieces of charcoal retained the original form of the wood. Sections of pole, about 7 cm in diameter, could be recognized, although it was difficult to remove them intact; large masses of pulverized charcoal suggested beams of considerably greater diameter. The positions in which the charcoal lay gave no sure indication of the original arrangement of the wood, for the beams and poles had fallen in various directions. The typical flat roof of Tulum had transversal beams (four in the room described by Stephens) 15 cm in diameter, above which poles, 5–7 cm in diameter, were laid at right angles. The whole was surmounted by a rubble cap 30 cm or

A Presumed Residence of the Nobility at Mayapán more thick in the center (Lothrop 1924:34–36, 115). There seems no reason to doubt that the roof of Str. Q-208, believed to be contemporaneous with flatceilinged buildings at Tulum, was of the same type. No imprints of poles were found in the mortar, but it is reasonable to suppose that the mortar cap was applied wet so that the mortar squeezed between the smaller poles, thereby adding to the fireproof quality of the roof. Burning of the Building. In some areas charcoal rested immediately on the floor; elsewhere layers of charcoal were separated from the building by as much as 15 cm of fallen mortar. Clearly, we are dealing with a beam-and-mortar roof which caught fire and collapsed. Some of the burned wood fell to the floor, followed by the parts of the mortar ceiling immediately above, with the result that the charcoal rested on the floor below the mortar. Other pieces of wood, perhaps the larger beams, were slow in burning, and did not collapse until fallen rubble and charcoal had accumulated to a height of some 15 cm above the floor. Similar conditions were found in the central and eastern rear rooms (the western rear room was not excavated), but no ash was above the floor of the eastern semi-detached room, and there was no evidence that the roof had been burned. As it must have been quite difficult for a flat beam-and-mortar ceiling to catch fire accidentally, it is a fair assumption that this building was deliberately burned. As, moreover, material (notably effigy censers) beneath the floor shows that even Q-208sub was erected late in the history of Mayapán, it is reasonable to infer that the later Q-208 was deliberately burned by those who overthrew and sacked Mayapán. The fact that no excavation was made in the ruins to recover the fine sculpture found at the entrance to the center rear room (Fig. 19.3l–n) would suggest that the owner of the house or his family was not at hand to attempt this simple salvage, and this, in turn, would strengthen the supposition that the burning took place at the time of the fall of Mayapán, when, according to tradition, the inhabitants were driven forth and the site was abandoned. Benches. The long front room is furnished with four benches or daises faced with well-dressed stone of Puuc style of workmanship and carefully stuccoed. Two are rectangular and are placed between the doorways leading to the rear rooms; the other two are L-shaped and occupy the two ends of the room. The center rear room, which clearly served as a shrine, had a narrow low bench and a dais. The east rear room had no bench; the west rear room was

not excavated but, to judge by the debris level, it, too, lacked a bench. An L-shaped bench occupied the greater part of the semi-detached east room. One end of it stretched across the south half of the east doorway, an arrangement which does not appear to have been satisfactory, for a secondary wall was built across that part of the entrance, perhaps to give the occupants of the bench more privacy or better shelter from inclement weather than a curtain would have supplied. The rectangular bench immediately east of the passage to the central rear room was built of particularly fine Puuc stone and, in addition, was decorated on the north and west faces with pairs of engaged colonnades of the type called “spools” (Fig. 19.2a,b). This decorative element is typically Puuc, and is very common on the exteriors of structures in that architectural style. It is virtually certain that these spools had been brought from some building in Puuc style. Perhaps only enough were found to decorate two sides of one bench; more probably, the source was too distant to justify more trips to fetch others. Earlier Structure. Excavation below the floor of Q-208 brought to light parts of an earlier building, Q-208-sub, which largely duplicated those of the later building (Fig. 19.1). The rear wall of Q-208sub later became the rear wall of Q-208. The rear room (or rooms) of Q-208-sub was 1.04 m wider than those of the later building. Two rectangular benches flanked the entrance to the rear (central?) room, and the western face of what was probably an L-shaped bench flanked another entrance residence than the later structure, but the masonry was inferior. However, the walls of Q-208-sub were left standing to a height of only 75 cm when Q-208 was erected, and it is therefore possible that well-dressed stone was removed for incorporation in the later building, although the stones of the earlier benches which were still in situ were not well dressed. Sherd material showed that Q-208-sub antedated Q-208 by a relatively short period. Material Found on the Floors of Q-208. In the center of the doorway leading to the central rear room there was a hollow, perhaps 5 cm deep in the center and about 40 cm in diameter, where the floor had been destroyed, apparently by constant wear. In this hollow, which was partially filled with a mixture of fine ash and dark mold (decayed vegetal remains?), were two pottery vessels. Both were broken in many pieces but kept their shape, indicating that debris had covered them before they broke. Each had a figure of the diving god in relief. One stood on a pedestal shaped as an animal, perhaps

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A Presumed Residence of the Nobility at Mayapán 19.2. Str. Q-208 and Pottery Vessels. a. Front room from west end with doorway columns on left. b. Eastern of pair of quadrangular benches showing pairs of re-used Puuc “spools.” c. Central rear room with bench and step. d. Central rear room from west. Note jamb of doorway; e,g. Two effigy vessels of diving god found in entrance to rear room. Height of that on bird pedestal 22.5 cm. This has secondary coat of blue all over except for area at back of bowl and on bird’s tail where primary white coat is exposed. Tertiary touches of olive-green on cap, nose, collar, beads of bracelet, headband, and cone in hand. Red ring around bird’s eyes and red stripe on each wing. “Dog” pedestal vessel painted greenish blue all over. All paint gone from animal except for traces of red on nostrils, lips, and tongue. Lot A-95. f. Head of Xipe Totec from effigy censer. Children’s burial. Face, creamy white; lips, red; earplug, blue; hair, black and purple. Height approximately 15 cm. Lot A-110. h. Ten copper bells and three shell beads from anklets with child’s burial. Two largest bells (length 2.8 cm, diameter 1.9 cm) are cone-shaped with rounded bases; remainder (length 1.8 cm, diameter 1 cm) drop-shaped. All have loops for attachment. Shell beads 5–7 mm in diameter. Cat. nos. 54-108,-109. i. Monkey whistle with worn black slip. Apparently of Fine Orange Ware. With children’s burial. Height 5.5 cm. Lot A-110. j. Pottery vessel comprising five joined cups. Poorly fired polished red. With offertory vessels, e,g. Height 6.5 cm. Lot A-95.

a dog; the other was supported by the effigy of a bird with out-spread wings (Fig. 19.2e,g). The dog effigy vessel was upright and in line with the north edge of the doorway. Immediately west of it were the incomplete fragments of a ladle-shaped pottery brazier. The bird effigy was on its side, south of the dog effigy and separated from it by a chunk of ceiling plaster, but the bird’s beak rested against the brazier handle. It is difficult to understand how the bird effigy could have fallen as it did, with the bird’s beak 30 cm away, unless it was dislodged from the step of the central rear room or was knocked over during the fighting or by looters. Both effigy vessels had been painted blue, apparently after firing, and in addition smaller areas were painted green and red. Over half the ladle brazier of a simple type lacking decoration (cf. Shook 1954, Fig. l0), was missing; it may have been kicked to one side before the house was burned. The parts recovered were coated with soot. Behind these vessels and resting against the step of the rear room was a stone sculpture, perhaps representing a variant of the diving god (Fig. 19.3l–n). This was tilted sideways and forwards but nearest the position shown in Figure 3n. It may have fallen from the step. On the east end of the step was inverted a peculiar pottery vessel, badly smashed, formed of five small cups (Fig. 19.2j). Perhaps associated with this were what are believed to be two shark’s teeth found on the bench of the rear room (Cat. no. 54-68). Clearly the three vessels, the ladle brazier, and the stone figure pertain to the religious practices of the inhabitants of the building. In view of the importance of the diving god in the later history of Yucatán, it is significant that both painted vessels carry figures of that deity, and it is not improbable that the stone sculpture reflects the same cult. Consequently, it is a fair assumption that the occupants of Str. Q208 were devotees of the diving god, and that this

central rear room served as a religious shrine. The absence of effigy-censer fragments in the central rear room or in any other excavated part of Str. Q-208 (except below the floor, as noted under Burials, may have a significance not now apparent; it might perhaps be related to the social rank or religious position of the residents of the structure, or might be due to the presence of the diving-god vessels. The center of the surface of the central bench of the back room was broken. Lumps of carbon and apparent roof mortar occurred to a depth of about 25 cm below the broken surface, indicating that the center of the bench had been excavated, presumably by looters searching for a dedicatory cache, before the roof fell. Scattered over the front room were the following objects: (1) A finely polished greenstone celt, about 45 cm south and a little east of the east central column, and apparently 5 cm above floor level (Fig. 19.3j). (2) A well-made polished stone celt, about 40 cm south-southeast of the east column, and either directly on the floor or not more than 10 cm above it (Fig. 19.3k). (3) A pressure-flaked flint point, bluegray and 9.7 cm long, 40 cm northeast of the east rectangular bench. Cat. no. 54-41. (4) Two obsidian arrowheads (Fig. 19.3g,i). (5) A piece of obsidian (Fig. 19.3h). (6) Two-thirds of an oval bark-beater partly imbedded in mortar, a condition which strongly suggested it had been re-used in the construction of the roof. Width 5.2 cm; original length about 10 cm. One surface finely striated, the other coarsely striated. Medial groove, Cat. no. 54-61. (7) A shell tinkler with top cut off. Hole made by sawing. Cat. no. 54-62. (8) A small honey-colored pebble with groove. Perhaps polisher. Cat. no. 54-42. (9) A small irregular piece of mother-of-pearl. Cat. no. 54-63. The two polished celts were valuables one would not expect to find on the floor of a house believed to have been first looted and then burned. I did not see either of these in situ, but our foreman and best field

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J. Eric S. Thompson 19.3. Artifacts from Q-208. a. Effigy vessel with three solid legs. Unslipped. Face probably made in mold. Painted after firing in brilliant colors. Overall color is turquoise blue. Area around mouth from base of nose to chin and upper eyelids, bright orange. Eyes are white with black pupils and black outline. Lips and ears, red. Remnants of earplugs show green. Height 10.3 cm. With children’s burial. Lot A-110. b. Effigy vessel with pedestal base. Unslipped. Face probably made in mold. Painted after firing in brilliant colors. Tapering of mouth of jar, orange. Face, blue-green. Lips and ears, red. Eyes, white with black pupils and black outlining. Black outlining of tusks and black X design on blue of earplugs. Height 11.4 cm. With children’s burial. Lot A-110. c. Effigy vessel of unslipped pottery with arms, legs, and mantle added later. Painted, after firing, dull blue. Net pattern on mantle and groups of spots on arms, legs, and cheeks in black. Handle and inner circle of insigne, blue. Outer ring, red with V-shaped rays in black. Lips to base of nostrils are pinkish red. With dedicatory cache beneath floor. Height 13.5 cm. Lot A-110. d. Figure of very poorly fired and unslipped pottery with elaborate geometric design in light blue on white applied after firing. Seat missing. Line of three holes on top of head perhaps to hold feathers. Holes in ear lobes and through nasal septum. With children’s burial. Height 30.5 cm. Lot A-110. e. Arrowhead of buff-colored flint with basal notches. Flake chipped on both sides. In cache with c. Length 3.4 cm. Cat. no. 54-88. f. Arrowhead of gray obsidian with basal notches. Perhaps belongs with c in cache. Length 3.5 cm. Cat. no. 54-89. g. Arrowhead of gray obsidian. Flake chipped on one side only. Above floor of room. Length 4.5 cm. Cat. no. 54-79. h. Chipped piece of gray obsidian, perhaps badly-made arrowhead. Above floor of front room. Length 2.6 cm. Cat. no. 54-66. i: Arrowhead of gray obsidian with basal notches. Apparently made from flake pressed off core. Above floor of front room. Length 2.4 cm. Cat. no. 54-65. j. Polished greenstone celt, perhaps of jade, with slightly flared sides. Above floor of front room. Length 11.5 cm. Cat. no. 54-40. k. Polished very dark gray-green celt, with slightly flared sides. Above floor of front room. Length 8 cm. Cat. no. 54-60. l–n. Limestone sculpture, conceivably of diving god, with headdress of long-nosed god. Above floor at entrance to central rear room. Height 16.8 cm. Cat. no. 54-69.

worker excavated the green celt. He is reasonably sure that it was separated from the floor by about 5 cm of fallen mortar. The same may be true of the second celt. There is, accordingly, a strong probability that the two celts reached their present position after the roof started to fall, but before it had completely collapsed. It is a fair assumption that the two celts were out of view, perhaps on a shelf or ledge above the central doorway, and so were missed by the looters. Presumably, when the building started to burn, they fell to the ground. Shelves are common in present-­ day Maya huts, and the Maya commonly tuck small objects between poles and thatch. The flint point, the obsidian arrowhead, and the shell tinkler may have been overlooked or, being of less value, ignored by the looters. Dedication Cache. This was in loose fill 20 cm below the floor immediately in front of the center of the center doorway of the front room. It comprised: (1) A pottery seated figure wearing a mantle, blue with an over-all net pattern in black, and holding an ornament or implement in his right hand. He was painted blue, and on each cheek, on his left arm, twice on his right leg, and probably on his left leg he has a black spot set within a circle of six other spots (Fig. 19.3c). In the codices, gods wear similar netted mantles and sometimes hold objects resembling the implement in question (e.g., Dresden 26a, 27b; Madrid 22a,d, 23a. Somewhat similar body decoration is to be seen on the Santa Rita murals. (2) An arrowhead (Fig. 19.3e). (3) A minute seashell of cowry shape.

About 50 cm north of the cache and at approximately the same depth below the floor was another arrowhead, 3.5 cm long, but of obsidian, with secondary flaking on each edge, and a nicked stem (Fig. 19.3f). Fill below the floor was loose, and so, conceivably, this arrowhead may once have pertained to the cache. Burials. Beneath the floor of the central passageway between the rectangular benches of Q-208-sub were the bones of four children, covered by a great mass of fragments of censers. It was not possible to separate the burials in proper fashion. Two, which were in better condition, had artifacts with them. Burial 1 was of a child about ten. The skull was to south. The body had been laid on its left side with legs flexed and knees to west of base of ribs and arms flexed with hands before chest. Immediately behind the skull was a large hollow pottery figurine so lightly fired that it easily crumbled. Subsequent to the light firing it had been painted blue on white (Fig. 19.3d). Slightly lower and about 20 cm west of the above lay in extended position an infant of less than six months. Around each ankle there had been a cotton band to which had been attached by thread five copper bells (Fig. 19.2h). The bells of the left anklet were separated by minute shell beads (diameter of largest 0.7 cm). The textile fragments owe their preservation to contact with the copper bells. Fragments of cord, preserved in position by oxidization of the copper, passed through the loops of several bells, and one piece held together two bells and an intervening shell bead.

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J. Eric S. Thompson With this burial, or perhaps with the first, were: (1) Three moldmade figurines of unbaked clay, which crumbled into pieces. (2) The tip of an antler polished and showing some evidence of wear. (3) A small pottery whistle shaped as a spider monkey with tail curled around back of head and with mouthpiece in rear (Fig. 19.2i). (4) A pottery vase on a low pedestal base with face of the long-nosed god on the front (Fig. 19.3b). (5) A tripod vase with face of the longnosed god on the front (Fig. 19.3a). A very similar vessel (Shook 1954a, Fig. 2j) was in a cache of Str. Q-214. Textile Fragments. Miss Joy Mahler, who was so kind as to examine the fragments of textile, reports as follows: Fragments from two separate fabrics are present. Both are constructed with cotton yarn (verified by John Paxson of the Botanical Laboratory). The yarn is single ply, Z-spun for both warp and weft of both fabrics. A. This is a plain weave with single warp and paired weft, compactly woven. The count of warp to weft in ½ inch is 13 x 9½ pairs. The yarns are spun approximately evenly and are fine and rather hard spun. One fragment is a side edge, which has no special treatment of the warp in this area. B. This is a double-cloth variant, patterned with floats on one face. One side appears as if it were a plain weave, but ridges can be seen where warp and weft shift from one face to another; the other side clearly shows the floats. The count of warp to weft in ½ inch is 16 x 13, but decision as to which is warp and which is weft is not necessarily correct. C. A bundle of Z-spun yarns have been twisted together in the opposite direction. This cord has obviously been wrapped around a cylindrical copper object and shows evidence of having been tied or knotted. Censer Fragments. As noted, these were piled indiscriminately above the burials. Examination of the recovered fragments, numbering over 1,800, made it clear that the vessels had not been complete when they had been deposited over the bones. Many of the fragments retained bright colors applied after firing. Four of the six identifiable fragments of faces, six of nine feet, and seven of ten arms belonged to figures of the god Xipe Totec. These faces were painted creamy white and showed the eyes as crescentic slits, the noses flattened with prominent alae, and mouths outlined in red with a similar red oval inside the mouth (Fig. 19.2f). The color and the crescentic eyes are typical of representations of Xipe; the human skin he wears is usually shown

as yellow. Arms and legs, however, leave no doubt that they belong to figures of Xipe, for they show the wrists and ankles, painted red to represent the natural color of the live skin or the normal color of Xipe, protruding from the sleeves or leggings of the garments of human skin. These sleeves and leggings are white or cream white. In some cases the change in color marks the join of donned skin garment and the natural skin; in other cases the skin garment is in relief over the natural skin. Two fragments of Xipe legs show gold bells pendant from knee-bands. Landa describes the wearing of flayed skins by the Maya, but as this was an element in the cult of other Mexican deities, there has until now been some doubt as to whether Xipe Totec was worshipped in Yucatán. There is no longer any doubt on this matter, but it is difficult to explain the presence of these censers representing Xipe Totec with buried children. The children may have been sacrificed, but, so far as is known, the rites of Xipe Totec involved the sacrifice only of adults. He was also a god of certain diseases; particularly those of the skin, and conceivably the children had died of some such disease. Other Artifacts. Animal and bird bones scattered through the fill below the floor of Q-208-sub included 13 skulls identified by Maya workers as of iguanas. There were also a broken bone awl, 7.5 cm long (cat. no. 54-110) and half a jaguar tusk, 5 cm long, cut or split longitudinally and with two cross incisions near the root (cat. no. 54-111). Above this floor was a damaged musical rasp made of a human femur (?) with 10 transversal cuts (cat. no. 54-87). Structure Q-208a This (Fig. 19.1) is earlier than Q-208, for the platform on which it stands continues beneath Q-208. The platform of Q-208-sub was not encountered, and therefore presumably did not extend so far to the west. The flat superstructure, which had a maximum height of 40 cm above the platform, was faced with a line of undressed stone, for the most part out of position. Presumably there had been a floor on the summit of the mound, but the minor excavation across the center of the mound failed to reveal evidence of it. Below the surface, the mound consisted of artificial fill. The original purpose of this structure is not easily conceived. The breadth (only 1.74 m) appears to rule out a residential function. The structure might have served as a kitchen or storeroom, or even a beehive shelter (Wauchope 1938:128) for the residents

A Presumed Residence of the Nobility at Mayapán of Str. Q-208. Detached kitchens are commonly used by the present-day Maya but generally stand behind the main hut. As Q-208a had no walls, accumulated debris would not have sufficed to cover a metate and mano, best evidence for a kitchen, but in households of the nobility these might have been of superior workmanship, and therefore likely to be robbed after the fall of Mayapán. No metate was recovered, but as possible evidence in favor of use of this structure as a kitchen, it is worth noting that a small fragmentary mano, 9 cm long and 5 cm greatest diameter (Cat. no. 54-222), was on the surface of the mound. It is of dark gray porous volcanic stone, and shows signs of abrasion on two sides. Metates and manos of volcanic stone are somewhat rare at Mayapán, but an imported mano of this material is to be expected in the kitchens of persons of rank such as the occupants of Str. Q-208 are assumed to have been. Structure Q-209 This lies directly east of Q-208 and was erected subsequently to the present platform on which the latter stands (Fig. 19.1). As a person in Q-209 could have seen clearly into the end room of Q-208, provided no curtain was across the doorway, and could easily have overheard conversations there, it is a fair assumption that the residents of Q-209 were members of the household or group resident in the large house. Q-209 is a simple and unpretentious structure, composed of two rooms, each supplied with two benches. Despite considerable robbing of stone, the plan is not open to serious doubt. The structure was open back and front, the only walls being the medial dividing the two rooms and the end walls of the front room. The end walls in the back room and the corresponding edges of the benches no longer exist; the stones supposedly forming them may have been robbed to make colonial walls. The benches are 32 cm high, and the medial wall rises only 22 cm above them. From the very small amount of surface debris it is clear that the stone walls could not have stood more than 30–40 cm higher, and that the roof was of perishable materials, presumably thatch. If this is correctly identified as a residence, obviously it was the house of persons of less social consequence than the owners of Q208. Nothing which might have thrown light on this problem was found. Two broken limestone metates had been incorporated in the foundations of the platform, but no evidence of the preparation of food in the rooms or on the platform was found. The rarity of fragments of incense burners or ritualistic pottery

may be suggestive. Perhaps dependents, such as we have supposed to have occupied this residence, did not engage in private cults. Masonry in Q-209 was of poor quality. Facings of the platform and of the benches were of undressed stones set on end. Wall stones were also undressed. Structure Q-207 This (Fig. 19.1) was examined because of its position on the top of a hillock immediately behind and overlooking Q-208, to see if any relationship could be established between it and the latter structure. No evidence of any such relationship was forthcoming. On the contrary, sherds associated with the two structures suggest that Q-207 may have been abandoned before Q-208 was occupied. Unfortunately, complete evidence of this is not available. The position of Q-207 facing east also argues against a relationship with Q-208. The small amount of debris (there were only 10 cm of debris on the bench in the shrine room) makes it certain that Str. Q-207 had a roof of perishable materials. As can be seen in the section (Fig. 19.1), parts of the structure rested almost directly on bedrock. Masonry was similar to that of Str. Q-209, and, as in the case of the latter structure, stone had been robbed presumably to build other walls. The position of the structure on the hillock and the quite elaborate stairway leading to it are indicative of the importance attached to this building. The shrine room, projecting at the rear, alone supplied evidence of structural alteration. The bench in it had undergone two changes. It had originally occupied the northwest end of the room, leaving a gap 73 cm long at the south end. Later, this gap was filled so that the bench extended across the back of the room for its whole length. At some time the small projection against the north wall was built. The shrine room supplied no evidence, such as quantities of censer fragments, of having served a religious purpose. However, as the structure may have been abandoned before the fall of Mayapán, religious vessels might have been removed when the building was deserted. Conceivably the structure fell in to disuse before the great upsurge in manufacture of effigy censers. Summary and Deductions Str. Q-208, a five-room building of stone with a flat beam-and-mortar roof, almost surely was the residence of a family of consequence, whose private devotions were centered on the diving god. It is probable that Strs. Q-209 and Q-208a functioned as

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J. Eric S. Thompson elements in the household of the occupants of Q208. The former may have housed dependents of the main house, possibly servants or even married children; the latter was not a residence but may have served as a kitchen or, less probably, as a storeroom or beehive shelter. Str. Q-207 probably was quite independent of the complex and may, indeed, have been abandoned before Q-208 was built. Str. Q-208 was destroyed by fire. It is likely that the destruction was deliberate and occurred at the fall of Mayapán. The house was looted before it was burned as an ash-and-mortar-filled hole in the bench of the shrine room bears witness. However, the looters did not bother to remove the effigy vessels of the diving god or the stone sculpture. Objects found on the floor of the excavated area (more than half of the structure) imperishables in use when the building was destroyed. It is surprising how few these are. Neither metate nor mano, nor water jar, nor even obsidian blades were found. All of these might have been in the unexcavated part of the building, but it

is probable that food was stored and prepared elsewhere (in Str. Q-208a?). A water jar might have been expected, but may have been kept in a cooler spot outside the building. Obsidian blades are portable and might have been taken by looters. The polished celts may have been partly out of sight on a shelf; had they been in view they would, I think, have been stolen. The absence of rougher tools may be due to the rank of the residents. Food receptacles may have been of gourd (as they still are to a large extent in many present-day Maya homes). The mass of fragments of effigy censers representing the god of flaying, Xipe Totec, above the burials of children beneath the floor of the lower structure supplies the first full evidence of the cult of that deity in Yucatán. The fact that more Puuc-type stone and even decorative elements were re-used in Str. Q-208 than in structures which were clearly for religious use is surely indicative of the rise of secular life at the expense of organized religion.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 20 December 1954

The Temple of Kukulcan at Mayapán Edwin M. Shook

15 m high with a balustraded stairway on each of its four sides (Fig 3a–c). A low mound on the pyramid summit showed traces of walls, doorways, and columns which suggested a nonvaulted temple similar in plan to the Castillo in Chichén Itzá. Also, a fallen section at the southeast corner of the pyramid exposed the buried terraces of an older pyramid, Str. Q-162a. Investigations during the 1954 field season were conducted by Pollock and Shook (1954:271–273, 277, 278). The former concentrated on establishing the relationship between the Castillo and several colonnaded halls and minor units abutting or overlying the lower terraces of the pyramid. Shook excavated the Castillo temple, the base of the north stairway, and cut a wide trench from the latter point northward to the south stairway of Str. Q-77, a ceremonial platform previously studied and reported by Adams (1953:155–158). The trench disclosed a succession of 13 plaza or court floors between bedrock and the

Even a casual inspection of the ruins of Mayapán would enable one to state that the temple of Kukulcan (Str. Q-162), popularly known as the Castillo, was the most important architectural unit of the site. Situated on the northwest edge of Cenote Ch’en Mul, it occupies the central position in a tight assemblage of lesser temples, shrines, colonnaded halls, and buildings of diverse types. The terraced pyramid and the temple on its summit tower above the surrounding structures, and the flatness of the land for leagues in all directions tends to magnify the Castillo’s height. In ancient times the white stuccoed temple and pyramid must have gleamed like a beacon above the forested land for the Maya approaching or leaving their walled city. The general architectural features of the Castillo were apparent without excavation despite the destruction wrought by centuries of exposure to the elements and by man. The visible terraces and stair walls indicated a terraced pyramid approximately

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20.1. Castillo or Temple of Kukulcan (Str. Q-162) and at Chichén Itzá. a,b. Elevation and plan of Str. Q-162, partly restored. The plan does not include the numerous later additions around the pyramid base. c. Plan and elevation, partly restored, of masonry altar at base of north stairway, Str. Q-162; also see Figs. 20.2a,11; 3i. d. Plan of Castillo temple, Chichén Itzá.

surface (Fig. 20.2a); their construction and use, we believe, spanned the whole period of the sites major occupation. The following description, based principally on this floor stratigraphy, will deal with the evidence in chronological order rather than as recovered by excavation. At the inception of building activities, presumably soon after the area around Cenote Ch’en Mul had been chosen for the location of the religious and civic center of Mayapán, the city planners

encountered the usual rough terrain of this region. Typically, low hillocks of limestone outcrops are closely spaced. The hillocks are almost bare of soil, but the shallow depressions between have soil varying in depth. Normally, a thin mantle of dark brown earth overlies a red soil, known locally as kancab, which occurs commonly in depressions and pockets in contact with native limestone. A profile of the bedrock taken through the plaza north of the Castillo and on the axis of that structure discloses a hillock at the north edge, a depression under the plaza and Str. Q-77, and a slow rise to the south, evidently to another hillock beneath the Castillo (Fig. 20.2a). The thin layer of topsoil overlying bedrock (Fig. 20.2a,1) and sealed by the earliest constructions contained potsherds stone artifacts, animal and bird bones, charcoal, and ashes from human occupation before the beginning of building in the Mayapán period. Among the sherds were a few pre‑Classic and Early Classic pottery types. Somewhat more frequent (4.2 percent) were Puuc ceramic types, including Medium Paste Slate. The sherds of these early types bore the effects of weathering to a greater degree than did the remaining pottery fragments (about 94 percent), which pertain to Mayapán period types. The evidence may be interpreted as indicating a light occupation in the area, probably not continuous, during pre‑Classic and Late Classic times. A larger population in the Late Classic period is shown by the Medium Paste Slate and other Puuc types. This is substantiated by the presence in Mayapán of many finely cut and dressed stones from Puuc‑style buildings. These stones were frequently re‑used by the Mayapán people in their structures. That a city of Puuc type formerly existed in the immediate environs is clearly evident from the quantity of plain dressed and carved stones and the amount of Puuc ceramic types distributed through the area enclosed by the Mayapán city wall. Most of the material remains recovered from the soil (Fig. 20.2a,1) cannot be distinguished typologically from those found above Floors 1 and 2. Approximately 94 percent of all the sherds in the soil layer were of Mayapán period types, most of which continued in use with minor changes until the abandonment of the site. The types already in

The Temple of Kukulcan at Mayapán

20.2. Sections of Mayapán Castillo. a. Detailed north‑south section from Str. Q-77 to south edge of pyramid summit, Strs. Q-162 and -162a. 1. Pre‑building surface brown soil with underlying pockets of red earth (kancab). 2. Child, 4–6 years, burial in shallow grave. 3. Cache of pottery censer, Noneffigy type, with ashes from burned copal incense. 4. Fragment of limestone metate in rough stone backing for stairway. 5. Platform of enormous stones at base of primary pyramid, Str. Q-162a. 6. Deposit of ashes, charcoal, animal and bird bones; pottery and stone artifacts. 7. Cache of two pottery vessels (Fig. 20.5k,l), one inverted over the other, the lower containing small amount of ashes. 8. Stairway backing of large, rough stones laid without mortar. 9. Circular altar. See Fig. 20.3j,k. 10. Rectangular altar. See Fig. 20.3i. 11. Masonry altar against steps of Castillo. See Fig. 20.1c. 12. Cist containing fragments of sculpture (Fig. 20.5d) and pottery censers of human‑effigy type.13. Extent of ancient cut in sanctuary altar, presumably by looters of altar cache. b. Detail section of floor sequence in north room and terrace of Str. Q-162. All 17 floors are blackened from burning. 1. Layer of hard‑packed ashes and unburned copal around circular shaft. 2. Circular shaft, possibly original location of a broken sculpture similar to one found in cist on north terrace (Fig. 20.2a,12). 3. Circular shaft for stone sculpture (?). c. East‑west section through altars of sanctuary. First con­struction shown in dark, second in light, hachure. Profile of late altar obtained from outline in wall plaster. Irregu­lar patch above altar, where plaster is missing, may indicate that altar supported a seated figure modeled in stucco. Cut in altar made in ancient times before collapse of beam‑and‑mortar roof.

vogue were Mayapán Red, Black-on‑Cream, Fine Orange, Unslipped Noneffigy censers, and lightly striated service wares. Strs. Q-77, -77a, and -162a, connected by Floor 1, were the oldest constructions encountered in the trench (Fig. 20.2a). In the case of the primary Castillo, Str. Q-162a, some uncertainty exists because our excavations failed to reach the stairway. Nevertheless, it appears that this early temple of Kukulcan was the central feature around which the main ceremonial

group had been planned from the beginning. We exposed an east‑west retaining wall of enormous boulders (Fig. 20.2a,5), which seemingly formed the edge of a basal platform in front of the early Castillo stairway. Str. Q-162a, being a major undertaking, probably required more time to construct than Strs. Q-77 and -77a, which may have functioned as completed units during the building operations. If our interpretation is correct, the laying of Floor 3 (Fig. 20.2a)

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Edwin M. Shook marked the completion of the primary Castillo. This floor effectively sealed the partially razed Str. Q-77a and a rich deposit around it. The gross contents of culture materials, Lot C-64, found between Floor 3 and bedrock are listed. Though not included in this report, a finer stratigraphic division of Lot C-64 has been recorded for purpose of ceramic ordering of the Mayapán period. Str. Q-77 for a full description of this unit, see Adams 1953:155–158), an almost square platform 2 m high, was built directly on a level surface of bedrock and soil. Prior to its construction the body of a child (4–6 years old) had been placed without furniture in a shallow grave cut into the brown earth (Fig. 20.2a,2). The body lay in a flexed position with head to the north. Directly over the grave had been heaped the dry rock fill of the platform, retained by vertical walls of fairly large uncut blocks laid without mortar. In the upper portion of the fill, placed on the north‑south axis, a pottery cache had been inserted (Fig. 20.2a,3). The cache consisted of a Noneffigy‑Type censer containing ashes of burned copal incense. The square platform was completed to its full height before the placement of a wide balustraded stairway on each of its four sides. The investigation of the south one in 1954 disclosed that a sloping buttress of stones first had been erected against the platform wall, then the stairway was added. Among the tilted slabs forming the buttress was half of a limestone metate (Fig. 20.2a,4). The stairway risers were faced with well‑cut and dressed Puuc‑type wall stones, re‑used in Str. Q-77 (Fig. 20.4a,b). Similarly treated but larger stones faced the balustrades. Finally, the exterior of the structure received a heavy coat of lime plaster. Floor 1 joined the base of Str. Q-77 and extended southward around Q-77a, probably to the basal platform of the primary Castillo (Fig. 20.2a). Our excavations exposed only the west base of Str. Q-77a Figs. 20.3l; 20.4c). Its eastern half extended beyond the limits of our trench, and the upper part of the unit work had been destroyed in ancient times for the laying of Floor 3. The structure was incredibly crude, even for Mayapán builders. It appeared to be a platform with vertical walls and a balustraded stairway on the west side. Large untrimmed stones, utilized evidently as taken from the quarry, formed the plat­form walls. A single Puuc‑type wall stone was found re‑used in the stairway balustrade. The shoddiness of the masonry had been partially disguised by a surface coat of plaster. This structure apparently served an important function in the early stage of the Mayapán period. There were ashes and broken non­-effigy censers heaped against the south

wall, clearly indicating prolonged ceremonial activity which involved the burning of copal incense. Also, on Floors 1 and 2, extending from the base of Str. Q-77a, were quantities of bones from small animals and birds, and a few human bones. The bones lay mingled with broken pottery; sculpture (Fig. 20.5j); artifacts and ornaments of stone, shell, and bone; ashes and charcoal. This deposit, (Fig. 20.2a,6) around Str. Q-77a, and the latter’s central position on the north‑south axis of Str. Q-77 and the primary Castillo suggests that the structure served a religious or ceremonial purpose rather than a domestic one. Later, the unit was partly razed and the remainder buried by Floor 3 (Fig. 20.2a) which at the same time covered the basal platform of Str. Q‑T2a (Fig. 20.2a,5) and the lowest step of Q-77. Just prior to the laying of Floor 3, an offering or cache had been placed at the foot of Str. Q-77 (Figs. 20.2a,7; 20.5k,1). It consisted of a cream‑colored bowl, set upright, containing ashes and covered by an inverted tripod “grater” bowl. As previously stated, the presence of an inner Castillo was discovered where a section of outer pyramid had fallen at the southeast corner. Here were exposed the corners of five terraces of the earlier unit. The data obtained on the pyramid and terrace heights, degree of batter, and section of masonry have been transposed to the north‑south section (Fig. 20.2a) for purpose of illustration. The same relationship of the two pyramids has been maintained as it was at the southeast corner. An unsuccessful attempt was made to uncover part of the early Castillo temple by digging a pit through the dry rock fill beneath the later temple (Fig. 20.2a,13). The probing reached nearly 2 m below the topmost floor when the danger of a cave‑in became too great to continue. The early Castillo terrace walls are constructed of roughly trimmed blocks and slabs bedded in mortar of lime and gravel. The stones are laid in irregular courses and leveled with spalls. Terrace corners are built of slightly larger and more carefully worked blocks set one upon the other and rounded on the outer faces. The rounding of terrace corners is not an uncommon practice in Mayapán period architecture. Terraces bear a heavy cap of lime concrete and the walls a smooth coat of white plaster without trace of painted or stucco decoration. The information obtained on the primary pyramid suggests that it differed only in size from the final one. It may well have supported a temple similar in plan and style to the later building (Fig. 20.1b). Plaza Floors 4 and 5 (Fig. 20.2a) represent further renovations around the early Castillo and are evidence that the unit functioned for some length

The Temple of Kukulcan at Mayapán of time. Eventually, a major rebuilding took place, during which the old temple presumably was torn down and its pyramid completely buried by a new one, Str. Q-162. This undertaking was a notable effort. The construction of the Castillo pyramid with four great stairways, each of approximately 60 steps and with massive balustrades, required a considerable amount of labor. A new temple also was erected on the enlarged substructure, and at the base the plaza level was again raised with the laying of Floor 6 (Fig. 20.2a). The new pyramid rose in nine terraces like the Castillo at Chichén Itzá. Terrace walls were plain and sloped like those of the buried unit, and constructed of typical Mayapán block-and‑slab masonry (Figs. 20.2a; 20.3a–d). A detailed comparison between the masonry of the two pyramids revealed more irregularity in coursing and a tendency towards thinner stones in the walls of the outer unit. Each of the four stairways of Str. Q-162 bore wide flanking balustrades faced with re‑used Puuc stones (Fig. 20.3g–j). The north stairway had a plastered masonry block at the foot of the balustrade (Fig. 20.3g) similar to ones uncovered at the base of each doorway column of the temple (Fig. 20.4e,f). In neither instance were stone serpent heads found but a bifurcated serpent tongue had been modeled in plaster on the terrace floor in front of each block attached to the temple columns. We therefore feel quite certain that serpent heads modeled in stucco over a rubble core originally stood at the bases of the doorway columns and the balustrades of the north stairway. Some of the construction methods used in the pyramid stairways came to light in our excavation of the north stairway and in sections of the east and south ones exposed by the destructive action of tree roots. The south stairway had been erected as a unit with the pyramid terraces, whereas on the east side the terraces had been built and plastered before the stairway was added. It could not be ascertained by surface inspection which technique had been employed on the west and north stairways. The latter, from our excavations, did show that the builders first erected a sloped backing of dry rock (Fig. 20.2a,8) over which the steps were laid. Each riser was set and the space behind it filled and leveled with stones bedded in lime mortar. The next step was then built in the same manner, before another was started. The vertical side walls of the Castillo stairs carry stone pegs irregularly spaced and projecting about 20 cm. Their purpose is uncertain but one possibility is suggested by the stone pegs in building walls at Tulum where they often support modeled stucco figures. It seems more probable, how­ever, that here

the pegs were used for suspending or anchoring temporary scaffolding needed by the artisans while plastering, painting, or refurbishing the sheer surfaces of the stair walls. The Castillo temple is set towards the rear of the pyramid summit, leaving a narrow terrace on three sides and a wide one on the north before the main entrance (Fig. 20.1d). Here a triple doorway with serpent columns leads to a chamber extending the full width of the temple. This north room appears to have served as an antechamber for an almost square inner one. The latter, apparently the temple sanctuary, is accessible only by a single doorway from the north room. Around three sides of the sanctuary runs a narrow continuous gallery with three doorways in the exterior wall, each facing a cardinal point and a stairway of the pyramid. This specialized temple plan (Fig. 20.1b) is virtually the same, except in size, as that of the Castillo at Chichén Itzá (Fig. 20.1d). The Chichén temple, being larger and vaulted, has stone columns supporting the masonry vaults in the sanctuary. Such supports are lacking in the Mayapán unit probably because none were required with a flat beam‑and‑mortar roof. In plan, elevation, and perhaps in function the two Castillos, or temples of Kukulcan, are remarkably similar. Differences between the two structures, however, are evident. The older unit, erected during the apogee of Toltec influence in Chichén Itzá, stood impressively isolated from other buildings on a great terrace. The temple and the pyramid terrace walls are faced with finely cut stone set in excellent lime mortar, the terrace walls decorated with recessed panels and the upper zone of the temple with carved friezes. The principal doorway has carved lintels, jambs, and columns, the last realistically depicting the feathered serpent. Also, at the foot of the main stairway huge sculptured snake heads terminate the balustrades. At Mayapán, both the primary Castillo, Str. Q162a, and the outer one, Q-162, postdate the Chichén example by a considerable margin. Neither of these Mayapán temples ever had the grandeur of isolation from lesser buildings, and the surrounding assemblage became progressively more crowded (Fig. 20.3a–h) with later additions of colonnaded halls, shrines, and numerous minor constructions abutting or overlapping the pyramid base. The masonry of the temple and pyramid shows deterioration in technique from that employed on the Chichén Castillo. The pyramid masonry has been described, that of the temple is of rough block‑and‑slab type interspersed with re‑used Puuc‑type stones. Here, also, the mortar of lime mixed with dirt and gravel is considerably inferior in quality to that at Chichén.

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The Temple of Kukulcan at Mayapán 20.3. Str. Q-162. a–c. Views of Castillo from northeast, north, and west. d. Looking north to shrine built secondarily against lowest terrace wall of pyramid at southwest corner. e. View of shrine, showing remains of jaguar figure in doorway at top of stairs. f. Jaguar modeled in stucco over core of large stones and lime mortar. Animal seated, facing south through shrine doorway. g. North stairway of Castillo, showing base of west balustrade and masonry block which evidently supported a serpent head modeled of stucco and rubble. h. North balustrade of west stairway at left with many succes­sive lime floors joining it, and at right the later constructed colonnaded hall, Str. Q-163, which left only a narrow passage between the units. i. Rectangular masonry altars at base of north stairway. Both are associated with late plaza floors (Fig. 20.2a,10,11). Altar against steps is shown in restored plan and elevation in Fig. 1c. j. Looking south along trench between Strs. Q-77 and Q-162, after removal of upper five floors and the uncovering of round masonry altar (Fig. 20.2a,9) and base of pyramid stair­ way. k. Cache below circular masonry altar, containing jar (Fig. 20.5n), animal tooth, and fragments of burned shell, coral, and other marine objects. 1. Looking southwest to remains of Str. Q-77a, footed on bedrock and covered by Floor 3 (Fig. 20.2a).

The excavation of the temple of Str. Q-162 (figs. 1b; 2a,b; 4d–f) disclosed that the original unit had undergone numerous refurbishings. Seventeen superimposed floors were traced from the front terrace through the north chamber. The exterior and interior walls and the doorway columns also bore many layers of white plaster, each surface with a different painted design. Colors noted included red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and black. The floors had no trace of paint but each had been grayed and blackened from burning. The heaviest concentration of burning was on the north‑south axis of the building from the front terrace to the altar of the sanctuary. Between the doorway columns Floor 2 (Fig. 20.2b,1) was covered with a hard‑packed layer of burned and unburned copal. A heap of ashes, copal, and fragments of human‑effigy‑type censers lay on Floor 4, around a small circular shaft (Fig. 20.2b,2). Many of the later floors turned up and ended at a similar shaft (Fig. 20.2b,3). These holes probably marked the position of miniature sculptured stone idols. One such idol, a puffed‑cheek human figure, had been broken in ancient times and its fragments placed in a cist, covered by later floors, on the front terrace (Figs. 20.2a,12; 20.5d). Other pieces of broken sculpture lay in the surface debris at the base of the north stairway. The temple sanctuary in its primary stage had a rectangular masonry altar against the rear wall centered opposite the entrance. A later renovation added a thin floor and a larger altar which buried the earlier one (Fig. 20.2a,c). The new altar carried a rectangular band molding around tie top and may have supported a seated figure modeled in stucco. Both altars had been destroyed by a pit dug through them to a depth of 50 cm below floor level. The rubble from the excavation was then tossed back into the pit. Over the pile of rubble and top floors of the temple lay a continuous 2–10 cm layer of dark earthy material suggesting dust, dirt, and leaf mold. This deposit accumulated after abandonment of the temple and before the roof timbers rotted and col-

lapsed. We recovered the size and form of the two altars from their outlines left on the floor and wall plaster. The evidence here clearly indicates another case of vandalism in Mayapán, probably at the time of destruction and abandonment of the city. The looters obviously were in search of offerings buried beneath the altars. Some haste in their search was evident from the breakage of pottery objects and articles overlooked in the rubble back‑fill. We found obsidian flake blades, flint blades and chips, shell beads, tinklers and ornaments, unweathered fragments of painted pottery figures and vessels. There were animal and human effigies, some of the latter from censers, and many restorable, miniature tripod bowls. These, of Mayapán Red and Red‑on‑Cream, showed burning on the bowl interior as if lumps or balls of copal had been burned in them. With all evidence pointing to a hasty job of looting, it is puzzling why the diggers bothered to refill the pit. The floor of the temple’s north room, in its initial stages, was elevated a few centimeters above the level of the front terrace and the sanctuary (Fig. 20.2ab). Later floors eliminated the slight but abrupt change in elevation at the front but not the step down into the sanctuary. One of the final renovations witnessed the building of a low rectangular platform in the center of the north chamber (Figs, 1b; 2b). The purpose of the platform may have been to accentuate the centrally placed sculptured idol which, we believe, originally stood in the circular shaft penetrating the temple floors (Fig. 20.2b,3). Marks of heavy burning were concentrated around the shaft. Perhaps here certain rituals involving the burning of incense took place before one entered the more sacred inner chamber. Search was made on the north‑south axis of the Castillo for a deep burial shaft of the type found in Strs. Q-58, Q-95 (Shook 1954a), and several shrines. None was found in Str. Q-162, and our excavations did not reach sufficient depth to test the primary unit, Str. Q-162a.

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Edwin M. Shook 20.4. Strs. Q-77 and Q-162. a. Looking north along trench, cleared to bedrock, to south stairway of Str. Q-77. b. Junction of 13 successive plaza floors with east stairway of Str. Q-77. c. Looking northeast along trench between Strs. Q-162 and Q-77, partly razed Str. Q-77a with balustraded stairway is in foreground and Q-77 in background. Note irregularity of bedrock, and various plaza floors along east edge of trench. d. Castillo temple, looking north through doorway of sanctuary to stumps of plastered columns of north doorway. Hole at center (Fig. 20.2b,3) may have held stone sculpture comparable to one illustrated in Fig. 20.5d. e. East serpent column of north doorway, showing bifurcated tongue modeled in plaster on terrace floor. f. Castillo temple looking southeast, showing remains of two serpent columns of north doorway. At right workman stands against east wall of sanctuary.

The exterior walls of the temple have a sloping basal zone (Fig. 20.1a,b) at least 90 cm high. However, nowhere was it preserved to its original height. The basal batter and all doorway jambs were built of re‑used Puuc‑type stones. Present temple walls of rough block‑and‑slab masonry range up to 1.4 m high, and the shallowness and type of debris within the rooms provide evidence for a flat roof constructed of timbers capped with a thick layer of lime concrete. We found the temple floors covered with a thin mantle of earthy material, as already described, then a 40–50 cm layer of lime, gravel, and scattered stone slabs, which we consider debris of a beam‑and‑mortar roof. Above this thick layer to the surface, the debris consisted principally of rough stones, with some lime mortar and plaster, from the collapsed upper walls of the building. There was a marked lack of debris on the west and north sides of the temple. This condition and the finding of column drums and carved serpent tails (Fig. 20.5c) in the debris along the north base of the pyramid suggest willful destruction of the temple. The two columns of the north doorway are typical of Mayapán period columns. They are built of roughly trimmed stone drums stacked one upon another and the surface finished smoothly with a thick coat of plaster. In front of each column, a low rectangular masonry platform or pedestal extended.1.2 m northward. Beyond this platform and separated from it by 10 cm, another very narrow one projected 60 cm more and terminated with a bifurcated serpent tongue modeled in plaster on the terrace floor (Figs. 20.1b; 20.4,e,f). The upper portion of each platform was missing but it is fairly certain that the larger supported serpent heads or grotesque figures with serpent figures wrought in stucco over a rubble core, and the narrow platform represented the extended tongue. Further evidence that the temple had serpent columns were stone rattle tails (Fig. 20.5c) such as those which normally rest on top of each column, as shown in the restored elevation (Fig. 20.1a). A long succession of building activities followed the construction of the outer Castillo. These additions were represented in the north‑south trench

by the seven upper plaza floors (Fig. 20.2a) and on the four sides of the pyramid by similar floors, colonnaded halls (Fig. 20.3h; Pollock 1954:277, 278), single‑room units, and a shrine. None of these later structures which abut or overlap the lower terraces of the pyramid has been shown on the plan (Fig. 20.1b). The shrine built against the pyramid wall at the southwest corner consisted of a tiny room with the remains of a seated jaguar facing outward through the doorway. The figure had been realistically modeled in stucco around a core of large stones and lime mortar (Fig. 20.3d–f). The north‑south trench excavations disclosed that after Str. Q-162 the first renovation had been a new plaza floor, Floor 7, and a round masonry altar (Figs. 20.2a,9; 20.3j), This plain altar was erected over a cist cut through the earlier floors (Fig. 20.3k) and containing a Mayapán Red jar (Fig. 20.5n), an animal tooth, burned shell, coral and other marine objects. The next floor, Floor 8, turned up to the circular altar while the 9th and 10th floors covered it. Each of these and the later plaza floors probably were associated with architectural changes around the base of the Castillo or elsewhere in the north plaza. The 11th floor was built at the same time as another masonry altar, this one square instead of round (Figs. 20.2a,9; 20.3j), The square altar continued in use during the final stages, Floors 12 and 13, and being in an exposed location, nothing remained of its top surface. It could not be determined if the damage had been caused by weathering or by pillaging at the time Mayapán was abandoned. Floor 12 marked the addition of a third altar, this time against the lower steps of the Castillo (Figs. 20.1c; 20.2a,10; 20.3i). The altar differed from the earlier round and square ones in having a plinth, spaced niches in the wall, and a rectangular cornice molding. A restored plan and elevation are shown in figure 20.1c. The final building activity recorded in the north‑south trench was Floor 13. The upper four floors, 10–13, were found badly disrupted from tree roots except where protected by building debris near Strs. Q-77 and Q-162. On the surface, lying along the east and south edges of the square altar (Fig. 20.2a,10) were two large stones, one a tapered

The Temple of Kukulcan at Mayapán 20.5. Material Recovered from Excavations. a. Plain, tapered, sacrificial altar from surface debris at base of north stairway, Str. Q-162, ht. 72 cm. b. Carved column altar from surface debris at base of north stairway, Str. Q-162. Ht. 75 cm, diam. 40 cm. c. Stone sculpture representing tail rattle of serpent, in surface debris at north base of pyramid. Probably from one of the serpent columns of Castillo temple. d. Front and profile of small statue (Cat. no. 54-27) broken in ancient times and deposited in cist (Fig. 20.2a,12) on terrace in front of Castillo temple. Ht. 20 cm. e–g. Chipped flint artifacts; eccentric (Cat no. 54-31; Lot C-65, from debris in sanctuary altar), blade (Cat. no. 54-22) and arrowhead (Cat. no. 54-25; Lot C-64). Blade length 6 cm. h. Tinkler shell (Cat. no. 53-162), carved to represent human skull, from surface debris near base of pyramid. Ht. 5.1 cm. i. Human tooth (Cat. no. 54-36; Lot C-62) perforated for sus­pension. j. Human head from miniature statue (Cat. no. 54-21; Lot C-64). Ht. 10 cm. k,l. Cache vessels (Lot C-64) found at base of south stairway, Str. Q-77 (Fig. 2a,7); k, allover cream slip, low polish, diam. 19.8 cm. Bowl lacks any evidence of black paint decoration but in other respects is same as Black‑on‑Cream, a type common at beginning of Mayapán period. l. Mayapán Red Ware tripod “grater” bowl. Feet hollow, cylindrical, round bottom, each with clay pellet rattle and single circular vent. Diam. 20.3 cm. m. Miniature jar (Lot C-64), Mayapán Red Ware, with neck and two opposite horizontal strap handles cut off in ancient times. Max. diam. 7.2 cm. n. Mayapán Red Ware jar (Lot C-63) from cache below circular burned shell, coral and other marine objects. Ht. 14 cm.

sacrificial block and the other a carved column altar (Fig. 20.5a,b). Either or both originally may have stood on the masonry altars at the stairway base, or they may have fallen or been thrown down from the Castillo temple. Both stones represent types fairly common in Mayapán. Material Recorded Lots C-61 through C-64 came from the 3–4 cm wide stratigraphic trench between Strs. Q-77 and Q-162 (Figs. 20.2a; 20.3i–1; 20.4a,c). The material bears lot numbers in the order of excavation from surface to bedrock, the reverse of the stratigraphic order. However, plaza floors are numbered in chronological order, Floor 1 being the most ancient, Floor 13 the last one built. Lot C-61: mostly from surface debris in area of trench, and a minor amount from fill between Floors 13 and 19: 100-plus fragments of modeled and painted stucco bearing colors in red, orange‑brown, yellow, green, blue, and black; stalactites from modeled stucco figures; fragments of 2 small sculptures; 4 obsidian flake‑blades; 3 flint chips; 1 unworked and 1 carved tinkler shell (Fig. 20.5h); sherds. Total sherds: 982: 0.2 percent Puuc period; 99.8 Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 12.2; Non­ effigy‑Type censers 6.2; Human‑Effigy‑Type censers, 68.4; Mayapán Red, 11.7; Red‑on‑Cream, 0.2; Fine Orange, 0.1; Black‑on‑Cream, 1.0). Lot C-62: sealed fill between Floors 9 and 8: 2 fragments of modeled stucco; 23 human, animal, and bird bones; 1 perfor­ated human tooth (Fig. 20.5i); 1 obsidian core and 1 flake blade; ache of miniature tripod cup containing 2 shell beads; 1 un­worked univalve shell; sherds. Total sherds: 413: 14 percent Puuc period, 82.8 Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 34.4; Non­effigy‑

Type censers, 2.9; Human‑Effigy‑Type censers, 3.8; Mayapán Red, 39.0; Black‑on‑Cream, 2.7). Lot C-63: sealed fill between Floors 8 and 4: 3 fragments of human bone; 5 obsidian flake‑blades; 1 flint chip; cache of Mayapán Red jar (Figs. 20.3k; 20.5n) containing animal tooth, burned shells, coral and other marine objects; sherds. Total sherds: 313: 3.5 percent Puuc period; 96.5 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 26.2; Non-effigy-Type censers, 2.3; Human‑Effigy‑type censers, 0.9; Mayapán Red, 60.4; Fine Orange 0.3; Black-on‑Cream, 6.4). Lot C-64: sealed fill between Floor 3 and bedrock: large quantity of bones from small animals and birds, and a few human bones; charcoal; ashes; fragments of a miniature sculpture (Fig. 20.5j); 2 obsidian flake‑blades; 4 flint chips, 1 point, 1 blade (Fig. 20.5f) and 1 arrowhead (Fig. 20.5g); 1 hammerstone; 3 unworked shells; 1 bone awl; cache of 2 bowls (Figs. 20.2a,7; 20.5k,1) and ashes; sherds. Total sherds: 5,510: 5.9 percent Puuc and earlier periods, 94.1 Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 26.8; Noneffigy‑Type censers, 10.0; Mayapán Red, 40.4; Fine Orange, 0.3; Black‑on‑Cream, 16.6). Lot C-65: from surface and general excavation of Castillo temple: fragments of plaster bearing designs painted in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and black; 6 bird bones; charcoal; ashes; copal; 6 fragments of a miniature sculpture (see Fig. 20.5d); 13 obsidian flake‑blades; 4 flint blades, 1 eccentric (Fig. 20.5e) and 8 chips; 1 limestone manor 13 univalve shell tinklers; 3 discoidal beads, 5 ornaments, 2 unworked shells; sherds. Total sherds: 1,907: 100 Mayapán period (Un­slipped vessels, 1.8; Noneffigy‑Type censers, 1.2; Human‑­Effigy‑Type censers, 63.5; Mayapán Red, 31.5; Red‑on‑Cream, 2.0).

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 21 January 1955

Excavations in Three Ceremonial Structures at Mayapán Philip E. Smith

might give some idea of the degree of diversity which might be permitted in so crowded an area.

During the 1953 field season a program of intensive excavation was begun in selected ceremonial structures in the Main Group at Mayapán. This area clearly had been the ritual heart of the city, and it was considered that careful digging in certain types of structures, followed by analysis of the results and comparison with other types, might throw light not only on the function of the structures but also on the activities carried on in the ceremonial center and perhaps on the stages of growth of the center. This plan was continued in the 1954 field season. Among the structures chosen for attention were three within a stone’s throw of the Castillo, the largest structure in Mayapán (Jones 1952, map, Square Q). All three have small single-room buildings. Two of them are designated, whether correctly or not, as “shrines.” The term “temple” seems to be more appropriate for the largest, Str. Q-153. Since the three structures are close to each other, it was felt that in addition to increasing our knowledge of the building types they

Str. Q-153 and Adjacent Constructions (247 S, 258 W) The first to be investigated was Str. Q-153, sometimes referred to as the Cenote Temple, which is situated on the edge of the ceremonial center’s principal cenote (Fig. 21.2a). This sink, Chen Mul (“well-mound”), is jug-shaped under the surface and has a jaggedly circular mouth about 10 m in diameter; its proximity to the Castillo and the large round temple, Str. Q-152, indicates its significant ritual position and emphasizes the importance of excavations in any structure connected with it. A low platform on the east side of the cenote and connected with the temple was also included in the investigation. The main question raised by Str. Q-153 was whether or not there had been a cenote cult in

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Philip E. Smith Mayapán as at Chichén Itzá. There is some documentary evidence in favor of the existence of such a cult. The Spanish missionary Fray Alonso Ponce, who visited Mayapán in 1588, less than 50 years after the final conquest of Yucatán and about a century and a half after the traditional date of the city’s abandonment, reported that, “Near the foot of this same mound [the Castillo] there is a very deep zonote with a very smooth stone on the edge of its mouth, from which (it is said) they used to throw those whom they sacrificed to their gods” (Noyes 1932: 355). The reliability of this report is open to question. The context does not indicate if the missionary himself inspected the cenote. Also, one wonders whether the account of the sacrificial rite was delivered to him by the natives of the district or if he attributed it to this cenote because of knowledge of a similar practice formerly popular at Chichén Itzá. As Bishop Landa’s writings show, the clergy at this time were well aware of this traditional mode of sacrifice and of its continuation even after the conquest (Tozzer 1941). Nor does the missionary say whether the victims were cast into the cenote living or dead; at Chichén Itzá, the victims were thrown alive into a water-filled cenote, but the absence of water in Chen Mul, except for small hidden pools, might suggest that only corpses were thrown in and that the more sanguinary part of the rite took place in or near the adjoining temple. In the 1953 season some trenching inside the cenote (R. E. Smith 1953) disclosed water holes some distance from the mouth; the pottery showed that these holes had been used in the Classic as well as in the later Mayapán period. Animal and human bones, including carved and ornamental ones, were recovered at that time but nothing indicated that corpses had been systematically disposed of here. There remains of course the possibility that any bodies thrown in were later brought out for disposal elsewhere. There is no “very smooth stone” to be seen near the mouth of the cenote at the present time, nor was anything recognizable as such observed in last season’s excavations inside. The temple, Str. Q-153, was built on the south side of Chen Mul less than a meter from the present

21.1. a. Str. Q-153, section. b. Strs. Q-153 and Q-153a, plan. c. Strs. Q-149 and Q-147, plan. d. Strs. Q-149 and Q-147, section. e. Str. Q-148, section. f. Str. Q-148, plan.

rim, and part of the debris from the collapsing walls has fallen into the cenote. Its plan is approximately about 8 m square (Fig. 21.1b). The structure faces east, away from the Castillo, where there was a balustraded stairway of which only the lower courses remain in place. The platform walls were standing to an average height of about 2 m, and near the top a molding or cornice 25 cm high ran around the sides and rear. Below this molding the walls did not drop vertically but were steeply battered (Fig. 21.1b). The temple building occupied the rear half of the platform; the open,

Excavations in Three Ceremonial Structures at Mayapán gently sloping front terrace provided an area for ceremonies at the head of the stairway. Across the front of the building was a low plinth, the well-cut stones of which contrast with the rough block-and-slab masonry of the rest of the structure. Just behind this plinth, but not accurately centered on the stairway, are two columns constructed of flat and extremely crudely shaped limestone drums. Some of the drums were still in place; clearing revealed patches of the thick coatings of plaster which had been applied to disguise the shoddy stonework. The building is rectangular with fairly thick masonry walls now standing to a maximum height of 50 cm. The front wall, which stood a few centimeters behind the plinth, ended in door jambs 1.6 m on either side of the columns. Thus a triple-entrance doorway, widest between the columns, led to the interior of the building (Fig. 21.2 b). Although most of the temple room had collapsed, it was surprising in a structure of this size to find so little rubble and debris. In particular there was a noticeable absence of the thick layer of fallen plaster usually found on the floor surface. It may be that the building was roofed by pole-and-thatch instead of the more usual beam-and-mortar construction. No idea could be obtained of the original height of the walls. Fallen flakes of red-painted plaster indicate that they probably were colored. Around the sides and back of the room ran a wide bench, the original height of which was estimated to be about 40 cm. It was best preserved on the north side. Roughly 2.5 m inside the doorway was a low platform, from which rose two stone piers, each about 50 cm high at present and constructed of rough blocks and slabs (Fig. 21.2c). There was no indication of the original height of the piers. Half of an anthropomorphic sculptured limestone turtle was found in the debris at this point, and the other half was recovered farther back near the altar (Fig. 21.3q). The altar was intact, with its plastered surface in fair state of preservation (Fig. 21.2d). It had been built on the bench along the back wall, and was centered on the doorway. Its height was only about 8 cm above the bench surface, the sides being formed by a single course of low stones. A cache was located in the center a few centimeters below the surface. It consisted of two small Red ware tripod bowls, both badly crushed but capable of restoration, laid lip to lip and enclosing a partly burnt ball of copal (Fig. 21.2f). Last season a number of burial cists were located in the substructure that the absence of skeletal remains in the cenote enhanced the possibility that this structure held a similar cist. A pit was therefore excavated beneath the front terrace, taking in the area between

the plinth and the stairway. Nothing of the kind was found although the stone fill forming the core was removed as far as the thin layer of sterile red earth covering the bedrock. So the problem of the disposal of the victims of the supposed cenote cult still remains unsolved. Further excavations and trenching inside the room and under the stairway gave an idea of the building periods of the structure. There were at least two main periods of construction, and renovations took place from time to time. Investigation under the stairway revealed that the terrace wall had been built directly on the thin layer of earth overlying bedrock and that both levels of the plaza floor turned up against the sub-structure walls (Fig. 21.2e). The stairway, however, was laid on the upper floor of the plaza and presumably is a later feature, probably belonging to the second period of construction to be mentioned below. Not enough of the balustrades remained to indicate their design with the section (Fig. 21.1a) shows them with upper vertical elements or blocks to accord with a type common during this period and for this kind of structure. A few centimeters beneath the present surface of the terrace were found the remnants of an earlier flooring which, unlike the later one, extended under the plinth stones. It was laid on the rubble fill and no earlier level was encountered. The floor was followed some distance inside the building until it finally turned up and ended just under the piers. The turn-up leads to the belief that there may have been an earlier altar below the present one. There is the suggestion, then, that the substructural platform of Str. Q-153 once supported some earlier construction of which only the floor (see Fig. 21.1a) remains. The plinth and foundations on which the present building is based were built on this early floor. As noted above, it is probable, but not certain, that the stairway to the platform is a feature of this second period. The piers, too, were added at this time, but originally they stood free in the floor in front of and flanking the altar. Further renovations created a low platform at their bases; later the piers were joined to the front, and later still to the sides, of the interior bench by short walls which were filled in and plastered over to bring them up to the bench level. A view from the doorway in the last period therefore would have shown the altar framed by the two piers, which perhaps rose as high as the roof. A trench, which was followed for several meters along the west wall of the substructure, showed that here too the terrace had been built on the thin soil layer covering bedrock. This excavation indicated that the northwest corner of the temple at the cenote

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Excavations in Three Ceremonial Structures at Mayapán 21.2. a. Strs. Q-153 and Q-153a from northeast during excavation, showing ramp, platform, and cenote. b. Str. Q-153 from east during excavation. c. Str. Q-153, altar and interior piers from east. d. Str. Q-153, altar and pier from north. e. Str. Q-153, excavations under stairway from east. f. Str. Q-153, altar cache in situ. Two Mayapán Red tripod bowls containing copal. g. Str. Q-149, shrine doorway from east. h. Str. Q-149, secondary wall of platform, north side.

rim had been used as a kind of rubbish dump. Besides a great number of bird and animal bones, there were many sherds from both utilitarian ware vessels and effigy-type censers. Parts of one censer could be reassembled (Fig. 21.3r). The most interesting object from this midden was a small turtle of a green jadelike stone. It was unbroken and well polished, with a rather stylized head (Fig. 21.3g). The low platform, Str. Q-153a, on the east side of the cenote extends 9.85 m from the north balustrade of the temple to a ramp which is built against the colonnaded hall, Str. Q-151 (Fig. 21.2,a). Investigation of the platform yielded little indication of its original function, although presumably it had some role in the ceremonies connected with the cenote. Before clearing began, the surface was littered with large stones which might conceivably have been from walls of some sort. In a few places under these stones patches of a plastered surface were still preserved. It was hoped that the construction sequence of the temple and platform could be ascertained. A small amount of excavation revealed that the platform represents two periods of construction. About 3.1 m from the north balustrade of the temple stairway a drain, lined and roofed with rough slabs, was discovered under the platform. It was choked with debris and earth, and no attempt was made to clear it entirely. A large number of sherds and some large lumps of partly burned copal were recovered from the cenote end of the aperture. About 1 m north of the drain a well-faced juncture in the platform was uncovered; it showed that at one time the north section of the platform had stood clear, and that the closing of the gap between it and the temple corner had created the necessity for the drain as an outlet for water accumulating on the plaza floor. A small excavation around the face of the juncture disclosed that the north section of the platform, like the temple, had been built on earth rather than on the plaza flooring. Further clearing at the end adjoining the ramp revealed a set of steps which the later ramp had covered, and the masonry joint here indicated that the steps and the north section of the platform were contemporary. The south section of the platform, which joins the north-east corner of the temple, was more puzzling; the building sequence here is still not entirely understood. At first this part of the platform was

thought to be merely an addition which had been built around the corner of the temple terrace, thereby giving the latter structure a rather unbalanced asymmetrical appearance. An attempt was made to follow the front terrace wall towards the point where the corner was assumed to be, but the wall unexpectedly petered out in the loose rock fill which makes up the area where the platform merges with the temple terrace. The two seemed to have been built, or perhaps rebuilt, at the same time. One possible explanation is that at some time after the temple was erected, but before construction of the south section of the platform, the water from the plaza escaping into the cenote seriously weakened the masonry at this corner. It and the south section of the platform were then built as a single unit, including the drain, so that the gap between the north section of the platform and the temple was closed. The present stairway of the temple was probably built at this time also. This explanation of course is conjectural. Another unexplained feature was a small slightly raised and plastered area on the south section of the platform (Fig. 21.1b). It was roughly halfway between the north balustrade of the temple stairway and the drain and on the same level as the terrace. Evidently it had been rectangular, for two walls, each 50 cm long and composed of a single course of stone, met at a right angle to enclose part of the plastered surface. Its relationship with the temple and platform is not clear, and digging underneath uncovered nothing. There is the possibility that it may have been part of a small altar or the base for an idol. The last constructions to be investigated were the retaining walls around the mouth of the cenote. On the south and east sides the terrace wall of the temple and the platform, respectively, enclose the rim, but on the other two sides simple masonry walls are still standing in fair state of preservation. An abrupt jog in the west wall indicates that the builders took advantage of the ragged outline of the mouth, whereas the nearness of the walls to the lip in some places suggests how the cenote mouth has been eroded throughout the years. The average height of the retaining walls at the present time is about 1.40 m. A few weathered sherds were collected during the clearing in the northwest corner, and a femur, in all probability carried there by scavengers, was found on the surface in this section.

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Excavations in Three Ceremonial Structures at Mayapán 21.3. a. Str. Q-147 (in foreground) from west, after clearing. b. Str. Q-148, entrance pillars and altar after excavation, from north. c. Str. Q-148, plinth and pillars from northeast. d. Str. Q-148, altar and step after excavation, from west. e. Artifacts from Str. Q-148. 1. Fragment of burned jade bead from altar, Cat. no. 54-211. 2. Obsidian arrowhead from surface of front terrace, Cat. no. 54-215. 3. Gold flake from room debris, Cat. no. 54-210. 4. Iron pyrite mosaic flake from beneath step to altar, Cat. no. 54-212. 5. Burned stone bead from beneath step to altar, Cat. no. 54-213. 6. Copper bell from room debris, Cat. no. 54-208. 7. Fragment of flint arrowhead from surface of front terrace, Cat. no. 54-216. 8. Pink shell bead from surface debris near altar, Cat. no. 54-209. 9. Two jade and three shell beads from altar cache, Cat. nos. 54-203,-39-49-50. f. Sculptured stone at head of stairway, Str. Q-148. g. Polished greenstone turtle from midden at northwest corner of platform, Str. Q-153. Cat. no. 54-74. h. Effigy vase from altar cache, Str. Q-148. Lot C-81. i. Chipped flint knife from surface of terrace at head of stairway, Str. Q-148. Cat. no. 54-214. j. Sculptured limestone hand from surface of terrace, Str. Q-148. Cat. no. 54-220. k. Chipped flint fragment from surface of terrace, Str. Q-153. Cat. no. 54-94. l. Tubular jade bead from surface of building, Str. Q-153. Cat. no. 54-75. m. Worked univalve shell tinkler from surface of building, Str. Q-153. Cat. no. 54-78. n. Chipped flint blade fragment from surface of building, Str. Q-153. Cat. no. 34-73. o. Obsidian core from surface of terrace, Str. Q-153. Cat. no. 54-71. p. Sculptured limestone head from surface of front terrace, Str. Q-149. Cat. no. 54-221. q. Sculptured limestone anthropomorphic turtle from building debris, Str. Q-153. Cat. no. 54-70. r. Reconstructed fragment of incense burner, possibly a lid or cover, from midden at northwest corner of platform, Str. Q-153. Lot C-81.

It was not difficult to establish a relative sequence for the retaining walls, since fortunately a number of the junctures showed order of construction (Fig. 21.1b). The north wall, which is the longest, antedates both the north section of the east platform, Str. Q153a, and the wall along the west side of the cenote. The northern half of the west wall in turn precedes the southern part which approaches but does not join the north-west corner of Str. Q-153. It was not possible to relate these retaining walls directly to the building periods of the temple, and the precedence of the north wall over the north section of Str. Q-153a is the only indication of their age. In general, the temple by the cenote is reminiscent of a similarly located building at Tulum on the east coast of Yucatán (Lothrop 1924:109–111) and of the Xtoloc Temple at Chichén Itzá (Ruppert 1952:76). There is nothing to point to any unusual antiquity but there is some indication that at least the earlier period of the temple might go back to a fairly early phase of the so-called Mayapán period. As mentioned before, the platform walls seem to be earlier than the plaza floor. In addition, the pottery samples from sealed deposits, such as the area under the stairway between bedrock and the lowest plaza flooring, showed a rather high percentage (about 12) of Black-on-Cream sherds; this is a class of pottery usually associated with the beginning of the Mayapán period. The percentage diminished in the upper levels and Black-on-Cream sherds are extremely rare in the surface collections and in the sealed deposits in the building. The usual Mayapán Red pottery was found in largest proportions at all levels. A few Fine Orange and Puuc Medium Slate sherds were also collected. Although many of the sherds were from utilitarian wares, the greatest number, as might be expected in a structure of this type, were of ceremonial wares. Of these latter, the

fragments of effigy censers, considered a late development, predominated. No vessels were recovered intact but it was possible to reconstruct several partially. One of these (Fig. 21.3r) is an unusually shaped fragment which may be the lid or cover of an incense burner. Strs. Q-149 (263 S, 243 W) and Q-147 Str. Q-149 is a small single-room shrine about 10 m southeast of the Cenote Temple (Fig. 21.1c,d). The building is based on a platform 2.4 m high and is entered by a single doorway facing east. A balustraded stairway on that side leads to the terrace before the building. About 5 m east of the stairway, and centered almost directly on it, is a small low platform, Str. Q-147, built on the plaza floor. Its purpose or function was uncertain before excavation began (and still is) but it was decided to include it in the investigation as it appeared to be associated with the shrine (Fig. 21.3a). The shrine room of Str. Q-149 had been 4.75 m long and 2 m wide, with rough masonry walls averaging 50 cm thick. Only on each side of the doorway and immediately behind the altar site, however, were there still remnants of the walls. The doorway was formed by large monolithic jambs still in place (Fig. 21.2g); traces of the original plaster coatings on the lower parts of one showed designs painted in red, black, and green. Possibly the interior walls had been decorated in the same way. The room was piled high with debris and this, in association with a thick layer of fallen plaster on the floor surface, makes it probable that the building had been topped with a beam-and-mortar roof. The altar, which was centered on the back wall, had been ripped out entirely. Its outline could be traced by the turn-up of the plastered floor around its sides and front. Evidently

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Philip E. Smith the shrine had been looted, for a hole had been dug below the base of the altar, perhaps in the search for a cache. While we were clearing the area before the doorway a large sculptured limestone head was uncovered on the terrace. It is 60 cm high and has a conical headgear (Fig. 21.3p). In appearance and size it closely resembles two similar heads found near the northwest corner of the mound in a previous season, and it is conceivable that originally the three were parts of sculptured figures placed, perhaps, over the doorway or on the roof. A hand and a leg of the same proportions were found on the front terrace, as well as a number of carved Puuc-style stones and mask elements. In addition to the topmost floor, two earlier ones were revealed by trenches cut inside the building. The top floor was composed of two plaster coatings, showing that it had been resurfaced. The second floor, on which the top one was based, ran under the altar site. This indicates that the altar was a late addition. The first floor, about 30 cm lower, extended under the plinth from the stairway to the back wall of the terrace. Some 20 cm below this was a layer of sascab or coarse mortar laid directly on the stone rubble forming the core of the substructure; probably this had been the original surface before the top of the platform was subsequently raised. A pit excavated into the fill of the terrace between plinth and stairway revealed no burial shaft or ossuary cist. Digging around the north side of the platform revealed a secondary wall of rough block-and-slab masonry about 60 cm thick and still standing to an average height of 1.65 m (i.e., almost to the top of the platform). Trenching showed that it ran around the rear half of the structure, enclosing all the original back platform wall and half of the north and south walls. Its purpose is debatable. It might have been intended as a buttress for a weakened substructure, or it might have been a device to alter the original shape or style of the shrine (Fig. 21.2h). The stairway was balustraded but only the lower stones were in place. The base of the north balustrade had been constructed by using a Puuc-type vault stone. The reconstruction of the balustrade shown in the section (Fig. 21.1d) is, like that for Str. Q-153, hypothetical. It is estimated that the original stairway had 10 steps. Investigation around the base of the stairway disclosed that the plastered surface of the plaza had been laid on a 10 cm thick layer of stones which extended all around the structure. This stone layer, in turn, rested on the original plaza floor, which had been renewed several times. The stone layer and the topmost surface covered the entire first step of

the stairway and part of the second. These excavations also revealed that the stairway antedated all the plaza floors, being built on a thick layer of earth overlying bedrock. Both the secondary wall of the substructure and the small neighboring platform, Str. Q-147, had been constructed on top of the intermediate stone layer. Str. Q-147 is a low square platform, 1.5 m on each side, with a small earth-filled depression in the middle. At present the sides are composed of a single course of stones about 15 cm high and give no clue to the original height. The depression in the center was cleared as far down as the stone layer on which the platform was built, but no artifacts and only a few weathered sherds were recovered. Sacrificial stones are known sometimes to have been placed before stairways, and the platform may have been the foundation for such a stone; on the other hand it may have been some altar-like construction or the base for a figure. Evidently Str. Q-149 had three main stages of growth, as indicated in the section (Fig. 21.1d). In the first, the substructure was slightly lower than at present, but no idea can be formed about the nature of any building on it. In the second, the stone floor was laid on the plaza, the secondary wall of the substructure was built on it, the terrace walls were heightened about 20 cm, and the flooring which runs under the plinth was made. Str. Q-147 also belongs to this period. The third period saw the plinth built and the building erected on it. A few minor renovations took place later, in the form of new floors and probably the installation of a new altar. The pottery reflects a late Mayapán period. Only two Black-on-Cream sherds were identified, along with two pieces of Fine Orange and two of Puuc Medium Slate. The rest of the slipped sherds represented the common Mayapán Red wares. In the unslipped range, the vast majority of fragments was from censers, both human-effigy and hourglass types, with many ornaments. Most of these censer sherds came from excavations outside the platform, when the secondary wall on the north side was cleared, rather than from the surface of the structure. Str. Q-148 (255 S, 235 W) The second shrine, Str. Q-148, faces north and is centered on the main stairway and altar of the large colonnaded hall, Str. Q-151 (Fig. 21.1e,f). Possibly there was some relationship between the two, since a distance of only about 12 m separates them. The distance of Str. Q-148 from the Cenote Chen Mul is about 30 m.

Excavations in Three Ceremonial Structures at Mayapán Even before clearing was begun some details of the structure could be observed. A breadnut tree had grown around the rear wall of the building, destroying much of it but with the roots so entwined about other stones that part of the wall was preserved to a maximum height of 1.5 m. The wall was about 50 cm thick, which seems to be the average for this type of structure. A number of Puuc-type mask elements, some badly shattered, were strewn around the front terrace and on the sides of the mound. An unusually shaped stone, seemingly imbedded at the head of the balustraded stairway, also attracted attention since it was thought that it might be a sacrificial stone or variety of column altar. However, the excavation showed that it was resting on the plastered surface of the platform, where it had fallen or been placed. There was no sign of a foundation or indication that it had been fixed or set in place, but its position near the center of the stairway may be significant. It is 40 cm high and 36 cm in diameter (Fig. 21.3f). The circular base has a two-member molding, and the upper portion, now badly weathered, may originally have been ball-shaped. It resembles certain larger sculptured stones in Mayapán which possibly represent a peculiarly local type, the significance of which has not yet been determined. Last season one such stone with three-member molding and globular top was encountered near the stairway of the Castillo (Str. Q-162). A similar sculpture with ball-shaped top but no molding was also found on a level space near Str. Q-113. In the 1954 season two such rounded stones, one with a three-member molding, were recovered during excavations in the group represented by Strs. R-85 to -90. The origin of the piece found on Str. Q-148 is uncertain, but it seems to be of a type similar to the examples noted above. The lower sections of two pillars were revealed when the area behind the plinth and between the door jambs of the shrine was cleared. These pillars were faced with the previously mentioned Puuc-type mask stones. All of them are elements that typically occur above or below the eyes of facade masks. Each stone is the sector of a circle in plan, averaging 13 cm high and 45 cm across the curved face. Four were still in place in each pillar, and 12 more were recovered nearby; thus the original height of the pillars, which presumably supported the door lintels, was at least 1.5 m and may have been higher. The rear of each pillar was rectangular, constructed very crudely of flat masonry slabs and mortar chinked with smaller stones. Some of the mask stones were plain and others had circular and curvilinear designs. This made little difference as they were used here, however, since they had been covered with a thick coating of

plaster. From the outside this must have given the effect of a triple-entrance doorway divided by round columns (Fig 3b,c). The altar inside the building was centered against the back wall and was faced on the front and sides with large cut stones about 45 cm high (Fig. 21.3d). A thick, irregularly shaped stone slab had been laid immediately before the altar, presumably to act as a step. Under this were found a gray shell bead, a small iron pyrite flake, a lump of copal, and several censer and other pottery sherds. Several large pieces of charred wood, apparently from beams, lay near the altar. These, and the amount of fallen plaster on the floor, indicate that the building had a beam-andmortar roof. After recovering from the debris a small square flake of gold about the size of a fingernail and bearing a faint stamped design, a small copper bell, and a shell bead (Fig. 21.3e), we were not surprised to find that the altar surface had been destroyed. However, the looters, if there had been such, overlooked a small effigy vase representing God B between two of the front stones of the altar (Fig. 21.3h); it contained two jade and three shell beads, a tiny fleck of copper, and a jadeite flake possibly from a mosaic (Fig. 21.3e). The presence of more charred wood inside the altar suggests that the altar was open when the roof was burned, findings in accord with the old tradition of the destruction of Mayapán before its abandonment. The altar had been built on top of the latest flooring. This floor was found to be covered inside the altar with a heavy coating of copal about 2 cm thick, in which were imbedded a tubular stone bead (Fig. 21.3e) and some burnt sherds. The copal burning evidently took place after the altar was altar sides (Fig. 21.1e). About 25 cm below this floor was a second one of cracked plaster corresponding to an earlier floor of the terrace. At a depth of about 45 cm beneath this second floor there was a rough layer of sascab overlying the rock fill. A trench was cut through the several floors of the terrace and into the rubble core of the substructure. As in the case of the other shrines, no burial cist was discovered. A. broken flint blade or projectile point (Fig. 21.3i) lay on the surface near the stairway, together with an obsidian arrowhead (Fig. 21.3e). A limestone hand (Fig. 21.3j) and mano-like stone were also recovered here. Digging around the exterior of the substructure brought to light a secondary wall about 75 cm thick still standing to an average height of 1.5 m. It had the same rough masonry as the original terrace wall. Unlike the secondary wall on Str. Q-149, it extended completely around the sides and rear of the substructure, although it did not enclose the front. As

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Philip E. Smith with the similar feature on the other shrine, its purpose or function was not clear. The stairway balustrade is hypothetically reconstructed in the section (Fig. 21.1e) similar to the previous two. Investigation under the stairway showed that Str. Q-148, unlike the others, had been built on the lowest plaza floor and consequently, if the plaza floor is continuous, is a later construction. A tentative building sequence can be outlined as indicated by the limited excavation below the surface of the shrine. There appear to have been at least three periods of construction. In the first, the original platform walls were built and a floor (about 20 cm below the plinth) was laid from the stairway to beneath the present altar. The sascab layer which was found in the rock fill may have been laid during this period, when the work perhaps was temporarily halted, but it is doubtful that this rough level was in itself the culmination of a building period. We uncovered no evidence of a superstructure or building on the surface in this period of the shrine. Presumably the stairway was built at this time. In the second period the finished flooring, which now runs directly under the plinth, was built. Excavation revealed that it terminated directly beneath the front of the present altar, and this may indicate, although it is by no means certain, that a former altar was located immediately below the latest

one. It was not determined whether or not the back wall of the building was based on this second floor. In the third period the plinth was built, the columns and presumably the rest of the building were constructed on it, and a finished floor was laid to the rear wall. A little later the altar and step were put in place and a final plaster coating was laid over the floor to cover the irregularities and joints. The section (Fig. 21.1e) shows the rear wall of the building in relation to the floor on which the altar is based, but conceivably this wall could have been of an earlier period. It was not possible to determine the period to which the secondary wall around the substructure belongs. Almost certainly, however, it is a feature of the second or third periods. The ceramic picture bears out the late date of Str. Q-148. A few Fine Orange and Puuc Medium Slate sherds were collected, mainly from the surface, but there was no Black-on-Cream to indicate an early stage of the Mayapán period. Of the slipped wares Mayapán Red jar sherds predominated; of the unslipped, the vast preponderance represented censers and ornaments, only a handful being from jars, bowls, etc. A number of fragments of painted and modeled stucco in red, white, and black with parallel lines and oval shapes, some indicating hands and feet, were uncovered below the floor of the shrine room.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 22 January 1955

Colonnaded Buildings at Mayapán Edwin M. Shook and William N. Irving

Introduction

unit’s position in the city or group, its association with other structures, its plan, style, decoration, and the type of remains associated with it. Some buildings in all probability were intended, when erected, to serve dual purposes, whereas the function of others changed in the course of time. One type of structure in Mayapán, the long colonnaded hall, presents an outstanding example of the problem involved in interpreting the use of a building. Colonnaded halls are more prevalent in the Main Group of Mayapán than any other major type of structure. There are at least 23 among approximately 130 architectural units of diverse types which tightly cluster around the central feature of the city, the Temple of Kukulcan or Castillo, Str. Q-162. Though common in the Main Group, only three colonnaded halls occur elsewhere at the site, and these form an integral part of a small ceremonial center at Cenote Itzmal Ch’en (Jones 1952, map, Square H). Therefore, the distribution of such units links them

Edwin M. Shook The work of Carnegie Institution in the prehistoric political capital of Mayapán has among its broad objectives the study of each type of architectural unit occurring within the confines and immediate environs of the ancient walled city. One major phase of the undertaking required the close scrutiny of several thousand remains of houses and their associated structures enclosed by the city wall, and the excavation of typical examples of these dwellings. A collateral investigation involved the survey of other kinds of architectural remains at the site and the excavation of a representative number of these, which includes the city and property walls, gateways, roads, platforms, and secular and religious buildings. The interpretation of the function of a particular architectural unit is determined normally by the

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Edwin M. Shook and William N. Irving with the civic and ceremonial architecture of the city rather than with the domestic. Landa describes city or town planning in Yucatán prior to the arrival of the Spaniards (Tozzer 1941:62–64): “. . . in the middle of the town were their temples with beautiful plazas, and all around the temples stood the houses of the lords and the priests, and then (those of) the most important people. Thus came the houses of the richest and of those who were held in the highest estimation nearest to these, and at the outskirts of the town were the houses of the lower class.” Further along (Tozzer 1941:124) Landa speaks of “a large house, whitened with lime, open on all sides” where young men lived until they were married. These Men’s or Bachelors’ Houses provided comparative isolation of young men from their elders and married people. It has been considered a possibility that the Mayapán colonnaded halls served as residences either for the lords or nobles, or as Men’s Houses. These structures at Mayapán vary in size, plan, and details, but characteristically they are long buildings on low substructures, normally composed of two parallel galleries running the length of the structure, the front and medial supports being of columns and the rear a wall of masonry. Typically, a bench runs along the rear and end walls, and in the majority of colonnaded halls an altar or shrine occurs at the center against the back wall. Occasionally a shrine is present in the center of the substructure stairway. The unit may consist of only the two long galleries, or there may be a transverse room at one or each end. There are several examples in which a third gallery parallels the masonry wall on the side opposite the principal galleries. None of the colonnaded halls in Mayapán were vaulted. Most of them had flat beam-and-mortar roofs; [some] undoubtedly had gabled thatch roofs. Investigation of colonnaded halls at Mayapán was first undertaken by R. T. Patton (Morley 1938: 141, 142); but the full results of his field studies have not been published, nor have those made four years later by E. W. Andrews (1943:261), who partly excavated several colonnaded structures. During the 1953 and 1954 field seasons 22 of the 23 units in the Main Group were studied. The plans of the majority were recovered by surface examination and, when necessary, by superficial digging. Other units received closer inspection; two of these, Strs. Q-97 and Q-151, are described in detail below. Reference to certain features encountered in other colonnaded halls will be mentioned in the description. All are located in the Main Group and may be identified on the site map (Jones 1952) from the coordinates given for each structure.

Str. Q-97 (170 S, 185 W) Edwin M. Shook This structure borders the east side of a court situated immediately northeast of the north court of the Castillo. The building faces west towards a shrine, Str. Q-89, in the center of the court and a temple, Str. Q-82, on the opposite side. Another temple, two shrines, several colonnaded halls, a house mound, and two low platforms also pertain to the same court. The excavation of three of these units, Strs. Q-82, Q-95, and Q-90, has previously been reported (Shook 1954:263–271; Adams 1953:154–155). Attention was first drawn to Str. Q-97 by the presence on the surface of numerous stone column drums aligned in two long rows, and a sculptured monument in situ on the transverse axis of the building (Figs. 22.1e; 22.3a,i). The proportions of the unit, which was relatively low and much greater in length than in width, were markedly different from those of architectural types recognizable as temples, shrines, houses, etc. Surface examinations clearly identified the unit as a colonnaded hall similar to many others associated with the principal structures in Mayapán. The investigation of Str. Q-97 was initiated by Pollock, who uncovered a shrine room in the center of the stairway (Fig. 22.1c). Thereafter, I continued the investigation by excavating the north and south ends and the central area of the building. Subsequently an exploratory east-west trench was opened along that axis. At the same time the stairway shrine of a nearby colonnaded hall, Str. Q-88a (185 S, 210 W), was cleared and a trench dug northward from the shrine to a low platform, Str. Q-88b. The central trench in Str. Q-97 disclosed that the unit had undergone several alterations after construction of the original colonnaded hall and that a still older building had been razed and remnants of it buried by the colonnade. Only a short section of lime concrete floor remained of the razed structure (Fig. 22.1h), not enough to determine the type of building but sufficient to ascertain that the construction was typical of the Mayapán period. The earliest stage of Str. Q-97 consisted of a low substructure and the building which basically remained unchanged thereafter (Fig. 22.1j). Prior to construction a dedicatory offering had been made. Apparently an animal had been sacrificed in a ceremony involving considerable burning, the animal and charcoal deposited in a large pottery jar, and the latter covered by a smaller, inverted vessel (Fig. 22.7h). The cache then was placed on bedrock on the central axis of the building and buried by the primary court floor (Fig. 22.1i). Sherds recovered below

Colonnaded Buildings at Mayapán this floor, Lot C-35c, and those in the fill of the earliest terrace, Lot C-35d, place the deposition of the cache and erection of the primary colonnaded hall fairly early in the Mayapán period. There came to light no evidence in the narrow central trench of a lower flight of stairs to the front terrace. The lack of steps in the center suggests either that the stairs had been removed for later additions or that separate flights existed to the north and south of the building’s axis. Traces of a stairway were recovered leading from the front terrace to the colonnade. The steps lay below and east of the sculptured monument (Fig. 22.1e). A later renovation of Str. Q-97 witnessed the raising of the front terrace approximately 60 cm (Fig. 22.1k), the erection of a carved monument and a plain sacrificial altar upon the new terrace level (Fig. 22.1e,f), and a major rebuilding of the west face of the sub- 22.1. Structure Q-97, Plan, Section, Elevation, and Architectural Details. structure. This consisted of a broad flight a. Central altar of the colonnaded hall. b. Restored elevation of central of steps with a rectangular masonry altar, second phase. Design modeled in plaster (Fig. 22.3g,h). c. Shrine room block at each end and a central shrine with remains of modeled stucco human figure seated on dais (Fig. 22.3c). (Fig. 22.1c and plan). The shrine room d. Position of cache looted in ancient times. e. Sculptured stone monument was elevated one step above court level (Fig. 22.3i). f. Sacrificial altar. g. Scattered fragments of assembled sculpand had a narrow doorway leading into ture (Fig. 22.6,l) possibly depicting Mexican god Ehecatl. h. Terrace of early the single, small chamber. The thinness structure torn down to build colonnaded hall. i. Cache consisting of large jar covered by inverted (Fig. 22.7h) and containing animal bones and charcoal. of the masonry walls and the shallowj. Earliest phase of colonnaded hall. k. Second phase of colonnaded hall. l. ness of debris within the shrine room Postconstruction midden. m. Section at north end showing successive alterpoint either to a roof thatched with per- ations to primary colonnaded hall. ishable material or, more likely, to a low, flat ceiling of wood beams supporting a cap of lime mortar as suggested in the restored section (Fig. 22.1). to the dais may have been part of the cache. This Opposite the shrine doorway against the back miniature vessel is identical to one recovered under wall, Pollock encountered a low masonry dais with similar conditions in Str. Q-82 (Shook 1954, Fig. 10s), evidence of a human figure modeled in stucco seated and to others from the main altar of Str. Q-151 (Fig. upon it (Figs. 22.1c; 22.3c). There remained only the 22.7i). Miniature plain or effigy tripod cups often feet of the figure on the floor in front of the dais and accompany dedicatory offerings in altar or shrine the turn-up of plaster to the buttocks of the idol on caches at Mayapán. the dais top. Here was a shallow, ragged hole (Fig. Human and animal figures modeled in stucco 22.1d) which provided fairly conclusive evidence over a core formed of stalactites appear to far outthat the stucco idol had been purposely destroyed, number those carved in stone. These statues may and that the cache below the figure had been looted. occur on the plaza floor in front of structures, on terThis vandalism took place before the collapse of the races, or inside buildings. Human figures seated on shrine roof, and quite likely at the time of abandona masonry altar or dais placed against the rear wall ment and destruction of Mayapán. The looters of the at the center of a temple or shrine and facing toward cache apparently carried away whatever they conthe entrance have been encountered in this unit, Str. sidered valuable such as ornaments of jade or metal, Q-97, in the shrine room of another colonnaded hall, and discarded pottery objects. A small unbroken triQ-151, and in one of the X-Coton temples (Shook pod cup (Fig. 22.7j) found on the shrine floor next 1953:213, Fig. 1d).

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Edwin M. Shook and William N. Irving The colonnaded hall of Str. Q-97 is elevated by a plinth one step above the broad front terrace. Excavations at the north end of the building (Fig. 22.1m) disclosed the plinth continuing to the substructure edge instead of following the building plan. The structure consists of two very long parallel halls or galleries with a transverse room at either end. A bench, 75 cm high, fills the floor space the rear gallery. The bench is interrupted in the center by a masonry altar built against the back wall of the building (Fig. 22.1a). Three successive stages of construction on the altar were recognized. The first, built contemporaneously with the original colonnaded hall, projected slightly above the adjoining benches and bore no evidence of decoration. The next stage, however, carried an attractive design modeled in plaster (Fig. 22.1b). The front of the altar had been built forward 25 cm with all stones and lime mortar, and a geometric pattern modeled in high relief on the front. (The design has been restored in the drawing, Fig. 22.1b; traces of the original may be seen in Fig. 22.3g,h). The third and final alteration consisted of a low step before the altar, the plastering over of the old design, and the addition at each corner of a small standing human figure, excellently wrought in stucco (Figs. 22.1a; 22.3g,h). This figure, wearing a simple loincloth, with legs and feet bare, resembles the Atlantean figures at Chichén Itzá. The latter, carved in stone, frequently are found supporting stone altars in Toltec-style buildings in Chichén Itzá. Willful destruction and looting are again suggested by the condition in which we found the main altar of Str. Q-97. The surface of the altar, normally plastered, was missing entirely and a shallow depression existed in the debris over the altar (Fig. 22.1a, section). The destruction may have been caused by tree roots and erosion since the abandonment of the site, but in view of the preserved lime plaster on the surface of the bench at either side of the main altar, and the pillaging evident in the stairway shrine, it seems more probable that both places were sacked at the same time. The masonry of Str. Q-97 conformed to the typical block-and-slab type common at Mayapán (Fig. 22.3f). Frequently there were well-cut and dressed stones in the front terrace wall, stairway, plinth, and bench face, and sporadically elsewhere. We believe these stones had been salvaged by the Mayapán builders and re-used from older Puuc-style buildings. Among them were wall, vault, and cornice stones, and occasionally a carved facade element similar to those from Str. Q-151 (Fig. 22.5). In Str. Q97 and throughout the site these well-finished stones are particularly conspicuous in the normal Maya­pán

period masonry of roughly trimmed blocks and slabs. The ancient masons re-used them almost exclusively in the front parts of structures, although the effect of well-dressed stones was entirely lost by the application of a heavy surface coating of lime plaster. In many instances the plaster, especially on the interior of buildings as in the case of Str. Q-97, bore paint in several colors. The building columns also were typical of Maya­ pán architecture. Each had been built of roughly trimmed circular stones resembling biscuits, laid one on top of another in layercake fashion (Figs. 22.3e; 22.4e).The irregular upper and lower surfaces were adjusted by the liberal use of a poor quality of dirt-and-lime mortar and small stone chips. The columns, we must assume, because no example now is preserved to its original height, were erected to the level desired and wood lintels spanning the intercolumnar space laid directly upon the top drums. In Str. Q-97, as well as in all Mayapán buildings studied to date where columns were employed, there is no evidence of the use of stone capitals. The lack of such capitals on round columns is a distinct break in architectural tradition in northern Yucatán. Stone capitals had been in common use in the Late Classic Puuc and in Early Post-Classic Toltec–Chichén Itzá periods. In Mayapán each column was surfaced with a thick coat of lime plaster, often excellently smoothed, producing a monolithic appearance. In two instances: Strs. Q-163 (Fig. 22.3j,k) and Q-156 (225 S, 325 W, and 290 S, 290 W), the front row of columns bore large standing human figures modeled in high-relief stucco on their outer faces. This practice may have been more common at the site than our present evidence indicates, as the majority of the buildings are severely damaged. The surface debris over Str. Q-97 was fairly evenly distributed (Fig. 22.1, section), its contours indicating the major features of the plan. The shallowness of debris excluded any possibility of a vaulted ceiling, and the presence of a 10–20 cm layer of gravel and chunks of lime concrete over the floor and benches clearly indicates that the building had a flat beam-and-mortar roof. From time to time, further additions were made to Str. Q-97. The substructure at the south end was extended 2 m southward and on the north end another colonnaded hall, Str. Q-97a, was erected (Fig. 22.1m). These alterations greatly increased the total length of the building. The plan (Fig. 22.1) does not show these later changes. Fragments of an assembled stone idol were found on the floor and above in the fallen debris of the front gallery at the position marked g on the plan (Fig. 22.1). The carved elements were scattered

Colonnaded Buildings at Mayapán over the area excavated (1 by 2 m) and we failed to recover the entire figure. It originally sat, apparently, on the bench of the rear gallery and had toppled forward or had been thrown down. The sculpture depicts a seated human body having a part-human, part-bird head, and animal claw feet, perhaps a representation of the Mexican god Ehecatl. The figure had been carved in sections and assembled. The foot and knee pieces have circular holes into which fitted the tenons at the top and bottom of the lower leg section (Fig. 22.6l). Another example of an assembled stone sculpture was discovered by Strömsvik (1953, Fig. 3f,g) associated with a temple, Str. Q-127a. A carved monument, severely eroded, stands in situ on the front terrace and central axis of the colonnaded hall (Figs. 22.1e; 22.3i). The prominent position of the sculpture, the quantity of broken censer fragments around its base, and the presence of a sacrificial altar before it signify the importance of the monument. The sacrificial altar is a plain, tapering stone block of the type depicted in murals at Chichén Itzá where an individual, held by attendants, is stretched supine over the block and a priest cuts out the heart with a knife. These stone altars are numerous in the Main Group at Mayapán, occurring on the terraces or on the plaza level in front of temples and colonnaded halls; several are associated with the large, round platform, Str. Q-84 (Adams 1953, Fig. 8d). The altars and the number of skeletons placed in shrine and temple burial shafts provide strong evidence that the gruesome practice of human sacrifice prevailed during the Mayapán period. Fragments of human effigy-type censers lay on the stairway and on the court, terrace, and colonnade floors. The heaviest concentration of these sherds, however, occurred in and around the shrine room, and particularly near the sculptured monument on the terrace and before the colonnade altar. In other words, the major burning of incense in large, effigy containers took place on the central axis of the building. This fact was dramatically illustrated in Str. Q151 and in Str. Q-81 (160 S, 260 W). Large quantities of Human Effigy-Type censers littered the floor in and around the colonnade altars of each unit. The censers from Str. Q-81, excavated and repaired by Winters (Pollock 1954:264), provide the best examples so far recovered of these ornate and exceedingly fragile objects (Fig. 22.7n). Exploration directly behind Str. Q-97 disclosed a post-construction midden (Fig. 22.1l) above the court floor and below the fallen masonry from the terrace and back wall of the building. This midden contained pottery fragments, animal and bird bones, stone artifacts, charcoal and ashes (Lot C-35f). It differed in contents from the other surface lots (C-35,

-35a,b) recovered along the front and within the colonnaded hall. There were relatively few censer fragments, and many animal and bird bones, suggesting that the midden had accumulated from nearby houses rather than from religious ceremonies. Several low platforms just east of Str. Q-97 may be the remains of the kitchen and living quarters for the attendants serving the occupants of the building. House structures and deep deposits of domestic refuse were encountered behind another colonnaded hall, Str. Q-99 (Bullard 1953:262), and many of these halls in the Main Group have associated house units. To Str. Q-97 and other colonnaded buildings in Mayapán we may ascribe one, or a combination of two or more, of the following possible functions: 1. The spacious, well-ventilated and well-lighted, colonnaded halls, each with a wide bench along the rear wall, were the palaces of lords, priests, and leading families. Mats were spread on the benches for sleeping; the central altar was a place for family devotion; and the houses behind the hall served as kitchens and quarters of servants tending the needs of the ruling class. 2. The colonnaded buildings were Men’s or Bachelors’ Houses, as described by Landa, where young men lived apart from their elders until they were married. 3. These structures were not primarily residences but public buildings, perhaps comparable to the tecpan of the Mexican highlands, in which the multitudinous affairs of government were conducted. The rear quarters were homes for the staff performing services in the colonnaded hall. 4. These buildings originally were intended for secular use but toward the final days of Mayapán their function changed to a religious one. Human sacrifice, worship of idols, and constant offering of copal incense in ornately modeled and painted human-effigy censers became as prevalent in colonnaded halls, as in temples and shrines.

Str. Q-151 (230 S 225 W) William N. Irving The colonnaded hall, Str. Q-151 (Figs. 22.2, 22.4), is in the main ceremonial group just east of the Castillo, from which it is separated by a small court some 20 m across. With its long axis oriented roughly east and west, it parallels the south side of the high substructure of Q-152, the largest of the round buildings at Mayapán. The rear wall of Q-151 is separated from Q-152 by a narrow passage now filled with refuse and sascab. Just a few meters beyond the southwest corner of Q-151 lies the edge of Cenote Ch’en Mul, which

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Edwin M. Shook and William N. Irving 22.2. Structure Q-151, Plan, Sections, and Architectural Details. a. Plan. b. Section C-C’: retaining wall, stairway, and ramp associated with fill of east court of Castillo. c. Section A-A’: stratigraphic cut through passage between Q-151 and Q-152, and shrine, galleries, terrace, stairway, and stairway shrine of Q-151. A: cache (Lot C-85b, Fig. 22.7a,b). B. rifled cache in altar step. C-H: passage behind rear wall; excavation levels do not wholly coincide with actual stratigraphy (see Fig. 22.2e). C: soil and fallen debris, grading downward into gravel, mortar, and sascab fill with some large rocks; upper part Lot C-92 (Level 1); lower part Lot C-91 (Level 2). D: mostly mortar, lime, and sascab, some gravel; clear disconformities between C and D, and between D and E; Lot C-90 (Level 3). E: gravel, large rocks, and light-colored fine soil; possibly several beds in lower part; separation between E and F not clear; Lot C-89 (Level 4). F: bedded, compacted reddish brown soil and sascab; Lot C-88 (Level 5). G: reddish brown loose soil and rubble, with large boulders; continuous underneath Q-151; Lots C-86, -87 (Level 6). H: dry rock fill under substructure of Q-152, overlain disconformably by material in G. d. Section B-B’: A: fall. B: grouting. C: fill, soil, rocks, and midden; hearth. D: fine gray compacted soil and midden, with hearths, overlying Floor 1. E: red sascab, soil, and midden, interbedded with plaster floors. F: soil, sascab, and midden. e. Profile of trench in passage between Q-151 and Q-152, taken along rear wall of Q-151, looking north (see Fig. 22.2c for identification of lots and levels). f. Plans and elevations, showing sequence and transposition of altars in middle of hall; datum to Floor 9 (see Fig. 22.2c for section).

is bordered by low masonry retaining walls on all sides. A ramp leads between the colonnaded hall and the cenote, from the level of the east court of the Castillo down to the floor just above bedrock in front of Q-151. Several small shrine and temple mounds lie south and east of the hall within a radius of 30 m. Immediately to the east is a medium-sized templelike structure that has not been excavated. It is possible that Str. Q-148, a shrine directly in front of the central stairway, is oriented with respect to the hall. Excavation of Str. Q-151 was decided upon mainly because of its importance as a prominent member of the main ceremonial group. It was expected also that, being covered by a fairly deep deposit of debris, enough of it would be preserved to show something of its appearance while it was still in use. This was of particular interest, since the function of colonnaded halls is still a matter for speculation, and is a problem to which special attention is being given in the current program of work at Mayapán. An ancillary objective was to get sherd samples from stratigraphic trenches in order to broaden the basis for refining the ceramic sequence at Mayapán. This section of the report will deal mainly with excavation procedure, architectural features, and the construction sequence. The ceramic material is described briefly in a subsequent section and will be treated more fully in a future report on Mayapán pottery. A thick mantle of fallen building material and soil covered the hall before excavation was begun. It sloped downward from the terrace of the round temple, which had helped prevent the rear wall from caving in, to ground level some 30 cm above bedrock in front of the central stairway, becoming progressively thinner towards the bottom. Exposed were several column drums still in place, the corners of some of the wall sections and piers, and parts of the stairway. Small trees were growing over most of

the building, but the vegetation was not thick, and it is quite possible that the building had been cleared of brush within a decade or so. Work on the structure was begun by P. E. Smith and myself. Within a few days Smith transferred his operations to a nearby temple, and I completed the excavation with the advice and assistance of Shook and Pollock. The excavated portions of the building were partially restored and consolidated by Strömsvik. Several test excavations had been made in and around Str. Q-151 before the present work was begun. Proskouriakoff, in the course of mapping the Main Group, had located the principal corners of the building and some of the important features. Pollock had uncovered the southwest corner, which carries a Puuc-style serpent mask (Fig. 22.4a,d), and had investigated the relationship between the hall and Str. Q-152, in the eastern corner formed by the walls of the two structures. These preliminary excavations, made in 1953, meant that excavation could be carried out more efficiently than would otherwise have been possible. Excavations made by an unknown person or persons in the central part of the structure were of distinctly less help, but did not seriously affect the results of the current work. The building, including the substructure and adjacent court floors, was cleared of debris from its west end to a line 3 m east of the medial shrine (Fig. 22.2a). A stratigraphic trench 1.3 m wide was dug along the short axis of the building from the stairway altar through the medial shrine to the rear wall. Another trench (for ceramic samples) was dug in the stratified fill between the back of the hall and Q-152. The west corner between Q-151 and Q-152, where a bench had been built over a deposit of stratified midden material, was also partially excavated; the 2 m next the stairway of Q-152 were left undisturbed. In addition, several small test pits were sunk in places where it was thought that evidence

Colonnaded Buildings at Mayapán 22.3. Str. Q-97 (j,k, Str. Q-163) a. Looking east to shrine room, stairway, and central portion of colonnaded hall during excavation. Note sculptured monument (Fig. 22.3i) on axis of building. b. Shrine room in stairway, looking northeast. c. Remains of modeled stucco figure seated on dais in shrine room. d. Looking south along interior row of columns showing excavated central area, and carved monument at extreme right. e. Building plinth, columns, and altar in center of rear bench of colonnaded hall, looking southeast. Note well-cut and dressed Puuc-type stones re-used in plinth. Roughly trimmed column drums with thick bed of mortar and stone spalls between are typical column construction in Mayapán period. f. View of north end of colonnaded hall, from northwest. Masonry pier in foreground forms northwest corner, and wall behind separates long galleries from transverse end chamber. To right of wall may be seen wide bench which fills rear gallery. Typical Mayapán block-and-slab masonry is illustrated; also two stones, X, X, one a carved dentate element, other a boot-shaped vault stone, re-used from older, vaulted Puuc-style building. g. Looking east to main altar of colonnaded hall. At south corner is lower half of stucco Atlantean (?) figure, at north corner in front of squared stone are feet of similar figure. Between figures may be seen traces of lattice pattern on second phase altar partially covered by plaster of third phase. h. Human figure modeled in stucco at south corner of main altar. i. East side of carved monument on axis of colonnaded hall. j. Building plinth and doorway column of Str. Q-163. Note legs and feet of standing human figure modeled in stucco on outer face of column. k. Fragments of stucco figure from doorway column, Str. Q-163.

of structural relationships might appear, and spot excavations were made at the east end of the building to discover major architectural features in and around the end room. Sherds and artifacts from above construction levels, and where stratigraphy was not clear, were segregated and field-catalogued according to horizontal provenience and relationship to features within the building. Where provenience could be determined in vertical stratigraphy below construction levels, they were catalogued on this basis as well as on the basis of their association with specific features. Architecture The earliest feature associated with the building is an irregular terrace of boulders and reddish brown soil, possibly once covered with plaster, which extends along the south side of Q-152 (Fig. 22.2c). Presumably it was intended to cover irregularities in the bedrock. Near the southwest corner of the building substructure fragments of an early floor were found overlying the rocky soil and sparse cultural debris which fill a shallow depression in the bedrock (Fig. 22.2b). The substructure is composed of dry rock fill held in place by retaining walls of dry masonry. A building level marked by a thin layer of soil separates this fill from that of the upper portions of the structure (Fig. 22.2c). The retaining wall along the south side (front) is made of large stones fitted with some care, some of which may have been shaped. This wall was probably covered with plaster. The top is nearly a meter above the paved floor in front, which rests on bedrock. The broad central stairway is bordered on either side by large masonry blocks, which rise to the level of the top of the substructure and may be part of the

original construction. Vertical, dressed flat stones form the base of the retaining wall of the west blocks. The upper parts of the wall are made of heavy slab masonry, now somewhat disrupted by roots and possibly by prior digging. The stairway consists of five steps, the lower four of which are 25 cm wide and made of stones dressed on the upper and outer faces (Fig. 22.2c). The top step, more than twice as wide as the others, is faced by dressed stones and filled with rubble in back. The stairway now rests on dirt and rubble fill where the vertical section was taken. This is thought to be back-fill placed in an earlier excavation (see Lot C-85d, from disturbed portion of substructure and stairway). In the middle of the stairway is a small platform with walls about 40 cm high made of vertical slabs of undressed stone. Inside the platform an irregular cyst of vertical slabs the same height as the platform was found to contain only dirt and rubble. Like the stairway, the platform and the cyst appeared to have been disturbed prior to excavation. An altar, consisting now of three flat stones laid on the third step from the bottom, formerly may have extended a short distance over the platform. Below and in front of it were traces of a plastered surface, which may represent the floor of the platform. Several pieces of stalactite and stucco found on the platform probably are the remains of a modeled figure. Low walls on either side of the altar indicate some sort of enclosure but there was no evidence that the altar was covered by a roof. Along the front of the substructure, between the west block and a point 0.55 m from the west end, a secondary retaining wall was built. Its construction is the same as that of the primary wall, but it rises only to a level 40 cm below the top of the substructure; it is thus about on a level with both the top step

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Colonnaded Buildings at Mayapán 22.4. Str. Q-151. a. West end of building after excavation, looking northeast. Note remains of Puuc-style mask at southwest corner; retaining wall for upper level of substructure terrace; retaining wall for lower level does not show (see Figs. 22.2b; 22.4c). b. Ramp, stairway, retaining wall for court fill; secondary and primary retaining walls of substructure, looking west (see Fig. 22.2b). c. West end of substructure, showing retaining wall covered by fill of east court of Castillo, and rough retaining wall to hold fill during construction, looking northeast. d. Front after restoration; secondary substructure retaining wall removed to show primary retaining wall near masonry block; looking north. e. View after restoration, looking northeast. East court of Castillo raised to level of lowest terrace of substructure Q-152 (round building) in the background.

of the central stairway and the lower part of the west end of the substructure. Strömsvik, in the course of his repair work, noted that the primary retaining wall is bowed outward, as though in a state of partial collapse, but the secondary wall is straight. This suggests that the secondary wall was added to reinforce the original construction, which for some reason had begun to give way. At the west end of the substructure, the retaining wall, here also made of dry masonry, is very rough in appearance. It is concealed by the dry rock fill of the east court of the Castillo, the top of which is about 10 cm below the top of the retaining wall. Traces of plaster on top of the court fill may represent a floor, which would have brought the level of the court nearly to that of the substructure. There is nothing to indicate that the lower part of the retaining wall was ever plastered, and it is unlikely that it was ever intended to stand exposed. The implication is that the filling of the court was planned at the time the substructure was built. A very poor retaining wall which extends westward at right angles from the substructure was probably built to hold fill in place while work on the east court was in progress. At the west end, the substructure is built in two levels, the lower of which is nearly flush with the secondary retaining wall along the front. The upper one, held in place here by a wall of slab masonry, is the one on which rests the plinth of the building. The details of construction could not be determined at the northwest corner where the floor may have merged with that of the court. The top of the substructure is covered by thick plaster floors. Just in front of the west pier between Columns 3 and 4 (see below) were found two flat stones set into the floor; their purpose is unknown. The change in grade between the filled east court of the Castillo and the floor just above bedrock in front of the hall is traversed by a stairway built against a retaining wall at right angles to the front of the substructure (Figs. 22.2b; 22.4b). These features are structurally later than the secondary retaining wall along the front of the building. If it is accepted that the secondary retaining wall was added after construction of the hall was completed, and there-

fore after the east court was filled, it is necessary to postulate some earlier construction which held the fill of the east court in place and permitted easy passage over this important route from the Castillo to the southeastern parts of the city. The alternative is the possibility that the existing stairs and retaining wall behind them are part of the original construction, and were cut through at the time the secondary retaining wall of the sub-structure was built. No evidence for this was seen. The retaining wall supporting the fill of the east court passed behind, and is earlier than, a low platform, Str. Q-l53a, that runs along the east side of the cenote. The platform appears to be contemporaneous with the stairway mentioned above. These stairs were ultimately covered by a stone-paved ramp, which rises to a level one step below the east court of the Castillo (Fig. 22.2b). The upper portions of Q-151 will be described as they appeared after the last stages of rebuilding. The construction sequence will then be reviewed as it shows in the medial trench from the plinth through the central shrine to the rear wall. The majority of the changes in plan during the use of the building are plainly visible in the vicinity of the shrine. A plinth course of upright flat stones dressed on one face (Figs. 22.2c; 22.4d) rises some 50 cm above the substructure and is topped by a rectangular band molding 15 cm high. This form is carried along the entire front and both ends of the building, although at the east end the top of the plinth was found to be about 15 cm lower than it is elsewhere. The molding stops at the northwest corner, but the plinth continues along the back at least as far as the corner of Q-152. No plinth was found at the bottom of the stratigraphic trench dug in the passage between Q-151 and Q-152 (see below; Fig. 22.2c), where bedrock rises to about the level of the floor of the building. The superstructure consists essentially of two rows of plastered columns, made of drums averaging 15–20 cm in thickness and 75 cm in diameter, and a rear wall of Mayapán slab masonry cemented with mud mortar (Fig. 22.4d,e) that once supported a beam-and-mortar roof. The rear walls and columns

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Edwin M. Shook and William N. Irving 22.5. Str. Q-151 (f, Str. Q-88a). a. Mask in west pier before restoration. b. Mask in west pier after restoration. c. Carved elements from front and west end. d. Stairway shrine before restoration. Note cyst inside plinth form. e. Stairs and stairway shrine after restoration. f. Looking southeast to shrine in center of stairway of colonnaded hall, Str. Q-88a. g. Medial shrine before restoration, looking northwest. h. Plastered column (no. 3) and bench, looking north. Note absence of flat upright stones typical of bench in central part of building. i. Stratigraphic trench, showing rear wall of Q-151 and substructure of Q-152; looking west. j. Corner between Q-151 and east side of Q-152, looking west, showing bedrock, wall blocking passage, rear wall Q-151 resting on plinth, upright stones of facing of bench and stratified midden. k. Rear wall of Q-151, looking south, showing features in corner between Q-151 and Q-152. l. Corner between Q-151 and Q-152, looking southeast, show1 Floor 1and wall blocking passage between buildings.

are supplemented by wall sections at the corners of the building and by piers carrying Puuc-style masks between Columns 3 and 4 and Columns 7 and 8 of the front row (Fig. 22.5a,b). The wall sections at the southwest and southeast corners carry similar masks (Fig. 22.4a,g). The east end is separated from the rest of the building by a transverse wall which is contemporaneous with the rear wall. The extension of the rear wall between the transverse partition and the northeast corner wall section is secondary to the main rear wall. It may also be secondary to the northeast corner wall section, in which case it indicates a doorway that was blocked. If, on the other hand, it is contemporaneous with the corner wall section, then this corner of the superstructure and probably the southeast corner as well were built after the original construction. The main part of the hall is divided into two long galleries by the inner row of columns. A broad bench, faced with flat upright dressed stones and provided with a rectangular band molding like that of the plinth, runs the entire length of the rear wall and extends along the transverse partition and the wall at the west end. It is unlikely that there was a bench in the end room, since the debris line here is considerably lower than it is over the benches in the main part of the building. In the middle of the inner gallery is an altar. During the last stage of construction this was enclosed by walls of variable thickness made of block masonry and mud mortar, which incorporate the two columns standing directly in front (Fig. 22.5g). The altar consists of a raised block of plastered, dressed stones on the bench and an indentation in the bench, at the bottom of which is a low step. Remnants of the buttocks and feet of two seated human figures in stucco are preserved on the altar (Fig. 22.2f,6); they rest on the next to last layer of plaster. A small spot of black paint surrounded by an outline of red was seen on the side of the bench which protrudes through the east wall into the shrine. Other features of the shrine are discussed subsequently.

In the reconstruction of the building (Fig. 22.2c) a beam-and-mortar roof supported by the rear wall, a continuous wall section above the inner row of columns, and a facade with a solid upper zone have been indicated. The wall section and upper facade are thought to have rested on lintels of wood laid across the tops of the columns. Sufficient evidence for this type of roof was seen in the mass of lime mortar and slabs of rock on the floor inside the hall; restoration of the supporting members above the columns is conjectural, as in the case of Str. Q-97 (Fig. 22.1). The quantity of carved stone and sculpture found on the terrace in front of the hall indicates that the upper zone carried some ornamentation; however, no attempt has been made to reconstruct it in detail. Some elements of moldings were found near the building (see below), but the arrangement in the reconstruction is again largely conjectural. Stones carved in the Puuc style were found throughout the building, incorporated into the structure and lying in the debris. Enough elements were still in place on the piers in the front row of columns and the corner wall sections to indicate that serpent masks of undoubted Puuc style had been assembled here with the component elements properly arranged (Fig. 22.5a). Enough elements were nearby on the ground to permit complete restoration of the mask between Columns 3 and 4 by Strömsvik (Fig. 22.5b). Other carved stones in or near the building do not appear to be parts of these serpent masks (Fig. 22.5c). Some may have rolled down from the high platform of the round building in back of the hall or from one of the nearby small temples. Others may have been incorporated into the facade of the building. Some pieces of band and apron molding are plastered and painted red, so that the consecutive disc or crescent motifs are wholly covered. Three sculptured stone hands with forearms attached, from in front of the hall, have the fingers curved as though for grasping staves. These range from 20 to 35 cm in length from knuckles to elbow.

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Edwin M. Shook and William N. Irving Two of them have spool wristlets. It has been suggested that they may have been parts of stone-andstucco figures in the form of diving gods; however, no two of the hands are the same in size or form. Other pieces of sculpture or cut stone in front of the hall include a colonnette (16 by 13 cm); three broken stone cylinders (ca. 16 cm diam.); several small roughly carved, barely recognizable faces of men and animals; a larger face, perhaps representing a death’s head, which has a long tenon at the back; and fragments of stucco human figures. Several pieces of carved stone lay just outside the east door of the end room; the number is unusual when it is considered that only enough dirt was moved to reveal some of the architectural features. The sculptured pieces are fragments of human figures: two arms, a shoulder, and a foot. The arms match but do not fit the shoulder. Each hand has the fingers curled as though to grasp a staff, in the manner of the hands found in front of the hall. In addition to these, there was a bas-relief element which resembles a sort of plumed headdress, about 30 cm high by 20 cm across, and a tenoned full-round birdhead figure about 40 cm long. Direct evidence for major changes in plan shows up most clearly in the central part of the building. Here, 10 separate floor surfaces were distinguished in the neighborhood of the shrine; some of these, however (e.g., Floor l0), are discontinuous and difficult to relate to the construction sequence. The top of an early bench, 45 cm above Floors 8 and 9, with which it is associated, is some 25 cm lower than the present bench; the earliest altar is situated just east of where the shrine is now located (Fig. 22.2a,f). This altar was modified once by enlargement of the raised block on the bench in back of the indentation. After Stage 2 (Fig. 22.2f,2), the altar was moved to its present position. At about this time (i.e., between the laying of Floors 5 and 7) many, if not all, of the columns were moved a few centimeters from their former positions, which must indicate a major reconstruction of the upper portions of the building; this is attested by a layer of rubble between Floors 5 and 7. The plinth molding appears to have been raised a few centimeters about this time. The top of the early bench was later raised 25 cm to a height 60 cm above Floor 5 and provided with a molding. There followed a sequence of development and elaboration that culminated in the building of the walled shrine (Fig. 22.2f). Consideration of the plan of Q-151 shows that the northeast corner of the building is not in line with the primary rear wall, and the plaster floor in the end room is some 15 cm below the floor level in the middle of the colonnade. As was pointed out, the

segment of the rear wall that borders the transverse end room is secondary to the rear wall of the main part of the building and may be continuous with the northeast corner wall section, whereas the partition wall (north-south) is part of the original construction. It is therefore possible that the end room is of later construction than the original colonnaded hall. If the original hall, thus conceived with the present partition wall forming the east end of the building, was symmetrical with respect to the early altar, the wall at the west end passed just to the west of Column 3 of the inner row. This would make the original building more nearly centered on the substructure than is the present one. Such a plan requires for symmetry an arrangement of superstructure and stairway features entirely different from the existing one. Some evidence for this is seen in the fact that some of the columns were moved from their original positions after Altar Stage 2. If the earliest building was oriented as postulated, the piers and wall sections carrying Puuc-style masks were also put in their present positions after the original construction; whether or not they were present at all in the early building is a matter for conjecture. The stairway shrine and masonry blocks were also placed differently. In this connection it is significant that a line drawn from the center of the round temple, Str. Q-152, to the column altar in front of Q-148 directly opposite Q-151, passes through the middle of the late altar and stairway shrine of the colonnaded hall. The early altar of Q-151 does not appear to be oriented with respect to any features outside the colonnaded hall that are now visible. The combined evidence of stratigraphy, changes in the building plan, and existing asymmetries indicate a major rebuilding of Str. Q-151, perhaps during the latter part of the first half of its period of use. It would be extremely interesting if the introduction of human-effigy censers, which occurred about at the halfway point in the deposition sequence recorded in the passage behind the hall (Lots 86–92), coincided chronologically with the revision of the plan of the building and with the construction of Q-148. It seems likely that the use of noneffigy censers began at about the time the colonnaded hall was first built. Distribution of Cultural Material Cultural material referable to the final period of occupation or use of Q-151 is sparse except in the neighborhood of the medial shrine. In the shrine, quantities of burned and unburned copal, scattered fragments of several large Human Effigy-Type censers (see Fig. 22.7n), two filleted Noneffigy-Type censers (Fig. 22.7k), a plain dish (Fig. 22.7g), a min-

Colonnaded Buildings at Mayapán iature tripod cylinder (Fig. 22.7f), and fragments of a Red ware bowl lay in positions showing that they were used just prior to the abandonment of the building. The balance of the noneffigy pottery was on or above the step of the altar, near the bench; censer fragments were concentrated near the door of the shrine. Fragments of stucco, all very small, which may have come from walls or from the seated human figures mentioned previously, are painted red, yellow, blue, black, or white. Several of obsidian flake-blades were in the shrine, two of them very sharp and with fine points. A carved stone turtle (Fig. 22.6a,b) lay between the stucco figures, over a hole that had been dug through the floor into the bench presumably to get at a cache (Fig. 22.2c,B). One side of the turtle (the back) is covered with a thick coating of lime mortar and small gravel; it appears to have been set into masonry. In a cavity covered by a stone disc and sealed by the mortar on the back was a cache that included fragments of sting-ray spines and two obsidian flake-blades. An undisturbed cache (Fig. 22.2c,A) was inside the altar block, apparently placed there after Altar Stage 3, consisting of two Red ware pots (Fig. 22.7a,b), nested one inside the other, which contained two obsidian-flake-blades, a spine, a flake of clear obsidian or rock crystal, and a small rectangular piece of jadelike green stone with slightly convex sides. A small shell tinkler, a convex obsidian end scraper, and several obsidian flake-blades were in the fill around the cache (Lots C-85a,b,c). Outside the shrine were fragments of censers and burned and unburned copal, some of them near the front row of columns and plinth. It seems unlikely that this is their proper place so it is presumed that they were thrown there. To the east of the shrine, between the nearest column and the bench, were animal bones, wood charcoal, and a large limestone metate. The metate was resting on the floor of the hall, in upright position; the other remains were scattered through the fall from the roof. Presumably these reminders of culinary activity represent campers or temporary residents who used the building after its abandonment. The same applies to a small charred corncob on the bench near the west end of the hall. A miniature tripod cup like the one from inside the shrine (Fig. 22.7i) stood on the bench immediately to the west of the shrine. An unworked conch shell and some charcoal lay in fall along the plinth just outside the east door of the end room. Sherds from both utilitarian and ceremonial vessels occur in great quantities in the fallen material

that covered the building (Lots C-93, 94). The majority are typical of the Mayapán period, but they do not necessarily represent the normal activities that took place in the colonnaded hall. Obsidian flake-blades, an occasional obsidian point or scraper (Fig. 22.6d,e), and more rarely one of flint, and a very few ceramic implements complete the inventory of artifacts above construction levels inside or in front of the building. The ceramic articles consist of a small clay spindle whorl without ornamentation, and what appears to be a cylinder seal (Fig. 22.6i). Both were in surface debris on the steps of the colonnade. Pollock’s excavation in the corner between Q151 and Q-152 at the east end of the latter building produced a vast quantity of ceramic material, presumably from a pottery dump. This and the artifacts are listed under Lot C-59. Stratigraphic Trench A section 6 m long of the deep, rich deposit of stratified refuse between Q-151 and the substructure of Q152 was excavated for ceramic samples (Fig. 22.2c,e). Artifacts from six levels, each of which approach 50 cm thickness, were segregated into lots. The levels are numbered from the top down. Disconformities between the different kinds of deposit are indistinct, but they appear to indicate intermittent filling with rubble, rocks, gravel, and lime. Seriation of the sherds further indicates that the deposit accumulated over a length of time, apparently the greater part of the Mayapán period. Human-effigy-type censers first appear in significant numbers in Level 3; thereafter they quickly become numerically predominant. Below Level 3, to the foot of the rear wall, noneffigy censers are the dominant type of ceremonial vessel. The sherds from all depths except the surface (Lot C-92) and the very bottom (Lots C-86,-87) are in excellent condition, and many can be fitted together. A few vessels have been restored and are illustrated (Fig. 22.7c–f). From the foot of the wall to bedrock the matrix is red-brown soil rather than fill. This extended under Q-151 and is continuous with the soil covering the early terrace mentioned in connection with the substructure. This same soil rests on top of the dry rock fill that underlies Q-152, which indicates priority of building for the round temple. The head bones of at least five individuals, all adults, were in the trench, along with a quantity of long bones. The majority of the human bones came from the second and third levels from the top (Lots C-90, -91) near the transition from rubble fill to lime

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Colonnaded Buildings at Mayapán 22.6. Str. Q-151 (l–n,p,u, Str. Q-97; q, Str. Q-88a). a. Limestone turtle, 41 by 35 by 11 cm, bottom, showing mortar on reverse face, Lot C-93a, Cat. no. 54-293. b. Reverse face of (a), mortar removed, showing covered cavity. c. Sculptured stone-head, Lot C-107. d. Implements of obsidian: left, steep end scraper, Lot C-90, Cat. no. 54-226; middle, end scraper on flake blade, Lot C-94, Cat. no. 54-260; right, end scraper on flake blade, Lot C-90, Cat. no. 54-227. e. Implements of obsidian: left, small retouched blade or point; broken sidenotched point made on flake blade, edge retouched only, both Lot C-106; right, 2 points made on flake blades, with steeply retouched edges, Lot C-94, Cat. no. 54-254. f. Obsidian flake-blade with 2 longitudinal spalls removed from left edge so that it resembles a burin, Lot C-106, Cat. no. 54-289. g. Spent obsidian blade core, striking platform ground, 4.3 cm long, Lot C-94, Cat. no. 54-259. h. Perforated shell ornament, 3.5 by 1.9 cm, Lot C-87, Cat. no. 54-241. i. Ceramic hollow cylinder seal, Lot C-94. j. Pottery spindle whorl, undecorated, ca. 2.5 by 1.0 cm, Lot C-94. k. Shell disc, 3.0 by 0.3 cm, Lot C-90, Cat. no. 54230. l. Sketch illustrating method in which the sculptured figure (Fig. 1g) from Str. Q-97 was assembled. m. Bone rasp from surface, Str. Q-97; length 11 cm, Lot C-35, Cat. no. 53-231. n. Perforated animal tooth from postconstruction midden behind Str. Q-97, Lot C-35f, Cat. no. 53-230. o. Flint blade, 28.2 by 4.6 by 1.6 cm, Lot C-59, Cat. no. 53-214. p. Drawing illustrating one-by-two variation of plain weave technique used in the textile impressed on stucco fragment from surface of Str. Q-97 (see [u] below). The double warp element is crossed by a single, weft element. q. Shell ornament incised with hieroglyphs, Str. Q-88a; length 6 cm, Lot C-58, Cat. no. 53-213. r. Flint point, edges bifacially retouched, 3.5 by 1.9 by 0.3 cm max. dimensions, Lot C-93, Cat. no. 54-270. s. Dark chert point with light patina broken by retouch, 3.6 by 2.0 by 0.4 cm, Lot C-59, Cat. no. 53-215. t. Flint point, Lot C-107. u. Textile impression on fragment of stucco found on surface of colonnaded hall, Str. Q-97, Lot C-35. Textile finely woven, having 11 warp pairs (22 threads) and 16 single weft elements per square centimeter (see [p] above). v. Ceramic mold, and impression; mold approximately 7 cm long, Lot C-88.

and sascab. However, a mandible, several vertebrae, and some tarsal bones were near the bottom of the trench (Lot C-89). In two cases, the skull was found with one or two vertebrae still articulated, unaccompanied by long bones and with the mandible lying a short distance away. None of the other bones were in any semblance of their proper relationship except for a few vertebrae and ribs in Level 3. The implication is that the bodies were beheaded, the jaws removed, and perhaps were further dismembered before they were thrown into the passage. No evidence of burial rites was seen. It seems likely that the passage was filled with rubble and mortar in order to cover the putrefying corpses or bones. Among the ceramic artifacts, the frequency of utilitarian over ceremonial or ornamental objects in the upper levels is not noticeably different from that found elsewhere in the general excavations. However, several whole pots had been thrown into the passage, which further indicates that it was used for something other than just routine dumping. Corner Midden An interesting deposit of stratified midden material and fill, containing the remains of four plaster floors, was found in the corner between the west end of the rear wall of Q-151 and the substructure of Q-152 (see Figs. 22.2d; 22.5j,k). Much of this was laid down after the passage between the two buildings had been blocked by a rough wall of uncut stones. A bench with rectangular band molding was built over the midden during a late stage; it runs from the rear wall of the colonnaded hall to the staircase of Q-152.

The lowest distinguishable horizon consists of reddish brown soil containing some artifacts but little organic material, lying in pockets in the bedrock. This is overlain by a badly weathered plaster floor (Floor 4), which follows the gentle slope of the rock down towards the east court of the Castillo. Identifiable artifacts are few and have been included with those from the next layer above. The layer above is a deposit of gravel, soil, and closely packed, reddened sascab, in which were sherds, animal bones, obsidian flake-blades, and fragments of charcoal. One floor (Floor 3) was laid during the course of deposition at this level, but is now barely perceptible. Floor 2, which rests on top of the level, has been used as the upper limit for Lot C104, which includes all the material that comes from below that floor. The midden deposit between Floors 2 and 1 (Lot C-105) consists of much the same sort of material. The fact that more animal and bird bones are present here than in the lot from below Floor 2 does not necessarily indicate a change in the manner or kind of activity, since bone is preserved in only a part of the lower level. Floor 1 is covered by 3–6 cm of close-packed fine gray soil, in which there are several lenses of charcoal representing small hearths (Fig. 2d,D). Bones and sherds are included in this matrix. Above it lies a deposit of mixed midden material and rubble (C), which also contains a hearth. This has the appearance of having been deposited rather quickly and may be debris from some nearby construction project. It is apparent that the deposition of midden material in the corner continued over a long period

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Edwin M. Shook and William N. Irving of time; it may have begun before Q-151 was built. What functions were carried on there and why the refuse was allowed to accumulate in such an exposed spot, in full view of some of the principal public buildings of the city, is not immediately clear. It has been suggested that the corner was used as a sort of kitchen in which meals for priests were prepared. Another possibility is that it was used intermittently for the same purpose by workmen on construction projects in the main ceremonial group. If the latter were the case, and the refuse, mixed with building debris, was covered after each period of use, the anomaly of an exposed garbage dump in the middle of the main group would disappear. However, there is no direct evidence to support either of these explanations, and it is possible that the bones and charcoal are the remains of sacrificial rites rather than of the preparation of food. Inside the bench, a layer of grouting (B) overlies the rubble deposit. It also contains sherds and bones, perhaps residual or perhaps brought in with the grouting material. Outside the bench, the previous layer C was leveled to make a base for the most recent floors (two), which turn up to the bench. Lot C-106 includes material from the deposit between Floor 1 and the presumed top of the bench. The upper limit is an area of disintegrated flooring and fallen plaster that represents the top of the bench in which bones and some charcoal 148 were found. The charcoal may indicate that the early use of the corner, which entailed the deposition of charcoal, was continued after the bench was built. Lot C-107 comprises material from surface debris above the bench and the floor in front. It is clear that the greater part of the midden accumulated after the hall was built. The passage may have been blocked at about the time Floor 2 was laid, but the floors are completely disintegrated along the sides of the buildings, so the relationships are obscure. Traces of an early floor are to be seen in the reddened sascab and gravel bed on which the wall closing the passage was built, but these could not be identified with any of the floors under the bench. All the floors could be traced for about 3 m in front of the bench; beyond this point they are disrupted. It is likely that the top floor ended in a step down to the level of the top of the substructure of Q-151. If the inference regarding the late extension of the colonnaded hall toward the west is correct, the bench in the corner, which is secondary to the exterior of the rear wall of the hall, was built during the latter half of the use of Q-151. It is possible that some of the earlier midden material accumulated between the time the primary hall was built and the period of extensive rebuilding mentioned above.

Function The question of the principal function of Str. Q151 is not to be answered without reference to data besides that from this excavation. However, on the basis of information presented here, certain inferences can be drawn about the nature of activity in the colonnaded hall during its final stage. There is substantial evidence, in the form of pottery, sculpture, and architecture, that the central part of Q-151 was used primarily for ritual purposes. More than this, the greater portion of the pottery from this section is specifically associated with the burning of copal; the few artifacts of other classes, ceramic and nonceramic, from around the shrine give no certain clue to any other activity, unless one would assume that the small, sharp flake-blades inside the shrine were used for scarification, bloodletting, the sacrificial killing of animals, or the like. No concentration of debris either of ritual or domestic origin was found to indicate what went on in the rest of the building. The few artifacts outside the transverse end room suggest the possibility of rituals having been practiced there, but data for this section of the building are incomplete. The floor in front of the medial shrine was resurfaced more often than was the floor elsewhere in the excavated parts of the building. On the whole, it would seem that the shrine was used a great deal, the remainder of the building relatively little. There is no indication that the kind of ritual performed at the medial altar was very elaborate. The burning of copal is widely known as an essential part of many Mayapán undertakings and does not necessarily imply important public ceremonies. It does seem likely that the shrine and altar were used regularly by a large number of individuals or small groups. Presumably, they had some reason for visiting Str. Q-151 rather than one of the many other colonnaded halls with shrines. The reason might be some civil or political function regularly carried on there for a closed group, but the possibility of the activity being religious in character cannot be dismissed. The way is open for speculation, based on more extensive information, on the type of institution that would fit the situation inferred from archaeological data. Summary of Material Recovered Edwin M. Shook Lot C-35: from surface and general excavation of Str. Q-97: 32 fragments of painted plaster and modeled and painted stucco, one bearing imprint of a finely woven textile (Fig. 22.6p,u); 2 stalactites from mod-

Colonnaded Buildings at Mayapán eled stucco figures; fragments of an assembled stone sculpture representing Ehecatl (?); 15 fragments of animal and bird bones; 2 obsidian flake-blades; 2 flint chips; 1 fragment of shell ornament; 1 fragment of an alabaster vessel; sherds. Total sherds: 2,505: 0.7 percent Puuc period; 99.3 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 14.6; Noneffigy-Type censers, 1.8; Human Effigy-Type censers, 56.5; Mayapán Red, 22.4; Red-on-Cream, 0.4; Fine Orange 0.8; Black-on-Cream, 2.8). Lot C-35a: from unsealed fill of terrace pertaining to the second phase, Str. Q-97 (Fig. 22.1k); 4 fragments of modeled and painted stucco; 1 carved architectural ornament; 4 obsidian. Total sherds: 177: 100 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 9.6; Noneffigy-Type censers, 1.8; Human Effigy-Type censers, 39.4; Mayapán Red, 39.0; Black-on-Cream, 10.2). Lot C-35b: from unsealed fill of shrine room floor of Str. Q-97 to early plaza floor (Fig. 22.1, section); sherds. Total sherds: 252: 0.8 percent Puuc period; 99.2 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 27.4; Noneffigy-Type censers, 4.0; Human Effigy-Type censers, 19.0; Mayapán Red, 45.6; Black-on-Cream, 3.2). Lot C-35c: from sealed fill below early plaza floor to bedrock under shrine room, Str. Q-97: 34 animal and bird bones; 4 fragments of a bone rasp (Fig. 22.6m); 5 obsidian flake-blades; 1 flint chip; cache (Figs. 22.1i; 22.7h); sherds. Total sherds: 605: 0.8 percent Puuc period; 99.2 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped, 44.0; Noneffigy-Type censers, 1.3; Mayapán Red, 33.2; Fine Orange, 1.5; Black-on-Cream, 19.2). Lot C-35d: from sealed fill below terrace floor of early phase of colonnaded hall, Str. Q-97 (22.1j); 2 obsidian flake-blades; sherds. Total sherds: 87: 3.5 percent Puuc period; 96.5 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped, 13.8; NoneffigyType censers, 3.4; Mayapán Red, 44.8; Fine Orange, 1.2; Black-on-Cream, 33.3). Lot C-35e: from below plaza floor to bedrock, rear center of Str. Q-97 (Fig. 22.1, section): 24 fragments of human skull, animal and bird bones; 3 fragments of lime plaster bearing red, blue, and black paint; 1 stalactite from modeled stucco figure; 3 obsidian flake-blades; sherds. Total sherds: 570: 0.4 percent Puuc period; 99.6 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped, 39.6; Non­

effigy-Type censers, 1.2; Mayapán Red, 51.1; Fine Orange, 0.4; Black-on-Cream, 7.3). Lot C-35f: from postconstruction midden (Fig. 22.1l) and building debris above plaza floor east side of Str. Q-97: 12 fragments of painted plaster and modeled stucco; 90 animal and bird bones; 1 perforated animal tooth (Fig. 22.6n); 1 pig or peccary tusk; 1 limestone mano; 15 obsidian flake-blades; 5 flint chips; sherds. Total sherds: 1,587: 0.4 percent Puuc period; 99.6 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped, 35.5; Noneffigy-Type censers, 1.2; Human Effigy-Type censers, 3.6; Mayapán Red, 53.9; Red-on-Cream, 0.4; Fine Orange, 0.8 Black-on-Cream, 4.2). Lot C-58: from surface to bedrock in northsouth trench between stairway shrine of Str. Q-88a (Fig. 22.5f) and a rectangular platform, Str. Q-88b: 5 animal bones; 1 shell ornament incised with glyphs (Fig. 22.6q); 1 obsidian flake-blade; 2 flint chips; sherds. Total sherds: 957: 2.4 percent Puuc period; 97.6 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 25.2; Noneffigy-Type censers, 1.7; Human Effigy-Type censers, 29.0; Mayapán Red, 34.7; Black-on-Cream, 7.0). Lot C-59: from surface excavations in passage behind Str. Q-151 at east corner of Caracol platform (Str. Q-152); 41 fragments of human, animal, and bird bones; burned and unburned copal; charcoal; ashes; 1 shell ornament; 1 fragment of limestone mano, round in section; 1 broken volcanic (porous gray lava) stone metate; 1 obsidian flake-blade; 1 flint blade and 1 arrowhead (Fig. 22.6o,s); 1 flint chip; sherds. Total sherds: 1,839: 0.2 percent Puuc period; 99.8 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 8.0; Noneffigy-Type censers, 1.5; Human Effigy-Type censers; 72.8, Mayapán Red, 16.2; Red-on-Cream, 0.9, Fine Orange, 0.1, Black-on-Cream, 0.3). Lots C-84, -84a, -85: from sealed fill of primary colonnaded hall, Str. Q-151, between floor and bedrock in central trench (Fig. 22.2c); 17 fragments of human, animal, and bird bones; 1 stalactite from modeled stucco figure; 2 obsidian flake-blades; sherds. Total sherds: 795: 17.5 percent Puuc period; 82.5 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 28.8; Noneffigy-Type censers, 0.3; Mayapán Red, 36.3; Fine Orange, 0.6; Black-on-Cream, 16.5). Lots C-85a,b,c: from unsealed fill in colonnade altar, Str. Q-151. Lot C-85a: 7 bone fragments; 1 shell

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Edwin M. Shook and William N. Irving 22.7. Str. Q151 (h,j,l, Str. Q-97; m, Str. Q-164. n. Str. Q-81) a,b. Red Ware cache vessels from altar, Lot C-85b; [a] is slipped outside except for base and legs, and incised; [b] is slipped outside and inside for 3 cm. below rim. Both found intact. c. Red Ware tripod basal-break bowl, slipped interior, Lot C-90. d. Red Ware tripod basal-break bowl, slipped interior and exterior, Lot C-90. e. Noneffigy censer, coarse paste painted white, ca. 40 cm high, Lot C-go. f. Red Ware jar, 29.5 cm high, Lot C-90. g. Unslipped coarse paste dish, painted dull tan, Lot C-93. h. Cache vessel of unslipped, light gray pottery coarse paste, from below primary floor (Fig. 22.1i) under shrine room, Str. Q-97, Lot C-35c. i. Miniature tripod cup, unslipped, coarse paste, Lot C-93. j. Miniature tripod cup, unslipped, coarse paste, light gray pottery; ht. 7.5 cm; from floor of shrine room, Str. Q-97, Lot C-35. Probably thrown where found by looters of cache in the dais below seated stucco idol. k. Noneffigy censer, unslipped coarse paste, painted dull tan, Lot C-93. 1. Fine Orange tripod bowl from surface of bench and floor, north end of Str. Q-97, Lot C-35. The hollow feet were not found. This form, common in Mayapán period, normally has mold-made effigy feet. Max. diam. 25.8 cm. m. Effigy vessel with cover from cache in central altar of the colonnaded hall, Str. Q-164, Lot C-1. Vessel of unslipped, coarse paste, light gray pottery bearing on exterior all-over white lime coat on which effigy features were painted red, pale greenish blue, and black. One cover, cut from light gray jar sherd, fits inside orifice and is not seen in photo. Second cover is slipped Mayapán Red Ware. Ht. of vessel, 11 cm. n. Human-effigy-type censer found with many other restorable censers in shrine of colonnaded hall, Str. Q-81, Lot C-72. Total ht. 56 cm, ht. of censer behind figure 40 cm.

tinkler; 7 obsidian flake-blades and 1 tool (Fig. 22.6d); sherds. Lot C-85b: 1 altar cache containing 2 Mayapán Red vessels (Fig. 22.7a,b), 2 small bones, 1 sting-ray tail, 1 unperforated cylindrical jade ornament, 1 obsidian flake-blade and 1 tool (?). Lot C-85c: sherds. Total sherds: 126: 3.2 percent Puuc period; 96.8 percent; Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 23.8; Noneffigy-Type censers, 3.2; Human Effigy-Type censers, 3.2; Mayapán Red, 64.2; Black-on-Cream, 2.4). Lot C-85d: from unsealed and disturbed fill of front terrace, Str. Q-151; sherds. Total sherds: 100: 5.0 percent Puuc period; 95.0 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 21.0; Human Effigy-Type censers, 25.0; Mayapán Red, 39.0; Fine Orange; 1.0, Black-on-Cream 9.0). Lots C-86, -87: from the base of the colonnade wall to bedrock in passage between Strs. Q-151 and Q-152, Level 6 (Fig. 22.2e). Most of the deposit predates the construction of Str. Q-151: 9 fragments of animal and bird bones; 1 stalactite from modeled stucco figure; 1 shell ornament (Fig. 22.6h); 3 obsidian flake-blades; 1 flint chip; sherds including 1 fragment of Tohil Plumbate. Total sherds: 1,393: 20.6 percent Puuc period; 79.4 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 31.9 percent; Noneffigy-Type censers, l.2; Mayapán Red, 38.3; Fine Orange, 0.3; Black-on-Cream, 7.7). Lot C-88: from Level 5 (Fig. 22.2e) in passage between Strs. Q-151 and Q-152: 10 fragments of human, animal, and bird bones; 2 stalactites and 2 fragments of modeled stucco painted purple, yellow, green, and red; 1 unworked shell; 1 fragment of stone sculpture; 2 hammerstones; 14 obsidian flakeblades; 1 flint blade and 4 chips; 1 fragment of pottery mold (Fig. 22.6v); sherds.

Total sherds: 1,517: 2.4 percent Puuc period; 97.6 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 27.5; Noneffigy-Type censers, 26.0; Human Effigy-Type censers, 1.8; Mayapán Red, 39.1; Fine Orange, 0.4; Black-on-Cream, 2.8). Lot C-89: from Level 4 (Fig. 22.2e) in Passage between Strs. Q-151 and Q-152; 7 fragments human, animal, and bird bones; sherds. Total sherds: 404: 4.7 percent Puuc period, 95.3 Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 28.7; Noneffigy-type censers, 15.3; Human Effigy-Type censers, 1.0; Mayapán Red, 42.6; Fine Orange, 1.0; Blackon-Cream, 6.7). Lot C-90: from Level 3 (Fig. 22.2e) in Passage between Strs. Q-151 and Q-152: 118 fragments of human, animal, and bird bones; 1 shark tooth; 1 bone bead; 3 fragments of wall plaster painted blue, orange, red, and black; 1 human head and 1 hand modeled in stucco and painted blue and purplish red; 2 stalactites from modeled stucco figures; 1 unworked and perforated shell ornament; 1 shell disc (Fig. 22.6k); 15 obsidian flake-blades, and 2 end scrapers (Fig. 22.6d); flint point similar to one in Fig. 22.6f, 1 flake-blade; and 5 chips; 1 pottery spindle whorl; sherds. Total sherds: 2,968: 1.5 percent Puuc period; 98.5 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 15.9, Noneffigy Type censers, 44.0; Human Effigy-Type censers, 7.8; Mayapán Red, 29.5; Red-on-Cream, 0.1; Fine Orange, 0.2; Black-on-Cream,1.0). Lot C-91: from Level 2 (Fig. 22.2a) in Passage between Strs. Q-151 and Q-152: 14 fragments of animal and bird bones; 5 stalactites and fragments of modeled and Painted stucco; sting-ray tail (?); 4 flint chips; sherds.

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Edwin M. Shook and William N. Irving Total sherds: 9,102: 0.1 percent Puuc period; 99.9 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 4.7; noneffigy-type censers, 1.4; Human Effigy-Type censers, 80.3; Mayapán Red, 12.6; Red-on-Cream 0.7; Fine Orange, 0.1; Black-on-Cream, 0.1). Lot C-92: from Level 1 (Fig. 22.2e) in passage between Strs. Q-151 and Q-152: 2 animal bones; 7 stalactites from modeled stucco figures; 1 hammerstone; 3 obsidian flake-blades; 1 flint arrowhead (?); 3 chips; sherds. Total sherds: 8,231: 0.1 percent Puuc period; 99.9 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, l.5; Noneffigy-Type censers, 0.2; Human Effigy-Type censers, 93.4; Mayapán Red, 4.6; Red-on-Cream, 0.1; Black-on-Cream, 0.1). Lots C-93, 93a,b: from surface debris above floors in interior of Str. Q-151; material heavily concentrated in and around shrine: 21 human, animal, and bird bones; 1 charred corncob; 1 stalactite and fragments of modeled and painted stucco and plaster; 2 unworked shells; 1 turtle sculpture (Fig. 22.6a,b) containing cache of 2 obsidian flake-blades and fragments of sting-ray tails; 1 limestone mano, 1 polisher, 1 hammerstone; 9 obsidian flake-blades; 1 flint arrowhead (Fig. 22.6r), 1 blade, 1 triangular adze (?); 8 chips; sherds. Total sherds: 17,915: 0.2 percent Puuc period; 99.8 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 2.9; Noneffigy-Type censers, 0.3; Human Effigy-Type censers, 90.7; Mayapán Red, 5.3; Red-on-Cream, 0.2; Fine Orange, 0.1; Black-on-Cream, 0.3). Lot C-94: from general surface excavations of terraces, stairway, and substructure of Str. Q-151: 71 human, animal, and bird bones; 9 stalactites, and fragments of modeled and painted stucco; fragments of wall plaster painted purplish red; 1 shell tinkler; 1 fragment of stone censer (?) with ring base; 15 obsidian flake-blades (Fig. 22.6d,e), 2 arrowheads (Fig. 22.6e) and core (Fig. 22.6g); 10 flint chips? 1 pottery spindle whorl (Fig. 22.6j), and 1 hollow, cylindrical seal (Fig. 22.6i); sherds. Total sherds: 4,441: 0.3 percent Puuc period; 99.7 Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 4.9; NoneffigyType censers, 0.6; Human Effigy-Type censers, 77.5; Mayapán Red, 15.3; Red-on-Cream, 0.6; Fine Orange, 0.1; Black-on-Cream, 0.7). Lot C-104: from sealed fill under Floor 2 to bedrock at northwest side of Str. Q-151 (Fig. 22.2d): 19 animal and bird bones; charcoal; 8 obsidian flakeblazes; sherds. Total sherds: 247: 5.3 percent Puuc period; 94.7 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 40.5;

Noneffigy-Type censers, 0.4; Mayapán Red, 40.1; Fine Orange, 0.8; Black-on-Cream, 12.9). Lot C-105: from sealed fill between Floors 1 and 2 at northwest side of Str. Q-151 (Fig. 22.2d); approximately 100 animal, bird, and fish bones; 1 shell bead; 58 obsidian flake-blades and 2 chips; sherds. Total sherds: 499: 3.4 percent Puuc period; 96.6 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 28.3; Noneffigy-Type censers, 5.6; Human Effigy-Type censers, 0.8; Mayapán Red, 57.9; Fine Orange, 0.8; Black-on-Cream, 3.2). Lot C-106: from unsealed fill of bench at northwest side of Str. Q-151 (Fig. 22.2d); 135 animal, bird, and fish bones; 1 fragment of modeled and painted stucco; 1 limestone mano; 5 obsidian flake-blades (Fig. 22.6f); sherds. Total sherds: 422: 0.5 percent Puuc period; 99.5 percent; Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 33.8; Noneffigy-Type censers, 1.9; Human Effigy-Type censers, 17.7; Mayapán Red, 44.5; Red-on-Cream, 0.2; Black-on-Cream, 1.4). Lot C-107: from general surface excavations above bench at northwest side of Str. Q-151 (Fig. 22.2d); 155 animal, bird, and fish bones; 1 burial of a child’s skull; charcoal; ashes; copal; 2 stalactites and fragments of modeled and painted stucco; 1 unworked shell; 1 sculptured stone head (Fig. 22.6c); 21 obsidian flake-blades; 1 flint arrowhead (Fig. 22.6t) and 11 chips; sherds. Total sherds: 4,628: 0.2 percent Puuc period; 99.8 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 10.5; Noneffigy-Type censers, 1.3; Human Effigy-Type censers, 55.0; Mayapán Red, 31.9; Red-on-Cream, 0.3; Fine Orange, 0.3; Black-on-Cream, 0.5). Lot C-108: from fill in lower half of excavation at west end of Str. Q-151: 50 animal and bird bones; charcoal; 16 obsidian flake-blades; sherds. Total sherds: 219: 5.0 percent Puuc period; 95.0 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 21.9; Noneffigy-Type censers, 2.8; Mayapán Red, 60.7; Fine Orange, 0.9; Black-on-Cream, 8.7). Lot C-108a: from unsealed upper fill of excavation at west end of Str. Q-151: 20 animal and bird bones; 1 fragment of limestone mano; 14 obsidian flake-blades; sherds. Total sherds: 62: 1.6 percent Puuc period; 98.4 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 32.3; Noneffigy-Type censers, 4.8; Human Effigy-Type censers, 9.7; Mayapán Red, 46.8; Fine Orange, 3.2; Blackon-Cream, 1.6).

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 23 February 1955

Exploration in Quintana Roo Gustav Strömsvik, H.E.D. Pollock, and Heinrich Berlin

is the old road from Peto to Santa Cruz de Bravo, now known as Carrillo Puerto. Immediately east of Calotmul, we stopped to observe a small ruined site of four mounds. Two of the mounds are each about 8 m in height, one a pyramidal structure apparently facing west, the other probably having been a twoor three-storied palace type of building. At the top of the first mound are remains of walls built of Puucstyle masonry. Near the bottom of the second there is visible part of a vault of very crude construction, and there are stones of Puuc-type lying higher up on the mound. The vault cannot be placed as to style in this relatively unknown area. Its position in the mound suggests that it may be of earlier construction than the Puuc-type masonry that must have stood higher on the structure. The walls below the vault are hidden beneath debris, however, and it is possible that they may be of Puuc type, similar to the veneer masonry walls supporting a crude vault seen subsequently at Ichmul (Figs. 23.1f; 23.2a). The

The explorations described below were carried on by Strömsvik and Pollock between February 23 and 28, and by Berlin and Strömsvik between May 24 and 29, 1954. Previously, one of our workmen from the village of Telchaquillo, Yucatán, had been sent into the area to gather information on the location of ruins and to report on roads and living conditions. His report assured us that we could make the trip by truck and that we could secure food supplies and camp facilities at the village of Ichmul, the site of certain ruins we wished to observe. The first trip started from Telchaquillo, going by way of Tekit, Teabo, Ticul, and thence to Peto over the newly built highway from Merida to the last-named town. The second trip left from Merida, using the highway to Peto. Beyond Peto, and the end of road normally considered passable by automobile, our course was generally east through the village of Progreso (12 km from Peto), Dzonotchel (24 km), and Calotmul (31 km) to Ichmul (43 km). This

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Gustav Strömsvik, H.E.D. Pollock, and Heinrich Berlin remaining two mounds at Calotmul are smaller and without notable features showing. Puuc-type stones were again observed on one of them. Ichmul, which lies just over the border in Quin­ tana Roo, is an old settlement as shown by Ciudad Real’s mention of the town in the 16th century (Noyes 1932:323–325). At present it is more notable for its colonial than for its aboriginal ruins. Overgrown streets and tumbled-down remains of colonial buildings extend a kilometer or more north, east, south, and west from the large central plaza. Two imposing churches—the second and bigger never completed—a cuartel, and an unfinished cabildo face on the plaza. The more important aboriginal remains, consisting of three large pyramidal mounds 8 m or more in height and the ruins of two enclosed quadrangles, all rising from a huge terraced platform, lie just south of the plaza (Fig. 23.1a). A road of colonial or later construction cuts through the ancient platform from north to south. Other terraces, courts, and smaller mounds lie farther south, and another group of ruins was observed about 150 m east of the older, northern church. A short distance north of the well in the plaza is a huge sascab cave, mute witness, if such were needed, to the intensive building activity of earlier times. On each of the principal pyramids are elaborate fortifications in the form of head-high walls of stone, clearly of colonial or later origin. Tradition in the settlement, which consists of a schoolmaster and possibly a dozen families that seem only recently to have taken up residence in the abandoned town, is that the fortifications were built at the time of the War of the Castes. The 18thcentury date of the unfinished church, however, suggests that the place was abandoned at an earlier time. As might be expected in a town of the size that Ichmul once was, the ancient Maya structures are in a shocking state of ruin. They were undoubtedly used as quarries to build the impressive colonial structures, and the fortifications on each pyramid have leveled the remains of any buildings that may have stood there. In the eastern and largest of the pyramids, about half way up the north side, we observed and explored a system of vaulted passages that run into the center of the structure (Figs. 23.1b–e; 23.2e). These are of crude construction, built entirely of roughly shaped but otherwise unworked stone. A room, mostly filled with debris but showing a vault which rises to a higher level than the passage vaults, lies at the southern end of the system, near the center of the pyramid. In the western arm of the passages a joint in the masonry indicates two phases of construction, the earlier and slightly better masonry lying to the west.

Toward the western edge of the ruins, just south of the colonial cuartel, a partly buried, vaulted building protrudes from the side of a large platform. This was of interest in showing a sequence of different styles of masonry (Figs. 23.1f; 23.2a–c). The primary vault, which is of crude stonework not unlike the vaults and room mentioned above, rests on walls of veneer masonry comparable to that found in the Puuc or Chenes regions of the peninsula. A small section of the upper zone of the west facade of this building was exposed (Fig. 23.2d) and it exhibits masonry similar to that of the interior walls. The structure just described was built against, and is clearly later than, a battered wall, apparently the old face of a terrace, of well-cut and dressed veneer masonry (Fig. 23.2c), whereas inside of the vaulted building, and secondary to it, is a smaller vault of rough masonry resting on walls of equally rude construction. This sequence suggests a trend from well-cut and dressed stonework to a crude style of masonry. It is possible that the inner vault is of the same period as the seemingly late, East Coast style of architecture subsequently noted at Okop (see below). We obtained a small and hardly adequate sample of pottery from a single trench off the edge of what appeared to be a house platform just east of the largest pyramid, and from digging around the western vault in Ichmul. The sherds were mostly of colonial and Puuc types. There was a smattering of sherds similar to southern Classic types. Owing to the difficulty of distinguishing Mayapán Red ware from colonial pottery, in the absence of distinctive rim forms, one cannot be certain that Mayapán period ceramics are not represented at Ichmul. Only further excavation can answer this question. On the basis of pottery findings and of architecture, one guesses the major period of the site to be Late Classic. About 4 km south of Ichmul is the abandoned colonial settlement of Querul or Xkerul, a name one suspects to be a Spanish corruption of a Maya word. Half way along the trail to this site we noted an ancient road, or sacbe, which we followed to its termination at a pyramidal mound north of the ruins of a colonial church. The mound, which stands about 9 m high, is a tumbled mass of fallen stone with no standing masonry showing. It was the only ancient structure, with the exception of the sacbe, seen at Querul. The sacbe is 10–12 m wide and at places, where it crosses low areas, stands at least 2 m high. It was noticed that the side walls, where the road is relatively low and there is no great accumulation of debris, are faced with rather well-shaped but nondressed stones set vertically. The stones vary in size from about 50 cm square to 50 cm wide by 1 m high and are thin in proportion. We did not trace the road

Exploration in Quintana Roo

23.1. Ichmul and Okop, Plans and Sections. a. Ichmul. Sketch plan of town plaza and main group of ruins. b. Ichmul. Plan of vaulted passages in eastern pyramid. Note early construction at west end of passages. Ends of room at south are obscured by fallen masonry. c. Ichmul. Section of room at southern end of passages in eastern pyramid. d. Ichmul. Section of north-south passage in eastern pyramid (see Fig. 23.2e). e. Ichmul. Section of older part of west passage in eastern pyramid (see b above). f. Ichmul. Section of partly buried building at western edge of ruins. Battered wall at east is earliest construction, small inner vault is latest (see Fig. 23.2a–d). g. Okop. Sketch plan of North Group. h. Okop. Plan of temple on northern pyramid, North Group. Note joint in masonry of rear wall, suggesting building was originally planned with entrance more nearly centered. i. Okop. Plan of temple on eastern pyramid, North Group. j. Okop. Sketch plan of South Group. k. Okop. Section and plan of room in temple on principal pyramid, South Group. Floor of room has been broken by old excavation. l. Okop. Sketch of north wall and interior of temple on principal pyramid, South Group (see Fig. 23.2j).

to its terminus at Ichmul but there is little doubt it runs to that site. There is no reason to think that the pyramid at Querul and the sacbe are not of the same period as the ruins of Okop. Strömsvik and Pollock made a trip of a single day to the ruins of Okop, or La Aguada, as they are locally known, and the subsequent journey of Berlin and Strömsvik was devoted entirely to that site. The ruins lie southeast of Ichmul on the road to Santa Cruz de Bravo. The only sizable settlement we passed was Saban, an old colonial town that appears also to have been abandoned and reoccupied, 23 km from Ichmul. Just 11 km farther along one passes a tiny cluster of huts that preserves the name Okop, and 2 km beyond is the small lake that gives the name of La Aguada to the ruins. Slightly over a kilometer north of the lake is a little settlement or ranch consisting of a few thatch houses and a well. A group of a dozen mounds immediately west of the lake and another group about 1 km to the north, near the ranch, make up the ruins so far as they were explored by us. The two groups are connected by a sacbe 12 m wide, and there are reports of another sacbe farther west, but it was not observed by us. It is apparently the southern group that was visited by Mason (1927:299–304) and Spinden 30 years ago. During the few hours spent at the site by Strömsvik and Pollock, only the northern group was examined, although the existence of the southern was noted. The group consists of three good-sized pyramids, ranging from about 9 to 15 m in height, and several smaller mounds that rest on a large platform some 150 m north and south and that much or more in an eastwest direction (Fig. 23.1g). The pyramids are arranged about a plaza on this elevation. To the east of the pyramids there are more mounds, and the ruins undoubtedly extend a considerable distance beyond the central area mapped by us. South of the great platform is a small pyramidal mound on the east edge

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Exploration in Quintana Roo 23.2. Ichmul and Okop, Views of Architectural Details and Sculpture. a. Ichmul. Vaults in partly buried building at western edge of ruins, looking south. Note veneer masonry of walls supporting rough, outer vault and crude construction of later, inner vault. b. Ichmul. Partly buried building at western edge of ruins, from northwest. Note section of upper zone of facade at right and battered terrace (?) wall at left of tree in foreground (see Fig. 23.1c). c. Ichmul. Section of battered wall, possibly the face of an old terrace, buried by construction of vaulted building at western edge of ruins, from north. Note excellently dressed, veneer facing stones. Just right of tree trunk are wall and lower courses of vault of later building (see Fig. 23.1f). d. Ichmul. Upper zone of west facade of partly buried building at western edge of ruins, from northwest. Veneer masonry is similar to inner wall facing. Note niche covered by projecting tenon just below upper molding. e. Ichmul. North-south passage in eastern pyramid, looking south. Note entrance to west passage at right (see Fig. 23.1b). f. Okop, North Group. Facade of temple on eastern pyramid, from northwest. Note Puuctype stone and sunken panel over doorway. g. Okop, North Group. Facade of temple on northern pyramid, from southeast. Note re-used Puuc-type stone, well-cut column stones, rough slab forming west (left) door jamb, and recessed lintels forming panels over entrance. h. Okop, North Group. Interior of temple on eastern pyramid, looking northwest. View shows northern door jamb, lintel, and spring course of vault. Note crude masonry and re-use of Puuc-type stones. i. Okop, North Group. Section of northern side of vault of temple on northern pyramid, looking west. Rough wall and vault masonry is seen in background. j. Okop, South Group. Room in temple on principal pyramid, looking south through doorway. Note capstones sloping down to rear wall (see Fig. 23.1k,1). k. Okop, Stela 1. Stone is 1.25 m high, 1.05 m wide, 0.25–0.30 m thick. l. Okop, South Group. Front wall of temple on principal pyramid, from northwest. Note Puuc-type “spool” element beneath near end of lintel.

of what seems to have been another plaza or court. In this second plaza, Strömsvik discovered a sculptured stela, half-buried and caught in the roots of a huge breadnut tree. In the attempt to extract the stone, our only axe was broken, and it was not until the second trip to the site that the stela was finally brought to full view. Two of the pyramids, the northern and eastern, support partially standing temple buildings at their summits (Figs. 23.1h,i; 23.2f,g). These are small, single-room structures built of crude masonry with rough vaults that step inward from the four sides of each room (Fig. 23.2h,i). Mixed with the crudely shaped stones of the walls are well-cut stones of Puuc type. The northern building has a single column of nicely dressed stone in its doorway; the western jamb is a single rough slab, the east jamb is a mixture of well-cut and dressed, Puuc-type stones and rough stone (Fig. 23.2g). Over each entrance, in front of the lintel, is a sunken panel, a feature typical of late East Coast architecture. At the foot of the stairway of the eastern pyramid is a large round altar with no trace of carving. The stela, the only sculptured monument discovered at the site, unfortunately had to be photographed in the rain (Fig. 23.2k). It shows a human figure carved in low relief with a short panel of hieroglyphs to the figure’s right and a full-length panel to the left. The top of the stela, carrying the head and neck of the figure and the upper parts of the glyphic panels, is broken off and was not found. The glyphs are too eroded to be legible. A fair amount of detail of the human figure, however, remains. It shows a personage with toes pointed straight outward at an angle of 180 degrees. Across his chest, from lower right to upper left, he clasps a

Ceremonial Bar. Proskouriakoff feels that the style of sculpture is similar to that of a number of the Coba monuments and that the stela can be dated stylistically in the Late Classic period, possibly around 9.9.0.0.0–9.11.0.0.0 in the Maya calendar. As previously mentioned, the southern group lies about a kilometer distant from the ruins just described and is connected to them by a sacbe. About 100 m before reaching the southern end, the ancient road begins a gradual climb to a high terrace built along the northern slope of a natural ridge (Fig. 23.1). On the sacbe, in line with the edge of the terrace, is a round stone altar, 1.5 m in diameter, without carving. From this point southward the road climbs more steeply to the foot of the principal structure of the group, a pyramid that rises some 20 m above the terrace and 30 m more above lake level. The pyramid faces north, and at the foot of the stairway is another circular altar, 2 m in diameter, also without carving. On top of the pyramid are the remains of a small single-room temple building (Fig. 23.1k,l). There is at least one step down from the doorway to the floor of the little chamber, and on each side is a narrow tapering bench that merges with the line of the wall toward the rear of the room. The capstones of the vault, which is formed by the side walls of the room inclining inward, slope down from the rather well-shaped door lintel to the rear wall. The relatively heavy walls of the tiny room are built of crude masonry without the frequent re-use of Puuc-type stones seen in the temples of the northern group (Fig. 23.2j). Beneath the west end of the lintel, however, is a single re-used stone, a “spool” element typical of Puuc facade decoration (Fig. 23.2l). No other standing masonry was noted here. At least a dozen more mounds make up the group, the

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Gustav Strömsvik, H.E.D. Pollock, and Heinrich Berlin most notable being a large quadrangle surrounding a pyramidal mound (Fig. 23.1m). An almost level ramp approaches the latter complex from the east, crossing that side of the quadrangle and ending against what presumably was the stairway of the pyramid. No pottery that might assist in dating the ruins was recovered at Okop. The character of the

remains, and particularly the stela, suggests that the major period of construction and of occupation of the site was Classic, probably Late Classic. The small temples on top of the pyramids of the North Group seem to be of East Coast style and presumably are of later date, as may also be the temple on the principal pyramid of the South Group.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 24 February 1955

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo William T. Sanders

Introduction

Aside from Lothrop’s work and a few brief surveys by archaeologists from the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia, very little serious archaeology has been done in this region and next to no excavation. We know that the majority of the archaeological remains are post-Classic but we do not have a refined chronology for this period. We do not know whether major centers, such as Tulum, Tancah, and El Meco, are contemporary with the Toltec-Chichen or Mayapán or post-Mayapán periods. The primary objective of the 1954 field season was to obtain sherd samples from as large a number of cities as possible for cross-dating with established ceramic sequences of northern Yucatán. Secondarily, data were collected on architecture, modern subsistence patterns, and site settlement patterns. Approximately 40 sites were visited and excavated (Figs. 24.1 and 24.2). The average time spent at a site was about two days. At each place several test excavations were made, principally along the edges

One of the most important regions of the peninsula of Yucatán for the study of post-Classic Maya history is northern Quintana Roo. We know from Spanish accounts that this area, especially the northernmost part of it, was well populated at the time the Spaniards arrived and that its inhabitants were considered to be more sophisticated and cultured than those elsewhere in northern Yucatán. Lothrop’s (1924) study of the architectural style of the east coast of Yucatán indicates quite clearly that post-Classic sites were numerous in the region. “Toltec” influence was evident in many sites, especially at Tulum. Actually, there is very little evidence of Classic occupation of at least the strictly coastal strip. We also know that in post-Classic times Cozumel Island ranked along with Chichén Itzá as a center for holy pilgrimages. Finally, the Spanish accounts indicate that trade along the east coast was extensive and important in the economy of the northern Maya area.

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William T. Sanders of ceremonial or domiciliary structures, or in clearing out temple floors. Our sherd samples, therefore, are in general equivalent to Ford’s (1949) surface collections and only suggest mean possible datings of sites. Aside from excavations, numerous trails were cut in the forest in the vicinity of the ceremonial structures to aid us in site mapping and to give a rough idea of settlement patterns. This work was done by four or five laborers retained for the entire field season; they were taken from the village of Kantunil Kin, where the quality of labor is high. Owing to the sparse population of the Territory of Quintana Roo, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to carry on the kind of archaeology described above without using a permanent crew. The site plans and architectural drawings do not pretend to be highly accurate. The time at each site did not permit us to make first-class plans, although at some places considerable time was spent in the mapping. Compass bearings are, with few exceptions, rough approximations. In the first year of our study of the east coast of the peninsula of Yucatán attention was concentrated in that part of Quintana Roo north of a line from Tulum on the coast to Coba inland behind Playa del Carmen. Topographically this area is a vast plain very much like most of the state of Yucatán and obviously a continuation of the same geographical area. There are no ranges of hills or prominent elevations, but the terrain is broken and difficult to travel in. As in the state of Yucatán, there is practically no surface drainage; numerous cenotes and stretches of low areas or bajos form dry scrub savannas during the dry season and shallow swamps in the wet season. The soil cover is scanty; large areas of exposed rock have little or no soil. Rainfall runs somewhat higher than at Merida but is approximately that of Valladolid and Tizimin in eastern Yucatán, between 1,000–1,200 mm a year. The vegetation in general is almost climax, and the effects of agricultural operations are slight. The forest is not impressive in either height or exuberance and looks very much as a climax forest would appear in the state of Yucatán if not heavily exploited by slashand-burn cultivators. In stonier sections or in the savannas there is a sparser, more stunted scrub forest cover. True grass savannas are rare. It is my impression that this part

24.1. Map of Northeast Yucatán, Showing Archaeological Sites Visited, 1954.

of Quintana Roo is simply an extension, climatically, topographically, and botanically, of the state of Yucatán and that the differences in height and exuberance of vegetation are the result of the differing intensity of human alteration of the landscape through slash-and-burn agriculture. Most of the open coast of northern Quintana Roo is paralleled by sandy beach, used for coconut cultivation. Behind this strip of sand lies a narrow swampy backwater lagoon, occasionally a kilometer wide but usually less and exceedingly difficult to cross. The general elevation of inland Quintana Roo does not vary much except for a sharp drop to this swampy coast. At Puerto Morelos, for example, the land drops 30 m in 0.5 km. The sandy beach backed by swamps is interrupted at intervals by steep lime-

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo

24.2. Map of Cozumel Island, Showing Archaeological Sites Visited, 1954.

stone bluffs projecting into the sea or by low extensions of surface rock. The latter are often sculptured by the sea into beautiful rock-lined bays. Where the coast is protected by long sandy islands, the lagoon shores behind these islands are usually bordered by mangrove swamps and lack sandy beaches (e.g., Laguna de Yalahau behind Isla Holbox, Laguna de Nisuc behind Isla Cancun). In the region under discussion, an area of approximately 17,000 km2, the total population in 1940 was under 6,000. The region is divided into two districts, Isla Mujeres and Cozumel, each governed by a delegate appointed by the governor at Chetumal. Each settlement of any size within a district has a sub-delegate, also appointed by the governor, who is responsible to the delegates residing at

Isla Mujeres and Cozumel. In this large area the only sizable villages, with their respective populations, are: Cozumel (2,085), Puerto Morelos (63), Playa del Carmen (89), Isla Mujeres (557), Leona Vicario (386), Solfarino (156), Chiquila (152), and Holbox (286). The rest of the inhabitants live in tiny chicle depots, lighthouses, or coconut plantations. Transportation facilities in most of this area are almost nonexistent. Even mule trails are rare and connect only a fraction of the settlements. Villages and lesser habitations nearly all lie along the coastal strip, the only section where industry (fishing and coconut growing) is developed; only three permanent settlements stand in the entire inland zone between Kantunil Kin and the two coasts. Kantunil Kin, an excellent jumping-off spot for the interior by way of the few mule trails, is a small agricultural village, where both Maya and Spanish are spoken, situated almost exactly on the border between Yucatán and Quintana Roo. Today there is a good dirt road with daily bus service connecting Kantunil with Tizimin. From Kantunil Kin two mule trails lead into the interior (Fig. 24.1). One runs north to the village of Solfarino, 8 leagues or 32 km away, and is passable by jeep its entire length. From Solfarino to Chiquila a typical hacienda type of tramway, about 4 leagues long, completes the route to the north coast. The other mule trail goes east for 7 leagues to join a tramway at El Diez, so called because it lies 10 km west of Leona Vicario. One difficulty in locating sites in the report of Escalona Ramos (1946) lies in his use of the kilometer numbers. Leona Vicario, the ancient Santa Maria, is considered Kilometer 0. From Leona westward the kilometer numbers run from 1 to 10, ending at El Diez; from Leona eastward the numbers run from 1 to 42, ending at Puerto Morelos. I shall locate sites by kilometer numbers. The federal government has under construction a highway from Valladolid to Puerto Juarez, opposite Isla Mujeres, which should afford good transportation to interior northern Quintana Roo. Along the coast a few short roads have been built by coconut plantation owners for managing their holdings. The only one of interest to archaeologists is that which runs from the hacienda headquarters at Tancah south to the ruins of Tulum and a little

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William T. Sanders beyond. To the north it reaches a point 2 leagues from the Bay of Xelha. On Cozumel Island travel is similar to that on the mainland. A dirt highway runs from Cozumel to a bay, now a bathing resort, 6 km south and also runs north of Cozumel 4 km or so to the airport and the bathing resort of San Juan (Fig. 24.2). From this bay south of Cozumel is a mule trail which runs to El Cedral and Punta Celerain, the southern-most tip of the island. Another mule trail connects Cozumel with a series of cattle ranches (Santa Rita, San Gervasio, and San Severo) in the center of the island. Aside from land transport most of my travel on the coast was accomplished by combination motor and sail boats. A regular boat service connects Progreso to Chetumal, making stops at Holbox, Cabo Catoche, Isla Mujeres, Puerto Morelos, and Cozumel. Boats may be rented at Holbox, Isla Mujeres, and Cozumel. Description of Archaeological Sites Northern Interior Sites Eight sites were excavated in what may be called northern interior Quintana Roo; that is, inland at least 4 km from the beach. One of the sites is at Kantunil Kin, two are in the vicinity of Solfarino, and four lie along the tramway from El Diez to Puerto Morelos (Fig. 24.1). The eighth is probably a separate singlemound site of the big center at Kantunil Kin. Kantunil Kin. With the exception of Tulum, this was the largest site worked during the field season. Escalona Ramos wrote a fairly good, general description of the ruins and took a number of measurements. The main plaza is a block north of the modern plaza in Kantunil Kin. It seems almost entirely Classic, with buildings dating from Early Classic times. I translate what Escalona Ramos (1946:547) says: “The principal group is formed by five mounds around a plaza 120 m by 180 m. The largest are on the north side; one is 70 m on a side and 20 m high, and the other measures 35 m on a side and 15 m high. . . . The mound on the west side is 45 m by 20 m at the base by 3 m in height. That to the south is 140 m by 100 m and 4 m high at the corners; it [the plaza] has the form of a horseshoe open to the east. . . .” Actually, his south mound is on the east side of the plaza and the open end is toward the south. He (Escalona Ramos 1946:548) describes another site which he calls Oxlalanul, 1 km east of the village, but it is without doubt a secondary group of the first-mentioned site. The architecture is the same, and the intervening area, very small, is occupied by

a number of small mounds, all of which indicate a single site. This second group includes two large buildings, one a high temple-pyramid, connected by a sacbe or causeway. Scattered through the forest near these two groups are at least 20 small conical mounds averaging 2–5 m in height. One was partially excavated and revealed a succession of superimposed structures (described below). A careful examination of trails and cleared areas in the vicinity showed that house mounds are practically nonexistent and that surface pottery is very rare. The condition of the major buildings is poor. Stone robbing is rapidly reducing them to piles of rubble. No standing walls or vaults were seen. There seem to be three principal types of structure: (1) large pyramidal mounds with vaulted temples on their summits, (2) large low platforms, probably bases for domiciliary structures, built of perishable materials, of the ruling class, and (3) small temple platforms or open-air altars. The quality of stonework, which might be classified as rough block masonry, is from poor to fair, never really fine. A single isolated house mound was located in a milpa about 6 km north of the village and about 1 km east of the main road from Kantunil Kin to Solfarino. Several pits excavated at the base and on the floor of this house mound produced a sherd sample. A test trench made at the east edge of the west mound of the main plaza gave very little result. The major excavation at the site was made at one of the small conical mounds about 500 m northeast of the main group. This mound, apparently one of the few not badly destroyed by villagers, was a roughly circular heap of stone about 3 m high. Trenching into the south slope revealed a succession of buried buildings: first a rectangular, three-terraced, whitecoated platform; then within this, a single-terraced round platform with a round altar-like elevation on top; and finally within this, a smaller, two-terraced round platform (Fig. 24.3). Both of the inner round platforms were covered by a coat of black paint. The form of the outermost platform was not determinable but there seems to have been a small stone temple on its summit. Figure 24.3 shows the form and measurements of the structures. The stairways on the rectangular temple platform and the outer round structure were not located in the excavation but that on the innermost structure was discovered during clearing of the west side. Of especial interest was the flat stelalike stone on top of the inner round building, its base deeply set in the building. The construction of these platforms was quite simple. The fill was a solid mass of limestone chunks mixed with cement mortar. A

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo cap of smaller stones and mortar leveled the top of a platform. The walls were faced with roughly hewn blocks covered by a thick cap of mortar. Small sherd samples were obtained from the inner construction of all three of the buildings. Pre­ liminary study of the sherds indicates that all buildings are Early Classic, Tzakol-like painted pottery occurring in each lot.

24.3. Kantunil Kin, Excavated Mound. a. East-west section. b. Plan.

24.4. El Diez, Plan of Site.

Monte Bravo. Situated 2 leagues (8 km) east of Solfarino, this site consists of half a dozen goodsized mounds of peculiar form. The local villagers refer to the area, which they cultivate intensively in milpas, as Monte Bravo because of the height of the forest. The trail is permanent and well defined, and the mounds lie within 100 m of it. The surrounding area is covered by grassland. About 50 years ago the forest was cleared off and grass sown for cattle pasture, which, later abandoned, eventually reverted to forest. A few years ago a forest fire destroyed the new forest, but the dormant grass seed sprouted and took over so completely that the old grassland returned in full strength to over a meter in height.

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24.5. Punta Islote, Temple of the Four Directions. a. Plan. b. Roof plan. c. West elevation.

24.6. Leona Vicario, Plan of Site.

24.7. Yuukluuk, Plan of Temple.

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo there are traces of a structure on the summit but it is almost completely destroyed. A test trench along the base of the west side revealed sherds in heavy concentration.

24.8. Janan, Temple 2. a. Plan. b. Façade elevation.

The mounds are scattered through the grassland. There are no pyramids. Four large mounds, averaging 60–70 m long and 15–20 m wide, are low extensive platforms with curious hilly elevations on one end, a type I have not seen elsewhere in Yucatán but common in Vera Cruz. Half a dozen or so smaller platforms complete the group. Trenching along the base of one of the large mounds and a small one revealed abundant pottery, about 0.5 m deep. Solfarino. This very small site, about 1 km north-­ northwest of the village, consists of two small pyramidal mounds some 50 m apart. The larger one is about 3 m high with a summit area of 10 m northsouth by 5 m east-west. The basal measurements are 20 by 13 m. The front of the mound was probably on the east. No construction details are observable;

Leona Vicario. In searching for the site named Santa Maria by Escalona Ramos, I discovered a smaller site, which I shall call Leona Vicario, the modern name of the old center of Santa Maria. Situated about 1.5 km south-southeast of the village and about 100 m west of a large aguada, it consists of a small ceremonial center of three structures (Fig. 24.6) grouped around a plaza, which opens to the east. Mound 1, a pyramid 3 m high and about 30 by 15 m at the base, encloses the plaza on the west side. On top were traces of a temple but no standing walls were left. Mound 2, on the north side of the plaza, is a 1 m high platform about 20 m east-west by15 m north-south. Mound 3, on the south side of the plaza, is a platform 0.50 m high and 26 by 13 m at the base. The plaza extends some 23 m northsouth. Scattered in the surrounding bush are a dozen or so low platformlike mounds. I thought them house mounds at first but trenching along the edges of two of them revealed so little cultural debris that their purpose is uncertain. Several small excavations were also made along the bases of the three main structures. The sherds were scant. Santa Maria. Since Escalona Ramos, who discovered and named this site, gave an adequate description and plan for preliminary work, I attempted nothing further beyond cutting trails through the surrounding forest. I found only one possible house mound. Escalona Ramos’ description of the site (1946:546) is here translated: “The group is formed by a rectangular platform and two mounds with remains of small buildings on top and stairways on their east sides. The three structures are grouped around a plaza. The buildings are simple rooms, with doors to the east. That to the east has fallen, that to the west lacks the south-west corner. The exterior measurements [of the latter] are 2.45 m by 2.05 m; the

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24.9. Kilometer 14. a. Plan of site. b. Façade elevation of temple on Str. 1. c. Section of temple on Str. 1.

doorway is 0.40 m wide and 1.05 m high; the thickness of the walls is 0.45 m and the roof 0.40 m; the total interior height is about 1.55 m; the arch is of the Maya stepped oval type. These buildings are on a platform which extends 0.90 m on all sides. To the north and south extend other ceremonial platforms about 6 m in length. The mounds, which are 30 m by 20 m, appear to have been constructions of four terraces each about 1.5 m high. The width of the stairways is about 2.5 m and the distance between the two mounds is about 10 m. “The rectangular platform which encloses the plaza on the north side measures 24 m by 22 m and is separated from the mounds by 25 m; its height is about 1 m. In front of it there are, facing the plaza and 2 m away, 3 small quadrangular altars about 2 m square.” Today, the buildings atop the two pyramids and the three small altars are completely destroyed; the

stairways are in ruin. The quality of construction is very much like that of Kantunil Kin. The soil cover is scant, in many places scarcely 10 cm; cultural debris is very rare. Some 200 sherds were picked up in half a dozen excavations in and around the main plaza. Kilometer 14. Escalona Ramos (1946) mentioned but did not visit this site. It lies at the end of a wellestablished milpa trail which runs 2 km due north from the tramway at Kilometer 14, or 14 km east of Leona Vicario. Its condition is poor. Standing structures, with one exception, are mere pyramid bases or low platforms; even these are only heaps of stone. The central group comprises one moderately large pyramid base and a very extensive low platform surmounted by a small pyramid, a fairsized low platform, and a number of small mounds (Fig. 24.9a). No house mounds or smaller mounds

24.10. Punta Molas. a. Façade elevation of temple. b. Plan of temple.

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24.11. El Real, Plan and Section of Temple. a. Plan of site. b. North view of site.

were located nearby. Very little worked stone was observed, and the construction of the platforms and pyramids is of very poor quality. On top of the larger pyramid, apparently a single-terraced platform about 4 m high, approximately a third of the walls, including one corner, of the summit temple is intact. It was evidently a vaulted one-room temple of simple plan and design (Fig. 24.9b,c). The entire floor of this temple had been broken through and excavated, numerous sherds being found in the debris from the excavation. The plaza is littered with stones from the surrounding structures. Most of this destruction was done in recent years by milperos looking for buried treasure. The smaller pyramid is in better condition, although its temple is completely gone. The stairway is in generally good shape, and the outlines of the two terraces are still clear. Test trenches were made at the foot of the stairway of each pyramid, and from the debris from the

excavated floor of the temple a good sherd sample was culled. El Diez. From this terminus of the tramway at Kilometer 10, 10 km west of Leona Vicario, excellent milpa trails lead north and south. The site lies at the end of the south trail, about 700 m from the terminus. The main group is a 28 m square plaza completely surrounded by buildings (Fig. 24.4), now only platforms and pyramid bases, for no stone temples are intact. On the east side of the plaza stands the principal structure, a three-terraced pyramid, about 4 m high, 26 m north-south by 15 m east-west at the top, 50 by 22 m at the base. The stairway, partially intact, faces west to the plaza. The other three structures are low platform mounds, the west one measuring 26 by 17 m, the north 18 by 10 m, the south 33 by 13 m. They rise 1–1.5 m. Several of the terrace walls of the north platform are still intact on its plaza side.

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo Trail cutting in the neighborhood and examination of nearby milpas failed to reveal any house mounds, smaller ceremonial structures, or surface accumulation of pottery. Several small pits, dug on the plaza side along the edges of the main pyramid and the north and west platforms, produced a good sample from the main pyramid. Summary. Of these eight sites very little can be said about their architecture, with the possible exception of Kantunil Kin. Practically no standing temples were found; at Kilometer 14 a badly mutilated fraction of the original structure is visible. Construction is very poor; the pyramids and platforms are formed of limestone chunks and mortar faced with roughly cut stone blocks. Except Kantunil, the sites, all in bad condition, are very small and individual buildings unimpressive in size. No stone sculpture, ball courts, or inscriptions were found. Good ceramic samples were obtained from Kantunil Kin, Solfarino, Monte Bravo; fair samples from El Diez and Kilometer 14; and poor ones from Leona Vicario and Santa Maria. The study of stratigraphy was limited to Kantunil Kin, where an excellent succession of building levels was defined. North Coast Sites The three sites examined along this coast were situated either on or within 2 km of the shore of the Laguna de Yalahau (Fig. 24.1). Careful questioning of fishermen at Chiquila failed to suggest other sites, although the villagers rarely have a good knowledge of land beyond 100 m or so of the beach. It seems almost certain that the conquest period site of Conil is along the south shore of this lagoon, the west entrance to which is called on modern maps the Boca de Conil. Vista Alegre may be this site. Vista Alegre. Named after a headland about 5 km east of Chiqulla on the south shore of the lagoon, the site begins some 50 m behind a mangrove swamp, which borders a small inlet just east of the headland. It is covered by a low dense spiny thicket of hardwoods that permits only a general impression of size and appearance. Five or six trails were cut through the scrub to locate mounds, which had been robbed

24.12. Arrecife.

of stone for construction of the Holbox lighthouse. The largest is a pyramid, 12–15 m high, which dominates the entire lagoon and is called locally El Cerro de Vista Alegre. Scattered through the thicket were at least three smaller pyramids, 3–5 m high, and a very extensive low platform which may have served as the base of the cacique’s palace. A dozen house mounds were counted and there were probably more, all of good size (one tested for sherds measured 12 by 18 m) and undoubtedly house platforms of well-to-do individuals. No intact buildings were seen, only platforms and pyramids. Special features such as columns or vaulted roofs were not noted. The stairway of the main pyramid may have been on the east side but this could not be determined by surface observation.

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24.13. Aguada Grande. a. Plan of site. b. Plan of Temple D. c. Façade elevation of Temple C. d. Plan of Platform 1 and associated temples.

Surface indications of pottery, like the house mounds, are fairly frequent, all pointing to the existence of a true town. The size of the house mounds suggests that it was not an agricultural or a laboring-class settlement but probably a merchant community. A test pit at the base of one of the house mounds turned up sherds in great quantity to a depth of 1.5 m. Yuukluuk. This site is on Isla Holbox off the north shore of the lagoon almost opposite Vista Alegre. Questioning did not bring to light any other sites on the island, a curious fact because Holbox is one of the largest islands off the Yucatán coast (exceeded only by Cozumel) and most coastal islands have fairly extensive ruins. Almost the entire island is given

over to coconut plantations, and our information is therefore probably fairly accurate. The ruins consist of a small shrine, of which only incomplete walls and floor remain (Fig. 24.7). It is closer to the lagoon side of the island than to the seashore but faces north to the sea. The building was drawn, and minor excavations were made to clarify its ground plan and to obtain sherds. The temple, 7.25 m north-south and 14 m east-west (exterior), comprises one room. Only the lower parts of the back and side walls remain. The roof, undoubtedly a flat, beam-and-mortar affair, was evidently supported by columns, as the presence of a broken column base and a fallen column testify. One piece of a molding, fallen at the base of the west wall, was discovered and photographed. An altar, 3.8 by 2.6 m by 0.7 m high and set against the center of the back wall, was found during the clearing of the floor debris. The temple or shrine, like most coastal shrines, is on a low platform, 0.6 m high, ascended by two steps. In front of the platform and aligned with its steps is a small altar-like platform (Fig. 24.7). The quality of stone cutting was fairly good, certainly superior to that at Kantunil Kin and other inland sites. An interesting feature of construction here is the insertion of conch shells in the masonry. The floor of the temple and the platform steps were cleared of debris, from which came a good ceramic sample, almost 100 percent red censer ware. Chiquila. This site is easily located because one of its four largest structures is but 50 m west of the tramway about 2 km south of Chiquila. Three of the four structures, although not grouped around a central plaza, form a cluster, all within 300 m of the rail line. Mound 1, first mentioned above, is the smallest and most mutilated by stone quarriers. The original height of this pyramid was probably 5–6 m. About 300 m southeast and 150 m east of the tramway is the largest structure of the cluster, the Great Platform. This is an extensive single-terraced, straight-walled platform 79 m north-south and 68 m east-west at the top and some 7 m high. On top are two pyramidal mounds, one 5 m high and set along the western edge, the other about 3 m high and almost in the center. Both have been reduced to rubble, and no construction details can be ascertained without excavation. About 150 m northeast of this platform

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo

24.14. Ak 1. a. Plan of temple. b. Façade elevation of temple.

24.16. Chakalal. a. Plan of temple. b. Façade elevation of temple.

24.15. Ak 2. a. Plan of temple. b. Façade elevation of temple.

is Mound 2, a large pyramidal structure some 12 m high. We were told of a fourth structure, similar in size and type to Mound 2 and called locally El Cerro de Dolores, about 2 km west of the tramway but we did not visit it. Extensive trail cutting revealed several smaller structures north of the Great Platform. One is about 50 m distant and another 100 m, both being small conical mounds about 2 m high. A low platform is just south of the Great Platform. No standing walls, vaults, or columns were noted. In test pits dug at the base of the front of the two temple platforms or pyramids on the Great Plat­ form a layer of topsoil shifted abruptly to a mass of small stones which had formed the upper floor cap of the construction of the Great Platform. Below this cap the platform fill is composed of large limestone chunks. A sharp distinction in sherd types occurs between those obtained from the topsoil and those from inside the platform construction. The former are almost 100 percent a red effigy-censer ware typologically very close to the buff censer ware from Mayapán, whereas the latter tie in closely with our Classic sample from Kantunil Kin. The test trench at the base of the larger of the two pyramids pro-

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24.18. Mulchi, Plan of Site (after Escalona Ramos).

Cozumel Island Sites

24.17. El Cedral, Temple 1. a. Plan. b. Section.

duced an extraordinary amount of the censer ware. Immediately below this concentration (from the topsoil layer) the sealed mouth of a chultun-like structure was uncovered. It was cleaned out and the floor excavated. A succession of three floors was found below the chultun floor; below this lay the large uncut stone fill of the platform. The chultun was almost empty of cultural debris, and very few sherds turned up from it or from the floor levels below it. The capstone was just about at the junction of the topsoil and the small-stone levels. The opening was 0.4 m in diameter. The floor, about 1.5 m below the capstone, was 0.50 by 0.62 m; greatest horizontal dimensions, 0.72 by 0.91 m, were about 0.72 m above the floor. The walls were built of loose interlocking stone blocks forming a corbelled dome capped with a single stone slab. The floor levels below the chultun floor were 1.66, 1.75, and 1.88 m, respectively, below the capstone. A test pit at the foot of Mound 2 also gave a fair pottery sample.

Twelve sites were examined here (Fig. 24.2). Cozumel Island was a very important religious center at the time of the conquest, being described by the Spaniards as a sort of aboriginal mecca. It has an abundance of small sites; besides the 12 visited, at least seven others are mentioned in the literature and there are undoubtedly many more. The amount of archaeological remains seems far beyond what the economic resources of the island could have supported. Probably the ancient inhabitants, as do the modern ones, made use of the shore waters and nearby mainland coast, and particularly the “tourist trade.” In the southern part of the island four sites were inspected. A fifth, Cinco Puertas, described in the files of the Instituto de Antropologia, was not visited. El Cedral. These ruins have been mentioned several times in the literature. The principal building, Temple 1, is in the center of the modern village of El Cedral, now almost depopulated. It is a tworoom temple, one of the largest standing buildings on the island, and looks Classic in date. Sharing a low ancient platform with a modern church, it is now a jail, with the front entrance widened. Its two rooms, one directly behind the other, each measure about 1.3 by 4.6 m (Fig. 24.17a,b). The doorway into

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo the back room is 0.65 m wide; the walls average 0.85 m thick. The entire structure gives an impression of solidity and simplicity; the masonry is of well-cut stone blocks. The flat roof is supported by a typical stepped vault. The doorway faces west and rises 1.6 m to the lintel, which is inset in typical East Coast fashion, the total height of the building being about 2.7 m, its east-west axis being approximately 15° east of north. Just east of Temple 1 are the badly destroyed remains of a second temple, also in poor condition, on a 3–4 m high pyramid. Approximately 100 m west of this group and hidden in the forest is a second group connected to the first by a sacbe, or artificial road. The principal constructions include a large massive low platform almost completely ruined and the badly preserved Temple 3, very similar in type to the main temple of the site. All that remains of Temple 3 are parts of two parallel walls, plus one corner, but certainly its size and construction were similar to Temple 1. The complete ground plan is not evident from surface examination. The construction is very solid, the walls reaching a maximum thickness of about 1 m, the intervening space measuring but 1.7 m. The standing wall rises 1.6 m to the vault spring. The doorway probably faced east. The partial clearing of the floor of Temple 3 produced a fair pottery sample. Excavation continued below the floor into the temple platform proved the latter sterile. A second excavation made on the east side of the base of Temple 2 also gave a fair sherd sample. Punta Celerain. On this southernmost tip of the island is a lighthouse, within a kilometer of which lie two isolated shrines, Celerain 1 and 2. Celerain 1. This single small temple stands about 0.5 km northwest of the lighthouse in low bush some 50 m southwest of the road to Chun Chakah. Its two rooms, one directly behind the other, have completely intact floors, and walls reaching a maximum height in front of 1.5 m (Fig. 24.21). The walls are constructed of paired tiers of roughly cut blocks placed back to back and set with little mortar; they vary in thickness on from 0.45 to 0.65 m. The front room interior is 1.5 m east-west by 2.65 m northsouth, its doorway 0.60 m wide; the back room is 1.0 by 2.6 m, its doorway 0.60 m wide. The roof, the height of which could not be ascertained, was undoubtedly of flat beam-and-mortar type. A special feature is a four step stairway which goes 1.2 m under the floor of the back room and has its entrance in the back room doorway. It descends into what evidently was a cenote below the temple, now filled

with rubble. The doorway of the temple faces north, the building being oriented approximately 2 degrees east of magnetic north. Clearing of the stairway and floor produced a few sherds. Celerain 2. The second shrine stood on a rocky elevation of the coast about 1 km north-northwest of the lighthouse. Now almost completely destroyed, it probably had one room, with the doorway facing the sea. The interior was some 1.5 m wide and possibly 4 m long. Rough stone slabs were merely broken and piled up without mortar to form the walls; the floor was a layer of flat slabs laid dry. The stone, of fossil origin, came from the beach. A fair-sized sherd sample was obtained during clearing operations. Punta Islote. A kilometer northeast of Punta Celerain stands this rocky headland, so named because of a detached rock or islet just off its point. There is no other headland between it and Punta Celerain and it is therefore easily found. The entire stretch between the two points is sandy beach, backed by a sandy ridge, behind which lies a backwater lagoon. The site is on the lagoon side of the ridge some 300 m southwest of Punta Islote. It is perhaps 100 m from the beach, 200 m from the lagoon. Of the two structures, one is a beautifully preserved little temple with a rather complex (for an East Coast building) floor plan. A section of the ridge slope had been excavated, leveled off, and paved. This paved area forms a tiny plaza, bounded on the east and south by the slope of the ridge, on the west by the temple, on the north by a badly destroyed temple or, possibly, priests’ dormitory. Temple 1 (Temple of the Four Directions) is on a low platform 10 by 7.5 m (Fig. 24.5). Measuring 5.1 by 3.6 m on the outside, the temple was evidently constructed in two stages. First a tiny temple, 2.7 by 2.5 m by only 1.55 m high, was erected with a 0.40 m wide doorway on each side. Then a continuous corridor was set completely around this building except on the west where the face of the inner building is aligned with and forms part of the west side of the later structure. This corridor, varying from 0.80 to 0.90 m wide, has three doorways, each aligned and identical in width with the doorways of the older building. The west face of the complex presents a curious appearance: the juncture of the inner structure with the added corridor is quite open and well defined, and there is a striking contrast in the moldings of the earlier and the later buildings. The roof of the inner building is corbelled in typical Maya fashion, running north-south. The corridor

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William T. Sanders is roofed by a half-corbelled vault, the vertical walls of the inner structure taking the place of the other side of the vault. The doorways of the later building are the typical East Coast T-type, but in the older building the lower member of the molding rests directly on the lintel. The most curious aspect of Temple 1 is its roof assemblage. The roof structures probably date with the older building, to whose roof area they are confined (Fig. 24.5b,c). A tiny temple-like affair, 1.35 m north-south by 1.15 m east-west by 0.50 m high, was built in the center of the roof of the older structure, with four doorways each about 0.20 m square. On the roof of this tiny temple is a curious cone-shaped ornament of masonry. The peak has been broken off, making its present height 0.40 m, with a base diameter of 0.70 m. Running down the sides of the cone are four lines of snail shells inserted in the masonry and aligned with the doorways of the roof temple and therefore with the doorways of the main structure below. Oriented 5 degrees east of north, the entire complex was obviously closely related to the ritualistic importance of the four compass directions in Maya cosmogony. The roof of the older temple was also adorned by a series of arrowhead-shaped stones inserted in the masonry with the points upward. Four of these still in place show that there was one at each of the four corners and at the midpoints of the sides of the roof, the latter being aligned with the doorways and lines of snail shells of the roof temple. The entire roof assemblage presumably served an astronomical purpose. Enclosing the plaza on the north are the remains of a badly destroyed one-room structure, which may have served as a priests’ dormitory. The back (north) wall and the east wall, about 0.40 m thick, are preserved to the molding and are approximately 1 m high. No traces of molding were found. Very little rubble in the interior points perhaps to a nonmasonry roof. The structure is 4.45 m east-west and 2.9 m north-south. The doorway, 2.65 m wide, has a 0.70 m square pier in the center. Along the north, east, and west sides runs a bench, 0.50–0.65 m wide and probably not over 0.05 m high, composed of a single layer of flat stones covered by plaster. The clearing of the floor of Temple 1 and the stairways ascending the platform, together with trenches at the stairway bases, yielded about 100 sherds, numerous coral and jade beads, are and part of a flint knife. The floor of the second structure char was also cleared but gave little material. Punta Molas Area. Punta Molas is the northernmost tip of Cozumel Island. Within 8 km of the lighthouse is a large number of sites, of which Escalona

Ramos visited and described: Aguada Grande, Las Grecas or Cinco Manos, El Real, and La Expedicion. The first three I revisited and excavated, in addition to examining some new sites now reported for the first time. El Real. The site, probably 6 km south of the lighthouse instead of the 8 km estimated by Escalona Ramos, is on a rocky headland. There is one very large (for Cozumel Island) temple facing east to the sea, plus a small low platform. Escalona Ramos (1946:606) drew a plan of the temple, but it was remeasured and redrawn. Curiously enough, he indicates side doorways in each of the two rooms, doorways which do not exist. The building, set on a low base only slightly larger than its floor area, has two rooms, one directly behind the other, and a single outer entrance (Fig. 24.11). The back or west wall has been broken into, disclosing construction detail. The walls have a hearting of masonry faced with large beautifully cut square blocks of stone tenoned in, possibly indicating a Classic date. The outer and inner doorways are of the classic East Coast type with sunken lintel. The height of the building is approximately 3.5 m; the outer doorway rises 1.6 m from floor to lintel. This entrance is 0.80 m wide, that to the back room 0.65 m. The walls average 0.80 m in thickness. The interior rooms vary in width from 1.5 to 1.7 m. The front room is 6 m long; the back room, 6.2 m. Against the back wall of the inner room is an altar 1.6 by 0.8 m by 0.20 m high. The temple stands on a large platform. The terrain rises is sharply to south and west so that the height of the platform above ground level varies considerably. Relationship to the terrain is shown in a profile drawing by Escalona Ramos. Its sit greatest height, 3.8 m, is on the seaward (east) side; on the north, it measures about 3.2 m. On these two sides the platform is broken into three terraces. An interesting feature is the rounded northeast corner. Lothrop (1924:113) has pointed out that round structures are very rare on the east coast and limited to platforms. The entire center of the east side of the platform has been gouged into a huge hole almost down to base level. The only other structure at the site is a small 0.30 m high platform about 5.4 m west of the temple. Owing to the rocky terrain, good excavations for pottery are impossible. One could trench into the platform but the chances are that it contains very little cultural debris. The hole in the east side was carefully searched for sherds with little result. In clearing and excavating the base of the stairway I found a few sherds along with modern material, but did not obtain a satisfactory sample.

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo Janan. This site is about midway on a welldefined trail along the coast from the lighthouse to El Real. Most of the trail passes through a coconut plantation, within which lie the two buildings, one on each side of the road. They are about 150 m from the beach but behind a scrub-covered ridge and not visible from it. The building west of the trail was a low typical East Coast shrine with two rooms but is almost completely destroyed. The other, a singleroom structure, is on the east side of the trail facing the sea (Fig. 24.8). It is in good condition except for the roof, which has recently caved in. That this was a beam-and-mortar affair is evident from the rounded impressions on the under side of the fallen chunks of masonry, which is so hard that the chunks can hardly be broken with pick-axes. The difficulty of moving these masses prevented clearing. Part of an altar against the back wall could be seen under this debris but unfortunately could not be cleared completely. It is of some interest, because, instead of the simple rectangular platform type found in the majority of these sites, it looked like a low table-like structure set on a very low platform. As at Punta Islote, the roof was adorned on the corners with arrowhead-shaped stones about 0.75 m long, about half the piece projecting above the roof. Trenching in the vicinity of the two temples brought very few sherds. Aguada Grande. This is the only site seen on Cozumel Island which can properly be labeled a population center and so is important in affording excellent data on settlement patterns. The principal buildings are not impressive in size or quality but the whole complex offers interesting possibilities. The site, 1.5 km southwest of the lighthouse and about 1 km from the east shore of the island, is hidden in the scrub forest covering the cattle ranch of Pepe Cruz Jonastre. For about 500 m along a trail from the ranch house to the site are numerous remains of low dry-stone walls enclosing large corral-like spaces. Escalona Ramos (1946:551) thought they might be ancient property markers. Near the center of the ruins they undoubtedly mark off house lots, but at this distance they probably are milpa boundaries. Just before reaching the site one must cross a swamp, filled with water during the rainy season, by a sacbe or causeway made of a single tier of flat stones laid dry, which ends at a street entering the main plaza of the site (Fig. 24.13a). The unimpressive ceremonial center is in poor condition. The main plaza measures 42 m northsouth by 24 m east-west but is not regular in form. It is surrounded by a low dry-laid wall of unshaped stones, similar to the walls just described. On the

northeast is a single platform, 18 m east-west by 8 m north-south by about 0.80 m high, surmounted by three small temples (Fig. 24.13d). The platform is ascended by two stairways, one on the plaza side, the other on the opposite side. Curiously, none of these temples faces south to the plaza. Temple B, in the center, is almost completely destroyed; parts low on the walls of Temple A remain; Temple C, in fair condition, has a corbelled roof (Fig. 24.13c). Temples A and B probably had flat beam-and-mortar roofs. On the north side of the plaza a small temple, D, stands on a low platform (Fig. 24.13b). Only parts of the walls remain. To the south and east of the Main Plaza are two extensive low platforms, evidently bases for very large dwellings of perishable materials (Fig. 24.13a). Platform 3, the best preserved, occupies a little lessthan half of a 35 by 40 m walled area which apparently was a house yard. The poor condition of the structure atop the platform obscured details but there seems to have been a single central corridor from east to west with a stairway at the east end. Along this main corridor I spotted at intervals entrances to side corridors and rooms, indicated by lines of unshaped stone (evidently bases of pole walls). This is as much of a plan as is recoverable, the probably even with extensive clearing and excavation. The site evidently does not extend farther south than the south wall of the house yard, which runs on for 500 m east of its junction with the east wall of the yard. Seven or eight side walls run off at right angles from it, all to the north, and probably delimit other yards. North of the Main Plaza is a large corral space, 60 by 70 m, which lacks any house platform and may have been the village market. The corral walls continue north for an undetermined distance. The extent of the walls to the west is not known. Adjoining the yard of Platform 2 is a much smaller yard containing a small house mound. Lack of time prevented further survey, but it is obvious that here is a goodsized village with its ceremonial precinct. The site and what I believe were neighboring milpas should be completely surveyed and mapped. Temple D was cleared and an altar discovered along the back wall. A trench dug at the base of its platform stairway showed heavy concentration of censer ware. The floor of Temple A was also cleared and a stepped altar found against the back wall. The clearing also produced a great quantity of sherds, mostly ceremonial wares. Test pits along the base of Platforms 1 and 3 gave very little ceramic material. Las Grecas. Escalona Ramos (1946:609) visited this site, and drew and measured the principal building, aside from which there is a small low plat-

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William T. Sanders form about 7 m to the east. A trench at the base of the stairway turned up a fair sample of pottery. Arrecife. Just 3 km southwest of the lighthouse a shallow lagoon lies behind a low scrub-covered sandy ridge paralleling the beach. In this lagoon is a low heavily overgrown island, about 20 m in shortest diameter, on which stands the site, approached by a path paved with a single layer of unworked flat stones. A large platform is surmounted by one temple and has a second, tiny one at its foot, both with corbelled roofs (Fig. 24.12). The complex faces roughly northwest and from the lagoon gives the effect of a two-storied structure. The platform is about 1 m high and 11.7 m eastwest. Its north-south dimension was approximately equal, the south side and entire rear half of the temple having fallen completely to rubble. The temple on the summit is badly destroyed, retaining only the front wall with both corners. The entire molding cannot be reconstructed as the top member has fallen along with the roof (Fig. 24.12b). Both it and the smaller temple have the typical East Coast doorway. The main terrace or platform evidently had arrowhead-shaped ornaments along its front. Of the smaller temple, 2.5 m east-west by 2.0 m north-south and 1.35 m high, all but the center of the roof is intact. The doorway faces north and is 0.80 m high and 0.50 m wide. The temple stands on a low platform base 0.40 m high and only slightly larger in area than the temple. The back of this platform is flush with the front of the main platform, up which rises a small stairway behind the little temple. On the other side of the island the path continues southwest beyond the lagoon. My guide assured me that he once followed it through the bush to its end near El Real, about 6 km to the southeast. The floor of the small temple and the stairway ascending the large platform were cleared, producing about 50 sherds. Punta Molas. Here is a single temple in good condition, lacking only a segment of the back wall (Fig. 24.10). The structure is of good size and has a corbelled roof, but the general quality of the masonry is inferior to that at El Real. It stands on a platform 1.5 m high and 9 m square, the stairway and door of the temple facing west. The orientation is approximately 5 degrees east of north. This temple, which is set on a low platform-like base exceeding only slightly the area of the building, is the most ornamented structure found on Cozumel Island and has the most complex molding (Fig. 24.10a). The doorway is 0.55 m wide and, including its lintel, 1.15 m high. Above the lintel is a three-member molding

with a total height of 0.40 m. Above this is a panel, 0.55 m high, surmounted by a second three-­member molding, a virtual duplicate of the lower the one but 0.45 m high. The total height of the building is 2.5 m. The panel is occupied by three tenoned sculptures, a seated figure in the center flanked by two faces. The style of the faces is very similar to that of a figurine found at Las Grecas. On each corner of the roof were the arrowhead-like decorations reported from Janan, Punta Islote, and Arrecife, but here they are perforated. The room is 2.4 m east-west by 3.3 m north-south; the walls average 0.60 m in thickness. An altar was discovered against the back wall. The clearing of the floor of the temple and a trench at the base of the stairway gave little result. Central Cozumel Island. About 8 km east of San Miguel and approximately in the center of the island are several cattle ranches, in which the number of sites surpasses even the Punta Molas area. Escalona Ramos located and described four, which he named San Gervasio, San Severo (after the two principal ranches), El Observatorio, and Nohna. There are undoubtedly others. Time permitted the investigation of only one. San Gervasio. This site was selected because of the presence of large colonnaded platforms, placing the ruins in the Late period or post-Classic period. Escalona Ramos’ description (1946:555–557) is translated below (see Fig. 24.19): “The ruins of San Gervasio are situated 11 km east-southeast of the city of Cozumel (San Miguel) and half a kilometer north of the ranch of San Gervasio. “The group is formed by six buildings located around a plaza. It seems that that marked as number III is in the pure Maya style, one of the largest, or the largest, of those buildings in existence on the island of Cozumel; it must be the one which formed the beginning or base of the grouping. Its solid, good construction enabled it to stay intact while the others of the later Toltec period (those with columns) have fallen completely. Vegetation of large trees and grass (buildings V and VI) cover the buildings. “Building I is situated on the north side of the plaza, which measures some 30 m to a side; contains a single room, now without roof; and rests directly on the ground; it measures 5.60 m by 2.80 m. “Building II, located on a platform 1 m high, is at the northwest corner; it has two rooms which were probably arched; has lost its front and back walls; measures at the base 6.1 m by 4.75 m; two moldings 0.40 m wide decorate it on the outside; at the front there is an off-center stairway 3 m wide with balus-

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo trades 0.65 m [wide]; on the dividing wall between the two chambers there are prints of red hands. “Building III is found on a platform 2 m high, on the west side of the plaza; has two rooms both arched, 3.40 m high, 8.20 m long and from 1.50 to 1.90 m wide; the chambers are entered by three doorways 0.80 m wide (near the central one there is a large pit in the floor); the total length and width are 10.20 m and 6.10 m; the front façade is fallen; the platform is ascended by means of a stairway 4.50 m high, with balustrades 0.40 m [wide]. Two moldings 0.65 and 0.55 m wide adorn the outside. The lintels were probably of wood (the cause of the cave-in of the front wall). In the interior may be seen traces of green paint on the walls. “Building IV is on a platform 2 m high; its floor plan has the form of an L or a carpenter’s square; it is open on the plaza side; its roof was probably flat, supported by beams resting on the exterior walls and on columns 0.55 m in diameter, set in two rows; some of those in the inner row are reinforced with square pilasters. “Buildings V and VI, situated on the east side, are wholly fallen and their stones (as in many other buildings) have been utilized to make fences, including various columns; both open on the plaza; its roof, which was flat, was supported by two rows of columns. “A large platform 1 m high and 25 m by 7 m at the base joins Buildings I and VI, another 1.5 m high and 8.5 m wide joins the latter with V. Within this platform and near Building Lot IV, there is an arched crypt. In the center of the plaza there is a square altar 1 m high and 4 m on a side.” Buildings 2 and 3 rest on a single platform (Fig. 24.19). Building 3 has the finest stonework found anywhere during the field season, being approached only by that at El Real. Aside from the Main Plaza there is a large colonnaded platform 50 m west of the plaza, a smaller one about 30 m southwest, another 50 m to the south, and several smaller ones to the west. The site at the time of my visit was in the middle of a milpa and pitted by mole holes. No surface pottery was noted even though conditions are ideal to reveal it. No house yard walls were observed or house mounds other than the platforms mentioned. The number and size of the buildings indicate that San Gervasio was one of the most important centers on Cozumel Island. A good ceramic sample came from a 1 m wide trench dug but along the plaza edge of the platform of Building 4, and a second 1 m wide trench dug from the stairway to this platform to the back wall of the structure, down to floor level. An altar was discovered against the back wall.

In hope of getting a sample from the probably earlier Building 3 a trench was cut into the back of its platform, but very few sherds were found. The condition of the platform wall is so bad that the sample probably is not pure. San Miguel. At the time of Escalona Ramos’ visit a number of buildings were located within a few kilometers of the modern a town of San Miguel Cozumel. During the Second World War and the construction of the airport most preconquest structures were razed to gather building materials. About 400 m north of the dock of San Miguel, on the highway to San Juan, are remains of one of these sites lying about 100 m northeast of the Capitania del Puerto building on a long north-south rock hillock. Only masses of rubble and building stones remain. On the west for slope of the hillock much pottery was mixed with building debris, from which we took an exceptionally fine sample. East Coast Sites Along the East Coast (that is, within a league of the beach) from Tulum to El Meco 16 sites were visited and the majority tested for sherd samples (Fig. 24.1). Most of them have been mentioned or worked by Lothrop or by field workers from the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia. Tulum, Tancah, Xelha, and El Meco have been described by Lothrop and the first three almost completely mapped. At the bay of Ak are two isolated shrines: the site published on archaeological maps is probably Ak 2; Chakalal I have not seen mentioned anywhere. At Palmol are two sites: the one published on archaeological maps and described in the Instituto files is what I call Palmol Playa; the second is inland a kilometer or so and may be new. In the vicinity of Puerto Morelos are a number of small sites. La Caleta, Mulchi, and Cocal have been described by Escalona Ramos. New sites are Cocal 2 and Kilometer 35. On Cancun Island are a large number of groups and isolated buildings. According to Lothrop, Mer­ win visited and excavated most of them and discovered several new groups. I visited and tested what Lothrop calls Group 1 and Group 2. I also visited and excavated a third group at San Miguel not mentioned by him but probably described in Merwin’s manuscript, which I have not seen. Tulum. Lothrop’s work (1924) covers this site. I spent two days here on minor excavations for a sherd sample, with excellent results.

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William T. Sanders A number of excavations were made. (1) On advice of the caretaker a west-to-east trench 1 m wide and 10 m long was excavated to bedrock, running up the slope to a point a few meters south of Str. 47. At the base of this slope the cultural deposit ended at a depth of 0.40 m. The earth consisted of a very fine powdery soil, obviously organic, and mixed with a fill of small stones which made up the construction of the slope terraces. The form or number of these terraces could not be determined. A heavy sherd deposit was mixed with obsidian blades and spindle whorls. The whole clearly represents occupational debris, some of it probably washed down from Str. 47. (2) Temple 45 is on a rocky knoll almost bare of soil except for shallow pockets all over its slope. A number of these pockets were cleared out and produced a large sample of buff censer ware. (3) At the base of the strairway and adjoining the platform wall of Str. 22 (one of the colonnaded palaces) a good sample was obtained. The cultural deposit ended with bedrock at 0.40 m depth. A large amount of pottery was also collected from the surface of a milpa in the vicinity of Str. 47. The site was carefully searched for data on settlement pattern. Tancah. As Lothrop has pointed out, this site is strikingly different in architecture from Tulum; it resembles more the ruins along the tramway from Leona Vicario to Puerto Morelos. Lothrop mapped the two principal groups, but the plan is not complete. Approximately 50 m west of Group B is a group of about six small unimpressive platform mounds. Today a road running from the coconut plantation headquarters at Tancah to the site goes beyond the main groups for about a kilometer to the west, where it ends at a cattle ranch. Along the road for about 200 m west of Group B may be seen at least a dozen large platforms. At the cattle ranch is an isolated temple with traces of paintings on the walls. The main sites, A and B, cannot be seen from the road as they are 100 m to the north in dense bush. Half a dozen trails cut in the vicinity of the main groups revealed no definite house structures other than the large platforms. South of the road a huge cleared pasture near the center of the site contained neither house mounds nor occupational debris. The general condition of the buildings at Tancah has deteriorated only a little since Lothrop’s visit but complete clearing and conversion to federal ownership are essential if they are not to disintegrate. The site is one of the largest on the east coast and of great importance. Four small trenches in Group B (at the base of the stairway of Str. 12, at the southwest corner of the same structure, at the base of the stairway of Str.

20, and at the northwest corner of Str. 19) produced about 100 sherds. Five small trenches in Group A (at the base of the stairways of Strs. 1, 3, and 6, at the southwest corner of Str. 1, and at the southeast corner of Str. 8) gave the same amount. Xelha. This site also was adequately mapped by Lothrop. The bay Xelha would make an excellent canoe harbor and undoubtedly served as the port for Xelha. I found the fortified peninsula without difficulty but was misled by Lothrop’s directions for the main site. The best way to reach it is to travel due west from the peninsula to the main mule trail from Tancah and continue due west from the trail into the bush for 500 m. The terrain is almost bare rock but near the site a depression containing some soil affords the only good agricultural land in the vicinity; at least part of the site is usually in milpa. For an East Coast site it is not quite so unimpressive as Lothrop’s description would suggest; the center is not much less important than Tancah and probably has nearly as many unmapped structures. There are at least half a dozen house mounds north of the center, a section that was in milpa the year of my visit. The milpa has a great amount of pottery on the surface. The site was investigated on a miserable wet day, following a two-hour search to find it, hardly favorable conditions for obtaining accurate data on settlement pattern. Nearby are a number of corral-like walls which may be house yard walls as at Aguada Grande. The general condition of the buildings is bad. A series of small pits in the plaza area were sterile, but a good pottery sample was obtained in digging along the base of one of the house mounds, the soil here reaching the extraordinary depth of nearly 1 m. I collected a satisfactory amount also from the surface in the milpa. Caleta de Ak. Some 100 m from the mainland beach and a like distance from the north shore of the bay is an isolated East Coast shrine almost intact except for the roof, which, from the impressions on the fallen chunks of masonry, must have been of the flat beam-and-mortar variety. The shrine faces south to the bay, which is another of those natural harbors on the east coast. Like most buildings in this area, it is set on a low base and measures 3.1 m by nearly 4 m (Fig. 24.14). One of its peculiarities is the presence of an inner room with its own exterior molding. It looks as if it were an older building, and may have been so, but the ground plan indicates that it was not as its back wall was that of the main structure. This may be an error on my part and should be checked. This inner structure is also peculiar in that it is set on

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo

24.19. San Gervasio, Plan of Site (after Escalona Ramos).

its own low platform. Inside are signs of an altar but it is completely destroyed. From the clearing of the floor and a trench along the front of the platform a good sherd sample, including a shark figurine, was collected. Approximately 1.5 km north of this bay is a second one. I believe, but do not know, that the name Ak refers to the first bay. I have called the shrine

described above Ak 1; the second, Ak 2. This, again, is an isolated temple; it is on a rocky point overlooking the bay and facing inland to the west. On the west shore of the bay and visible from the sea, it is almost intact, including its corbelled roof (Fig. 24.15). Set on a low platform and measuring 2.8 m by 3.8 m and 2.1 m high, the shrine possesses an altar against its back wall and a typical East Coast doorway. A

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24.20. Palmol, Temple 2. a. Façade elevation. b. Plan.

24.21. Celerain 1, Plan of Temple of Cenote.

24.22. Palmol, Temple 1. a. Plan of upper story. b. Plan of lower story. c. Façade elevation. d. Façade elevation of inner structure.

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo of two small temples about 1 km inland from Ak 2, but I did not visit them. Chakalal (Chakhalal?). This is another cove site, about halfway between Ak and Palmol, consisting of a single shrine a few meters from the west shore of the bay and visible shortly after entering it. Since it stands on a rocky shore, not a single sherd could be found. The structure is in almost perfect condition, with a vaulted roof (Fig. 24.16). The building stands with its long axis about 40 degrees east of north, and measures 5.7 m by 3.8 m; the total height is 2.95 m, of which 1.3 m make up an two moldings and intervening panel and the rest the doorway, low which has a sunken panel. The walls average 0.80 m in thickness. There are remains of an altar against the back wall.

24.23. Kilometer 35. a. Plan of Temple. b. Façade elevation of South Plat­ form and Temple 3. c. Façade elevation of West Plat­form and summit buildings. d. Façade elevation of East Plat­ form and summit buildings.

peculiarity lies in the fact that the sunken panel of the doorway does not touch the molding. Lothrop states that only the very latest buildings at Tulum show this feature and that it is often found with corbelled roofs, a reversion from the flat beam-andmortar roofs of the Toltec period. Because the temple stands on bare rock, no sherds were excavated, but a few were picked up off the floor. The lack of a good sample is unfortunate because this shrine was probably still in use when Cortez arrived. The caretaker of the nearby coconut plantation mentioned a group

Palmol (Paalmul) Playa. This is probably the site located on modern archaeological maps. It is a kilometer south of the chicle depot of Palmol and within 50 m of the beach. The principal building, called locally El Castillo, can be seen from the sea as easily as the Castillo of Tulum. The Castillo is a high pyramid. The entire seaward half, 2.5 along with most of the temple on top, has been eroded by the sea and its form is now vague. It was probably 6–7 m high and, from fragments of standing walls, may have had, at least in part, a circular plan, as reported by Mason and Spinden (see Pollock 1936). Of the surmounting tiny shrine-like temple, which faced inland, most of the front or west wall is standing, the rest completely destroyed. The doorway is the usual East Coast type; the molding looks as if it were a three-member kind similar to Str. 2 of this site. Str. 2. This temple, with beam-and-mortar roof, stood about 50 m to the north, its long axis 35–40 degrees east of north. It has a three-member molding and a single column in the door way, which faces seaward, about southeast (Fig. 24.20). The temple, 1.9 m high, is set on a 1 m high platform. In the rubble at each front corner were sculptured pelicans, undoubtedly roof-corner ornaments. The head of a stone turtle also lay in the debris. The temple, in good condition except for the roof, measured 3.6 m by 4.0 m. The column in the center of the 1.6 m wide doorway has a capital, a height of 1.15 m, and a diameter of 0.40 m at the base. The temple was so

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24.24. El Meco, Plan of Site.

filled with roof rubble that it is not known if it possessed an altar. The base of the platform stairway and northeast corner of the platform were trenched and produced a fair ceramic sample. Palmol (Paamul). This site, which may be new, lies 1.5 km inland, just south of a good milpa trail running west into the forest from the house of the government official at Palmol. One of the buildings, 20 m from the trail, is visible from it. About 200 m southwest of this building in the forest is a 6 m high pyramid, now a heap of rubble, with an almost completely destroyed temple on top. The guide mentioned another building but could not find it. Heavy rain made trail cutting too unpleasant, so we concentrated on the fairly well preserved temple just off the trail. This two-storied building faces south, with long axis 250 east of north, and has an older structure forming an interior room in the lower story, a columned doorway on the lower floor, and a regular East Coast T doorway on the upper (Fig. 24.22). The lower story has a three-member molding, but the upper story, as well as the interior structure, lacks it. A complete excavation of this building would undoubtedly produce considerable stratigraphic data

as it seems to represent three construction periods. Interior building. Like all the units, this has a corbelled roof. It evidently once formed a free-standing structure (Fig. 24.22b,d) with its own platform, as we shall see later. It is 2.5 by 4.05 m and about 1.7 m high. The door is the usual East Coast inset-panel type. Exterior building, lower story. The second stage of construction consisted of adding a continuous corridor along the south, west, and east sides of the interior building and of increasing the size of the supporting platform. This corridor averages 0.75 m wide, with walls 0.50 m thick. The roof is vaulted as in the interior structure. With the addition of the corridor, the total exterior measurements of the ground floor of the complex are approximately 6.4 by 4.5 m. The 1.8 m wide doorway to the outer structure has in its center a column with a round capital and has the sunken lintel typical of the East Coast. The doorway is 1.5 m high, including the lintel. The threemember molding above it is 0.60 m high, giving the lower story a total height of 2.1 m. It is interesting that the inner building was not filled to give more stability when the upper story was added, as in most multi-storied Maya structures. Exterior building, upper story. This single-room structure is slightly larger in ground plan than the interior building (Fig. 24.22a). It is set in 1.4 m from the back wall of the lower story and 0.80 m from the front wall. Its height is approximately 1.5 m, giving the building, exclusive of the platform, a total height of approximately 3.6 m. This upper story has a corbelled roof and four East Coast–type doorways. A curious feature is the presence of a low stone seat with stone back-rest set upright and joining the vault at the spring line on the back wall. There are signs on the front of the back-rest and on the seat that a stucco-covered idol once sat there. In the Cozumel museum is an idol of exactly the size and shape to fit here and it may have come from this building. The clearing of the stairway of the platform and a trench along the platform base to the southeast corner down to bedrock turned up a fair sample of pottery. Another trench dug at right angles to the first one just east of the stairway into the platform construction disclosed a two-terraced platform within the outer platform. This was probably the base of the inner temple. No sherds were found in the platform fill.

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo Cocal 1. Of this site, an almost destroyed, isolated East Coast type of shrine, not a stone is left standing, for the stones were used in the construction of the lighthouse at Puerto Morelos. Escalona Ramos’ description (1946:541) is here translated: “The ruins of El Cocal are situated 1,700 m northeast of the lighthouse of Puerto Morelos and 100 m west of the beach. “They include a small sanctuary almost at ground level (it rests on a very low platform) with a doorway facing the sea, that is, to the east; its dimensions are 3.85 m by 3.10 m; the width of the door is 0.75 m; the thickness of the walls is 0.50 m; the roof was probably a Maya style of arch with stepped stones.” Today there is a shallow pit where the building once stood. By making several trenches into the sides I secured a large sample of much-eroded red censer ware. Cocal 2. Here is another isolated, East Coast type of shrine on a long sandy ridge about 100 m behind a bluff overlooking the beach. It is about 500 m northwest of the lighthouse in the coconut plantation of Joaquin Setina, the government official of Puerto Morelos. The owner has broken down the west (back) and south walls for building stone, but the other two walls are standing; the north wall, up to the fragments of the lower molding, is 1.10 m high. He stated that the roof had fallen before his time. The temple, 2.6 m square and oriented 15 degrees east of north, faces east to the sea. The doorway is 0.60 m wide; the walls are 0.40 m thick. Against the back wall is the usual low altar. The building is set on a 0.30 m high platform constructed of a single tier of stone blocks. The fill of the platform, which makes use of the natural terrain, is sand and small stones. A fair sherd sample was picked up from a trench along the east base of the platform and the clearing of the floor, as well as from a second trench dug from the first one to the altar, penetrating the construction of the floor. Mulchi and La Caleta. These two sites were discovered and mapped by Escalona Ramos, whose description (1946:542–543) of Mulchi is translated below (see Fig. 24.18): “The ruins of Mulchi [are] situated 9 km southsouthwest of Puerto Morelos, [on the] northern coast of the territory of Quintana Roo, and 1 km west of the Caribbean Sea. . . . The group consists of 10 buildings in ruins around a plaza. The state of preservation of the ruins is very bad; there are some which are completely fallen. All are found on platforms from 1 to 3 m high, which extend 3 or 4 m outward from them.

The average dimensions of almost all the buildings range between 2.8 m by 3.30 m and 4.00 m by 7.5 m; only one exceeds this, situated to the east, measuring 17.50 m by 6.40 m. All have entrances toward the plaza, except two. One small one on the west side has its doorway facing outward [from the plaza]; the large building to the east has three doors. “On the north side there are three buildings, two of them aligned (VI and VII) and the other located farther back (VIII); of these three, that nearest to the east side (VI) has two columns in the doorway or entrance. On the west side there are three others situated similarly (I, II and III); that in the center (II) has its doorway facing outward. On the south side there is one (IV) with two columns in the entrance and two others totally destroyed, which, nevertheless, probably had the same symmetrical arrangement as those on the north side. On the east side there is one (V) elongated building with double rooms; it has an entrance with four columns; a central wall with three doorways separates one room from another; the exterior (or back) wall also has three doorways; these data indicate that the building is a deviation from typical architecture. In the center there is a small altar of square floor plan (IX). “The flat roofs (of those which still have remains of beams) and the use of columns with capitals in the doorways remind one of the Toltec influence of the period in which they were made.” I have little to add to this description of the ceremonial structures. They are, if possible, in even worse condition than in Escalona Ramos’ time. Most of the columns are fallen, with only the bases of some still in place; standing walls are rare. I noted traces of stairways (not indicated in his description or plan), one about 2 m wide ascending the platform in front of Temple VII and protruding from its edge, another mounting the platform in front of Temple VI and inset into it. Adjacent to the site at the south is a banana plantation of five or six acres. Not a single house mound was noted, but in a small section many sherds were seen on the surface. A number of trails cut north of the ceremonial precinct uncovered only two structures, a 5 m high pyramidal mound and a low platform. There is a cenote about 100 m west of the plaza. Work was concentrated on Temple VI, whose doorway measured 1.5 m from floor to inset lintel. We cleared the floor and then penetrated it to get sherds from the platform below it. Enough came from the floor but the platform was sterile. A good number were collected from the plantation. While clearing the floor we uncovered an altar, 0.25 m high and 1.1 by 0.6 m at the base, against the back wall.

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William T. Sanders The site of La Caleta is almost on the shore and directly east of Mulchi. It is a single pyramidal mound with a small shrine at its foot, both dating probably from the same period as Mulchi. The floor of the shrine was cleared but rewarded us with few sherds. We uncovered an altar 0.35 m high and 1.0 by 0.8 m at the base. Kilometer 35. This site, I believe, has not been noted previously. It is very hard to locate; only one man in Puerto Morelos knew of it and he found it only with great difficulty. It is impossible to give precise directions by defined trails, but as nearly as I can make out, Kilometer 35 on the tramway from Puerto Morelos to Leona Vicario (that is, 7 km from Puerto Morelos) is the old boundary of the town lands of Puerto Morelos and the Banco de Londres y Mexico Chicle Company. The western border of the Puerto Morelos land has been moved farther west so that the old wide trail cut through the forest to mark the boundary has almost vanished. This trail once provided easy access to the site, which is about 5 km south of the tramway. In a direct line to the coast it is probably 4 or 5 km. The center of the site is a plaza surrounded by East Coast type of temples and a palace, all on low platform bases and of miniature size. My guide said he had seen several small pyramids about 5 m high but we were unable to locate them. A number of platform mounds lie scattered in the forest; some tiny conical mounds I thought might be burial mounds. Main plaza and related buildings. The main plaza, 13.3 m wide, is open only on the north side (Fig. 24.23a). On the west it is closed by a single extensive platform, 11 m by 6.8 m and 0.50 m high, which was shared by two temples (Fig. 24.23c). Temple 1 is so small (1.5 by 1.85 m and only 1.2 m high from floor to roof) that what remained of the roof had to be removed so that a workman could clear the floor, where traces of an altar were found against the back wall. It is the only structure at the site with its roof, a crudely corbelled vault, partially intact. It has a simple molding of one rectangular member and an inset lintel East Coast doorway. Temple 2, on the same platform, is in much poorer condition. The entire back and south walls and the southeast corner have fallen along with the roof. The last was definitely masonry but the type could not be ascertained. The doorway is the East Coast type. It is considerably larger than Temple 1, but its dimensions can only be guessed; the total height was probably about 2.1 m. An intact altar, 0.65 by 0.40 m and 0.20 m high, was found against the back wall. Temple 3, about 1.7 m high from floor to roof, is on a 0.50 m high platform on the south side of the

plaza (Fig. 24.23b). The back and west walls have fallen along with the roof, but the ground plan was ascertained by clearing. It had one room 2.0 by 1.2 m. The doorway, of East Coast type, is 0.60 m wide; the walls average about the same in thickness. Clearing of the floor debris uncovered an altar against the back wall. An interesting feature is the outward slope of the walls. Enclosing the plaza on the east side is another extensive platform, about 1.3 m high, which supports two structures, Temple 4 and the Palace (Fig. 24.23d). The principal stairway is on the plaza side but smaller stairways ascend also the north and south sides. Temple 4 resembles Temple 3 in size and state of preservation. It may have had a three-member molding of the Chichén Itzá type but the exact form of the upper molding is not clear. The Palace is a single-room structure with a three-­column entrance. The room is larger than that of any of the other structures, measuring 2.6 m wide and 6.3 m long. The columns are rectangular, each with a low rectangular basal platform in front of it. This platform also runs along the remainder of the front walls and along the front wall of Temple 4. Clearing the center of the floor revealed a long low rectangular bench or altar against the center of the back wall. A fragment of a wooden lintel was still in place over two of the columns. The roof, completely gone, was obviously the East Coast flat beam-and-mortar type. In the center of the plaza is a low altar-like platform, 3.5 m square and 0.50 m high (Fig. 24.23a). A number of trails were cut through the forest, starting at the main plaza, in an attempt to locate other structures. Just 50 m from the plaza along a trail cut due south from the southeast corner of the west platform was a platform, 15 m square and 0.50 m high, with a stairway on the east side; at 65 m is a smaller platform; at 80 m a second small one; and at about 100 m are several of the conical mounds mentioned earlier. At this point the trail was turned at right angles, cutting due west for 100 m and disclosing four small platform mounds and several conical mounds. In the area 50–100 m west of the plaza, trail cutting revealed half a dozen small platforms and four or five circular mounds. Another trail, cut due south of the plaza for 100 m, starting at the southwest corner of the east platform, revealed two other small mounds. Altogether, within 100 m south and west of the plaza there are the some 15 platform mounds of varying sizes that may well have served as bases for houses, plus a number of circular mounds. The latter appear as small heaps of loose stone 3 m in diameter and approximately 0.50 m high. I thought that they might have been burial mounds. I excavated one to floor level but saw nothing more than half a dozen

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo sherds. The fill is a heap of small stones covered with somewhat larger ones, none shaped and evidently not laid in mortar. When the floor of Temple 1 was cleared of debris, traces of an altar were discovered against the back wall. At the same time we collected a small sherd sample, including the head of a clay figurine, possibly the god of the shrine. The floor was then broken through and excavation carried into the platform fill but this produced no cultural material. Temple 2 was also cleared and a fair sherd sample picked up, along with parts of a figurine. In the Palace a trench was dug at the base of the east platform stairway; and the floor, including the fronts of the columns, was cleared in a 2 m wide strip from the columns is to the back wall of the building. From these excavations a good sherd sample was obtained. Isla Cancun. The island of Cancun, one of the richest archaeological areas of the entire east coast, is a 15 km long narrow ribbon of limestone covered along its eastern two-thirds by sand. It is probably not over 400 m at the widest point; in many places it is less than 100 m. The entire west (lagoon) side is lined by a narrow strip of mangrove swamp, but there are numerous sandy beach-heads. The east (ocean) side is bordered by white sandy beaches interrupted by rocky headlands. Some 20 or 30 m inland from tidemark the sandy beach slopes sharply upward to a low ridge which runs the length of the island parallel to the coast. From this elevation the land slopes westward gradually down to the mangrove swamp. The sandy slope between ridge and swamp, varying in width from 50 to 150 m, is the heart of the island and is today occupied by an almost continuous coconut plantation running the length of the island. It is in this strip, especially at its widest parts, that the principal archaeological groups lie. The lagoon between the island and the mainland is a perfect harbor, which protected entrances at both north and south ends. Cancun was virtually untillable in pre-Spanish days. The only crop grown now is coconut. Without much doubt the basis of the ancient islanders’ economy was fishing and, especially, commerce. The Cancun settlements were probably important commercial centers for a sizable area of the nearby mainland, an area well populated at the time of the Spanish entradas. On the west shore of the island, at one of the sandy beach-heads about midway between the northern and southern points, is a tiny port and coconut headquarters called San Miguel. It makes excellent archaeological headquarters, for within a short distance of it are three of the largest ruins on the island.

Holmes gave a brief description of two groups of ruins which Lothrop makes use of. Holmes’ estimate of distances is poor and is here corrected. He stated, according to Lothrop (1924:150), that Group 1 is a mile north of Punta Nisuc, the southern tip of the island; actually it is almost exactly 4 km. About 100 m south of Group 1 is Group 2, both about 1 km south of San Miguel. These two groups, worked and mapped by Merwin, are obviously parts of a single site, 500 m north-south and 100 m east-west. Each consists of a small plaza surrounded by colonnaded platforms and East Coast type of temples. The only plan I have seen is that by Arnold and Frost, published by Lothrop, and this is incomplete. For example, it lacks a fifth building, a low platform enclosing the plaza on the west side, and the colonnaded platform connecting Strs. 4 and 3. Aside from the main group there are at least half a dozen platforms to the north, east, and west. Group 11 is equally extensive. In Group 1 trenches on the plaza sides of the bases of the platforms of Strs. 1, 2, and 4 unearthed beside the last a heavy concentration of sherds, including parts of censers and figurines. Acting on directions of the plantation caretaker, we visited a third group right at plantation headquarters. Very few standing walls are left of the buildings, which are now mounds of rubble, but despite their condition, I believe one can see that the site was more secular than Groups 1and 2. Most of the structures appear to be low house platforms; some are higher, larger, colonnaded platforms of the palace type. This place has the only sandy beachhead along the 1 km stretch between it and the other two groups and for at least another kilometer south of them. I believe that it may have been the ancient port of the main site to the south. There are at least 15 platforms of various sizes at San Miguel, and surface pottery is abundant although not heavily concentrated. A good ceramic sample was taken from trenches along several of the smaller platforms. The site is definitely post-Classic and may be in part Toltec-Chichén in date, as a small amount of Fine Orange from the excavations indicates. El Meco. This site, on the mainland coast about 100 m from the beach and about 400 m south of the lighthouse, has been incompletely described and mapped. It should be either thoroughly studied or placed under federal protection because the government is planning the construction of a large port, to be called Puerto Juarez, in the vicinity, and without doubt the site will be razed for building materials. The architecture indicates that it is an important site of the Toltec-Chichén period.

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William T. Sanders A single main plaza extends 150 m west to the usual behind the beach swamp and east to the sandy ridge bordering the coast. The famous Castillo of El Meco is on the west side of the plaza (Fig. 24.24). On the north are two large platforms, that to the west being completely ruined, that to the east possessing standing walls on its summit although in very poor condition. On the east the plaza is bordered by a large platform surmounted by remains of several buildings, one of them a small temple with serpent balustrades on its stairway. On the south lies one arm of a very large L-shaped platform. The plaza arm of this platform is surmounted by a small partially preserved temple; the other arm, which extends south at right angles to the plaza, is a large colonnaded platform. Between the Castillo and the swamp which lies west of it (Holmes states that it is north of the group) is a large temple on a low platform but in poor state of preservation. In all the structures of the site only one roof remains intact, that of a tiny temple at the foot of the Castillo at the southeast corner (Fig. 24.24). The incomplete and very rough site plan is in no way intended as an accurate representation. The situation at the southeast corner of the plaza, for example, is extremely puzzling and cannot be clarified without extensive excavation. I am not sure if there is a double stairway on one temple or two separate temples each with its stairway. The precise relationship of the Castillo to the rest of the plaza was also not determined. An excellent sample of temple wares was taken from a trench at the base of the Castillo stairway. Other small trenches made along the plaza side of the base of the east platform were also fruitful. Preliminary Review of the Pottery Of the 40-odd sites visited, adequate ceramic samples were not obtained at all of them, but in general fair results were had in East Coast sites by use of the techniques described in the introduction. Most of the failures were at single shrines on rocky headlands, where the only successful way of getting a good sample would require almost complete destruction of the building. Excellent sherd samples were recovered at: Kan­ tunil Kin, Solfarino, Monte Bravo, Chiquila, Vista Alegre, San Gervasio, San Miguel, Aguada Grande, Tulum, Xelha, Mulchi, Kilometer 35, Kilometer 14, Cocal 1, Cancun, and El Meco. Fair samples came from El Diez, Yuukluuk, Cocal 2, Ak 1, Palmol, Palmol Playa, Tancah, Las Grecas, Punta Islote, Celerain 1 and 2, and El Cedral. Very poor samples were picked up at Santa Maria, Leona Vicario, La

Caleta, Ak 2, Chakalal, Punta Molas, Arrecife, El Real, and Janan. At present a preliminary study has been made of the samples from all sites in the areas designated in the text as Interior Quintana Roo, North Coast, and East Coast. Also the pottery of two sites on Cozumel Island has been examined, leaving only the balance of the Cozumel material unstudied. No comparative studies with ceramic styles of Yucatán and Campeche have been made to date so that the following comparisons are to be taken with considerable reserve. All the collections, with one exception, from the East Coast and North Coast areas are surely postClassic. I believe that some of the buildings at Tancah are probably Classic, but much more excavation is needed to establish this. Some of the structures seem to be closer to Coba than to typical East Coast architecture. The only other possibility of a Classic site along the east coast is Chakalal, but no sherds were picked up at that site. The definite exception noted above is the sample from inside the platform at Chiquila. In both the North and East Coast areas, the only collections with the basic Classic ware (slate) of Yucatán are the platform samples from Chiquila and from Vista Alegre. At the latter site it is mixed with Fine Orange, probably of the Chichén Itzá type, and with a Red-Slipped ware to be associated with Mayapán Red ware and similar pottery at Tulum. It is possible that Vista Alegre had a long period of occupation, say from Late Classic to Mayapán times. I believe its major period is probably ToltecChichen, but there is also a well-defined Mayapán period occupation level. In these two regions, then, there are very few Classic sites and no pre-Classic was encountered. In practically all these post-Classic coastal sites one of the diagnostic wares of the period is a coarse, soft effigy-censer ware with close resemblances to the Mayapán type. The basic form is a high jar, often with a ring or annular base, and with the base pierced. Usually a large anthropomorphic figurine is joined to one face of the jar. There are, of course, local variations but the basic style from Chiquila to Tulum is very consistent. From the southern sites, Tulum to Palmol, the ware is generally buff in color, but from the sites around Puerto Morelos on to Chiquila it tends toward a brick red. Handled or ladle censers of the typical highland Mexican and Mayapán form also occur at most sites. Also present at most of these coastal sites is a red-slipped ware which probably has close affinities to Mayapán Red ware. The forms are similar, shallow bowls and plates with tubular, hollow, pierced

An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo tripod supports being the most common. Jars of the Mayapán type also occur in this ware although they are usually unslipped. The slip is exceedingly flaky; at Tulum the majority of the sherds have only fragments of it preserved. The ceramic data at present suggest quite strongly that the majority of the coastal sites are not only post-Classic but very late post-Classic, dating from the Mayapán period. Pre-Mayapán sites are rare. There seems to have been extensive colonization of the coastal strip during this period, the basis probably being the expansion of trade with Honduras. The basic unity of pottery types with Mayapán over this large region establishes archaeologically, in my opinion, the documentary evidence of the hegemony of Mayapán over the northern part of the peninsula during this period. One of the two Cozumel sites of which the pottery has been studied, San Miguel, has a ceramic complex very close to Vista Alegre, with the exception of a complete lack of Fine Orange. The basic wares are Yucatán Slate, including the Puuc basin variety, plus a striated plain ware also found at Vista Alegre. The site, or at any rate the sherd sample, is probably Late Classic. Not a single sherd of Plumbate turned up in any of our samples, a strong indication that the majority of the sites are post-Toltec-Chichen. Fine Orange occurs in a number of sites but, with few exceptions, in very minor quantity. The only sites where it is present in any amount are Mulchi and Vista Alegre. It does occur, however, in very small quantities at sites such as Tulum, Cancun, and El Meco. The Interior sites offer more varied material. Kantunil Kin, as has been noted, has Early Classic material. In my sherd samples is a high percent-

age typical of Peten Tzakol painted pottery with basal flanges. However, the region does not seem to have been heavily populated during Classic times. Solfarino, Monte Bravo, Santa Maria, and Leona Vicario are almost surely post-Classic; El Diez and Kilometer 14, if they have Classic material, are very Late Classic. A more probable dating seems to be transitional from Late Classic to Toltec-Chichen. Of the remaining unstudied collections from Cozumel, it seems probable that that from El Cedral is Classic.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology June 1955 Editor’s Note I wish to call attention to the fact that some of the material in Current Report 24, “An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo,” had been recorded previously by the late Miguel Angel Fernandez, who visited a number of sites on Cozu­ mel Island in 1937 and subsequently published his observations (Exploraciones arqueológicas en la Isla Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Anales del Instituto Nacio­ nal de Antropologia e Historia, 1:107–120, Mexico, 1945). The ruins of El Real are described in text by Fernandez. Punta Molas, called El Cactus by Fernan­ dez, Punta Islote, called Islote Celarain, and El Cedral are described and illustrated. Sanders’ ignorance of Fernandez’s paper is un­der­standable when it is realized that his report was prepared in Yucatán with little chance of reference to published sources. H.E.D. Pollock

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A Noble’s Residence and Its Dependencies at Mayapán Donald E. Thompson and J. Eric S. Thompson

bers of the family, stands on the south side of the court with its main doorway facing northward into the plaza. It is roughly L-shaped with the top of the L to the east, and is divided into four rooms (Figs. 25.1a,e; 25.2a–f). The main room, facing the plaza, has a fourcolumn entrance. A doorway, partly blocked by a bench, gives access to the eastern part of the terrace. No stairway leading to the terrace opposite this doorway could be made out, but the edge of the substructure there is so badly fallen that the former existence of a flight of steps is not excluded. Two doorways in the medial wall lead from the front room to a long rear room, and a third leads to a small rear room to the west of this. A long end room, forming the bottom of the L, faces west with its main entrance divided by a column and a pier. The room could also be entered from the north or from the main room. A doorway in the east wall leads into the small rear room mentioned above.

The group comprises Str. Q-169 to Q-173a, inclusive. Str. Q-169 (260 S, 385 W), as judged from its size, its superior masonry, and its position less than 100 m from the Temple of Kukulcan, was almost certainly the residence of a chief or priest of outstanding importance; the other buildings in the group appeared possibly to have been dependent on Str. Q-169. The whole, therefore, presented an opportunity of studying the functions of a group of buildings believed to consist of the residence of a leading member of the community and its dependencies. The latter include what we believe to have been the private oratory of the noble or priest; and in that connection the function of the family oratory in Maya life, past and present, is discussed at some length. Str. Q-169 Str. Q-169, the main building of the group and the presumed residence of the most important mem-

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Donald E. Thompson and J. Eric S. Thompson balustrades stand on either side. The east side of the terrace, and probably the south side as well, had been widened, as earlier construction showed. Against the west terrace wall there are three steps. The purpose of these, whether to give access to the west room or a small shrine, was not determined. The step up to the terrace is rather high, and the top step quite wide. It is, of course, possible that another step had once been present and was subsequently lost. The purpose of the thick wall just north of the steps was not determined. It leads to the terrace of another structure. Likewise the very low retaining walls farther to the north serve no recognizable purpose. Possibly they were terrace walls for small thatched outbuildings, or perhaps for a small kitchen garden, the equivalent of the small fruit and vegetable gardens grown by present-day Maya women. On the northwest corner a fourstep staircase occupies a notch in the terrace. The north side of the stairway is badly fallen, but a balustrade may once have been present. West of this, on the north side, a small pier like block of masonry juts out from the terrace to no apparent purpose.

25.1. Strs. Q-169 to Q-173a. Plans and Sections. a. Plan of group. b. Str. Q-170, section (C-C’) and front elevation. c. Str. Q-171, section (A-A’). d. Str. Q-172, section. e. Str. Q-169, section.

The building contains six benches: four in the main room and two in the west room, one of which is L-shaped. The long back room houses a small altar with a very low platform in front. These are on the central axis of the building, almost in line with the center of the four-column doorway and with the middle one of the three doorways in the medial wall. Practically on the same axis but slightly to the west is the tomb discussed later. The terrace on which the building stands is also L-shaped. The front staircase, practically centered on the main axis, is composed of four steps of heavily plastered stone of Puuc style of workmanship, the fifth step being the terrace itself. Square block

Masonry. The terrace wall along the front of the structure is of fairly well-dressed stone. The top course projects 3 to 5 cm to form a small decorative molding. The sides and back of the terrace are less carefully built, are of more crudely dressed stone, and have no molding. The walls of the superstructure are of welldressed stone, carefully laid (Fig. 25.2a–e), the workmanship and masonry of the medial wall being superior to those of the rear wall. Stones standing as much as 1.15 m above the floor occur as door jambs. The west jamb of the north doorway of the rear west room is pierced diagonally across the inside corner, presumably for a cardholder. The column drums are among the finest encountered at Mayapán. They are carefully dressed and rounded. The rectangular pier in the entrance to the west room stands out sharply in the otherwise quite symmetrical building. Possibly it represents the end

A Noble’s Residence and Its Dependencies at Mayapán

25.2. Strs. Q-169, Q-170 and Q-172. a,b. Rear room, Str. Q-169, from east and north, showing altar. c. Rear west room of Str. Q-169 with main rear room in background. d. Rear west room of Str. Q-169 from west room. e. West room of Str. Q-169 from north. f. Tomb of Str. Q-169 with pottery vessels in southeast corner. g. Str. Q-170 from northwest. h. Room A of Str. Q-172 from southeast.

of an earlier wall which turned to join the rear wall, to give the building a rectangular plan. In that case the southern end of the west room would have been a later construction.

Benches and Altar. The four benches of the main room are faced with well-dressed stone of Puuc style of workmanship, carefully laid. The top course pro­ jects to form a molding 7–10 cm wide. The benches

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Donald E. Thompson and J. Eric S. Thompson in the west room lack this molding, and are inferior in workmanship to those in the main room, although they are by no means badly made. All benches had been heavily plastered. Excavation of two of the benches produced nothing but a few nondescript sherds. The altar is set at the western end of the rear room approximately on the central axis of the building. Like most of the benches, it had a small molding and was heavily plastered. The top had been broken, presumably by looters. Nothing was found inside, and no accumulation of sherds of incense burners was outside. In the debris in the doorway in front of the altar there was a well-made stucco foot, approximately life size, and a few other fragments of worked stucco, but not enough to constitute a complete stucco figure. Roof and Floors. The debris in the rear rooms reached in places a depth of 1.27 m, and contained a high proportion of plaster, thus indicating a beamand-mortar roof. In the front room the debris level was only 30–50 cm, but conditions here were more favorable for washing off (open doorway as compared with a solid rear wall). The debris was lowest on the central axis, and it looked as though the building had been previously trenched, but the filling of the tomb with roof fall accounted for this appearance. Immediately in front of the plinth before the main entrance three rows of well-dressed stone of Puuc style of workmanship lay face down. Presumably these represented three courses of masonry laid above the doorway beams, thus assuring a roof at least 60 cm plus lintel thickness above the column height, which was probably about 2.30 m (6 drums, each a little under 40 cm, to a column). In collapsing, the roof had caused the columns to fall in contrary directions. From east to west the four columns had fallen, respectively, northward, southward, northward, and south-eastward. There was no evidence that the building was burned. Floors, in general, are well preserved. Along the central axis and at the east end of the rear room the floor was broken. In the first case this was because of the collapse of the roof of the tomb; in the second, probably because of the filtering down of the upper fill immediately below the floor. Between the front steps and the entrance the floor was in poor condition or destroyed because of the washing away of the protective covering of debris. Beneath the floors there was a loose fill of very large boulders with a top layer of mortar and tight fill. Dedicatory Cache. Immediately beneath the front edge of the plinth in front of the center of the

main entrance two small pottery figures representing seated jaguars were found (Fig. 25.3g). Both were broken, and pieces had slipped out of reach through the loose fill. One was painted red and white; the other, yellow. They closely resemble painted jaguar figurines of late date from Santa Rita, British Honduras (Gann 1900, Pls.33, 34, 36). Tomb. A trench through the central axis of the building revealed a corbelled tomb entered by three steps on the south side (Fig. 25.2f). It represents a type previously found at Mayapán, even having the same position with relation to the building (Smith and Ruppert 1953:181–184, Fig. 25.1). As the two walls of the vault were far apart almost immediately below the floor of the room, and as no large capstones were found in the tomb, it can be assumed that a wooden ceiling closed the tomb. The whole space was filled with debris, most of it clearly from the collapse of the building. The masonry is inferior to that of the building. The floor is of very hard plaster. A skeleton lay extended in supine position the full length of the north wall with skull to east. The left forearm lay across the chest; the right had been disturbed, the radius being in the southwest corner of the tomb. Hand and foot bones had been disturbed, and the skull was badly smashed. One copper bell (Cat. no. 55-205) was beneath the right tibia, just below the knee. Twelve tripod bowls, small and mostly of very inferior Mayapán Redware, and one unslipped handled brazier were in the southeast quarter of the tomb (Fig. 25.3m–o). The rest of the tomb was empty. Clearly, there was room for large quantities of perishable goods, or nonperishables may have been removed from the tomb by looters. The presence of only one copper bell, and that in a position where it might have escaped observation by looters, and of such inferior pottery with the burial of a person presumably of considerable importance suggests that the tomb was robbed in ancient times. The misplaced right arm, disturbed hands and feet, and crushed skull support this suggestion, but also indicate that the robbery could not have taken place until after the flesh had decayed. Materials From Beneath the Floors. A small test pit under the floor of the tomb revealed midden-like material including a bone needle. R. E. Smith reports that the pottery from this sealed deposit (Lot A-421) is unique in containing no late Mayapán period sherds and almost none of pre-Mayapán period. It is possible that the floor of the tomb represents an earlier plaza level sealed off at the very beginning of the Mayapán period. Sherds from beneath floors in

A Noble’s Residence and Its Dependencies at Mayapán other parts of the structure include examples of late Mayapán period. Surface Materials. These (Lot A-408) comprised late sherds, eight fragments of obsidian flakes, a piece of conch shell, a “pot lid,” and a broken metate (present length, 45 cm; complete width, 36 cm; complete height, 14 cm), troughed and slightly turtlebacked. This supposedly had been re-used in walls or roof; there seemed no reason to believe it had served as a metate in the front room, where it was found. No dirt had accumulated between the mortar debris from the collapsed roof and the floor. This indicates a short interval between the abandonment of the building and the fall of the roof. Purpose and History of the Building. The plan of the building with its large open room with benches in front and narrow, poorly lighted rooms in the rear, the excellent masonry, and the commanding position leave little doubt but that this was the residence of a person of high rank, lay or religious (cf. Smith and Ruppert 1953, Figs. 1, 3; Thompson 1958). No evidence of a kitchen or other domestic activities was found. The altar and perhaps the tomb had been looted before the collapse of the roof, which came shortly after the abandonment of the building. Surface sherds bear witness to an occupancy of the group in the last ceramic phase, so there is every reason to suppose that Str. Q-169 was in use until the destruction of Mayapán, when it was looted, but not burned. Str. Q-170 Str. Q-170, in the center of the group, is a small structure of the type designated “shrine.” The base is faced on all sides with groups of three X-shaped stones of Puuc style of workmanship alternating with areas of plain stone (Figs. 25.1a,b; 25.2g). The stones are plastered, but not so thickly as to mask the design. Here, the fine stone had not been re-used haphazardly, but had been carefully laid to produce a symmetrical design. On top of this base, about 22 cm above plaza level, is a molding also of well-dressed stone, 8 cm high and projecting some 7 cm. The floor of the structure is level with the top of this molding. The badly fallen walls have an outer face of thick stones set directly over the base, and an inner face of thin slabs. Single jamb stones form the doorway, which faces west toward the shrine room of Str. Q-172. The thickness of the debris suggests that the walls stood rather high and that the structure may

have had a vaulted or at least a beam-and-mortar roof. The shrine had been looted, for the top floor and another 30 cm beneath it had been purposely broken. It will be seen that in size, plan, and location this is a typical shrine structure, but it lacked an altar. Moreover, no appreciable number of incensario sherds were in or near the building, nor was there any indication of a dedicatory cache. Str. Q-171 Str. Q-171, on the north side of the court, faces south directly toward Str. Q-169. It is composed of three rooms with a large courtyard or perhaps fourth room to the west (Fig. 25.1a, c). The main front room is partly occupied by two L-shaped benches and one central bench. Between the benches two doorways in the medial wall lead to rear rooms. The room to the east can be entered only from the main room; the one to the west contains a very narrow bench and has an end doorway leading to the square court. The court or room to the west is somewhat enigmatic. The front is completely unwalled, but the plinth of the main part of the building continues at least part way across this end. The back wall is a direct continuation of the rear wall of the main structure. Doorways enter from the west and from the rear room to the east. This enclosed area could have been a courtyard, possibly containing a small wood-and-thatch structure, or could have been completely roofed. The maximum span (5 m) is not too great for a thatch roof, especially if posts were used. Masonry. The walls of the structure are of poorly dressed stone, not well fitted and badly fallen. Some better-dressed stone is used in the plinth. One very large slab of fairly well-shaped but badly eroded stone forms the south jamb of the door between the west rear room and the court. The section of retaining wall north of the west door of the court is of fairly well-laid and -dressed stone, but that to the south is composed of one poorly fitted course of upright stones. Benches. The three benches in the front room are badly fallen because the small upright stones had not been deeply set. Likewise the narrow bench in the west rear room is in poor condition. As it is only 39 cm wide, it seems unlikely that it could have been used for sleeping purposes. An exterior bench with ends missing but with front of well-dressed stone of Puuc style of workmanship is against the east wall.

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A Noble’s Residence and Its Dependencies at Mayapán 25.3. Artifacts. a,b. Kneeling pottery figure from dedicatory cache, Str. Q-172. Face, except forehead, ears, rods of earplugs, left armlet, and left glove (?) are red. Right glove (?) red with two white rectangles. Beads of necklace and wristlet alternately red and blue. Rectangular earplugs and right armlet blue. Body white with yellow stripes outlined with red. Forehead white. Loincloth and body belt striped red, yellow, and blue. Blue horseshoe around right eye, yellow horseshoe around left. Height, 14.1 cm. Lot A-416. c. Pottery head of death god from effigy incense burner. Traces of pink and green on face. Headdress white with vertical red stripes outlined in black. In cist, Room A, Str. Q-172. Height 23.7 cm. Lot A-413. d. Stone carved with two glyphs. Re-used in façade of Room A, Str. Q-172. Length 43 cm. Cat. no. 55-34. e. Tripod jar of unslipped pottery with solid, conical legs. Above altar of Room A, Str. Q-172. Height 10.9 cm, Lot A-406. f. Limestone ornament in doorway of Room A, Str. Q-172. Top hollowed to depth of 7.2 cm. Originally stuccoed over whole surface except butt. Traces of red paint. Height 30 cm. Lot A-406. g. Two hollow pottery figures representing jaguars, from dedicatory cache, Str. Q169. Height of better-preserved 13.2 cm. Left is painted with red and white stripes; right, yellow except for red tongue. Lot A-417. h,i. Pottery vessel representing turtle with human head apparently once set in open jaws of turtle (lower jaw alone remains). Badly weathered. In roof-fall of Room A, Str. Q-172. Length 15.5 cm. Lot A-406. j. Pottery jar which held cremation. Inside altar, Room A, Str. Q-172. Worn red slip. Height 31 cm. Lot A-415. k. Pottery tripod jar of Mayapán Red Ware. Slip largely gone from interior. Inserted as lid in neck of j. Diameter 24.4 cm. Lot A-415. 1. Copper tweezers with twisted handle. From cist of Room A, Str. Q-172. Length 7.1 cm. Cat. no. 55-204. m–o. Pottery vessels from tomb, Str. Q-169. Handled brazier unslipped, diam. 23 cm. All tripod bowls with solid conical feet. Diameters from 20 cm to 9.8 cm; heights from 8.7 cm to 4.5 cm. Two smallest bowls perhaps unslipped; the rest are slipped Mayapán Red on interior, unslipped on exterior. Three have regularly placed spots or casual dashes of blue paint on exterior or interior. Lot A-418.

Roof and Floors. The thin surface debris indicates a thatch roof, presumably supported in front by wooden posts, no trace of which survives. Because of the lack of protecting roof-fall, the floors are largely gone and, where present, are in very poor condition. Just enough remains to establish their level. Exterior of the Building. To the east are a series of complex and badly disintegrated terrace additions. First the terrace was widened, as indicated partly by dotted line; then it was widened a second time, and the level of the northern half raised. The short piece of wall along the back is presumably the rear of a small additional structure on top of this higher section. There has been serious robbing of stone in this area. To the west of the court are a series of short retaining walls, the purpose of which is not clear. As in the case of the walls west of Str. Q-169, it can only be suggested that perhaps they served as outlines for small kitchen gardens or as foundations for duck, turkey, or dog pens. Conclusion. Str. Q-171 is clearly a residence. Since it faces the main court but is inferior to Str. Q-169, it was presumably used by less important members of the household, perhaps younger sons and their families. It seems unlikely that so large a building as this in so important a position would have been used by servants. The court to the west may have been a room, perhaps a kitchen, but this is uncertain. In any case it is in direct communication with the main part of the building and opens to the west and south as well.

Str. Q-172 Str. Q-172, on the west side of the court, had comprised two rooms forming a reversed L, but an addition which blocked the east doorway of Room B, the more southerly of the two rooms, converted the plan into a T shape with its top to the south (Figs. 25.1a,d; 25.2h). Only the outline of this addition can be followed; the interior is a jumbled heap of stone and rubble. It seems to have been a platform standing to a height of about 1.5 m, on top of which there may have been some sort of low-walled building, but this can no longer be made out. After the addition of this platform, the plinth in front of Room A, the more northerly of the two rooms, was extended eastward, but the new face of the plinth is not parallel to the old one or to the walls of the structure. As a matter of fact, there is an unusual amount of asymmetry in this building, notably in Room B and in the alignment of the altar platform and the columns of Room A. In contrast to the single entrance divided by columns of Room A, Room B has three entrances. That on the east side was blocked by the addition of the platform, and the small doorway in the north wall is of secondary importance. The main entrance clearly is on the south side. An earlier plinth beneath the southeast exterior corner of Room B, decorated with a line of X-shaped ornaments of Puuc style of workmanship, indicates a prior construction. This was not excavated, as it was considered unlikely to have any bearing on our investigation of the function of the building. Masonry. Wall stones vary much in quality, but for the most part are rather poorly dressed and of

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Donald E. Thompson and J. Eric S. Thompson indifferent workmanship. The best stonework is to be found facing the benches and the plinth and its addition. In those places re-used stones of Puuc style of workmanship are employed. The worst masonry appears in the short north wall of Room B and is extraordinarily crude. The stonework is not particularly good above the backs of benches, where often at Mayapán Puuc-style stone is used. Doorjambs are large, rather thin slabs of stone standing to heights of as much as 1.30 m above floor level, and varying from roughly to excellently dressed. In the debris from the collapsed façade in front of Room A was a well-dressed stone carved with two glyphs (Fig. 25.3d). Stucco adhering to one corner indicated that the whole design had been masked with thick layers of stucco so that the stone could be re-used as an ordinary facade stone. A peculiar stone artifact or ornament, like others which have been found at Mayapán, was tenoned into the floor of Room A, just within the earlier plinth and midway between the two columns. It leaned outward at about a 45-degree angle, but may once have stood upright. Its purpose is unknown (Fig. 25.3f). Ceiling. The amount of debris in both rooms was insufficient to have derived from the collapse of roofs with corbeled vaulting, but sufficient to have come from beam-and-mortar ceilings (average height of debris in Room B, 60 cm; slightly less in Room A). The quantities of mortar, sometimes in large chunks, which, except for a top layer mixed with earth, composed the debris, confirm the conclusion that both rooms had beam-and-mortar ceilings. The rear wall of Room A collapsed outward, and for that reason the debris over the back of the altar was only 27–35 cm deep. The lack of dirt between floor and roof-fall indicates the collapse of the building shortly after its abandonment. There was no evidence of burning or of looting. A ritualistic vessel (Fig. 25.3h,i) in the mixed earth and mortar above the mass of roof-fall in Room A appears to represent an offering made after the collapse of the roof and presumably after the fall of Mayapán. There was a circular depression, about 40 cm in diameter and 10 cm deep, in the floor near the south bench of Room A. This held a mixture of charcoal and mortar. Charcoal was scattered over the surrounding floor. Altar and Benches. Room A had an altar (for definition see below) against the back wall and a bench against each flanking wall. The somewhat irregularly placed benches of Room B are faced with

excellently dressed stone of Puuc style of workmanship and are decorated with niches. The front (south face) of the north bench has two niches, 18 cm wide and 24 cm high. Each is flanked by “jamb” stones which support “lintels” over the niches. Depths of niches are 27 cm and 11 cm. The front of the west bench has a single niche, 56 cm wide, 22 cm high, and 28 cm deep, with a short column, 23 cm wide, set in the middle. There is a niche in the north face of this same bench, 23 cm wide, 21 cm high, and 23 cm deep. The niches appear to be ornamental (none held anything), although in no case was a niche placed symmetrically in the bench face. Instead, the width of the bench front to the observer’s left of the niche (of the pair in the north bench) is approximately half as wide again as the bench face to the right of the niche. The north bench is 36 cm high; the west bench, 32.5 cm. A trench through the north bench produced nothing. The benches of Room A, 50 cm high and undecorated, extend almost the lengths of the north and south walls, and join the altar against the west wall, which is of the same height. There is evidence of much remodeling of the benches and altar. These alterations will be treated briefly, for they have little bearing on the history of Mayapán. Certainly, little time elapsed between the building of the rooms and their abandonment, but changes in the altar correlate with a shift from cremation to inhumation. These alterations to the altar are as follows: (1) The original altar was part of the first construction of the room, since the wall of the room behind it is not faced. It was at two levels: the main part, 33 cm high and 87 cm wide, and a raised shelf at the back, 54 cm wide and 18 cm higher. (2) The shelf was extended forward to a total width of 1.11 m. (3) The floor in front of the altar was torn out, and the ossuary cist was made and covered with a low platform. (4) The face of the altar was extended 51 cm eastward so that it slightly overlapped the ossuary cist. The sides of the cist are of undressed stone. There had been a cave-in of the ossuary roof, so that the platform floor above it is destroyed and the front of the altar sags (Fig. 25.2h). The crematory jar, discussed below, was associated with the original construction, but the tripod bowl which covered it is full evidence that little time can have elapsed between the original construction of Room A and the abandonment of the building, since that type of vessel was in use until the fall of Mayapán. The north bench of Room A was added after the construction of the room, for the wall behind it is faced. The south bench had undergone various

A Noble’s Residence and Its Dependencies at Mayapán reconstructions. The wall behind it is faced above a height of 26 cm above floor level. At that point the plaster on the wall turns to mark the top of an early bench now destroyed. Dedicatory Cache. This was below the floor immediately east of the original plinth of Room A and approximately on a line midway between the two columns of the entrance. It consisted of a broken pottery vessel in the form of a kneeling figure (Fig. 25.3a,b). This type of kneeling figure occurs in a cache elsewhere at Mayapán (Shook 1954, Fig. 2j) and, again in a cache, with late material, almost surely of the same period, from Santa Rita, British Honduras (Gann 1918, Pl. 8). It is not improbable that these figures represent a Maya equivalent of the Mexican deity Xochipilli, patron of music and the ball game, whence comes his kneeling position. Ritualistic Vessels. The pottery turtle with human head in mouth (Fig. 25.3h,i) has already received mention as perhaps marking a post-Mayapán offering. On the altar were fragments of at least nine effigy incense burners and a coarse unslipped tripod jar (Fig. 25.3e). The incense burners extended in a line (perhaps two lines) across the back of the altar. They were very badly smashed and pieces were missing. As previously noted, the back wall of Room A had fallen outward so that little debris lay above the altar, with consequent greater root damage to the vessels on it. Fourteen feet and two legs with non-fitting fragments of feet indicated at least nine figures (there was an unmatched sandal tie). Face fragments were only six in number, and only three hands had survived. Other pieces of incensario figures, including one well-preserved head (Fig. 25.3c), were in the ossuary cist, into which they may have fallen or even been thrown after the collapse of the platform floor above it. It is well known that the modern Maya believe such figures to be alive and evil, and so make a point of destroying them whenever possible. As there is a technique for destroying them without peril to the destroyer, this belief may be ancient. Without doubt pieces had been removed. The survival of only three of at least eighteen hands is significant in view of the hand’s high capacity for mischief. In any case, not one of the incensario figures was sufficiently complete to be restored. Several retained varying amounts of paint. Cremation and Ossuary Cist. Inside the altar of Room A and associated with the first form the altar took was a large unslipped jar of superior workmanship (Fig. 25.3j). On top of it was a flat stone slab,

about 25 by 20 cm, clearly placed there for protection. Inside the neck of the jar the tripod bowl (Fig. 25.3k) had been wedged, and sealed in position with mortar. It fitted quite snugly, but on one side there was a gap up to about 1 cm wide which had likewise been filled with mortar, and some effort was necessary to loosen the material so that the “stopper” could be removed. Inside, the jar was slightly more than two-thirds full of very fine, light gray ash. With this were mixed some very small fragments of bones including a piece of a human wrist bone; also two human molars, one human incisor, two teeth of an unidentified animal, and a jaguar canine with hole for suspension bored laterally through the root. There seems no reason to doubt that this was a human cremation. From Landa’s writings it is known that cremation and the keeping of the ashes in jars were common practices of the nobility; archaeological evidence indicates an increase in cremation shortly before the arrival of the Spaniards (Wauchope 1948:84–87). The ossuary contained the skeletons of four adults. As the bones were partly articulated but the cist was certainly too small to hold four bodies (its dimensions were only 1.22 m long, 63 cm wide, and 48 cm deep), we must conclude that the bodies were placed in the cist one at a time and at intervals of several years, so that previous corpses, having disintegrated, occupied little space. The nature of the roof is uncertain, but as there is a space of 35 cm between the tops of the sides of the cist and the level of the missing floor of the platform above, a larger cubic area may have been available than the above measurements would indicate. The use of the cist as a family vault seems the most reasonable interpretation of the finds. The owners of this family vault presumably were the occupants of the large adjacent residence, Str. Q-169. The only objects in the cist, apart from the fragments of incense burners already mentioned, were: a pair of copper tweezers with unusual twisted handle (Fig. 25.3l), one very small discoid shell bead (5 mm diameter; Cat. no. 55-206), one damaged fragment of worked bone (Cat. no. 55-200), and one rectangular piece of worked shell (2.7 cm long, 1.1 cm wide; Cat. no. 55-199). Materials above Room Floors. Above the floor of Room A (Lot A-40b) were found, in addition to a miscellaneous lot of sherds, the following: (1) An arrowhead, notched at base, secondary chipping along edges, of translucent light bluishgray flint. Length 5.5 cm (Cat. no. 55-145). (2) A presumed arrowhead, not notched, secondary chipping along edges, of light bluish-gray flint. Length 3.4

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Donald E. Thompson and J. Eric S. Thompson cm (Cat. no. 55-146). (3) An obsidian flake pressed from core, but with blunt tip. Apparently complete. Length 5.5 cm. (4) A small obsidian core (Cat. no. 55-154). (5) Five broken obsidian flakes pressed off cores. (6) Three stone disks of the so-called “pot lid” type (Cat. nos. 55-194, 55-214, 55-248). These last were at some distance above floor level. Room B yielded (Lot A-402), in addition to sherds: (1) A copper bell without clapper, almost spherical and with a ring for suspension. Height 1.6 cm (Cat. no. 55-101). (2) A probable arrowhead of honey-brown flint with secondary chipping on all sides. Length 4.7 cm; width at base (widest point) 3 cm (Cat. no. 55-102). (3) A very crude stone sculpture possibly representing the diving god. Length 11.9 cm (Cat. no. 55-134). (4) One broken flint point (Cat. no. 55-257). (5) Three fragments of obsidian flakes. (6) Four fragments of flint points. (7) One “pot lid.” (8) One broken end of a mano (Cat. no. 55-550). (9) One antler fragment. (10) A small piece of coral. (11) A fragment of conch shell. (12) A rubbing or polishing stone (Cat. no. 55-549). (13) Six fragments of bone. Despite the fact that Room A seems to have served as a religious room, whereas Room B better fits the residential type, there does not appear to be enough differentiation between the associated lots of artifacts to be of value in interpretation of function. Function of the Structure. Str. Q-172 is clearly an integral part of the group dominated by Str. Q169. Of its two rooms, Room A, because of the presence of altar and incensarios, appears to have had a religious function, whereas Room B presents no evidence of having served for religious purposes. We are, accordingly, faced with two problems, the solution of which would increase our knowledge of the position of communal and family religion in Mayapán. The first of these is whether a building could function as a religious edifice when a part of it seems to have served as a residence; the second is whether a small group of buildings, predominantly residential, can include, apart from a central shrine, a building for religious rites. As an altar is the most obvious clue to the recognition of a room as a sanctuary, since literary and modern ethnological sources make it clear that these were used by the Maya, it is first necessary to define how we recognize a Mayapán altar. Archaeologists would probably agree that an altar can be differentiated from a bench if it meets any of the following conditions: 1. It is set against a back wall, faces a doorway, and stands on or behind a low platform which clearly functions as a low dais.

2. Either in width or in length it is not large enough to have been comfortably slept on, but it is of a height and size suitable for serving as an altar and is set against a back wall and faces a doorway. 3. Incense burners or ceremonial pottery (e.g. Thompson 1954:75) stood on it or on, or in front of, the platform immediately in front of it. Actually, the presence of large numbers of fragments of incense burners on the floor of a building, even where there is no altar or bench, has been deemed an important factor in the identification of a structure as having had a religious purpose (Adams 1953:149). For this there is support in the practice, observed by the present-­day Lacandon, of keeping incense burners in the ceremonial hut (Tozzer 1907:91–92, 113). 4. An ossuary cist is beneath the floor area before it (Adams 1953:149), and one or more of the three other conditions is met. The association of ossuary cists, or of tombs (e.g. in Str. Q-169) or simple inhumation (Smith and Ruppert 1953, Fig. 3; Thompson 1954:77), with oratories suggests family burials, for it is improbable that adults, at any rate, were sacrificed at family altars. The probability that these burials were of members of the family is strengthened by Landa’s description of the keeping of the ashes of ancestors in the oratories of houses of the nobility, and his statement that the members of a household were buried in or behind their home (Tozzer 1941:130– 131). From Landa’s statements as well as from accounts of worship at present-day family altars (La Farge 1947:114), it is apparent that ancestral cults were, and still are, associated with family altars.

In the light of the above conditions for the identification of altars, it is clear that in our group there are altars in Strs. Q-169 and Q-172. The altar in the former building is situated against the back wall and opposite a doorway, it stands on a low platform, and it is too short to have served as a sleeping platform. In front of it is a large tomb. On the other hand, the size of the room and the lack of fragments of incense burners or other ritualistic vessels are atypical features. In Room A of Str. Q-172 the altar is identified as such by the line of effigy incense burners on it, by its position, and by the platform and ossuary in front of it. In contrast, the so-called shrine structure (Q-170) not only lacked an altar, but also was without remains of incense burners and had no ossuary. Except for its position and size, it in no way suggests a religious building. Before attempting to establish the function of Str. Q-172, with its unusual arrangement of one apparent living room and one shrine room modified by the presence of lateral benches, we must review the data on sixteenth-century and present-day use of household and detached family oratories. Landa says that the lords, priests, and leading men had oratories and idols in their houses, where

A Noble’s Residence and Its Dependencies at Mayapán they made their prayers and offerings in private, and where were kept the vessels and statues containing the cremated remains of their ancestors (Tozzer 1941:108, 131). As these last were the objects of a cult, it is clear that one of the uses of the family oratory was for ancestor worship. The shrine room in the house was not confined to Yucatán, for Wauchope (1938:142) quotes a passage from Las Casas: “When the Guatemalans built a new house they were careful to dedicate an apartment to the worship of the household gods; there they burned incense and offered domestic sacrifices upon an altar erected for the purpose.” Information from Tayasal is even more specific. Three of the largest temples are reported to have been the private oratories, respectively, of the chief Canek, the high priest, and the chief “prophet.” Canek’s oratory had been inherited from his ancestors (Villagutierre 1933, Bk. 8, Ch. 13). Accordingly, at the time of the Spanish conquest we find that a family of rank set aside either a separate building or a room in their house as the family oratory. Turning to the present-day Maya, we find that among the Chorti wealthier families have separate buildings in which only the altar and the images or pictures of saints are kept. These are built like ordinary huts, but are kept closed and darkened. During ceremonies, only men may enter them; at other times everybody uses them, although sick persons and menstruating women should not enter, and women do not work in them. Most Chorti villages have a communal ceremonial hut of a similar nature (Wisdom 1940:384). In Quintana Roo, where conservative influences are strong, it is not usual to keep crosses or images of saints in any dwelling. Instead, they are housed in a separate family oratory called chan iglesia (small church) or oratorio (Villa Rojas 1945:97). In Yucatán the family altar is now in the dwelling hut, but it is remembered that “the old people” built separate shrines for their santos (Redfield and Villa Rojas 1934:131). Evidence for the former existence of family sanctuaries in Yucatán is probably contained in the discovery (circa A.D. 1600) by Father Orbita, who was campaigning against relapses into idolatry, of thirty temples of idols in a single (unnamed) town (Lizana 1893:119). These must have been family oratories, for clearly there could not be thirty communal pagan temples in a supposedly Christian village. At Tipu, in what is now British Honduras, this same Father Orbita uncovered more relapses into paganism, including idols and garments of pagan priests housed in a small private room (retrete) close to the hut of the chief man of the village (Lopez de

Cogolludo, 1868, Bk. 9, Ch. 12). Presumably this was a family oratory housed in a detached building within the typical Maya family compound. The presentday Lacandon have ceremonial huts in which all the worship of the group is carried on, and where the religious vessels, notably effigy incense burners, are kept (Tozzer 1907:92). As each Lacandon settlement is, according to Tozzer, a family group, the ceremonial hut is really a family shrine. The Lacandon have no altar or religious rite within the dwelling hut. At Panajachel, on Lake Atitlan, families that can afford the expense have a detached “saints’ house,” but this is often used also for storage of corn or tools, and in one case an unmarried son of the house slept on the floor (Rosales in Tax 1951:67, 89, 101–102). Tax writes us that, to the best of his recollection, at Chi­chi­castenango, where houses are often divided into rooms, one room is sometimes reserved for a domestic altar. In contrast to these cases of a separate building or room serving as a family oratory, the altar in the regular dwelling hut is rather general throughout the Maya area. How far this is the result of Christian influence it would be hard to say. From the cases just cited, one gets the impression that the main cause for failure to provide a separate shrine room or shrine building is indifference or lack of wealth. The former reason is brought out in the Yucatec awareness that it was a custom of “the old people” to have a separate oratory, for the behavior of “the old people” is praiseworthy and worthy of emulation. Information from Quintana Roo and Yucatán makes it clear that the placement of the family shrine in the living room is not the ideal arrangement. In Quintana Roo the reason given for having the oratory in a separate building is that it is thought irreverent to expose the altar and the sacred objects on it “to the indelicacies and impurities of daily human conduct” (Villa Rojas 1945:97). In Yucatán, where the altar is in the living room, the santos are put in little cases at night, for they must not witness sexual intercourse. To break wind before a santo brings sickness (Redfield and Villa Rojas 1934:131). In these tabus the whole concept of ritualistic purity, zuhuy, so strong in Maya religious life, is involved, and it is hard to believe that in pre-Columbian times the routine of the domestic daily round would have been tolerated in the room in which the rites of worship and sacrifice were performed. Nevertheless, there are circumstances when it is licit to sleep in the same room with the altar or near it. In the periods of fasting and continence which precede and sometimes follow religious rites, it was, and still is, a widespread Maya custom for the men to sleep away from their homes. This is pri-

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Donald E. Thompson and J. Eric S. Thompson marily to insure continence before a ceremony. Las Casas (quoted in Roman y Zamora 1897, Bk. 1, Ch. 16) notes that in the Verapaz men slept before a ceremony in certain portales and houses near the temple specially made to house them. At Chan Kom, before and during the ch’achac ceremony the men sleep in their hammocks close to the sacrificial altar so as to avoid any risk of rendering the ceremony of no avail by sexual intercourse (Redfield and Villa Rojas 1934:138). In Quintana Roo, the hmen at the conclusion of the great ceremony of purification spends nine days in seclusion in a house close to his own (Villa Rojas 1945:139). Lacandon men sleep in the ceremonial hut for a period of at least four weeks while the new incense burners are being made. Tozzer (1907:111) writes that this is for the protection of the new incense burners, but there can be no serious doubt that the need for group continence is at least an equally important reason, for the zuhuy attitude is apparent in the belief that if food has first been taken into the living hut it is no longer fit to be offered to the gods. The Lacandon rite is very similar to that for the making of idols as described by Landa. Retirement to a specially constructed hut, blood-drawing and other religious rites, continence, and fasting were essential to the success of that work; the breaking of any of these tabus was highly dangerous. Our review of the material permits us to offer certain generalizations which should be applicable to fifteenth-century Mayapán: A member of the priesthood or the nobility had a family altar, either in a room in his residence set aside for private religious ceremonies, the shrine room already identified at Mayapán (Smith and Ruppert 1953, Figs. 2, 3; Thompson 1954, Fig. 1), or in a separate building. In this shrine an ancestor cult was practiced, and beneath its floor there was often an ossuary which was probably a part of the ancestral cult. For such persons of rank, we can suppose, it was not considered correct to have an altar in the living quarters. Indeed, such a location for it might endanger the inhabitants of the house and would make efficacious worship difficult because the necessary zuhuy atmosphere would be almost unattainable. Poor people, whose resources did not permit of a separate building or room to house a family shrine, may have had an altar in the living room, but archaeology has not yet produced any evidence of such an arrangement, and it is more probable that family worship took place elsewhere, perhaps in the milpa or at some communal place of worship (cf. the family ceremonies at the open-air altars of Momostenango; Goubaud 1937). In any case, poor families probably paid less attention than did the nobility to ancestor

cults, which seem to have formed an important part of family worship among the latter. Before important rites, participants went into seclusion. For communal acts of worship men may have taken up residence in the large colonnaded halls around the ceremonial center, for these seem to correspond to the portales of which Las Casas writes. Most shrine rooms in houses would hardly have been large enough to allow all the men of a family to sleep in them before some private rite, but in view of the data on men sleeping in or near the oratory before ceremonies, we suggest that Str. Q-172 was a family shrine, and that the benches in it were for use by participants during the periods of ritualistic seclusion before and during ceremonies. Perhaps Room B normally housed the participants, but the flanking benches of Room A could take care of an overflow. The small and unusually situated doorway at the back of Room B is consonant with the suggested use of the room; men in seclusion could use it to leave the building inconspicuously to relieve themselves. The blocking of the front (east) doorway is also understandable if the room was converted to the suggested use. Str. Q-173 There is little to be said about Str. Q-173, which appears to have evolved haphazardly from a very simple hut with two benches separated by a medial wall (Fig. 25.1a). Presumably, later inhabitants utilized the adjoining wails of Strs. Q-172 and Q-173a to enclose a larger area, adding for that purpose the three columns, which are irregularly placed. Masonry is poor, and no dressed stone is used. The floor on the east side of the building is excellently preserved by fallen masonry from Str. Q-172. Excavation of the south bench produced only sherds, thirty animal bones, and one obsidian fragment (Lot A-430), but immediately below the floor east of the two benches there is an earlier construction. This is a sort of bench, about 20 cm high, resting on bedrock, built against the plinth of Str. Q-172. The top of this bench is a scant 3 cm below the floor of the structure. This bench is evidence that Q-172 is earlier than Q173a in its final form. Conceivably, this was the house of the caluac who served the owners of Str. Q-169, a matter discussed in the next heading. Str. Q-173a Str. Q-173a is most unusual in its quadrant-shaped plan (Fig. 25.1a) and in the absence of any entrance at floor level. The structure is built against Str. Q-172,

A Noble’s Residence and Its Dependencies at Mayapán but the exterior west wall of the latter is not utilized in its construction, as was the usual practice when additions were made. Instead, a new wall was built against Q-172. The reason for this may have been that the new wall was needed to support the roof of the new building. This part of the wall stands to the same height as the adjacent part of Str. Q-172, that is, to about 1.10 m. The wall of the arc varies in height from 30 to 40 cm. The debris line sloped down from about 1 m on the east side to 40 cm against the arc, much debris clearly having entered from the collapse of Room B of Str. Q-172. Plaster adheres to the inside wall surfaces. Bedrock serves as the floor over most of the interior, but near the edges and over natural pockets a little fill had been plastered over. Floor plaster turns up to continue as wall plaster. The floor slopes down irregularly at a slight gradient to the center of the room, where there is a natural crevice in the bedrock, 72 cm (north-south) by 54 cm wide. The lowest part of this pocket is 98 cm deep. From the bottom of the crevice were taken a few sherds including the greater part of a tripod bowl of Mayapán Redware with human effigy feet, almost a duplicate of that with the cremation (Fig. 25.3k). On the floor was a crude stone sculpture barely recognizable as a turtle, 21.2 cm long (Cat. no. 55-285). No information was obtained on the nature of the roof, if any, of the building. If, as seems a reasonable supposition, the walls everywhere stood to a height of not less than 1 m, as was the case on the east side, then the amount of debris against the arc was scarcely enough to account for both a mortar roof and walls not less than a meter high. That was so because the walls sloped inward and had obviously toppled inward. Indeed, the slope was so marked that at one time we wondered whether the building could have been domed. Our first conjecture was that the structure had been built for water storage. Water from the adjacent structures could have been collected there without trouble. The slope of the floor of natural bedrock favored that interpretation, but one cannot be sure that the walls of the fissure were waterproof. This was filled with mortar debris, most of which had certainly fallen in, but some of which might have come from waterproofed cracks. There is also some doubt as to whether the walls with their stuccoed surfaces of normal thickness would have been impermeable. Edward H. Thompson (1897:77), in discussing the chultuns of Labna, which he believed to have been used as water reservoirs, remarks that the walls had been made impermeable “with thick layers of

cement like stucco.” The stucco on the walls of Str. Q-173a was not in thick layers, nor was it, when excavated, of cement-like quality. Alternatively, the room may have been used for the storage of maize and other produce. Landa (Tozzer 1941:26) writes of the caluac, the overseers, who sent notice to the provinces of what supplies were needed for the households of the lords, “such as birds, maize, honey, salt, fish, game, cloth, and other things.” The housing of such produce is, perhaps, the most reasonable explanation of the purpose this building served. If it is acceptable, we might go on to suggest that Str. Q-173 may have been the residence of the caluac, despite Landa’s statement that the caluac’s home was farther from the center of the city than was his master’s. Archaeological evidence clearly disproves Landa’s statement that the temples and houses of the lords were the only buildings in the center of Mayapán, for Str. Q-173 clearly was neither the one nor the other. Summary The group of buildings here discussed is dominated by Str. Q-169, which clearly was the residence of some important personage. Indeed, to judge by the masonry and by the proximity of the group to the Temple of Kukulcan, this was one of the most important residences in Mayapán. Following a review of data on the use of family oratories by the Maya from the sixteenth century to the present day, Str. Q-172 is identified as the private oratory of the residents of Str. Q-169 or, perhaps, of the whole group. Strs. Q-171 and Q-173 are residential, but are more humble dwellings, and presumably were occupied by less important members of the household of the high priest or chief resident in Str. Q-169. The suggestion is advanced that Str. Q-173 may have been the residence of the caluac, “overseer,” because the adjacent quadrant-shaped Str. 173 may have served as a warehouse. Three ways of disposing of the dead were followed: cremation, burial in a large vaulted tomb, and insertion in an ossuary set before the altar of the family shrine. Pottery (Lots A-400 to A-437) shows that the group was certainly occupied late in the history of Mayapán, and presumably was in use until the destruction of the city. Sherds beneath the floor of the tomb in Str. Q-169, which was beneath the final level of the plaza, are a good representation of early Mayapán period, according to R. E. Smith.

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 26 September1955

Early Ceramic Horizons at Mayapán and Santa Cruz Robert E. Smith

abundant at certain levels and in certain sections. At Mayapán this was especially true of Cenotes XCoton and Ch’en Mul, where deposits occurred in considerable depth. At Santa Cruz, a site about 1.5 km southeast of the Mayapán wall, was found one of the best early ceramic sequences so far encountered in Yucatán. The pottery wares and types dealt with in this report are listed and described in the captions to the illustrations. Here we shall summarize the material under both ware and type. “Ware” in this report refers to ceramic groups in each of which paste characteristics and surface finish are constant. Pre-Classic pottery comprised three main wares: Unslipped Cinnamon-Colored; Waxy Red, usually a brownish-red; and Waxy Pinkish Cinnamon. Classic pottery offered a number of distinctive wares: Unslipped Gray; Oxkintok Coarse Mono­ chrome; Dichrome Gloss (called Flaky Di­chrome by

In order to give some idea of the early ceramic material at Mayapán, in anticipation of a final report, it is considered advisable to compile this preliminary analysis selecting only the main wares and types. The early pottery found at Mayapán and the small neighboring site of Santa Cruz (R. E. Smith, 1954:53–58) includes pre-Classic, Classic, Puuc, and Toltec period types, which together form approximately 2.5 percent of the total pottery collected. Here by Classic is meant Lowland Maya Classic as found in southern Campeche, Mexico, in the Peten of Guatemala, and in British Honduras. Puuc pottery was manufactured during the Classic period, both early and late, but was regional to northern Campeche and Yucatán. The Toltec period types were made during the early post-Classic period. The lowland Maya Classic specimens, all early in so far as the material examined for this report is concerned, were always associated with Puuc types. The small percentage of early pottery naturally was more

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26.1. Pre-Classic Types. a–f. Unslipped Cinnamon-Colored Ware (a–c, 25; d–f, 8, lip sherds). Jars. Color: usually Cinnamon (Munsell, 7.5 YR 6.2/6.0). Form: high outcurving neck, often thickened at rim, rounded lip(a,b,d); low outcurving neck, direct rim, flat lip c; medium high outcurving neck, direct rim, rounded lip e; high flaring neck, direct rim, pointed lip f. Bodies are globular, bases not encountered. Size: a,b,d, lip diam. 18.0–26.0 cm, thickness 0.7–1.3 cm, but where rim is thickened attains 1.6 cm; c. lip diam. 11.0 cm, thickness 0.6–0.8 cm; e. lip diam. 14.0 cm, thickness 0.7–0.9 cm; f. lip diam. 17.0 cm, thickness 0.8–0.9 cm. Surface: smoothed, and majority of sherds (a–c) striated on body only, a few (d–f) with vertical neck striations. g–v. Waxy Red Ware. g–j. Jars (g, 5; h, 6; i, l; j, 4, lip sherds). Color: red to brownish-red, a few reddish-brow Form: globular body, high slightly flaring (g,h) or outcurving (i) neck, direct rim (i, thickened), rounded or flat lip; j, probably better regarded as a deep bowl with neck. Size: g, lip diam. 20.0 cm, thickness 0.4–0.9 cm; h, lip diam. 24.0 cm, thickness 0.6–0.9 cm; i, lip diam. 21.0 cm, thickness 0.8–1.3 cm; j, lip diam. 27.0 cm, thickness 0.7–0.8 cm. Surface: g,h,j, slipped and burnished on exterior and neck interior, all well smoothed. i. Red-Slip-over-Striated, a type with fine striations on vessel exterior including neck and body, a polished red slip with waxy (?) feel covering jar exterior and neck interior. Decoration: j. vertical gadrooning on body done by pressing out vessel wall. k–m. Bowls or dishes (k, 51; l,m, 52, lip sherds). Color: reddish-red, some reddish-brown. Form: flaring, rarely outcurving (m), medium thick sides, direct rim, rounded lip, flat base. Size: k,l, lip diam. 41.0 cm, ht. (l) 10.0 cm, thickness 0.7–1.1 cm; m), lip diam. 32.0 cm, thickness 0.8–1.0 cm. Surface: slipped and burnished all over. Decoration: l,m, geometric design incised on exterior wall. n–v. Flaring side, flat base dishes or plates n–q, 10; r–u, 28; v, l, lip sherds). Color: n–q, brownish-red to red; r, red exterior, Pinkish Cinnamon (Munsell, 7.5 YR 6.6/6.0) interior; s, light brown with red flushing on exterior, light brown on interior; t–v, weathered. Form: n,o. bolster rim; p–r, wide everted rim, grooved or plain; s, thickened rim; t–v, lateral ridge, some with rim bolster (t,u). Size: n, lip diam. 44.0 cm, thickness 1.1–1.2 cm (not including bolster); o, lip diam. Not determinable, ht. 3.0 cm, thickness 0.7 cm (not including bolster); p, lip diam. 36.0 cm, thickness 0.6–1.0 cm; q, lip diam. nor determinable, ht. 2.7 cm, thickness 0.7–0.9 cm; r, lip diam. 40.0 cm, thickness 0.9–1.1 cm; s, lip diam. 28.0 cm, thickness 0.9–1.4 cm; t, lip diam ca. 49.0 cm, thickness 0.7–1.6 cm; u. lip diam. not determinable, thickness 0.8–1.0 cm; v. lip diam. ca. 52.0 cm, thickness 0.8–1.2 cm. Surface: slipped and burnished all over save v, slipped on interior only; n–q. flaky red slip; s. crazed and fire-clouded; v. unslipped exterior, vertically striated below ridge. Remarks: most of these specimens are similar in form to Chicanel types found at Uaxactun. w,x. Waxy Pinkish Cinnamon Ware (33 lip sherds). Dishes. Color: w. Pinkish Cinnamon (Munsell, 7.5 YR 6.6/ 6.0); x, Red with Pinkish Cinnamon and brown areas. Form: flaring, medium thick sides, direct rim, rounded (w) or beveled (x) lip, flat base. Size: w. lip diam. 48.0 cm, ht. 8.0cm, thickness 0.7–0.9 cm; x, lip diam. 45.0 cm, ht. 8.0 cm, thickness 0.9–1.1 cm. Surface: slipped and burnished allover. Decoration: w, chamfered; x, single horizontal groove divides exterior wall. Remarks: both w and x are reminiscent of Mamom types from Uaxactun (R. E. Smith 1936, Fig. 1, nos. 8–10).

Early Ceramic Horizons at Mayapán and Santa Cruz G. W. Brainerd); Polychrome Gloss, all Red-­andBlack-­on-­Orange; and Polished Brown-­Black. Puuc pottery, a regional manifestation of the Classic period, included the following: Unslipped Gray or Cinnamon-Colored; Medium Slate, so called because it has a medium-texture paste and has no definite color, but buff, often dirty and occasionally lined with purple veins, is most common, followed by drab and various shades of brown; Thin Slate, characterized not only by thinness and cream to light gray color but by almost constant vertical crazing; Puuc Red, notable for evenness of color as applied to each vessel, as well as for unusual smoothness of surface, perhaps a color variant of Medium and Thin Slate wares since it occurred with, and in the same shape combinations as the Slate wares; Lustrous Streaky Brown, lacking the waxy feel of Slate and Puuc Red wares and reminiscent of Uaxactun Gloss ware. Fine Orange, associated either with very late Classic or with early post-Classic, was usually slipped and had a rather matt finish. Here only X type was noted, and it is placed in the Toltec period (Early Mexican). “Type” is used to subdivide ware, on the basis of form and decoration. Under this heading we consider form, design, and technique. Pre-Classic types: Body-striated and neck-­striated unslipped cinnamon-colored jars, the latter presumably having body striations as well. Waxy Red separated into various types, including Undecorated Red, Incised Red, and Red-Slip-over-Striated. Forms consisted of jars, bowls, deep bowls, and dishes. The designs on the incised bowls or dishes were geometric with considerable hatching. Waxy Pinkish Cinna­ mon bowls or dishes (Mamom rather than Chicanel tradition) divided into chamfered and grooved. Classic types recorded were: Unslipped and Un­decorated Gray jars; Oxkintok Coarse Mono­ chrome, present in jar form only; Dichrome Gloss in Red-on-Orange and Incised Red-on-Orange, but in this instance only jars of the latter were found, on

which the incising outlined the red geometric design; Polychrome Gloss in a variety of shapes including jars, basal-z-angle bowls, and basal-flange bowls, all embellished with geometric design whenever decipherable, and all painted in red-and-black-onorange background; Polished Brown-Black, all of the incised or grooved type, in two forms consisting of a hemispherical bowl and a possible cylinder tripod, the former decorated with an encircling groove just below the lip, the latter adorned with a geometric, probably step-and-angular-scroll, incised design. Puuc pottery had five principal types: (1) Un­slipped jars of two types, both coarse striated in a pattern (geometric) design, but one, usually the cinnamon-­colored, with wider and more jagged channels than the other. (2) Medium Slate in four subtypes: plain; Black-Trickle-on-Medium Slate, usually jars and basins; Black-on-Medium Slate with the principal design of dabs and scrolls on the floor of a tripod dish; and Stamped-Red-on-Medium Slate tripod dishes with a red-covered stamped band encircling the base. (3) Thin Slate in Puuc Thin Slate and Chichén Thin Slate, the latter in a light brown rather than a cream or gray slip; both types usually in hemispherical bowls or cylindrical vases; the latter sometimes vertically grooved. (4) Puuc Red with only one type division other than shape, which included hemispherical bowls, flaring-side bowls or dishes, tripod dishes, and restricted orifice bowls, an example of the last with a single groove encircling the vessel just below the lip. (5) Lustrous Streaky Brown, found only in jar form and with no decoration. Toltec period pottery: Fine Orange, probably all of the X variety, subdivided into Black-on–Fine Orange jars with only black lines and stripes on the fragmentary specimens; Gouged-and-Incised– Fine Orange in jar, bowl, and vase form, mostly too fragmentary to permit making out the design, although one had a twist or braid motif, and others appeared to have some design similar to the scroll-and-related-elements.

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26.2. Classic Types. a. Unslipped Gray Ware (2 lip sherds); Jars. Color: gray. Form: globular body, wide mouth, out-curving neck, beveled and grooved lip, probably flat base. Size: lip diam. 22.0 cm, thickness 0.7–1.4 cm. Surface: smoothed. b,c. Oxkintok Coarse Monochrome Ware (4 lip sherds); Jars. Color: brown to tan. Form: globular body, flaring neck, rounded lip, concave base. Size: lip diam. 24.0–26.0 cm, thickness 0.6–1.1 cm; type vessel (c), lip diam. 21.5 cm, maximum diam. 26.8 cm, base diam. 970 cm, ht. 22.5 cm, thickness 0.5–0.8 cm. Surface: slipped and burnished on exterior and on neck interior. A pimpled surface is characteristic of this ware. Decoration: single horizontal groove encircling jar below point of maximum diameter, probably more utilitarian than decorative. Remarks: type vessel (c) is from Campeche. d–f. Dichrome Gloss Ware (10 lip sherds); Jars. Color: red-on-orange, the red deep (Munsell, 7.5 R 3.4/6.0 or 10 R 3.5/6.0) and the orange bright (2.5 R 5.0/10.0 or 10 R 4.5/10.0). Form: large, globular body, wide mouth, high flaring or outcurving neck, often bolster rim, rounded lip, base not present. Size: lip diam. 26.0 cm, thickness 1.0–1.1 cm. Surface: slipped and well burnished (horizontal burnishing streaks) on exterior and neck interior. Decoration: red geometric design outlined with incised line. Remarks: sizable deposit of this type found in large cave at Balam Canche near Chichén Itzá (Ruppert, Shook, and R. Smith, 1954). g–l. Polychrome Gloss Ware; g,h. Jars. Color: red-and-black-on-orange, typical of Uaxactun types. Exact color range not noted for preliminary report. g. (2 lip sherds). Form: globular body, high nearly vertical neck, bolster rim, rounded lip, no bases available. Size: lip diam. 29.0 cm, neck ht. ca. 10.0 cm, thickness 0.5–1.0 cm. Surface: slipped and burnished on exterior and neck interior. Decoration: not decipherable. h. (2 lip sherds). Form: globular body, low flaring neck, direct rim, rounded lip, no bases available. Size: lip diam. not determinable, neck ht. 2.5 cm, thickness 0.7–0.9 cm. Surface: slipped and burnished on exterior and neck interior. Decoration: not decipherable; i,j. Basal-z-angle-bowls (6 lip sherds and 4 basal-z-angles). Color: red-and-blackon-orange typical of Uaxactun types. Exact color range not noted for preliminary report. Form: outcurving side, thickened rim, rounded lip, may have had three feet or a ring base. Size: lip diam, 22.0 cm, thickness 0.6–0.9 cm. Surface: slipped and burnished all over. Well smoothed and no blemishes noted. Decoration: i. black and red lines and stripes on interior and exterior, but latter combines these with geometric band; j. decorated on interior only with geometric black rim band. k,l. Basal-flange bowls (5 lip sherds and 9 basal-flanges). Color: red-and-black-on-orange typical of Uaxactun types. Exact color range not noted for preliminary report. Form: flaring side, rounded lip, probably ring base since a few were present and no feet were observed. Size: all very fragmentary; thickness 0.8–0.9 cm. Surface: slipped and burnished on interior and exterior but generally not below flange. Well smoothed and no blemishes noted. Decoration: mostly too fragmentary or weathered to decipher. l. exterior, horizontal striping plus black wavy line on flange; interior, curious black design (birdlike) on red background. m,n. Polished Brown-Black Ware (2 lip sherds and a complete vessel); m: Incised cylindrical bowl, possibly cylinder tripod. Form: slightly flaring, thin walls, direct rim, rounded lip. Size: diameter unknown, thickness 0.3–0.4 cm. Surface: slipped burnished all over. Decoration: incised cross-hatching and probably step-and-angular-scroll motif; n: Grooved hemispherical bowl (cache vessel from burial below shrine in Platform A at Santa Cruz. r. Smith 1954, Fig. 6k). Form: medium thick walls (thickened toward base), rounded-lip, flat base. Size: lip diam. 16.5 cm, base diam. 6.5 cm, ht. 8.8 cm, thickness 0.5–0.9 cm. Color: a few dark brown areas near lip, otherwise black. Surface: slipped and burnished all over, and well-smoothed. Decoration: single horizontal groove 0.8 cm. below lip. Remarks: reminiscent of Early Classic type at Uaxactun (R. Smith 1971, Figs. 23a; 79b).

26.3. Puuc Types, Probably Early and Late. a–g. Unslipped Gray or cinnamon-colored Ware (a–c, 31; d,e, 20; f,g, 2, lip sherds). Coarse striated jars. Color: generally dark gray but some Cinnamon (Munsell, 7.5 YR2/6.0); cinnamon-colored type usually more coarsely striated than gray. Form: globular body, low to medium high, outcurving or rarely flaring (f) neck, wide mouth, bolster (a, triangular; b,d,f, grooved; e, rounded), wide everted (c), or direct (g) rim, rounded or pointed (a,d) lip, base not known. Size: lip diam. 18.0–24.0 cm, neck ht. 2.5–4.5 cm, thickness 0.5–1.3 cm. Surface: smoothed and then body striated. Striations appear to have been made with edge of a shell. Two types of striation noted: more abundant and finer type almost always associated with Dark Gray Ware, where troughs are narrow and neatly executed; coarser type, where troughs are wide and ragged edged, found only on Cinnamon-Colored Ware. Both types include a sort of pattern design. Decoration: geometric pattern striation. Remarks: perhaps one pattern striated type is earlier than other. At present, however, only certainty is that different tool or at least different type shell was used for each. a–c are common rim types without associated body sherds. A T-shaped rim exists but was not encountered in lots selected. h–gg. Medium Slate Ware. h–n. Jars (h,i, 38; j, 8; k, 3, lip sherds); plain and black-trickle-on-Medium Slate. Color: h, buff: i, cinnamon-colored: j, buff to drab; k, dark brown to dark drab; 1, buff; m, drab with purple veins. Form: globular body; medium high neck with slight inward slant (h,i), outcurving (j), or vertical (k); rounded (h) or triangular (i) bolster rim (k, inner square bolster/, or direct (j) rim; rounded (h), pointed (i), or flat (j,k) lip; concave-base (n). Size: h, lip diam, 14.0 cm, neck ht. 5.0 cm, thickness 0.5–1.0 cm.; i, lip diam. 19.0 cm, neck ht. ca. 2.5 cm, thickness 0.6–0.7 cm; j, lip diam. 19.0 cm, neck ht, 6.2 cm, thickness 0.7–0.9 cm; k, lip diam. 12.0 cm, neck ht. 5.0 cm, thickness 1.1–1.4 cm; 1, thickness 0.8–0.9 cm; m, thickness 0.7–1.6 cm; n, thickness 0.8–1.6 cm. Surface: polished and burnished on exterior and neck interior (except k). Well smoothed all over. Decoration: bodies often have vertical black trickle (1). One specimen (m) has band of two rows of oblong impressions made with unidentified tool. Remarks: probably some jars had handles, usually strap, but few were encountered. n is example with vertical strap handles. o–s: Basins (o,p, 57; q, 6; r, 8; s, 3, lip sherds); plain and black-trickle-on-Medium Slate. Color: generally buff, some with purple veins (o). Form: bodies globular (o–q), slightly rounded (r), outflaring but rounding to base (s); orifices often restricted (o–q); rims bolstered (o–q), thickened (r), or direct; lips pointed (o,p), rounded (q), or flat (m,s); bases flat or slightly concave; handles when encountered are the strap type vertically placed (p,q). Size: o, lip diam. 46.0 cm., thickness (excluding bolster) 1.70–1.3 cm; p, lip diam. 36.0 cm, thickness (excluding bolster) 1.0–1.2 cm; q, lip diam. 28.0 cm., thickness (excluding bolster) 0.6–0.8 cm; r, lip diam. 34.0 cm, thickness (including rim) 0.6–2.2 cm; s, lip diam. 26.0 cm, thickness 0.8–1.4 cm. Surface: polished and burnished all over. Well smoothed. Decoration: vertical black trickle on exterior (r). Others (not illustrated) like o–q also have trickle, sometimes on both interior and exterior. t–z: Tripod dishes or plates (t, 29; u, complete; v, 16; w, complete; x, complete; y, 1, lip sherds); plain, Black-on-Medium Slate, and Stamped-Red-on-Medium Slate. Color: t, dirty buff; u, blackon-buff; v, Pinkish Cinnamon (Munsell, 7.5 YR 6.6/6.0) on interior, buff on exterior; w, black-on-buff with pinkish flushing; x,y, buff with purple veins; z, buff on interior, red-on-buff on exterior. Form: t,u, flaring side tripod, direct rim, rounded lip, convex base, small solid wedge-shaped slab (t) or solid conical (u) feet; v,w, flaring sides rounding to convex base, slightly everted and beveled rim, rounded lip, solid wedge-shaped slab or conical feet; x, flaring sides angling sharply to flat base, slightly everted and beveled rim, rounded lip, low solid slab feet; y, outcurving side (tripod?), direct rim, rounded lip, flat or convex base; z, outcurving side tripod, basal molding, convex base. Size: t, lip diam. 24.0 cm, dish ht. 5.5 cm, foot ht. 1.0 cm, thickness, 0.6–1.0 cm; u, lip diam. 23.0 cm, base diam. 18.5 cm, dish ht. 6.3 cm, over all ht. 6.8 cm, thickness 0.6–0.8 cm; v, lip diam. 28.0 cm, dish ht. ca. 4.5 cm, thickness 0.6–0.7 cm; w, lip diam. 23.3 cm, base diam. 18.0 cm, dish ht. 5.6 cm, over all ht. 5.9 cm, thickness 0.5–0.8 cm; x, lip diam. 25.5 cm, base diam. 15.5 cm, over all ht. 6.0 cm, thickness 1.0–1.2 cm; y, lip diam. not determinable, dish ht. ca. 3.3 cm, thickness 0.8–0.9 cm. Surface: generally slipped and burnished allover, but some not slipped on exterior; v shows horizontal smoothing striations on exterior, the interior being more carefully done. Decoration: u,w, scroll and dabs in black on floor; y, thumb-impressed fillet at angle formed by side and base; z, vertically incised band plus a stamped geometric band below, all on red background. Remarks: u and w were found together with gg in Platform B at Santa Cruz (R. Smith 1954, Fig. 6o-g); x, found with jj, came from burial on north side of Platform A at Santa Cruz (R. Smith 1954: Fig. 6g,h). aa. Small bowl (1 lip sherd); plain Color: dirty buff. Form: outcurving side, thickened rim, pointed lip, flat base. Size: lip diam. 11.0 cm, ht. 4.1 cm, thickness 0.4–0.7 cm. Surface: slipped and burnished allover. bb,cc: Ring-stand bowl (5 lip and 10 ring-stand sherds); plain and Black-on-Medium Slate. Color: dirty buff (bb) and drab (cc). Form: incurved rim, restricted orifice, pointed lip, ring-stand base. Size: lip diam. 18.0–19.0 cm, bowl ht. 8.0 cm, over all ht. 9.0 cm, thickness 0.7–0.9 cm. Surface: slipped and burnished on interior and exterior down to ring-stand. Decoration: cc, black-on-drab,

26.3. Puuc Types, Probably Early and Late—continued trickle on exterior, finger (?) dabs on exterior, finger (?) dabs on floor. Remarks: This is a complete vessel from cave in Cenote X-Coton (R. Smith 1953, Fig. 6f). dd: Grater bowl (7 lip sherds and 5 base pieces, two of which show hollow foot welding marks); plain. Color: buff. Form: rounded medium thick sides, direct rim, rounded lip, probably three hollow oven-shaped feet, flattish base. Size: lip diam. 17.0 cm, bowl ht. ca. 5.0 cm, thickness 0.6–0.9 cm. Surface: slipped, burnished, and well smoothed all over. Decoration: incised criss-cross lines on floor. ee–ff: Round sided bowls (ee, 3; ff, 1, lip sherds); plain. Color: ee, light brown; ff, buff plus orange flushing on interior. Form: rounded thin to medium thick sides, direct rim, pointed lip, flat base. Size: ee, lip diam. 18.0 cm, thickness 0.5–0.7 cm. Surface: well-smoothed, slipped and burnished all over; ff, fire-clouded on interior and exterior. Decoration: ff, incised geometric design on exterior. Remarks: ee is a deep and ff a shallow bowl. gg: Cuspidor-shaped bowl (1 complete vessel); plain. Color: Pinkish Cinnamon (Munsell, 7.5 YR 6.6/6.0). Form: cuspidor-shaped, globular body, flaring neck, direct rim, pointed lip, flat base. Size: lip diam. 18.3 cm, body diam. 14.8 cm, base diam. 9.5 cm, ht. 10.1 cm, thickness 0.5–0.7 cm. Surface: well smoothed, slipped and burnished. Decoration: horizontal grooves encircling neck; vestiges of pink stucco adhering to neck, especially in grooves. Remarks: this vessel together with u and w was found in burial in Platform B, Santa Cruz (R. Smith 1954, Fig. 6o-q). hh–jj: Thin Slate Ware. hh,ii: Puuc Thin Slate. Vases (hh, 4; ii, 2, lip sherds). Color: dirty cream. Form: cylindrica1, direct rim, pointed (hh) or rounded (ii)lip, probably flat base. Surface: well smoothed, slipped and burnished all over; vertical crazing lines on exterior. Decoration: ii, vertical grooving on exterior. jj: Chichen Thin Slate. Bowl (1 complete vessel). Color: right brown. Form: hemispherical, direct rim, pointed lip, flat base. Surface: well smoothed, slipped and burnished all over. Remarks: jj closely resembles Brainerd’s Chichen Thin Slate, which differs from Puuc Thin Slate in color and lack of vertical crazing lines. This complete vessel was found with x in burial in Platform A, Santa Cruz (R. Smith 1954, Fig. 6g). kk–pp: Puuc Red Ware (kk, 7; ll, 2; mm,nn, 2; oo, 7; pp, 1, lip sherds). Bowls or dishes. Color: usually a darkish red. Form: kk–nn flaring-side, some if not all having three feet, direct rim (save for nn, which is slightly everted), flat or convex base, lips flat (kk), grooved (ll); rounded (mm), or beveled (nn); oo, round-sided bowl, direct rim, rounded lip; pp, restricted-orifice bowl, globular body, rounded lip, evidence of handles. Size: kk, lip diam. 20.0 cm, thickness 0.5–1.0 cm; ll, lip diam. 25.0 cm, thickness 0.5 cm; mm, lip diam. 42.0 cm, ht. ca. 5.4 cm, thickness 0.6–1.0 cm; nn, lip diam. 20.0 cm, thickness 0.6–0.7 cm; pp, lip diam.14.0 cm, thickness 0.5–0.7 cm. Surface: exceptionally well smoothed, slipped and burnished all over. Blemishes rare. Decoration: occasional grooving (mm) but usually no decoration. Remarks: Puuc Red may be considered a color variant of Puuc Medium and Thin Slate wares, since it occurs in same forms and has same waxy feel. In general, however, it has been more carefully smoothed and color is more uniform. qq: Lustrous Streaky Brown Ware (22 lip sherds, 1 strap handle). Jars. Color: brown, occasionally with red flushing. Form: globular body, flaring neck, direct rim, rounded lip, usually concave base. Size: lip diam. 23.0–24.0 cm, maximum diam. 32.4 cm, neck ht. 3.7–4.3 cm, over all ht. 28.8 cm, thickness 0.5–0.9 cm. Surface: smoothed, slipped, and burnished on exterior and neck interior. Streaky effect is caused partly by tool used in horizontal smoothing and partly by application of slip in unequal strength and thickness. Remarks: qq, from Santa Cruz, was reconstructed by using complete body, from which neck had been removed to insert infant burial (R. Smith 1954: Fig. 6j), and neck found in cave in Cenote X-Coton.

26.4. Toltec Period Types. a–g. Fine Orange Ware. a,b. Black-on-Fine Orange jars. Form: globular body, medium high or high neck, direct rim, rounded lip. Size: lip diam. 8.0–9.0 cm; neck ht. 3.0 cm (a), thickness 0.4–0.6 cm. Surface: well smoothed, probably slipped although this is often doubtful, lightly burnished leaving matt finish. Decoration: black horizontal or oblique stripes and horizontal grooving (b). c–g: Gouged-and-incised-Fine Orange vessels. c,d: Jars. Size: thickness 0.4–0.7 cm Surface: well smoothed, usually slipped and lightly burnished. Decoration: curvilinear design gouged-and-incised. e–g: Vases or bowls, very fragmentary. Size: e, lip diam.16.0 cm, thickness 0.4–0.8 cm; f, lip diam. 27.0 cm, thickness 0.5 cm; g, lip diam. 26.0 cm, thickness 0.6–1.0 cm. Remarks: all these vessels appear to be in X Fine Orange tradition.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 27 September 1955

Another Round Temple at Mayapán, Yucatán Edwin M. Shook

rate and formal entrance to the ceremonial center of Mayapán. Though freestanding, the portal with its portico is similar in plan to the major gateways in Mayapán’s encompassing Great Wall (Shook 1952) hence its primary purpose as an entrance way seems certain. The presence of a small temple, Str. Q-127a (Strömsvik 1953), against the north façade of the portal and the near-by round temple further imply the importance of this gateway. Str. Q-126 had been studied briefly by Andrews in 1942, although no report of his work was published. Evidence of his probing to establish the temple plan was encountered in the center of the south room (Fig. 27.1) and several of the sculptured stelae associated with the unit had been moved for photography. No further recent disturbance was noticed during our investigations. Before excavation, all the substructure was obscured under debris from collapsed masonry except a short section of the west

The round temple investigated in 1954 at Mayapán (Shook 1954) proved to be in too ruinous condition to warrant repair. Therefore, in order to have one example of this type of structure available for students, another such temple, Str. Q-126, was selected for excavation and solidification. Early in 1955, the writer performed the excavations and Strömsvik repaired the unit. Str. Q-126 lies 150 m east of the Castillo (Jones 1952, map, 260 S, 85 W), somewhat beyond the area of heaviest concentration of ceremonial structures. Like the other round temple, Str. Q-214, it is more closely associated with a minor, outlying court group than with the principal courts immediately surrounding the Castillo. Str. Q-126 occupies the north, and a colonnaded hall, Str. Q-129, the south edge of what apparently had been the principal eastern avenue of approach to the heart of the city. These structures are on the east side of a vaulted portal, Str. Q-127 (Strömsvik 1953) the most elabo-

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Edwin M. Shook wall (Figs. 27.3a; 27.4a). More could be discerned of the temple’s exterior because exposed walls stood in places to a height of 2 m (Fig. 27.4b). The orientation of the temple, its doorway, and its interior plan, however, were not distinguishable before excavation. The 1955 dig began along the best exposed walls of the building and substructure. These were cleared to their bases and followed until the entire temple and the west and south sides of the substructure lay bare (Fig. 27.3c,e), Except for minor exploration to locate the northeast corner, the east and north sides of the substructure were left untouched (Fig. 27.3a,b). Once the plan of the unit had been ascertained, several shortest trenches were dug on the building’s north-south axis. These trenches exposed the various phases of the round temple, the remains of a structure buried beneath the front terrace, and three early plaza floors (Figs. 27.1; 27.2a). The floors came to light in a trench at the base of the stairway (Figs. 27.2a; 27.4e). They may all pertain to different phases of the buried unit, although it is quite possible that a still earlier construction exists. Our excavations through the terrace of the round temple did not penetrate below the floor level of the buried structure. Floor 1, the oldest plaza floor (Fig. 27.2a) of lime concrete, had been laid over a grouting of smallcrushed rock which in turn capped a fill of dry rock. This fill covered the purposely cleaned surface of limestone bedrock; i.e., the soil, loose stone, and humus had been removed before construction. The extent of Floor 1 was not obtained. It may have joined the platform supporting the buried unit (Fig. 27.2a,1) or have served a still earlier structure. Pottery recovered in the sealed fill below the oldest floor (Lot C110) consisted of almost 100 percent Mayapán period types. The vessel Forms represented were those predominant in the early half of the major occupation of the site. The next floor, Floor 2, built like the first, raised the court level another 20 cm, and Floor 3, apparently a minor renovation, simply covered the second one. These two floors were possibly associated with the buried structure (Fig. 27.2a,1). Only the doorway of the latter was cleared to floor level, and the ripped-off top of the walls partly outlined. The rectangular building appeared to have been a small shrine or temple (Fig. 27.1d). Its walls had been built of Mayapán block and slab masonry, though rougher than usual. The single narrow doorway had jambs also of rough block masonry (Fig. 27.4f). The roof and upper walls of this early structure had been demolished and the remainder enveloped by the substructure of the round temple. In the process of adding the core fill of large dry laid stones, a

cache of two chipped flint blades was placed on the temple’s north-south axis (Fig. 27.2a,2). The loose core fill of the substructure was held in place by very rough retaining walls (Fig. 27.3g) and by the walls left standing from the early structure. Over these walls were constructed the final sloping terrace walls of block and slab masonry (Fig. 27.3b–g). The terrace wall on the south side was erected before the addition of a wide stairway flanked by balustrades. Coevally with the erection of the substructure, a new plaza floor, Floor 4, was laid joining the base. Perhaps at the same time the square masonry altar, 25 cm high, had been added on the plaza level in front of Str. Q-126 (Figs. 1a; 2a). The cache of flint blades placed in the substructure fill may have been a dedicatory one. Further evidence of ceremonial activity during the construction of the round temple was found below the floor of its rear chamber. Here, sealed by the remnants of the floor, were unweathered fragments of several pottery censers. Copal incense had been burned in these containers before their breakage and disposal in the upper substructure fill. The temple floor effectively sealed these censer fragments and protected their interior surfaces, which showed stains and smoke blackening from copal burning. Some of the censers were non-effigy types, and one, abnormally large for Mayapán, was a human-effigy censer gaudily painted in brilliant colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and black over a white base. The presence of the human-effigy-type censer in the structure fill clearly indicates that the round temple had been erected near the end of the major occupation at Mayapán. The temple, perfectly circular in plan and set toward the rear of the rectangular substructural platform, rests on a high plinth (Figs. 27.1e; 27.2a3). A single doorway on the south, with inset jambs or pilasters, gave access to the temple interior. This had been divided by a medial wall into two quite small semicircular rooms. The rear chamber was entered through a narrow doorway in the center of the medial wall directly in line with the front entrance. The heavy building walls, largely of typical Mayapán block and slab masonry, and the presence of long stone slabs up to a meter in length in the debris filling the rooms suggest the use of masonry vaults to roof the temple (Fig. 27.2a). Both doorways evidently had borne wood lintels, as no stones of sufficient size to span them were found in the debris. The interior of Str. Q-126 was finished with a lime concrete floor and lime plaster on the walls (Fig. 27.4d). Both floor and walls were left a grayish white, the natural color of the poor-quality plaster, but traces of yellow paint occurred in the back

27.1. Plan of Str. Q-126. a. Masonry altar on plaza floor. b. Masonry altar built against bottom steps of stairway. c. Stairway shrine, and two holes in floor possibly marking where idols stood. d. Early structure, probably a shrine or temple, buried below terrace of round temple. e. Primary plinth of round temple. f. Area where floor was missing. g-g. Plain stelae, as found during excavations (see Fig. 27.4i). h-h. Carved stelae moved for photographing before 1955 excavations (see Fig. 27.4j–m). i. “Sacrificial stone” altar. j. Secondary additions to substructural platform.

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27.2. Section and Elevation of Str. Q-126. a. North-south section on axis of building. 1. Early temple or shrine buried by substructure of round temple. 2. Cache of two chipped flint blades. 3. Primary plinth. 4. Secondary plinth and extension of substructure. 5. Ancient cut through temple floors filled with charcoal, ashes, and fragments of pottery, plaster, and modeled stucco. 6. Rectangular masonry altar added to stairway and subsequently buried by shrine. 7. Stairway shrine, and holes possibly marking the position where originally stood two idols, one of stone and one of modeled stucco. b. Restored elevation of south side.

room, and the jambs of the medial doorway had been painted red with specular hematite. On the outside, the structure carried plaster painted in various colors. Further decoration embellished the facade, probably above the doorway, as many fragments of modeled and painted stucco and a sculptured stone (Fig. 27.4g) lay in the surface debris around the temple doorway. Str. Q-126 functioned long enough to undergo several minor renovations and refurbishings. There were traces of four coats of plaster adhering to the interior walls, and four distinct floors. The original narrow plinth on the building’s exterior had been buried by another of the same height but considerably wider (Figs. 27.1; 27.2a4). This addition created an inset stairway, two steps high, from the terrace to the temple.

Remodeling of the substructure also took place. One addition enlarged the platform over a meter toward the north and east (Figs. 27.1j; 27.2a4; 27.3g). It could not be determined without considerable excavation whether these new north and east terrace walls were needed to bolster the older unit, but the extension of the platform retained the terrace around the temple, which otherwise would have been eliminated on the north by the secondary building plinth (Fig. 27.2a,4). Originally, and during two successive renewals of the plaza floor, the substructure stairway had an uninterrupted flight of steps between balustrades. This was modified by the addition of a rectangular masonry altar in the center of the stairway against the bottom steps (Figs. 27.1b; 27.2a6). The altar later was buried by a miniature shrine. The excavations

Another Round Temple at Mayapán, Yucatán disclosed the shrine’s walls and its basal platform but no trace of the roof (Figs. 27.3d; 27.4e). The shallowness and character of the debris inside leave little doubt that the shrine had carried a flat beam-andmortar roof. A triangular jade bead and fragments of two human figures, one modeled in stucco, the other sculptured in stone, were in the debris, and two ragged holes in the shrine floor probably mark the positions where these idols originally stood (Figs. 27.1c; 27.2a7). The jade bead, holes, and broken statuary suggest that the images housed in the stairway shrine had been torn out and caches beneath them robbed. Other evidence in Str. Q-126 shows purposeful destruction. A large oval-shaped hole had been cut through the floors of the rear chamber opposite the doorway (Figs. 27.1f; 27.2a5). Filling the hole and heaped in a mound over it were wood ashes, charcoal, potsherds from human-effigy-type censers, pieces of plaster, and parts of a human figure modeled in stucco and painted red. The area of floor demolished and its location centered against the back wall suggest that here, seated on a low dais, may have been an image of the god or goddess in whose honor this round temple functioned. Often a cache lies beneath such figures, and looting of the contents may have been the motive for the destruction. On the front terrace of the round temple, and scattered around the southern base of the substructure, were at least seven plain and three sculptured stelae (Fig. 27.4i–m). Some were complete, others broken into many fragments. The positions of the carved and two of the plain monuments had been slightly altered for photography in recent times, but the others lay where shown on the plan (Fig. 27.1g,h). Fragments of two incomplete plain stelae remained on the terrace before the temple, buried by the fallen wall masonry. It seems logical to assume that these two, and quite possibly all the monuments, originally stood in a row across the terrace in front of the temple (Fig. 27.2b). If this was the case, the natural failure of the platform edges and collapse of the temple walls could not have scattered the other eight monuments as they were when found. Also peculiarly situated was a “sacrificial stone” altar off the northwest corner of the substructure (Fig. 27.1i). The positions of the stelae and altar suggest that they had been willfully thrown down from the temple terrace. The distribution and quantity of broken pottery and artifacts around Str. Q-126 bear on the question of its function. The various floors of the temple showed marks of burning concentrated on the northsouth axis through the doorways of both chambers. The final floor had a layer up to 15 cm thick of ash

over it, the maximum thickness being above the cut through the rear-room floor. Furthermore, there was a group of censer fragments on the terrace and steps in front of the temple doorway. Elsewhere, above floors, pottery and artifacts were thinly deposited except along the west base of the substructure. Here, and particularly at the northwest corner, were recovered about 90 percent of the sherds and artifacts in the surface lot, C-109. The material had accumulated close to the base of the wall as if it had been swept from the terrace above. A plain band of copper, apparently a finger ring, was among the trash at the platform’s northwest corner. A summary of Lot C109 and other material from the excavations will be found in a following section. The investigation of Str. Q-126 disclosed that the unit had undergone major and minor renovations from the earliest construction. One change involved the partial demolition of a rectangular shrine or temple and the substitution of a round temple. The date of the latter’s construction, on the evidence of the human-effigy-type censer sealed below the floor, was relatively late in the period of Mayapán’s political dominance. The inhabitants of Mayapán shortly before the presumed destruction of the city in the mid fifteenth century were still erecting carved and plain stelae, a practice the Maya had carried on intermittently for a millennium and a half. One of the sculptured monuments associated with Str. Q126 bears a panel of hieroglyphs (Fig. 27.4j). The art of carving glyphs apparently had degenerated in the late Mayapán period to the extent that only outlines of the glyphs were delineated. The monument probably had been coated with lime plaster, as were the plain stelae (Fig. 27.4i), and the glyph details painted. The evidence of incense burning within the temple, the heavy accumulation of pottery censer fragments off the substructure, the presence of a stairway shrine, idols of stone and modeled stucco, and the many carved and plain stelae are features indicating the importance of Str. Q-126 as a temple for ceremonial and religious purposes. The two round buildings excavated, Strs. Q-126 and Q-214, are duplicates in all but minor details, and they probably served identical functions. The fact that one faces south and the other east almost certainly precludes their having been used for astronomical purposes. Materials Recovered Lot C-110a,b: from fill sealed below plaza floors to bedrock in central trench (Fig. 27.2a): 134 fragments of fish, bird, and animal bones which include deer

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Another Round Temple at Mayapán, Yucatán 27.3. Str. Q-126. a. East side, showing condition of round temple before excavation. East and north sides of substructure were left unexcavated. b. View from southeast after excavation and repair of temple and part of substructure. Stones in foreground and at lower right are plain and carved stelae. c,d. South side, after excavation and after repair. e,f. Looking northeast after excavation and after repair. Carved monument at left in [f] was erected in that location for conservation purposes; its original position is uncertain. g. Detail view of substructure masonry at northwest corner. Note sloping line of primary corner at lower center, and at upper right a section of retaining wall for the platform’s loose, dry rock fill. h. Temple doorway before repair. Note well cut and dressed Puuc-style wall and molding stones re-used as facing for jambs of doorway, whereas temple walls are of typical Mayapán period block and slab masonry.

and many rodents; 5 obsidian flake blades and 1 chip. Total sherds: 218; 0.4 percent Puuc period; 99.6 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 29.4; Non-Effigy-Type Censers, 1.8; Mayapán Red, 61.0; Fine Orange, 2.8; Black-on-Cream, 4.6). Lot C-110c: from sealed fill below floor of round temple and front terrace (Fig. 27.2a): 1 bird bone; burned copal; 3 fragments of stucco painted yellow and specular hematite red; 1 cache containing 2 flint blades. Total sherds: 317: 0.6 percent Puuc period; 99.4 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 2.9; Non-Effigy-Type Censers, 17.3; Human-Effigy-Type Censers, 72.9, Mayapán Red, 6.3).

Lot C-109: from surface and general excavation of temple and substructure: charcoal; ashes; 148 fragments of bird and animal bones; 1 perforated bone ornament; approximately 50 fragments of modeled and painted stucco representing architectural ornaments and human statues; 2 small stone sculptures (Fig. 27.4g); 33 obsidian flake blades and 1 chip; 1 chipped flint point, 1 scraper, and 26 chips; 1 fragment of limestone mano; 1 fragment of greenstone celt; 1 tubular jade bead; 1 shell tinkler, 1 worked and 4 unworked shells; 1 spherical pottery bead; 1 copper ring. Total sherds: 10,374: 0.2 percent Puuc period; 99.8 percent Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 21.9; Non-Effigy-Type Censers, 0.5; Human-EffigyType Censers, 41.3; Mayapán Red, 34.5; Red-onCream, 1.0; Fine Orange, 0.5; Black-on-Cream, 0.1).

27.4. Str. Q-126 (following page) a. West side, before excavation, showing exposed masonry of substructure in foreground, and wall of round temple below Maya workman. b. West wall of temple. Typical example of Mayapán block and slab masonry after centuries of exposure. Lacking are many small chinking stones and the heavy surface coat of lime plaster. c. East jamb of doorway in medial wall of temple. d. West jamb of same doorway and (at left) interior wall of front chamber. Note patches of plaster adhering to wall. e. Stairway shrine and trench exposing earlier plaza floors. f. East jamb of doorway of early shrine or temple. This unit was buried in loose stone fill of the substructure supporting the round temple (see Fig. 27.1d). g. Tenoned stone sculpture probably from temple facade (Cat. no. 55-22). A human head is shown in mouth of a bird. This sculpture may represent an Eagle Knight, one of the warrior orders popular in central Mexico during post-Classic times. h. Left: Puuc-style mask element (nose) from debris on plaza floor east of stairway. This element and other decorated building stones may have been salvaged from older Puuc-style structures and re-used in the round temple by the Mayapán builders. Right: Tenoned stone ring from debris over stairway. i. Plain stelae. Both retain evidence of a smooth lime plaster coating, but no traces of paint. Taller stelae, with square hole cut 5 cm deep on front, lay on plaza level, against platform wall, west of stairway (Fig. 27.1g), and fragmentary one came from terrace in front of temple doorway. Complete monument measures 1.07 m high, 0.33 m wide, and 0.20 m deep; other, 0.33 m wide, 0.11 m deep. j. Stela carved in low relief with upper panel of hieroglyphs, and lower panel of human figures. Height 1.80 m, width 0.56 m, depth 0.28 m. k-m. Monument with standing human figure carved in high relief. Height 1.53 m, width 0.50 m. Note that in shape background resembles other carved and plain stelae.

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 28 October 1955

An Altar and Platform at Mayapán Donald E. Thompson

The ceremonial group at Itzmal Ch’en in the northeast part of Mayapán (365 N, 1520 E), being a fairly small and compact center over 1.5 km from the Main Group, was thought worthy of survey in order to determine, if possible, the minimum number and class of buildings required for such a center. The original intention was to clear architectural details for an accurate map of building types and their relation to one another, but as the work progressed various features were discovered which merited additional investigation. Among these were the altar of Str. H-17, the main pyramid, and Str. H-17a, a small platform at the foot of the stairway of that pyramid.

umns near the center of the building on the longitudinal axis. Two L-shaped benches occupy the sides and part of the back of the room. The east bench turns back to the north (rear) wall as shown; the west bench is assumed to have turned back at the point indicated by the dotted line. Large quantities of plaster and generally thick debris over the floor indicate that the building had carried a beam-andmortar roof. The presence of an exterior bench to the west and one column drum in situ suggest some sort of additional structure on this side, but its exact nature was undetermined and has little bearing on the discussion of the main altar. The altar (Fig. 28.2a) consists of three plaster figures in high relief set on the fronts of three crudely squared stones. A fourth stone to the west was probably once similarly employed. The figures are seated with legs drawn up and elbows resting on knees (Fig. 28.2c). The hands reach upward to the position of helping support the altar

Altar of Str. H-17 The altar of Str. H-17 stands at the rear of the building on top of the pyramid (Fig. 28.1a). The building is of simple rectangular plan with two doorway columns in line with the short front walls, and two col-

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28.1. Strs. H-17 and H-17a. a. Plan of building on top of pyramid, Str. H-17. b. Plan and section of platform, Str. H-17a, at foot of pyramid.

An Altar and Platform at Mayapán on the heads of the figures in a manner reminiscent of Atlanteans. On the two central figures rests a large stone slab, well faced in front but jagged behind (Fig. 28.2b). No other slabs were found in the altar area. The immediate area around the altar yielded six pieces of stone sculpture and numerous incensario sherds (Lot C-120). The sculpture included four turtles (Fig. 28.2d,e), a crouching human figure with a snake on its back (Fig. 28.2f), and a small head. Beneath the unbroken floor under the altar a crude head of jade, drilled for use as a pendant, was found (Fig. 28.2g). Just to the west of the figures, a long depression in the debris suggested that a trench had previously been dug through the building, narrowly missing the altar. As mentioned above, another upright stone similar to those supporting the plaster figures and altar was found in what would be the correct position for a fourth figure to the west. This stone may well have been so employed, and the figure either destroyed by the roof fall or disturbed by the earlier digging. The east end of the west bench was never found; it may have been destroyed, for although this side was not cleared, a deep probe was made under the fill and nothing was encountered. The floor in front of the altar turned up to the feet of the figures and, between the figures, to a low (3–4 cm) ridge which ran in front of the altar except where interrupted by the figures. Behind and under the altar was an unbroken floor at a level lower than that in front of the altar. This floor turned up to the side of the east bench and ran under the floor in front of the altar and under the stones supporting the altar. Between the abovementioned floors, a small section of floor was found which did not run under the floor in front of the altar, but did run under the ridge and in one place turned up to the stones supporting the altar. This suggests that a floor, now destroyed, may have overlain the one found under and behind the altar and have turned up to all the stones supporting the altar. Both the figures and the floor in front of the altar had traces of paint, though not enough to show a positive design. The column to the east of the altar was heavily plastered in several layers. The removal of one layer revealed brilliant painting in monochrome bands: red for 25 cm above the floor, the next 9 cm yellow, a 1 cm black band, then blue-green for 1–5 cm to where the column was broken. The complete construction of the altar as it once stood will never be known. There are definitely three figures, and probably a fourth, all supporting the altar on their heads and hands. One slab, which just spans the distance between two of the figures, was found in position. If there were four figures, then the

central pair were the ones supporting the slab. How the spans to either side may have been bridged is not known. Another problem which presents itself is what happened behind the figures. No indication was found of a wall, so the altar supports may have been freestanding like those in the Temple of the Warriors at Chichén Itzá or possibly there was a plaster wall a short distance behind the figures and the rest of the altar was solid. No trace of the latter wall was found, nor was there any turn-up on the floor. On the other hand, a higher floor did once exist over at least part of the area beneath the altar. One might argue that the wall was destroyed in a looting of the altar, but in that case, one would expect some indication of a wall or the turn-up of the floor; if it was totally destroyed, one would expect the figures to be gone also. It can definitely be said of the altar, then, that it consisted of three, possibly four, seated plaster figures bearing on their heads and arms the top of the altar. At least one of the spans was bridged by a stone slab. The freestanding altar supports may or may not have given way to solid construction farther back; in either case, the altar stood free of the sides of the benches and probably continued back to the rear wall. Str. H-17a Str. H-17a, a small platform at the foot of the staircase of H-17, stands to a height of about 38 cm above the plaza floor, is of irregular shape, and does not appear to be centered exactly on the pyramid’s staircase (Fig. 28.1b). The small square section to the east is built of more carefully dressed stone than the rest and appears to be the earlier, since the other section butts against it and since the west wall of the smaller section continued behind the larger section to the west. The floor sequence gives no indication of relative age. The L-shaped wall on the north side of the west section of the platform presents an interesting problem. It is a poor wall, yet it approximately lines up with the north side of the east section, and its outside corner together with the northeast corner of the east section form a line quite well centered on the staircase of the pyramid. It was in this neighborhood that a number of small stone sculptures (Fig. 28.2k,l,n,o) and two large ball-on-column altars (Fig. 28.2h) were found. Some of this material may have fallen from above, either from the top of the pyramid or from a staircase shrine, if there was one; but it is equally possible that there was some sort of shrine on the north side of the platform, perhaps utilizing a niche where no wall was found. No large incensario

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Donald E. Thompson 28.2. Strs. H-17 and H-17a. Architectural Details and Associated Artifacts. a. Altar of Str. H-17 from southwest. b. Altar of Str. H-17 from south. c. Easternmost plaster figure from altar of Str. H-17. d. Limestone turtle (length 22.2 cm), from area around altar of Str. H-17. Lot C-120, Cat. no. 55-328. e. Top: limestone turtle (length 24.4 cm), from area around altar of Str. H-17. Lot C-120, Cat. no. 55-306. Bottom: limestone turtle (length 22.5 cm), from same area. Lot C-120, Cat. no. 55-120. f. Crouching human figure with snake on back (length 18.6 cm), from area around altar of Str. H-17. Lot C-120, Cat. no. 55-305. g. Jade pendant (height 4.9 cm), from beneath floor under altar of Str. H-17. Lot C-123, Cat. no. 55-141. h. Altar stones from north side of platform, Str. H-17a. i. Str. H-17a from southeast, showing “sacrificial stone,” feet, and snake head. j. Str. H-17a from south, showing “sacrificial stone,” feet, and snake head. k. Limestone carving of head of old man wearing snake headdress and coming out of shell (length 15.1 cm), from area north of Str. H-17a. Lot C-114, Cat. no. 55-108. 1. Limestone snake head (height 26.9 cm), from area north of Str. H-17a. Lot C-114, Cat. no. 55-118. m. Limestone snake head (height 38.0 cm), from debris south of east section of Str. H-17a. Lot C-115, Cat. no. 55-119. n. Limestone turtle (length 19.3 cm), from area north of Str. H-17a. Lot C-114, Cat. no. 55-113. o. Limestone snake (length 25.4 cm), from area north of Str. H-17a. Lot C-114, Cat. no. 55-116. p. Head and feet of incensarios (Lot C-115), from debris south of east section of Str. H-17a. The head is wearing a bird headdress. Traces of red paint on headdress and ears. Lips encircled by narrow band of red and wide one of blue.

sherds were discovered in the area. The floor is in very poor condition here, and the numerous holes in it suggest the possibility of some of the sculptures having been tenoned in, though this is by no means certain. The small southern extension of the platform is unclear. No wall was found across the southern end of it, nor did the south wall of the main platform continue behind it. There seem to be two possibilities: either the southern wall of the extension was lost, or there was a small step-up to the platform, walled on either side to the same height as the platform. On the west wall of the southern extension, there was a suggestion of an inner facing of stones which were above plaza floor level, but they were too badly disturbed for their function to be clear. It seems more likely that the south wall was lost. The area just to the south of the small, earlier (east) platform contains a number of related features worthy of note. Against the edge of the small platform (Fig. 28.1b), are built two low (3–4 cm) benches of rock and plaster. On top of the western bench are found a pair of stucco feet and the beginnings of their legs (Fig. 28.2i, j). On the left side of the eastern bench is a single foot a second foot matching it was found in the debris and almost certainly belonged on the right side of the same bench. Between the two benches is a snake head tenoned into the floor, and another tenon from which the sculpture had broken away. The head was crudely made, depicting a snake with upper jaw wide open in a vertical position and lower jaw horizontal. Eyes were formed by a perforation through the stone (Figs. 28.1b; 28.2i). Masses of plaster, loose small stone, and stalactites in the area suggest that the feet were those of two plaster and stone figures which either stood to full height or sat on the platform. Since the platform is very low relatively to the size of the feet, the standing position seems more likely.

In front of the snake head and tenon is a socalled sacrificial stone, badly eroded but preserving the general shape of a truncate pyramid. Loose in the debris covering the area were found (Lot C115) two tenoned snake heads similar to the one described above. One of the heads was small and very crude, the other large and much better executed (Fig. 28.2m). Large fragments of at least two humanfigure incensarios were present, one figure wearing a bird, probably eagle, headdress (Fig. 28.2p). On either side and slightly to the south of the “sacrificial stone” were found two column drums. These drums were smaller than any found on top of the pyramid or on Str. H-18 to the south. Their regular spacing suggests that they are in situ. They rest considerably above floor level, but a scrap of floor found nearby suggests that a much higher floor once covered this area. If this was the case, the column drums, resting on top of the floor and chinked underneath, may have served as altars. The column drum west of the southern extension is a similar case. The regular placing of the drums and their lack of association with any other building argue for their being in place; their height above the floor and the crowding they produce argue against, but do not negate, their being in situ. Although a trench was dug to find the floor sequence and its relation to the buildings, little information came of it. None of the floors around the platform could positively be associated with Str. H-18 to the south, and there was only slight and dubious evidence suggesting that all floors found under the platform were later than the staircase of the pyramid, Str. H-17. Throughout most of the region around the eastern platform two floors were found. The upper of these floors turned up to the bench supporting the feet, but both floors were broken by the walls of the platform. Two floors were also found inside the

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Donald E. Thompson eastern platform. The evidence suggests that the two floors were broken in order to construct the platform and that at the bench edge the upper floor was re-laid in order to turn up to the bench. A scrap of floor, higher than both these, was found in one place, indicating that a subsequent surfacing once covered at least the area around the feet and “sacrificial stone.”

Str. H-17a, because of its position, was probably associated with the main pyramid. Although it is not centered on the staircase of the pyramid, one section of it may have been. The earlier and better-built part of the structure had two statues and a “sacrificial stone” in front and yielded many incensario sherds. In the area about the platform a considerable amount of stone sculpture was found.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 29 November 1955

A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90 Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles R. Temple

of the group. Immediately in front of Str. R-86, bedrock is about 1.50 m below the court floor.

The quadrangle to be described is situated just short of 300 m on the magnetic east line from the main pyramid of Mayapán. It is adjacent to a ceremonial group comprising a round temple, Str. Q-126, a gateway, Q127, and several other civic and religious buildings on the periphery of the city center. It faces away from this group toward another residential quadrangle, Strs. R-95 to R-99, almost identical with it in plan. Its major buildings are readily identified as dwelling houses, though its high foundations and its size and location distinguish it from other house groups as a residence of more than ordinary importance. The monumental effect of the high terraces, however, is partly the result of adapting a court plan to a rough piece of ground. Building at this spot began long after the foundation of the city center, and, at this time, better locations may already have been occupied. The site is a rocky outcrop, and the court floor, which is only 0.75 m above its peak at the base of the west terraces, is 3.40 m above the low ground north

Building Sequence (Figs. 29.1–29.11) The group was not built all at once, but suffered a number of rebuilding operations. On the basis of our limited excavations we could not correlate all the observed sequences of construction, but for convenience in discussion we group building activities into four general phases. The earliest operation of which we have knowledge was the leveling of the ground on the periphery of the site for the foundation of the first terraces. This was observed at the entrance of a vaulted passage (Fig. 29.8, cross sections 5 and 6) and elsewhere in trenches outside the group. The leveling was accomplished by spreading a mixture of earth and stones behind a rude step or retaining wall. The earliest terrace walls are bedded in this primary fill. The first unit to be constructed

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29.1. Plan of Quadrangle, Strs. R-85 to R-90. a. Cache 6. al: Cache 7. b. Wall going down through fill. c. Drain in areaway. d. Cache 8, with stone rings set into areaway floor above it. e. Cache 3. f. Cache 2. g. Cache 4. h. Drain formed by neck and body of jar set under floor. i. Rounded curb built against balustrade at court level. j,j’. Small depressions in finished floors, probably used as pot stands. k. Hearth. k’. Probable location of second hearth. l. Post hole. m. Area of broken upper floors. n. Skeleton of child in crevice of rock. o. Old excavation at entrance to vaulted passage. p. Buried corns of original structure, R-86a. q. Cache 1. r. Burial Cist 2. s. Trace of column or altar in buried floors. t. Burial Cist 1. u. Dismantled pier of early building. v. Niche in stairway block. w,w’. Niches in secondary wall of chamber. x, x’. Column drums placed against wall of platform for its ascent. y. Old trench through building. z. Circular pile of rock, probably from old trench.

was a broad terrace supporting two building platforms joined together at the southwest corner. These elements are designated as Terrace A and Platforms B and C, although all three are built as a unit and we found no construction level separating the platforms from the terrace. The above-mentioned vaulted passage runs under Platform B, giving access to Terrace A from the south. Later, a monumental stairway with a central shrine, Str. R-89, was added to the east edge of Terrace A (Figs. 29.1, 29.3). These constructions constitute Phase I of the group.

During Phase II, the group probably retained its over-all design, and the east stairway and Str. R-89 stood exposed. Various additions, however, were made to the two platforms, and the buildings upon them were completely rebuilt. Probably at this time construction was begun on the essential elements of Str. R-86a, which later served as a kitchen for Strs. R-86 and R-87. In other locations, walls of Phase II were torn down at the beginning of Phase III. In Phase III, the group was greatly expanded. Terrace A was extended first to the east, then to the

A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90

29.2. Section A-A’, Through Strs. R-90 and R-88. Location of Lots A-133, 203, 204. a. Cache 6.

29.3. Sections B-B’, C-C’, D-D’, Str. R-89 and Stairway against Terrace A. Location of Lots A-143, 241, 243. d. Cache 8. Lower right, plan and section of drain in areaway.

north, and the major houses, Strs. R-86 and R-87, were rebuilt on a larger scale. In addition, two new houses were built, Strs. R-85 and R-88, two new shrines, Strs. R85a and R-90, and a small room, Str. R-86b. In our Phase IV we include late additions to the outer terraces, the secondary constructions outside the south entrance to the vaulted passage, the open colonnaded galleries back of Strs. R-86 and R-87, and some minor constructions clearly secondary to those of Phase III.

Although the phases undoubtedly overlap chronologically, in any given location they can be regarded as sequent in time and as representing distinct stages in the progress of construction. Their significance, however, is strictly limited to the development of the building group, and they have no general stylistic implications. The observed differences in masonry, for example, are not paralleled in building sequences of other groups. They are not to be interpreted as representing general trends of development, but rather

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Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles R. Temple as an illustration of the variability of the masonry techniques practiced at Mayapán. Structural Detail The walls of the terraces of Phase I are built of roughly dressed limestone blocks, noticeably smaller, more uniform in size, and more regularly coursed than the stones of the terraces which cover them. The northeast corner of Platform B has a well-cut cornerstone placed vertically (Fig. 29.14,5), but there are no vertically set stones in the faces of the terrace walls. Later terraces tend to have rounded corners and cruder mixed masonry. All terrace walls are cemented with lime mortar and chinked with small bits of limestone. Very little of their outer coat of plaster now remains. A cut through Platform C shows the outer wall backed by another of unshaped fill stones also set in mortar (Figs. 29.5, 29.6). Behind this double wall is an open fill of broken limestone rock. The fill was probably built up in sections separated by dry-laid retaining walls. One such wall, going down through the fill of Terrace A (Fig. 29.1b), was built of roughly shaped stones, and we cannot be sure that this is not part of some earlier buried construction, although there is no other indication of building prior to Terrace A. Elsewhere, unshaped fill stones were used, and this probably was the common practice. As elsewhere at Mayapán, we find two sharply contrasting techniques of stonecutting. Among rudely shaped blocks and slabs there are often accurately cut, smoothly faced stones of fine limestone, which apparently come from dismantled buildings of an earlier period. These we call “Puuc stones,” referring to the architectural style with which they are associated. Since this style extended into northern Yucatán, the stones may have been locally manufactured, but we have not been able to identify any remains at Mayapán that could represent this early period except scattered sherds of Slateware and associated pottery types mixed with early deposits. In Phase I of our group, Puuc stones were used more sparingly than they were later. It is particularly striking that they were not used at this time for the risers of stairways, though some may have been included in the sloping zones of balustrades. Steps of Phase I are built of blocks laid horizontally and are heavily plastered. In Phases II and III, risers of steps are in most cases built of Puuc stones set on edge, as are the plinths of the late buildings. Puuc stones are also used in building walls of Phase III, particularly on the interior, and in platform walls, though rarely in walls of the higher terraces. Phase IV constructions tend to be more rudely built, but this may be

because they are for the most part outside the main Court. A certain decline in building standards or in resources seems, however, to be indicated by the fact that the outer constructions at the entrance to the vaulted passage rest on midden material rather than on stone fill, and that no Puuc stone is used in the stairway immediately to the east. No consistent changes in mortar, plaster, or floor construction were noted. Floors vary in composition in all phases. Normally the open fill is covered by a layer of small stone on which is laid a mixture of limestone chips and sascab, a local marl that is widely used today for floors and for mortar. This marl may be mixed with slaked lime to form a hard concrete, and on top of it is spread a finer mixture to give a smooth plaster surface. In several instances we noted an even red-brown stain on the finished surface. Building debris, earth, and refuse are often substituted for the sascab layer under finished floors, which vary greatly in hardness and in state of preservation. We learned little concerning the plans of the early dismantled buildings of Phases I and II, but it was noted that, in contrast to later houses, none of them had a plinth; all were entered on platform level. Houses of Phase II were in general smaller than those of Phase III, but had benches and columns and were probably similar in plan. The major Phase III buildings, Strs. R-85, R-86, and R-87, are larger and more spacious than most houses at Mayapán. The gallery of Str. R-87 is 4 m wide and the span between the central columns is 3 m. The columns are correspondingly massive, and with their coat of plaster were at least 0.65 m in diameter. They are built of drums about 0.30 m high, fairly well cut, and leveled with spalls and mortar. They apparently had no capitals. Benches are faced with vertically set stones, and those of the galleries have a small rectangular projecting molding. Large stones cut to the width of the jamb and set deep into the floor are usually used in doorways. The jambs of the small doorways of the early shrine, Str. R-89, and the late chamber, Str. R86b, however, have no facing. The outer doorways of the houses were doubtless spanned by wooden lintels, and the roofs were built of wooden beams and mortar. Stone lintels were sometimes used in small doorways. The greatest wall height observed was about 2.15 m above the floor, so that the minimum height of a house above its plinth would be over 2.50 m, and a height of 3 or 3.50 m is not unlikely. The beams were probably overlaid by thin poles laid close together to support a cap of mortar 0.15 m or more in thickness. The mortar is a mixture of burnt lime and sascab, with pebbles and potsherds occasionally embedded in it. Slabs of stone

A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90

29.4. Sections E-E’, F-F’, Str. R-87. Location of Lots A-160 to 162, 165 to 170, 205, 207 to 209, 211, 212. e. Cache 3. f. Cache 2.

were apparently used on the edge of the roof, and a grooved stone recovered in debris near Str. R-86a may have served as a rainspout (Fig. 29.13u). Minor buildings were probably thatched, and there are two standing masonry roofs, both built during Phase I. The roof of the early shrine, Str. R-89, is a rough stone corbel of uncoursed slabs projecting inward from the front and side walls of the building and from the corners (Figs. 29.3; 29.14i). A large irregular capstone with a span of 1 m does not quite fill the gap between the corbel stones, which is closed by three smaller capstones resting on the first. The thickness of the roofcap could not be measured directly, but is in the neighborhood of 0.30 m, including the large capstone. There was no sign of plastering on the inside of this rude vault. The roof of the passage under Platform B is more conventionally constructed. At its north end it has the typical form off the vault associated with the Puuc architectural style (Fig. 29.8, cross section 2). There is

a slight offset at the spring, which tends to disappear where the wall merges with the wall of the stair well to the north. The soffit is lightly curved and faced with smoothly dressed tenoned vault stones, set in lime mortar and chinked with bits of limestone. Just below the capstones, which at the entrance are unusually thick, there is a narrow projecting string course of well-cut stones. Away from the entrance, inside the passage, only the lower courses of the soffit are of faced stone (Fig. 29.8, cross section 3). Above them are stepped courses of roughly shaped blocks. It is not clear whether this change was resorted to because of the scarcity of faced stone in the early phase, or whether there had been a later alteration, with part of the original vault torn out and replaced by ruder construction. A slight setback of the first capstone from the face of the entrance gives some indication of rebuilding, but we did not attempt to penetrate the floors of Str. R-87 to see if the plaster over the capstones had been destroyed.

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29.5. Section G-G’, Str. R-86. Location of Lots A-171, 172, 174 to 191, 192, 194, 195. q. Cache 1. r. Burial Cist 2. s. Trace of column or altar in buried floors.

Architectural Ornament We do not know whether sculptured Puuc stone was used for building decoration during the early phases, for, if so, it was no doubt all removed and re-used again during Phase III. The lavish stone decoration of the façade of Str. R-87 is rivaled only by the ornate façade of Str. Q-151, one of the more elaborate colonnaded halls of the ceremonial center. The majority of the sculptured pieces are elements of masks. These do not all match in design, but a great

number show the type of carving that is associated with what are probably very late Puuc structures at Kabah and Uxmal. This carving is characterized by sharp crisp lines, the use of narrow outlining fillets, and ornate design. The motif in Figure 18m is particularly worth noting, for it derives from a very late Classic Maya form and is not common in the Puuc. It occurs at Kabah in a distinctive type of building which borrows from the Chenes the motif of the serpent-­­mouth doorway, adapting it to the Puuc style.

A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90

Brow elements such as that in Figure 18f,g may stem from the same style, whereas those in Figure 19c,i represent a different type of design. Sculpture contemporary with the constructions is confined mostly to small ceremonial objects used in the buildings, though we cannot be altogether certain that the masons of Mayapán did not occasionally copy Puuc elements or fill in with motifs of their own. There are a number of sculptured human heads and a human hand (Figs. 29.18x-d’; 29.19x), the style of which we cannot clearly identify. In addition,

there are three monolithic altars locally carved. Two are upright altars with a molding and a bulbous top, of a type commonly found in the ceremonial center (Fig. 29.13x,z), and the third is a flat round altar, with a three-member molding around it, probably made from a column drum. Plain altars that do not differ from column drums were also used, and there is one large cylinder of stone (Fig. 29.13y) which may likewise have been an altar. Stucco was sometimes used to continue decorative motifs started in stone, and to elaborate detail.

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29.6. Sections H-H’, I-I’, J-J’, Str. R-86. Location of Lots A-171, 173 to 175, 193, 195, 220, 238 to 240. t. Burial Cist 1. u. Dismantled pier of early building. v. Niche in stairway block.

We do not know whether it was used alone for major motifs. Some of the column drums on the rear terraces of the group have projecting tenons that were probably meant to hold high stucco relief, but these drums may very well have been re-used without trimming. The only pieces of modeled stucco we found suggest the use of stucco statues inside the buildings, rather than outer architectural decoration. On the other hand, there is ample evidence of polychrome painting on plaster, both inside the

buildings and on exterior walls. The colors include flat tones of red, yellow, light blue, and green, usually outlined in black or very dark brown. They show little penetration into the plaster surface and were probably applied when the plaster was dry. Nowhere did we find a fragment large enough to reveal the character of the design, but the motifs often show forms no larger than 0.10 m, which suggests a fine scale of ornament. Elsewhere, large areas may have been covered with a single color (Fig. 29.12m).

A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90

29.7. Section K-K’, Through Northeast Stairway.

Excavations When the group was first examined late in the season of 1954, it was clear that there had been previous digging. On the north side near the end of Str. R-85, there was a deep gash breaking through the rear and medial walls of the building into a bench of the front gallery (Fig. 29.1y). Stone, apparently from this excavation, was piled in a circular mound below (Fig. 29.1z). In the southwest corner of the court, a pit had been dug through the court floor, destroying the upper steps of the stairway leading down into the vaulted passage (Fig. 29.1g). Another pit was noted in the debris of Str. R-88, at the entrance of the southeast room. The areaway in front of Str. R-89 was filled with loose stone that looked as if it had recently accumulated there, and our excavations showed that the debris on the main altar of Str. R-87 had probably been disturbed after the roof had fallen. Later, we encountered excavations made by the inhabitants themselves, but the destruction mentioned above was the work of later visitors to Mayapán and was made with no apparent understanding of the plans of the constructions. The brief excavations of Proskouriakoff in 1954 were concerned largely with clearing enough of Str. R-88 to show its general plan. In addition, the areaway in front of Str. R-89 was emptied, and debris was cleared from the east edge of the platform of Str. R-86. This work is covered here together with the excavations of Proskouriakoff and Temple in 1955. Structure R-89 and Terrace A In digging out the areaway of Str. R-89, we removed a quantity of loose stones, many of them mask ele-

ments sculptured in the Puuc style (Fig. 29.18). Most of these undoubtedly came from the east end of Str. R-87, and some can be matched with elements from that building. Other pieces were of Mayapán style and workmanship, notably a crouching or “diving” figure (Fig. 29.18e’, f’) and a small parrot or turtle head of stone, once plastered and painted blue (Fig. 29.13b’). We are not certain to which style to ascribe the sculptured head in Figure 18c’, d’, possibly representing a Maya or Toltec version of the Mexican god Tlaloc. Lower down, the stone was mixed with earth, and a sizable tree had grown immediately in front of the shrine doorway. Cutting the tree exposed the stone lintel of Str. R-89, and we could see that the earth had spilled from the areaway into the shrine, half filling it. In the lower debris we found a small copper bell (Fig. 29.12t), a tiny bead of jade, and a number of fragments from large human effigy censers. The shrine itself was empty. Bits of at least three floor surfaces could be seen here and there at the base of the walls, but most of the floor inside the shrine was destroyed, and a pit about 0.60 m deep had been dug against the rear wall formed by the face of Terrace A. It was here that we first encountered this early construction. Later, we traced its edge northward to a sharp corner, where it turns to run under the terraces of Str. R-85, and southward until it disappears under the platform of Str. R-87. A meter and a half farther south, set back about 0.20 m from the edge of Terrace A, we exposed the northeast corner of Platform B, built in the same manner as Terrace A and forming a unit with it (Fig. 29.14a). The shrine R-89 (Fig. 29.3, Section B-B’) is built on a broad stairway with which it forms a single

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29.8. Section L-L’, Through Vaulted Passage and Trench in Front of South Entrance. Location of Lots A-206, 213 to 214a, 216 to 218a, 227, 227a. n. Crevice in rock with burial of child. Above: cross sections at various locations along the trench.

construction. The stairway is secondary to Terrace A, but is built in the early manner, with horizontal riser stones. We place it tentatively in Phase I, but it may possibly have been built at the beginning of Phase II, when the original Platforms B and C were being altered. The shrine incorporates some Puuc stones in its walls and in the three-member molding which forms its upper façade. At the back, the upper member of this molding rests on the edge of Terrace A. In front, over the stone lintel of the doorway, the upper member is interrupted and the arrangement of the stones that remain suggests that there was a decorative panel, possibly a mask, over the door. The construction of the vault has already been described. The roof was finished with three thick layers of plaster, showing that it stood exposed for some time before a secondary platform or altar was built upon it. The stairway originally extended for about 3.30 m on each side of the shrine. Its south end abutted a wall jutting out eastward from Terrace A to form a block, balustrade, or projecting wing of the terrace.

The steps here are destroyed, but traces of them can be seen on the wall (Fig. 29.14b). The north end of the stairway abuts another projecting block or balustrade, 1.55 m wide, with a rectangular molding 0.76 m high, buried under the shrine R-90. The last step of the stairway is secondary. Just south of the shrine it is represented by a single stone which overlies the plaster of the shrine molding (Fig. 29.14c). On the north, the step is missing, but it probably abutted a secondary masonry block built on the stairway 0.80 m from the shrine. This block projects about a meter from the edge of Terrace A, and covers the upper steps leaving a narrow stair next to the shrine. It is likely that there had been another such block on the south, torn out in subsequent operations. The stairway apparently stood exposed and was in use for some time, while various alterations were being made on Platform B. At the beginning of Phase III, when Str. R-87, the final building on Platform B, was about to be built, Cache 8, which had been buried in front of the steps, was carefully opened and its valuable contents were apparently

A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90 removed, leaving only broken fragments of the cache bowl in place. The opening broke through three hard plaster floors, one of which passed under the stairway. This floor was broken very near to the cache, and we believe must originally have covered it. Nevertheless, we are reluctant to conclude that the cache is earlier than the stairway, for it is clearly centered on the shrine. Since the early floor continued in use after the stairway was built, we believe it may have been broken through for the cache and patched to cover it. The looting of the cache was preliminary to major alterations extending the court eastward and forming a small areaway in front of the shrine. At the same time, an addition was made to Platform B to support the east end of Str. R-87. The edge of the addition is 1.50 m in front of the north edge of Platform B, exactly in line with and resting on the wall at the end of the shrine stairway. The plaster surface on top of the stairway wall was removed, so that no clear break can now be seen between the two constructions, but the character of the masonry changes abruptly, as can be seen in Figure 14b. For some reason not entirely clear, the upper steps of the stairway, and even the upper courses of the early Terrace A south of the shrine, were torn out in the course of these operations and the level of the court was stepped down by a row of small stones set on edge. The fill over the broken stairway was retained by a rough wall of fill stones running from the southeast corner of the shrine to the south stairway wall. At the juncture of the fill wall with the shrine, we noted an early plaster coat on the shrine wall which showed traces of mural decoration. Unfortunately, we could not expose more of this painting without endangering the wall of the areaway, which started immediately behind the fill wall. All the walls of the areaway are based on fill 0.55 m above the floor in front of the stairway. The north wall abuts the secondary masonry block north of the shrine, leaving the narrow upper steps exposed to give access to the areaway. The floor of the areaway meets the foot of the plinth of the shrine, burying the lowest three steps of the stairway. Into this floor, 1 m in front of the shrine, were set two stone rings 0.35 m apart (Fig. 29.14e, f) with their holes not very accurately in line. The holes are about 0.04 m in minimum diameter, and the rings are 0.19 m across and 0.07 m thick. A similar pair of rings has been observed in a small shrine at the foot of Str. Q-143 in the Main Group. In the northeast corner of the areaway, a rectangular hole faced with stone formed an opening into a drain that went deep into the fill and under the east areaway wall (Figs. 29.3; 29.14j). Later, this

drain opening was rebuilt and a patch of new floor was laid around it. Finally, a second coat of plaster was laid down, covering the whole floor. Very little remained of the late platform or shrine that was built on the roof of Str. R-89. Traces of its face were found about 0.02 m from the west edge of the roof. Elsewhere this facing had fallen. The maximum height of the masonry on the roof was about 0.20 m, and no surface was preserved. It is possible that the upright altar shown in Figure 29.13z, whose broken pieces were found in the court, was associated with this late platform. The court floor in front of the platform, which we assume faced westward, was broken, but we did not clear enough to see if there was an open pit in the fill. In the base of the altar, there is a round dowel pit 0.07 m in diameter and about equally deep. Apparently this was to hold the altar firmly in place, an indication that its base was not deeply buried. Structure R-87 and Platform B Even before excavation began, many pieces of sculpture were noted in the surface debris in front of Str. R-87. Clearing of the debris on the platform disclosed many more. Others, as we have mentioned, had been thrown or had fallen into the areaway in front of Str. R-89, and a number were recovered on the south slope of the terraces back of the building. Most of the pieces could be identified as mask elements, and some were repeated, though not nearly so many as one would expect if the masks had all been designed for one building (Fig. 29.19). This confirms our conclusion, based on the style of the carving, that the masks had been taken from dismantled earlier constructions and re-used. In the debris on top of the platform east of the transverse axis of the building we also found two fragments of a small sculptured turtle, well worked in fine-grained limestone (Fig. 29.21,i) On the carapace are carved two hieroglyphs with the coefficients 10 and 8. The first glyph is missing, but the second clearly reads 8 Ahau. If these glyphs are calendrical, they could record the dates of two consecutive Katuns, 10 Ahau and 8 Ahau, or the single date Tun 10, 8 Ahau. Our excavation in the building proper consisted in the digging of a central trench through the debris of the front gallery and the clearing of the central and the west back rooms. The debris throughout showed a stratum of charcoal on the floor containing fragments of burned beams, round in section and about 0.09 m in diameter. Above the charcoal layer was a layer of loose mortar 0.30 to 0.50 m deep containing large pieces of solid roof cap of burned lime probably mixed with sascab and other temper-

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29.9. Section M-M’, Through Str. R-85a. Location of Lots A-154, 163, 164.

ing material. The biggest pieces found were 0.15 m thick. Mixed with the roof material were occasional slabs of stone. The floor under the debris was uniformly blackened, and it is clear that the building was destroyed by fire. The floor is raised 0.30 m above the front terrace by a plinth of vertically laid Puuc stones, and has two distinct coats of plaster. Wherever plaster had remained on the walls, two corresponding coats were found (Floors a1,2, Fig. 29.4). In the front gallery we encountered two benches, one on either side of the central doorway to the rear room. The benches were about 0.65 m high and were finished with a small projecting molding. Some of the stones of this molding were carved with a simple design (Fig. 29.15c), and it is possible that the design was continued in stucco over other stones that were plain. On the floor of the front gallery between the two benches we found three fragments of stucco representing human feet wearing sandals (Fig. 29.21a). The odd foot on the right has traces of red paint. The soles of the sandals are smooth on the bottom, as if these feet had belonged to movable idols and had not been fixed in a floor. There were also between the benches many thick unslipped pottery sherds, coated with one or two layers of plaster, in places over a centimeter thick. These sherds apparently belonged to large water jars of the type we later found in Str. R-86 and partly reconstructed (Fig. 29.21k). They increased in number as we entered the central back room, and here we noted two areas of their concentration, one just east of the central altar and another in the west end of the room.

All together, over 1,200 jar sherds were recovered, indicating that several jars must have been broken in situ. In addition, there were numerous sherds of Redware bowls, the majority slipped only on the interior. R. E. Smith, who examined the pottery, lists also fragments of Redware jars, of a Fine Orange vessel painted in polychrome, sherds of Thin Black Ware, and a few Effigy Censer sherds. That only a few of the last were found was surprising, since the center rear room, with its altar and dais, no doubt had a ceremonial function. An explanation of this circumstance will be considered when we examine the contents of Burial Cist 2 in Str. R-86. The presence of water jars in a room dedicated to ritual activity is in itself unexpected, and invites speculation as to the ceremonies performed. The possibility of ritual bathing, as in the sweat baths of other Maya cities, naturally suggests itself, but no facilities for producing steam were observed. There was, however, a small drain in the northeast corner of the room (Fig. 29.12e,f). Its round opening was formed by the mouth of a jar with a broken bottom, set into the loose rock fill beneath the floor. The floor sloped gently down to meet the lip of the jar. The jar (Fig. 29.21d) is unslipped and has two strap handles and an unusual rim with a slight concavity on the interior corresponding to the projecting band below the lip. The altar is set in an alcove projecting back from the room (Fig. 29.15a,b) and the walls of this alcove rest above floor level on the fill of the altar. Testing at the base of walls in the east end of the room, we came to the conclusion that the walls of the room,

A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90

29.10. Section N-N’, Through Str. R-86b Location of Lots A-151, 155, 158, 159.

29.11. Sections O-O’, P-P’, Q-Q’, Through Kitchen, Str. R-86a. Location of Lots A-221 to 223, 232 to 234, 236, 237.

the alcove, the altar, and the low dais projecting in front of it were all built in a single operation, and at the same time as the plinth and the benches of the front gallery. On the east wall of the alcove were the remains of two coats of plaster, the lower of which had traces of a design painted in red, black, and yellow (Fig. 29.12m). The debris on the altar did not contain the layer of roof material we observed elsewhere, and

had probably been disturbed. A large hole had been excavated in the top of the altar, and most of its covering of plaster had been destroyed. This situation was similar to that found in Str. R-89. Excavations that we could attribute definitely to the departing inhabitants, made with the purpose of removing valuables from caches, were all neatly made exactly at the spot where the caches were hidden. The large area of broken floor on top of the altar, as well as the

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A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90 29.12. Pottery and Artifacts. a. Red Ware jar with oval opening in side (see Fig. 29.21e) found on west bench of Str. R-86a; Lot A-223. Exterior of vessel, interior of neck, and edge of opening are slipped with red. Rim diam. 31 cm; body thickness approx. 0.7 cm. b. Red Ware jar (see Fig. 29.21c) found on west bench in Str. R-86a; Lot A-223. Rim broken. Two handles at right angles to lug. Exterior slipped light brown-red with black splotches. Ht. 82 cm; body thickness 0.7 to 1 cm. c. Vessel of Cache 4; Lot A-210. Red-onbuff (?). Lip, interior of neck, and band along exterior of neck are red. Design in brown or black. Body of vessel weathered, with traces of brown paint. Rim diam. approx. 22.5 cm. d. Cache 4, section. e. Gray, unslipped jar (see Fig. 29.21d) used as drain in northeast corner of central rear room in Str. R-87; Lot A-215. Note groove below lip on interior. Traces of plaster on neck. Rim diam. 11.5 cm; body thickness approx. 0.5 cm. f. Plan and section of drain. g. Water jar (see Fig. 29.21k) from rear room of Str. R-86; Lot A-174. Plaster coating on exterior 0.7 to 1 cm. Rim diam. 49 cm; ht. 99 cm; thickness 0.8 to 1 cm. h. Water jar (see Fig. 29.21j) from southeast corner of Str. R-86a; Lot A-223. Rim slipped red on both interior and exterior down to vertical part of neck. Outside coated with plaster. Rim diam. 35 cm; ht. 93 cm; body thickness 0.9 to 1.5 cm. i. Tripod jar (see Fig. 29.21f) found on west bench of Str. R-86a; Lot A-223. Slip on exterior, black, shading to dark reddish brown. Reddish slip continues halfway down interior of neck. Feet hollow, with no apertures. Rim diam. 25 cm; ht. 41 cm; body thickness 0.5 to 0.8 cm. j. Fragments recovered in Cache 8; Lot A-243, Small effigy vessel of Porous Unslipped Ware with traces of blue paint. Yellow paint around eyes and mouth of human face. Vessel was broken in many small pieces and could not be restored. Outer diam. of ring base approx. 12 cm. k. Two small vessels (see Fig. 29.21b) from east bench of Str. R-86a; Lot A-223. At left, unslipped, smoke-blackened tripod bowl. Rim diam. 16.8 cm; thickness 0.85 to 1 cm. At right, small jar, incomplete, with traces of red slip on exterior and on interior of neck. Note concavity of rim on interior. Rim diam. 11.9 cm; thickness 0.8 to 1 cm. l. Two fragments of red-and-black (brown)-on-buff pottery, with suggested reconstruction of form. From material on floor of Str. R-86a; Lot A-223. Note concavity of rim. Rim diam. of inner piece approx. 11 cm. m. Painting on lower coat of plaster on east wall of alcove above altar in Str. R-87. Lower zone, red. Band above, yellow outlined with black. Above wider band of red and black design is ornamented band in dark red between two red bands. Max. height above altar top 36 cm. n. Small unslipped tripod jar (see Fig. 29.21b) from east bench of Str. R-86a; Lot A-223. Rim diam. 11 cm; thickness 0.9 to 1.5 cm. o. Sherd of bowl, slipped red on interior, with glyph of God D (Itzamna?) painted on outer surface in black. From Cache 3; Lot A-208. p. Wrought iron hasp (Cat. no. 54-123) from debris of northeast stairway. All over length 10.6 m. q. Small oliva shell with vertical slit (Cat. no. 55-625) from Str. R-85. r. Copper bell (Cat. no. 55-25) found at south end of vaulted passage; Lot A-206. Diam. 1.1 cm. s. Cut oliva shell (Cat. no. 54-128) from general debris. t. Copper bell (Cat. no. 54-132) from areaway in front of Str. R-89. Diam. 1 cm. u. Fine orange pottery sherd with mat impression on convex side; cut and perforated (see Fig. 29.24g); from debris, Str. R-87. Max. measurement 9.2 cm. v. Fragment of pottery ring, possibly part of earplug (Cat. no. 55-237); from debris south of Str. H-87. Soft, fine-textured gray paste with thick waxy surface of a lighter color. Max. diam. approx. 5 cm. w,x: Two Mayapán Red Ware potsherds apparently used as tools for smoothing or sharpening implements (Cat. no. 55-282); on bedrock outside vaulted passage. Max. measurement 5 cm.

disturbed debris, suggests subsequent excavation, though we believe that Cache 2, placed at the foot of the alcove wall, had already been looted before the secondary digging. Two other caches (3 and 4) were found in the room. Both had been looted, and on the refill of Cache 3 immediately in front of the altar, carefully oriented and centered, was placed a small limestone receptacle in the form of a turtle (Fig. 29.21h). One meter west of the altar, near the back wall of the room, was found a tenoned ring, which probably served as a cord holder. Another stone ring, broken, was recovered in the general debris (Fig. 29.15l). Set into the center of the east wall about 1.50 m from the floor was a well-cut rectangular stone with a deep tenon projecting about 0.10 m from the wall face. Our trench followed the north edge of the bench west of the central doorway and turned into the entrance of the west back room. Here we exposed the end of another bench similar to the others. The west jamb of the doorway into the back room was made of a single stone accurately cut and smoothly faced. The finished face of this stone is 0.70 m by somewhat

over 2 m. Just beyond this jamb the floor is raised by a step 0.32 m high, faced with Puuc stones backed by a row of vertically set rough stones (Fig. 29.15d). Flush with the face of the jamb and projecting into the back room at this higher level is a thin partition made of small stones and mortar and rounded at the end (Fig. 29.15g). The room behind this partition was cleared of debris but revealed no distinctive features or artifacts left in situ. The step to the back room overlies another at right angles to it just under the east edge of the partition. The sequence here was never successfully correlated with that of the front gallery, but we believe that the jamb and both steps belong to the final phase of construction inaugurated by the extension of the platform and the laying of the plinth. A transverse trench on the central axis of the building, penetrating through successive floors into the open fill below, revealed a long series of building operations that had preceded Str. R-87. The original Platform B at one time had an earlier stairway, of roughly faced, horizontally laid stones. The first court floor encountered here turned up to the lowest

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Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles R. Temple 29.13. Artifacts and Sculpture. a. Fragment of flint blade (Cat. no. 55-236) from debris near south entrance of vaulted passage. Max. dimension 5 cm. b. Flint point (see Fig. 29.24f,2). c. Flint scraper (see Fig. 29.2f,1,2). Max. dimension 4.8 cm. d. Gray streaked obsidian “thumbnail” scraper (Cat. no. 55-36); under roof debris of Str. R-86a. Max. dimension 2.7 cm. e. Two arrowpoints (see Fig. 29.24a,3,4). f. Gray obsidian “thumbnail” scraper (Cat. no. 55-105) from debris at base of west terraces. Max. dimension 2.1 cm. g. Gray obsidian “thumbnail” scraper (Cat. no. 55-331) from debris at base of west terraces. Max. dimension 2.5 cm. h. Gray obsidian core (Cat. no. 55-73); Lot A-169. Under upper floors of Str. R-87. Max. dimension 3.5 cm. i. Fragment of obsidian core (Cat. no. 55-104) from debris at base of west terraces. Max. dimension 3.7 cm. j–o. Obsidian flake scrapers (Cat. nos. 55-250 and 55-123). k–o are from debris at base of west terraces. p. Large limestone metate found on top of debris in Str. R-86a. Width 45 cm. q. Smaller limestone metate (see Fig. 24h) and mano from debris near south entrance to vaulted passage, Width 26 cm. r. Leg of lava metate, in debris on terrace outside kitchen. Max. dimension 24 cm. s,t. Broken limestone metates, in debris outside kitchen. Width 30 and 27 cm. u. stone with groove, possibly a waterspout, from debris near southeast corner of kitchen. Width 22 cm. v. Ring cord-holder from debris of Str. R-86a. Max. dimension 29 cm. w. shell peg pictured in Fig. 24a,9. x,y. Two limestone “altars” from pit in front of Str. R-90. Ht. of y 46 cm. z. Limestone “column altar” found in court. Ht. 70 cm. a’. Carved celt (see Fig. 29.24i,2) from above Burial Cist 2. Heavy gray-green stone with unpolished surface. Max. dimension 21.3 cm. b’. Limestone head of parrot or turtle (Cat. no. 54-136) found in drain of areaway in front of Str. R-89. Traces of plaster with blue paint adhering to surface. Max. dimension 6.5 cm. c’. Small stone sculpture (see Fig. 29.24i,1) from Burial Cist 2. Max. dimension 12.1 cm.

step of this stairway (Fig. 29.4). Though seen in section, this stairway was never traced in plan, and we have no data on its extent. The earliest floors on the platform are consistently a little lower than its top course, which was apparently raised at the time when the stairway was rebuilt. There are at least three of these early floors, but they are not continuous, having been destroyed in many places by later building operations, and we could not be certain at any specific location which of them we picked up. Floors c1–6 in Figure 29.4 are fragments of these early floors. The lowest floor in Section F-F’ (c1) underlies all standing walls, but turns up to a single stone buried under the foundation of the wall between the two excavated back rooms. A floor above it (c3) turns up to the south wall of the late structure, which at this point is apparently based on the stub of a wall of an earlier building. The west wall of the building and the west jamb of the front colonnade likewise must incorporate earlier constructions, for both were associated with floors that seem to have been laid down before the plinth was built (Floor d in Sections O-O’ and P-P’, Fig. 29.11). We were not able to identify these floors, observed outside the building, with the floors in Sections E-E’ and F-F’. It is possible, however, that they belong with the series b1–4 in Section F-F’. This series contains four distinct finished floors outlining two benches, with faces just behind the faces of the later benches, but set at a lower level. Between two of the benches and in line with their front edge, the upper floor rose slightly to form a low, rough ridge or sill. In Section E-E’ one sees a vertically set stone which was once a part of the face of one of these benches. Behind this stone is an area of open fill, but as one enters the back room, the fill abruptly changes. On a very early level (c4), there is

a thin layer of dark ash overlain by a stratum of very fine uniform gray ash, such as housewives today sift from the hearth to use as a bleach. Above this layer is a stratum of lime and sascab that may be the remains of a floor. In this area we are apparently inside the room behind the early benches. A similar ash layer occurs in the west rear room and is overlain by a stratum of loose plaster above which is a fill of earth, stones, and debris supporting a higher floor (b5, Section F-F’). This floor extends under the transverse step into the back room, and apparently at one time dropped down in an eastwest line to meet one of the other floors of the b series. Such fragmentary remains of the building preceding Str. R-87 suggest that it was similar in plan to the later building, though somewhat smaller and lacking the plinth that raised later floors above the platform level. The passageway between the two early benches is imperfectly centered on the later of the two stairways to the platform. The associated floors, however, apparently override the last course of the platform (Section E-E’). Therefore, unless the steps of the early stairway had been raised, the new stairway must have been built before these floors were laid down. From other evidence we know that the new stairway long preceded the final structure, R-87. It was part of a larger operation which included the extension of the early vaulted passage under the west end of the building and the widening of Platform C. A decided change in masonry can be noted, the risers now being built of thin Puuc stone, including two sculptured elements, which, however, were probably plastered over and did not serve as ornaments (Fig. 29.15r). The sloping zones of the balustrades are also faced with well-cut stone set on edge, and, though the vertical member above is destroyed, its former

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Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles R. Temple 29.14. Views of Excavations and Details of Construction. a. Northeast corner of Platform B with secondary bench in front, and face of eastern extension of platform in foreground at left. b. Balustrade or block south of stairway to Terrace A, with face of eastern extension of Platform B built on it. Note change in masonry and (below) trace of steps torn out in later construction. c. Buried south side of Str. R-89, with remains of original stairway to Terrace A. d. North side of Str. R-89, showing steps left open for access to areaway. e. Areaway in front of Str. R-89, with rings set in floor. View from north. f. Same, view from south. g. Façade of Str. R-89. h. Buried steps of stairway to Terrace A in front of Str. R.89. i. Interior of shrine, Str. R-89, looking up at large capstone resting on edge of Terrace A and corbel of shrine walls. j. Drain in northeast corner of areaway in front of Str. R-89. k. Str. R-90; view from northwest. Plinth stones in center have been removed.

existence is attested by an abrupt interruption of the sloping zone at a height of 0.85 m and by a slight offset on the side wall at about the same level. Next to the east balustrade on the earliest floor of the court was built a raised and rounded ridge or curb of plaster and small stones, forming a quadrant of a circle with the wall of the balustrade and the north face of Platform B (Fig, 15g). Later, part of this construction was torn out and a bench about 0.40 m high was built along the face of Platform B. The basin formed by the round curb, however, was left open and its walls were raised 0.25 m above their former level. An aperture 0.17 m wide, and about as high, apparently served as a drain at this time (Fig. 29.15h). The bench extends to the northeast corner of Platform B, where five floors turn up to it and run over the masonry block south of the stairway of Terrace A and under the eastern extension of Platform B. Since the bench is secondary to the stairway of Str. R-87, it is clear that the stairway is much earlier than the latest building, which was built as a unit with the platform extension. This extension juts out northward from the face of the earlier Platform B, and its fill is divided by an east-west wall of dry-laid fill stone that runs under the plinth of Str. R-87. The west edge of its projection is retained by a buttress built in the form of a narrow balustrade on the bench in front of Platform B, and this is matched at the opposite end of the bench by a similar buttress laid against the balustrade of the stairway to Str. R-87, widening it by 0.30 m (Fig. 29.15h). The basin-like structure under the bench must have been filled and completely covered over at this time, but the floor of the bench above it was later destroyed by a pit that penetrated through the fill of the bench and the earliest floors in the basin. Remains of stones, potsherds, and animal bones in the pit suggest that former offerings may have been disturbed. Nothing definitely indicating a cache, however, was found. Structure R-86 and Platform C Str. R-86 is the largest house of the group and doubtless was the residence of the head of the family, It

is approached by a broad stairway on which is centered the small shrine Str. R-90. Like Str. R-87, it was burned down immediately after abandonment, and shows the same strata of collapsed beam and mortar roofing, underlain by a layer of charcoal in the rear room. The debris of the front gallery, however, was widely scattered and did not show clear stratification. In plan, Str. R-87 and Str. R-86 are similar, with the important difference that two of the back rooms of R-86 have entrances on the west, where a gallery had been built back of the house. Moreover, the principal front gallery had originally turned to skirt the north end of the building, and was only later divided to form a rear room at this end. As in Str. R-87, the central room at the back was used as a shrine, and although there is no specially built alcove, a richly decorated altar is placed against the back wall. The decoration has fallen from the face of the altar, but the elements recovered show that it consisted of a large mask composed of typical elements of the Puuc style with a huge curved nose (Fig. 29.20q–y). One eye piece still retains vivid polychrome painting. The mask elements of the altar were supplemented with stucco decoration, and adhering to the base there is an admirably executed little serpent that may have projected from the mouth of the mask (Fig. 29.16). Apparently this was the only sculptured decoration in the building, for we found no such profusion of elements in front as we did in Str. R-87. Perhaps the older generation living in the principal house was more conservative in taste or more religious in temperament, since it concentrated ornament in the ceremonial part of the house. Laid against the rear wall under the altar was Cache 1, an effigy jar in the form of a rabbit containing two jade beads and a shell ornament (Fig. 29.23e,1). In front of the altar there is a low dais which had been excavated, presumably to remove another cache. Immediately to the north of this excavation, on edge and leaning partly against the altar and partly on debris, was a large well-cut stone drum 0.63 m in diameter and 0.30 m high. This may have stood on

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Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles R. Temple 29.15. Views of Excavations and Details of Construction. a. View through doorway to central rear room of Str. R-87, showing central altar and dais in front. b. Southwest corner of central rear room of Str. R-87, showing location of caches. c. Bench west of central doorway in front gallery of Str. R-87. Upper floors in front have been removed. Under floor in left foreground are remains of earlier bench. d. Doorway to west rear room of Str. R-87, showing large monolithic jamb and step to higher level in room. Trench in foreground. e. Plaster partition flush with monolithic jamb, and buried step at right angles to doorway shown in d. f. Stairway to Platform B and Str. R-87. Entrance from court to vaulted passage in background. g. Remains of plaster curb forming basin-like structure against the balustrade of stairway to Platform B. h. East balustrade of stairway, showing buttress addition and drain (?) from basin-like structure. Facing stones of bench have been removed. i. Str. R-85a from west. j. Doorway to Str. R-86b. Platform of Str. R-85 at right. k. Str. R-86b. West wall with niches. Behind it, block of stairway to Str. R-86. l. Two rings from wall debris of rear room, Str. R-87.

the dais, and perhaps was lifted to allow the excavation of the cache. Attached to the altar on the south side is a small rectangular masonry block on which stands another, smaller, drum altar (Fig. 29.16k). In the southwest corner of the room, under the roof debris, was a large plaster-coated water jar, broken into many pieces, which we in part reconstructed (Figs. 29.12g; 29.21k).No drain, as such as was found in Str. R-87,was noted here, but there may be one in the unexcavated northern half of the room. The shrine room has two floors. The lower floor passes under the dais to turn up to the altar. Eastward it extends under a sill in the central doorway, turning up to the medial wall and the bench of the front gallery. It could be traced no farther (Floor b1, Section G-G’, Fig. 29.5). In the south doorway of the room, it breaks off before reaching the sill. We could not determine whether this floor once extended over the plinth of the gallery or whether the façade of the building is a later construction. Only three floors (a1–3) were observed on the plinth. These floors slope down toward the back of the building and probably represent the three uppermost floors turning up to the medial wall and to the side of the bench. The lowest of the three has two surfaces, one associated with a secondary row of stones laid on the sill in the central doorway, and the other, a hard surface with a red stain, passing under the secondary stones and directly covering the original sill laid on the lower floor of the rear room. In the south doorway to the back room, a small plaster sill is formed by the latest floor. Earlier floors apparently stepped or sloped down directly. Here even the lowest of the gallery floors is higher than the floors of the back room, which, however, break off before reaching the sill. Two transverse trenches were dug in this building. One (Section H-H’) was on the center of the early stairway (Fig. 29.16i) to Platform C, the other (section G-G’) on the center of the late structure, about 5 m to the north. In Section H-H’ we see that the earliest stairway of Platform C is built directly on the fill of the court. Although the face of Platform

C passes behind the stairway, the two form a single construction. Fragmentary building remains on the platform were encountered in the fill, but, in general, the earliest floors had been destroyed and no idea could be formed of the plan of the Phase I structure. In Section H-H’ an old butt of a wall is shown just under the entrance to the back room. A floor (d1), turning up to it, rests on a layer of dirt and debris, which again occurs under the back wall of the room behind the altar in Section G-G’. At this point, however, there is no floor surface to show whether the wall is contemporary with the debris layer or later. A large patch of floor (d2) resting on a double course of stones was found just in front of the altar, and another patch was observed south of Burial Cist 2 in the front gallery. The limits of Platform C, with which these remains are associated, were only partly determined. The east face of the platform was traced northward to a point 6.50 m beyond the early stairway, where it turns a corner to pass under Str. 86. The southwest corner of the platform, which it shares with Platform B, was picked up just outside Str. R-86a. From here we followed its west edge northward as far as the south wall of the back room of Str. R-86. Under the wall, the edge apparently makes a jog eastward to within a meter of the medial wall of the structure. Farther north, another edge forming a projection westward was picked up under the bench of the southwest room (see plan, Fig. 29.1). The depth of overlying construction here precluded further exploration, and we are not certain that all these buried terrace walls represent the original outline of Platform C. In the first large series of alterations (Phase II) after the razing of the original structures, the steps of the stairway and the edge of the platform were raised and, soon afterward, the face of the platform was brought forward something over a meter. Unfortunately, we failed to trace this secondary addition northward, and we do not know whether it extended beyond the early platform. South of the stairway a similar addition ties in with the extension of the vault of the passage under Str. R-87 and is contemporary with the

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Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles R. Temple rebuilding of the stairway to Platform B. The floors belonging to this series (c) in Sections G-G’ and H-H’ show a complicated sequence of constructions that is not clear in detail. A series of floors (c1–4) representing Phase II turns up to a small masonry pier, which conceivably could have stood in the entrance to a shrine room of an early building that at the time may still have used the stub of an early Phase I wall buried in the fill. Behind the pier is a very low rise in one of the floors that suggests a shrine room dais (Section H-H’). The same floor (c4) also outlines what seems to have been a bench 1.38 m wide in front of the small pier. This bench was torn out and covered by another floor (b3), which stepped down slightly to the south as it passed over the upturn of the plaster at the edge of the bench. It is not altogether certain, but seems probable, that the pier also was razed at this time. Just south of the pier, at the center line of the stairway, all floors were broken, exposing in the fill a roughly circular cist, lined with a thick coat of rough plaster and filled with debris (Burial Cist 1, t in Sections H-H’ and I-I’). The cist may have been built in Phase I times, as is suggested by a row of cut stones placed below the level of the earliest floors about 0.30 m in front of it, but if so, it was rebuilt when Floor b3 was laid, Floors c1 to c4 being cut through for this purpose. It was probably at this time that a burial was placed in it. Unfortunately Floor b3 cannot be related to any known construction. It apparently overrides the butt of the small early pier, but, in front, steps down below plinth level. Floor a3, the latest finished floor of the gallery, is 0.11 m above b3, immediately over the pier, but the intervening surfaces of the series are missing in this location. This makes it difficult to determine not only when the burial was made, but also when Floor b3 was broken for the looting of the grave. We believe that this happened before the final floor of the gallery was laid, but the destruction of all the upper floors for some distance around the cist precludes a definite conclusion. As found, the cist was filled with debris, and of the original contents there remained only an effigy vessel (Fig. 29.23e,2) and fragments of a skull. In the trench centered on the late building (Fig. 29.5, Section G-G’) the same series of floors (c), that were observed near Burial Cist 1 turn up to a round area that could have been a base of a column or of a large drum altar. Since this area is somewhat larger in diameter than the columns of the late building, we consider it possible that the out-size drum found in front of the central altar had originally been set here. The location bears no obvious relation to that of the small pier in the south trench, although the two were clearly in use at the same time. Just west of the trace of the altar or column, the floors break off

abruptly in a straight line. Beyond is a large irregular excavation into a second cist in the fill (Burial Cist 2, r in Section G-G’), larger than that in the south trench but built in very much the same manner. The excavation was filled with pottery and stone objects, stone, earth, and debris of broken floors. The cist underneath is lined with rough plaster, and in one place with large stones set on edge. It was clearly built after Phase II, for the floors of this phase are broken just in front of its east edge, and nowhere overlap it. Floors a1–3 probably covered it originally, but it is not clear whether Floors b1 and b2 did likewise or were broken at the time of its construction. Before the building was abandoned, the cist was apparently reopened, excavated, and refilled. The material was piled up above and beyond the edges of the cist, filling the whole excavation. There was an astonishing number (16,795) of fragments, many large and well preserved, of pottery figure censers in the form of the principal gods. The cist could not have held so many censers in an unbroken state. Since very few fragments of such censers were found in the various shrines of the group, we believe that they had been deliberately removed from their customary locations, and had been broken and hidden here by the departing inhabitants or their immediate successors. The lack of any accumulation of debris beneath that of the roofs leads us to conclude that the houses were burned at the time of the abandonment of Mayapán, when the lords were returning to their provinces, rather than at some later date. The remains in the pit, therefore, may represent most of the ceremonial equipment of the group as a whole, aside from the precious material that was carried away. It forms an interesting collection, which is discussed more fully in the section on collections and caches. Probably at about the same time that Burial Cist 2 was constructed and the first of the upper floors was laid on the plinth, the older stairway leading up to Platform C was half covered by a new and wider stairway, built of Puuc stones set on edge. This stairway did not have the conventional balustrades, but abutted a rectangular block at either end. The south block contains a small niche at court level (Fig. 29.16h; v in Section H-H’), and there is no question but what it is contemporary with the stairway. There is less certainty about the block at the north end, but this, too, is probably contemporary, for it bears a rectangular molding 0.30 m high, which is not seen on the earlier terrace wall behind the stairway. North of this block is a small chamber, Str. R-86b, joined to the substructure of Str. R-85 which is to be described later. A trench back of Str. R-86 exposed a high, vertical terrace wall supporting the building (Fig. 29.6,

A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90 Section J-J’). In front of the terrace wall is a secondary step that rises to the north to form a buttress. Two floors under the step turn up to the terrace wall, which rests on a fill of earth and stone laid on bedrock. On top of the terrace there were four floors, all turning up to the rear wall of Str. R-86, and also probably once extending to the terrace edge. If this is the original back of Platform C jutting out, our trench unfortunately just missed its southwest corner, for the terrace line to the south is undoubtedly secondary to Platform C. A column placed against the rear wall of Str. R-86 and a small jamb built against its southwest corner suggest that the back terrace supported an open colonnaded gallery, probably roofed with thatch. Two of the terrace floors turn up to the column and two pass under it. In the doorway to the southwest room, which was only partly cleared, there is a low step of horizontally laid stone with two layers of plaster. The outer layer is 0.09 m thick and covers also a bench, which is secondary to the jamb of the doorway. The collection of artifacts from the debris covering the outer terrace wall is noticeably richer in stone tools than our other collections. There were 21 pieces of obsidian flake blades, 5 of them with secondary chipping (Fig. 29.13k–o), two obsidian scrapers (Fig. 29.13f,g) and a core (Fig. 29.13i), a battered limestone ball (Fig. 29.24l,1) probably used as a hammerstone, a fragment of a greenstone celt, and 9 chips of flint, including one with a shaped retouched edge (Figs. 29.24l,2; 29.13c). Of particular interest in this collection were 22 larger pieces of roughly chipped flint, many with the cortex of the core remaining in patches on the surface. Some are roughly shaped and could perhaps have been used as chopping tools; others are without definite form (Fig. 29.24l,3–9). The concentration of tools in this location suggests that the colonnade on the terrace served as some sort of workshop. Structure R-86a Before excavation, the area between Strs. R-86 and R87 at their southwest juncture was a more or less level square of debris with no architectural features in evidence. In the center lay a large limestone metate of the legless trough type apparently cut straight across at one end (Fig. 29.13p). Fragments of four other metates were noted on the slopes of the debris outside (Fig. 29.13q,r,s,t). We surmised that this was the location of a kitchen, though it was not clear which of the two main houses it served. Later we found that its plan is more intimately tied in with that of Str. R-86, but that it served both buildings. The medial wall of Str. R-86, which is an old wall and predates the rest of

the structure, is integral with the back wall of R-86a. Nevertheless, both the houses communicate with the kitchen by doorways in their galleries and by small apertures through the walls. The aperture into the gallery of Str. R-87 is 0.29 m wide and 0.31 m high and is set about 1.10 m above the floor immediately in front of it. That in the wall of Str. R-86 is similar. It is slightly higher, but is also 1.10 m above the bench beneath it. These apertures probably served to transmit orders to the kitchen, rather than for service, since they are too narrow for any but the smallest dishes. The walls and columns of Str. R-86a are all older than the two houses which the kitchen adjoins. Its beam and mortar roof, burned as were the others, was probably integral with that of Str. R-86, but there is some question whether it joined that of R-87. Between the two structures is a passageway about 1 m wide, and in the debris of this passage was a fallen row of extremely well-cut Puuc stones and other scattered stones that suggested the facing of an upper façade. On the other hand, it is difficult to understand how this passage could have been left open during the rains, for its south end is blocked off by a low wall and the floor slopes forward into the kitchen and the gallery of Str. R-87. The west side of the passage is formed by a wide doorway with two columns, leading into the kitchen (Fig. 29.17b). This is the façade of a very old structure probably built at the beginning of Phase II. There is one interior column partly buried in an Lshaped bench which fills the northwest corner of the room. Presumably, when the structure was remodeled as a kitchen, another column had been removed and replaced by a post about 0.20 m in diameter. The room is entered from the outside through a doorway in the west wall near the southwest corner (Fig. 29.17c). Immediately on the right in the south wall is a wide opening with a low wall, now standing about 0.50 m high, running across it. In the center, against this wall, was a hearth laid on the floor. It consisted of three flat stones placed close together near the wall, and two upright stones 0.10 m apart in front of them and about 0.50 m from the wall. Possibly there were other upright stones that once ringed the hearth and are now missing. Since all the floor was blackened and covered with ash and charcoal from the burned roof, traces of actual fire in the hearth were obscured, though ash was noted under the horizontal stones. Immediately in front of the entrance, between a column and the south jamb of the east façade, is a bench with a low wall at the back. At the center against this wall, the plaster of the top of the bench was particularly badly burned, this fact indicating a second hearth in this location. On the bench were

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A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90 29.16. Views of Excavations and Details of Construction. a. Southeast room of Str. R-88, showing corner of rectangular altar or dais, and drum altar at left. b. Central passage in Str. R-88. Bench of front room in foreground. At right, secondary partition between front rooms. c. Stairway leading up to court at its northeast corner. Fill behind secondary steps in front has been partly removed. d. South entrance to vaulted passage and trench in front. Large vertical stone above is southwest corner of Str. R-87. e. Trench in front of vaulted passage entrance, looking east, showing high secondary terrace wall and (at right) vertical buttress for the support of the vestibule roof. f. Same, showing stairway to the east. g. Entrance to vaulted passage from court. At left, remains of balustrade and stairway to Platform B. h. Niche in block at south end of stairway to Str. R-86, showing also exposed portion of older stairway. i. Original stairway to Platform C, after removal of block and part of late stairway. Trench immediately behind balustrade. j. General view of Str. R-86 from south, at end of 1954 excavations. k. Corner of altar in rear room of Str. R-86, showing low wing with drum altar placed on it. l. Serpent sculptured in stucco on face of altar in Str. R-86. Facing of altar has fallen.

three small vessels that had broken in situ. One was a small tripod cup or jar of unslipped gray ware. Another was a small tripod bowl, very badly charred; and the third was a small, wide-necked, red-slipped jar with a rim slightly concave on the interior (Figs. 29.12k,n; 29.21b). Larger vessels were grouped on the floor in an alcove, formed by the projecting bench, in the southeast corner of the room (Fig. 29.17g). Among these vessels was an unslipped striated low-necked jar or bowl, broken into tiny fragments and beyond repair, a portion of a small jar that probably was like the jars shown in Figure 29.23f, a large red-slipped jar, and a very tall water jar, unslipped except for its rim and plastered on the surface (Figs. 29.12h; 29.21j). These vessels were apparently used for storage of food and liquids. Another distinct group of vessels was found in the northwest corner of the room on the large L-shaped bench (Fig. 29.17f). This included a large globular jar with a narrow neck, two strap handles, and a lug in the form of a turkey head. There was also a large black tripod jar, and another of Redware with a wide mouth and with an oval aperture in the side (Figs. 29.12a,b,i; 29.21c,e,f). A very curious part of another vessel is shown in Figure 29.12l. This is made in a two-toned ware of red and buff, painted in brown, and has a rim slightly concave on the interior, like those of the large water jar and of the small jar on the east bench. There is another fragment of this ware that may belong to the same vessel. It is shown attached to it in the illustration. The total number of sherds recovered from the floor of the room is 1,667. It includes fragments of numerous other vessels, notably a number of Redware tripod bowls, some slipped all over, others only on the interior. There are both solid and hollow feet, and effigy feet of human and animal form. Unslipped ware included various lightly striated jars and a hollow handle of a ladle. No metates or manos were found in the room. Evidently corn was ground elsewhere, perhaps in the open gallery outside the kitchen. The stone utensils included a pestle (Fig. 29.24d,1) and a broken hammerstone (Fig. 29.24d,3), a flint knife (Fig. 29.24a,1),

a flint arrowhead (Fig. 29.24a4), a small obsidian scraper (Fig. 29.13d), and one obsidian flake blade. There were a pair of small bones (Fig. 29.24a,5,6), the terminal phalanges of a deer foot, and a small peg of white shell of unknown use (Fig. 29.24a,9). This seems a meager collection for a kitchen so well equipped with pottery vessels of all sorts. Portable utensils of stone must have been valued sufficiently to be carried away, for it is difficult to imagine that only perishable materials were used. At the time when the buildings were abandoned, the kitchen may have been undergoing one of its numerous stages of renovation. A large portion of the upper floor in the north end of the room was broken or deliberately stripped off (Fig. 29.17b). A low step, with a good finished floor turning up to it from the gallery side, had been laid in the doorway to Str. R87. Behind it, all over the passageway floor and over part of the north end of the kitchen, was spread an even layer of sascab mixed with building debris, as if for a foundation of a floor that was never finished. This rough surface broke off unevenly and in one spot seemed to be riding up over the fallen debris of the roof. Here there was probably an unleveled pile which we could not distinguish clearly from the later accumulation. On the surface, near the north column, there was a small pile of ash, probably sweepings from the hearths. Beneath the unfinished level, the south half of the passage behind the east bench is raised by a low step. Near the south end are two shallow depressions in the floor about 0.15 m in diameter, possibly meant to hold pots or gourds in place (Fig. 29.1j). Excavation in the kitchen revealed a long succession of floors and a baffling series of renovations. The earliest floor (Floor h in Fig. 29.11, Sections O-O’, P-P’, and Q-Q’) extends only under the passage and appears to be earlier than any standing construction. It passes under the north wall of the kitchen and turns up to a stub of a wall buried under a bench outside at the juncture of Strs. R-86 and R-87. Nothing further is known about the building connected with this early floor, except that it probably was part of

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Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles R. Temple the original structure on Platform C. The wall was apparently torn down and its stub was incorporated in the original north wall of Str. R-86a (Fig. 29.1p). The east façade of the latter structure with its two columns and jambs was built directly on the early floor, and at this time extended about 1.30 m beyond the later north wall of the kitchen (cross section 2 of Section O-O’). The rear (west) wall is bedded at a slightly higher level, but the original floors connected with it were destroyed, and we are not certain whether it was built at the same time or later. Under this wall is a layer of earth and debris like that found beneath the earliest constructions under Str. R-86. Assuming that this was the original rear wall of Str. R-86a, the next construction was an L-shaped bench 1.70 m wide along the north and west walls of the room (Floor f, Section O-O’). After this bench was built, the floor of the room was raised by a plinth 0.13 m high along the façade of the building (Floor e). The plinth had no stone facing but was modeled in plaster with an admixture of small stones and sascab. Its floor had two finished surfaces. The upper surface shows signs of burning and still retains traces of red paint or stain. Traces of polychrome painting on the walls were also noted. The floor surfaces do not extend far into the room, since at a later time they were extensively destroyed. Before this destruction, however, a wall was built abutting the north jamb of the façade and extending eastward from it (cross section 3 of Section O-O’). This later became the front wall of Str. R-87, but it is footed almost 0.45 m below the plinth of the final building. After this wall was finished and plastered, a fill of small stones and sascab was laid in front of the plaster plinth of the kitchen, and the west wall of Str. R-87 was footed on this fill, creating the narrow passage between the two buildings (section P-P’). In places, the fill contains bits of painted plaster and other building refuse as well as potsherds and bones (Lot A-233). In one spot particularly, under the wall, there was an accumulation of iguana bones. There was also a shark’s tooth and a rectangular piece of shell with two perforations (Fig. 29.24a,7,8). The floor laid on the fill was level with the top of the plaster plinth at the north end of the passage, but farther south it turned up to a bench or step in the passage 0.80 m from the wall of Str. R-87 (Floor d). Another layer of plaster was laid on this floor, and then large sections of the earlier floors were destroyed. It was probably with the third reflooring of d that one of the interior columns was replaced by a post, and a low wall was built across the south doorway. Perhaps at this time the room was converted into a kitchen. Two small depressions in the floor similar to those we found

back of the east bench were found near the north jamb of the east facade (Fig. 29.1,j’). The next step was the destruction of the step or bench in the passageway and the building of the east bench, associated with Floor c. After that, major alterations were undertaken. First, the whole north end of the room, including the north bench, was torn down almost to ground level, and the north wall was moved forward 1.30 m south of its original position to be flush with the north jamb of the columned doorway (cross section 1 of Section O-O’). This wall is built as a unit with the front wall of Str. R-86, and the latter rests on a plinth overlying the stub of the razed northeast corner of the kitchen. The corner, however, was not completely destroyed, but was incorporated into a bench that buried the plinth of Str. R-86 at this point. The plinth of Str. R-87 seems to have been built at about the same time, though no direct connection between the floors abutting the two buildings could be traced. Later, the bench outside was extended 1.50 m northward, and another facing was added to the plinth of Str. R-87, extending only a short distance eastward. The facing of the addition to the bench incorporates stones carved in the pattern of a guilloche with a lower band of pleats or feathers. This pattern was continued in stucco over the earlier part of the bench. A small door from the gallery of Str. R-86 opens out on the bench, and another larger door leads into the kitchen (Fig. 29.17a). Since the floor of the kitchen is 0.30 m lower than the floor of the gallery, a step was built in front of the doorway, and at the same time or with the next reflooring a new wing was added to the west bench, enclosing the northwest column. The latest addition of all was the step, again raising the floor of the passageway behind the east bench. The fill of this step is mostly debris mixed with small stone (Lot A-232, Section P-P’). A number of pieces of plaster, painted with polychrome designs, and fragments of stalactite were recovered in this fill, as well as pieces of charcoal and animal bones. The kitchen was now complete except for an additional layer of plaster and the building of the hearths. On the terraces south and west of the kitchen are rows of columns, probably the remains of thatchroofed structures similar to that uncovered in the trench back of Str. R-86. One row of columns is placed a few centimeters from the kitchen wall and another on the edge of the terrace (Fig. 29.17d,e). Between the two rows runs the edge of an early terrace wall, which probably formed the back of Platforms B and C. The addition to this terrace swings in an arc around the early corner and juts out to the west and

A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90 to the south. A stairway opposite the kitchen door leads up to the west structure, and a doorway at its north end gives access to a back room of Str. R-86. Unfortunately, the kitchen floors could not be followed out onto the terrace, since they are interrupted in the doorway by a low stone sill and extend no farther. We could judge the age of the structures only by the fact that the structure on the south must have stood in part on the roof of the very late constructions outside the entrance to the vaulted passage below. This structure, therefore, is later than the terrace addition. The structure on the west may be contemporary with the addition. Both are probably later than Str. R-86 and have been placed in Phase IV. The outer columns of the west structure are larger than those of the inner row. Two of the drums from these columns, one large and one small, have strongly projecting bosses or tenons, probably made to hold high-relief stucco; but no fragments of the sculpture, if it ever existed, were found. Broken manos and metates in the debris on the terrace slope suggest that corn was ground on the roofed terraces outside the kitchen, which probably served generally for food preparation and perhaps also for the housing of servants. Trench at the Entrance to the Vaulted Passage Centered on the passage between Strs. R-87 and R86a, there is a break in the high terraces behind the buildings forming a vestibule in front of the entrance to the vaulted passage under Platform B (Fig. 29.16d). A trench to bedrock level was dug, starting 4 m outside the vestibule and extending to the entrance of the vault (Fig. 29.8, Section L-L’). An exploratory pit at the beginning of the trench showed bedrock to be about 1.30 m beneath the ground surface. At the bottom was a shallow layer of red earth with occasional potsherds, the majority of common Mayapán types, with a small admixture of slate and other wares associated with an earlier period (Lot A-214). On the south edge of the trench, roughly at right angles to the terraces and based on the red earth, was a course of large upright stones about 0.35 m high on which rested another course slightly lower and set back about 0.20 m from the edge (cross section 10). This may have been a buried platform or an early step up to a higher level to the west, where the ground rises. The construction was completely covered by a stratum of loose gray ash that reached a depth of 0.75 m in front of it. Mixed with the ash were sherds and numerous animal bones (Lot A-213). Above it, a stratum of stones, debris, and humus had accumulated to a depth of about 0.40 m.

As we followed the bedrock in toward the vault, the lowest stratum changed from red earth to a black clayey deposit (Lots A-214a, 227a). In places, stones were mixed with the earth (Lot A-227), and in one spot, at the entrance to the vestibule where the layer rose to a depth of about 0.40 m, there was a patch of hard, rough floor on the surface. In the center of the trench at the entrance to the vestibule and under the clayey layer of earth, there was a crevice in the rock containing the skeleton of a child six to eight years old (n). The skeleton was in very poor condition, but from all appearances had been placed flexed on its side. No grave furniture was found with it. The fill of earth and stone in this stratum is secondary to a leveling platform supporting the walls of the vaulted corridor (cross section 5). The edge of the platform is 1.50 m in front of the passage entrance, and is covered with a fragile sascab floor, apparently never plastered. Beyond the entrance this floor breaks off, but 0.80 m inside, a patch of well-preserved floor with a hard surface picks up again at the same level. About 0.20 m from the east wall of the corridor and parallel to it, this floor has a shallow gutter about 0.10 m wide (cross section 4). At the other end of the passage, the only floor preserved seems to be the original one laid on a shallow fill of stones and dirt above bedrock. On this floor were disintegrated remains of other floors, debris, and charcoal from recent camp-fires. The passage ends in a stair well opening on the court, which is about 1.80 m above the passage floor. Of the five or six steps that led up to court level, all but the two lowest were destroyed by an excavation at the head of the stair well. When the stairway in front of Str. R-87 was built, the vault of the passage was projected northward, with the vault spring and capstones slightly stepped up to give headroom over the steps (cross section 1). On the west side of the passage, the addition to the vault merges with the wall of the platform of Str. R-86. It has already been shown that the platform is earlier than either of the standing houses. The pottery collections from beneath the passage floor (Lot A-218a) and from the leveling platform (Lot A-218) show no striking differences from those recovered on the floors of the buildings above. There are no Black-on-Cream sherds, such as we associate with the earliest building levels at Mayapán. Redon-Buff and Red-and-Black-on-Buff sherds are present, as well as red tripod bowls slipped only on the interior, indicating a period late in the history of the site. There are also a few fragments of Large Figure Censers. One of the features that occurred in later collections and is absent here is the rim concave on the interior. This was prominent in the wares found

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Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles R. Temple in the kitchen, but is not common elsewhere at Mayapán. It may have appeared only a short time before the abandonment of the city. The absence of effigy feet of vessels in the early strata may also be significant. Flush with the east wall of the passage, which is set into the fill of the leveling platform, is the base of a very high sloping terrace wall (cross section 6 and Fig. 29.16e). This wall is secondary to the passage and represents an addition to the terrace back of Str. R-87. The addition apparently extends uninterrupted to the southeast corner of the group, where it encloses an earlier corner of the east extension of Platform C. If the wall is in fact continuous, then it is later than Str. R-87, and all subsequent construction can be referred to Phase IV. The portion of the terrace wall seen in the trench may be contemporary with the fill in front of the leveling platform, or may belong with the next stage of construction, which included the deposition of the ash layer. At this time a buttress with vertical walls was added to the corner of the terrace (cross section 8), and the area in front of the passage was probably roofed. The vestibule in this period may have been no wider than the passage, for opposite the sloping terrace wall in line with the west wall of the passage is the stub of another wall that was later torn down (cross section 6). We do not know how far this wall originally extended, but it may well have matched the terrace wall on the east. The ash layer continues uninterrupted to within about 0.50 m of the passage entrance, and is covered by patches of unfinished sascab floor which turns up to the sloping terrace wall, to its vertical buttress, and to the stump of wall west of the passage. It is fairly level throughout, rising slightly toward the passage and thinning out over the leveling platform. It appears to be a deliberate leveling in front of the passage door, and is probably associated with the second floor within the passage. The material in this stratum (Lots A-213, 216) probably once formed a kitchen midden that had accumulated nearby, but, having been leveled and spread out, it no longer represents a stratified deposit. It probably covers most of the period of occupation of the group, including part of the occupational period of the latest buildings. Our collection included 4,419 pottery sherds and a very large number of animal and bird bones, but very few artifacts. Among limestone tools were a fragment of a mano, a hammerstone, a pestle, and a fragment of a stone ring with a hole about 3 cm in diameter. A small flint point (Fig. 29.24m,2), two flint chips, and three shaped potsherds completed the collection. The absence of obsidian is difficult to explain. The pottery collection differed little from those of the

later strata. It included the typical utilitarian wares of the latter half of the Mayapán period, with only a small admixture of censer fragments, a mere trace of Slateware, and no Black-on-Cream sherds. There were 12 fragments of small figurines, worth noting because such figurines are not common in ceremonial groups at Mayapán and they were not found in the larger houses here. They may represent a folk cult among the people that was not shared by the aristocracy. In the next operation, the wall at the west jamb of the passage was torn out, a layer of black earth containing pockets of clay (Lot A-219) was spread over the ash layer, and the vestibule was rebuilt in its present form. The north addition to the buttress on the east, the pier in the center of the vestibule, and the buttress just west of the passage door are parts of this late alteration (cross sections 7, 8, 6). The southern projection of the east buttress and the stairway to the east are footed on the ash layer and may have been built at the same time or later (cross section 9). Finally, the floor of the vestibule back of the pier was covered with a layer of small stones and floored with a hard lime floor, which steps up from the passage and down again between the pier and the east buttress. The vestibule was undoubtedly roofed, for the gallery above must have extended over it, but the manner of its roofing is not entirely clear from the plan. Strangest of all is the fact that a roof supporting a gallery should be built on masonry footed on nothing more substantial than a layer of ash. The masonry of the outer constructions is conspicuously crude, employing large roughly shaped stones, and the east stairway uses blocks horizontally laid rather than Puuc facing (Fig. 29.16f). One may wonder if increasing unrest occasioned the building of this vestibule with the purpose of posting a guard at the door, and if its jerry-built construction can be interpreted as an indication of failing resources. Structures R-86b, R-85, R-85a, R-90 At the northwest corner of the court, a small chamber, Str. R-86b, joins the platform of Str. R-86 with that of Str. R-85. The south wall of this chamber is built against the finished block of the latest stairway of Str. R-86. It has two small niches 0.65 m above the floor, capped by thin slabs that probably supported the beams of a flat roof that extended the platform level (Figs. 29.10, Section N-N’; 15k). The opposite (north) wall was built at the same time, and has a small ledge at the same height for the support of the beams (Fig. 29.15j). The room must have been just over a meter high. The west wall is formed by the edge of the platform of Str. R-86, which is later than

A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90 the original Platform C but possibly earlier than the final stairway. The two floors within the room turn up to this wall, and the lower passes under the secondary south and north walls. Neither could be identified with floors outside, for both break off in the doorway under a low sill which supports the edge of the two latest floors in the court. Inside the chamber on the floor were two jars of Unslipped Gray Paste (Fig. 29.23f), empty except for a few pieces of charcoal and debris. Near the northeast jamb was a round hole in the floors, about 0.09 m in diameter, which contained a chipped limestone disc (Cache 9). Our records indicate that this small chamber is also secondary to the original platform under Str. R-85, but the sequence of construction here is not altogether clear. The original platform may have stood free of Str. R-86 at one time, but no trace of a stairway to it from the court was found. It is without a doubt a late construction, and uses faced stone the whole length of its molding and in the course immediately below. It is built on the north extension of Platform A, which is later than the east extension and Str. R-87. It precedes, however, the plinth of Str. R-85, and was later extended about 0.75 m to the east so as to make it possible to walk around the building at platform level. Thus Str. R85 is definitely later than Str. R-87, and we believe it also postdates Str. R-86, though of this we are less certain. The only excavation made in Str. R-85 was the clearing of its front platform. This exposed a plinth built of Puuc stone and a wide doorway with two columns. The back wall of the building had been built near the edge of the northern terraces, and with their collapse had been destroyed almost entirely. Near the northeast corner was a deep gash in the debris, evidently made by treasure hunters (Fig. 29.1y). It cut through the medial wall into a bench in the front gallery. Thus the presence of benches is known, though we did not follow them in outline. Against the platform of Str. R-85, east of the transverse axis of the building and centered approximately on the wall of the original platform, is built a small shrine, Str. R-85a (Fig. 29.15i). This shrine evidently had a roof of beams and mortar, and, for some reason not clear to us, the debris from this roof, probably mixed with that from Str. R-86b, was piled up mostly on the west side between the two buildings. Among large pieces of roof plaster here, we found a sculptured human foot from a stucco statue, similar to those of Str. R-87. Other pieces of sculptured stucco were found in the shrine, which was otherwise devoid of ceremonial material.

Originally the shrine had three doorways and a low bench across the back of the room. Later, the east doorway was blocked with masonry. The height of the walls is unknown, but a course of facing stones on the platform shows that the back wall rose above this level. Thirty-one sculptured elements like that in Figure 29.20z were found in the debris around the building and probably present the decoration of its cornice. On the platform behind the shrine, but not centered on it, was a column drum carved with a three-member molding. It was probably displaced from its original position and may originally have been centered and used as an altar. A section through the shrine (Fig. 29.9) exposed an early floor of Terrace A sloping rather sharply as it passes under the edge of the platform. Two more floors were laid in the court after the platform was built and before the plinth for the shrine was laid. The two final floors are associated with the shrine. Just east of it, and a little in front of the platform, are two column drums set on the ground with others on top, slightly set back to touch the platform and make rude steps for its ascent. There are no court floors near the column drums, and we cannot tell whether they were placed there when the buildings were in use or later. Another small shrine, R-90 (Figs. 29.2; 29.14k), is built on the eastern extension of Terrace A. It is centered on Str. R-86, which it faces, and may have been built at about the same time. The debris around it was very shallow, and it is questionable whether the masonry wall or the piers ever rose much above their present height of at most 0.50 m. The walls may have been carried up in perishable material, and the roof was almost certainly of thatch. The sides of the shrine are open, and the two piers and the rear wall are built of vertically set heavy stones. There is a low plinth of rudely shaped horizontal stones on the north, west, and south, but none in back. Against the rear wall is a T-shaped bench 0.29 m high, with a sculptured stone forming each side of the central projection (Fig. 29.20b’). Later, these stones were covered by additional blocks of masonry widening the bench first on the north and then on the south. The shrine was originally built without a plinth, directly on the east extension of the terrace and in part on the block which projects from the early stairway connected with Str. R-89. At this time it had other piers or, even more probably, posts on the façade. The north addition to the bench was laid before the plinth and the piers were added. The south addition lies on the floor that turns up to the piers. Under this floor, embedded in sascab and plaster, we found fragments of a miniature tripod bowl of unslipped paste. Immediately in front

371

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Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles R. Temple 29.17. Views of Excavations and Details of Construction. a. Interior of Str. R-86a, showing west bench and doorway leading to Str. R-86. Area of broken floor in foreground. b. Str. R-86a, looking toward Str. R-87. West bench and post hole in foreground. Note old jamb of doorway incorporated in north wall, also unfinished raised floor in northeast corner, with floors broken in front. East bench at right. c. Southwest corner of Str. R-86a. At left, south opening, with low wall across it and hearth in front. At right, entrance to kitchen from west terrace, and corner of west bench. d. West terrace behind kitchen. Left of center, doorway leading to southwest room of Str. R-86. In front, two columns of gallery built on outer terrace. At right foreground, edge of original Platform C buried by outer terraces. e. Rear wall of Str. R-86a, showing edge of Platform C, a fallen column of the gallery, and behind it, partly filled with stones, the entrance to the kitchen. f. Group of broken vessels on west bench in northwest corner of Str. R-86a. g. Fragments of large water jar and other vessels in southeast corner of Str. R-86a. Note thin stone slabs among sherds, probably from edge of roof.

of the shrine on center was a deep pit in the court floor filled with dirt and debris. Thrown into the pit were an oval altar with a round top and a cylindrical stone, possibly an altar (Fig. 29.13x,y). In place on the edge of the pit and just in front of the plinth was a cache bowl in the form of a turtle (Cache 6), and on the south side under a plinth stone and resting against the wall of the early stairway block was a similar cache (Cache 7). Structure R-88 This structure was partly cleared in 1954 to determine the general nature of its plan, and was then filled to serve as a dumping ground for the debris of later excavations. Although it is in general a structure of the dwelling type, its plan has a number of peculiarities. There are two rooms instead of a single gallery in front, and instead of a centered shrine room there is a corridor between the two back rooms leading out onto the terrace in back. The wall between the two front rooms is secondary to the medial wall and to the pier it abuts in front, and, unlike them, it is faced entirely with Puuc stones on edge. The north front room has two columns in its entrance, and our first thought was that a colonnade of four columns originally extended across the front of the building. We found no evidence, however, that the pier was secondary to the main construction. Both its jambs are missing, though the floors vaguely outline their original location. The floors do not extend, however, across the entrance of the south room, and any traces there had been of supports in this entrance, which is over 3 m wide, had been effaced. The lower of the two floors in the south room (Fig. 29.2) passes under the face of the secondary partition, but does not emerge on the other side. Here, the facing stones are based below the floor, and the two floors of the north room turn up to it. Another hint of alterations is given by the fact that the plinth, which projects 0.10 to 0.15 m from the walls on the north and west, is flush with the south wall of the building. Our excavations did not pro-

ceed far enough to explain these peculiarities. The floors of the rooms were covered with a layer of loose plaster about 0.30 m thick, suggesting that it had a beam and mortar roof like the other houses, but there was no evidence that the roof had been burned. At the north end of the building, where there is a wide entrance, we uncovered the end of a bench built against the medial wall, and the edge of another appeared to the north of the corridor between the back rooms (Fig. 29.16b). Just in front of this corridor, lying on the floor, was a small sculpture of a scaled monster with a human or simian figure on its back (Fig. 29.21,l–n). Clearly inscribed on the sides of the monster are the hieroglyphs 13 Ahau and 4 Ahau, and on the back of the smaller figure, 1 Ahau. Katuns so named are prominently mentioned in the books of Chilam Balam in connection with the history of Chichén Itzá and Mayapán, and it is tempting to think that they may have a similar his topical significance here. In the southeast room our trench exposed a low dais around which we noted evidences of burning on the floor. The floor was also blackened near a small column drum set in a bed of loose mortar and stones on the latest floor in the northeast corner of the room (Fig. 29.16a). Time did not permit us to explore for caches in this room, a circumstance which we later regretted, since this was one of the few ceremonial locations where there was no evidence of looting. The debris of the room contained an unusual concentration of sherds from figure censers, and was the only location in the group where the censers may have been left in place. Miscellaneous Excavations of Terraces and Stairways In its final form, the group had four approaches. One was through the vaulted passage on the south, and has already been described. Another was the stairway on the west, leading up to the gallery back of the kitchen. This stairway was not excavated. There was also a stairway on the southeast, just south of

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Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles R. Temple 29.18. Sculptured Elements Found in Debris Around Str. R-89. a–e. Nose elements of masks. f–i. Eye elements. j,k. Mouth elements. 1–q. Scroll elements. r. Unidentified. t. Head band element. u. Eye. All above probably of pre-Mayapán manufacture. v. Rosette. w. Guilloche. x–d’. Sculptured heads of unidentified style. z and b’, found above shrine roof, have round depressions on top of head. e’,f’: Crouching or “diving” figure in style of Mayapán. Elements of g and l are 36 cm in maximum dimension; others are approximately same scale, except e’, f’, which measures 18 cm.

Str. R-88, and a fourth facing north near the northeast corner of the court. The east stairway was excavated only enough to note part of three steps and their juncture with a balustrade. It faces directly on Str. R-91, excavated and to be described by A. L. Smith in a forthcoming number of this series, and shows this building to be associated with the group. Its relation to the terraces of the group is, however, unknown. Another low mound to the south, Str. R92, is probably also part of the complex. The northeast stairway was built as a unit with the northern extension of Platform A and is set in a stair well whose walls rise with the steps. The risers are built entirely of Puuc stone, and their construction is characteristic of Phase III (Figs. 29.7; 29.16c). The four bottom steps were later buried in a fill of dirt and debris retained by two steps built of very large rough blocks at the entrance of the stair well (Phase IV). A large tree growing just in front has destroyed all traces of floors at the foot of the stairs. The stairway, however, leads out to a leveled area of ground which now shows no traces of construction, but which may have supported perishable buildings. Immediately to the northeast are a knoll, which supports a small structure, and a number of small house mounds scattered at its base. No attempt was made to follow property walls, which are badly destroyed and obscured by modern walls in this area, not very far from the old Rancho San Joaquin. It is obvious, however, that some of the structures outside the court group are immediately related to it, and it is possible that the group is only the main residence of a larger estate that extended to the northeast. This may explain the elaborate arrangements at the entrance of the vaulted passage, which may have been the only direct approach to the group from outside the property. A deep accumulation of debris covers the base of all the outer terraces, and the only location where we explored them intensively was at the entrance of the vaulted passage. The trench back of Str. R-86 has already been described. Two other exploratory pits were dug, one at the base of a corner near the east stairway, and another on the south side near the southeast corner. The first pit showed a vertical square corner of a terrace built of very large stones resting on stones and earth below, with no trace of

a floor at the base (Fig. 29.3, Section B-B’). The construction suggested a late addition here, which we did not explore further. At the base of the southeast corner we found a level of small stone and dirt very similar to the fill of the primary leveling platform observed in the trench in front of the vaulted passage. This fill buried a row of large stones set at an angle to and facing the terrace about 2 to 2.5 m in front of it. Buried inside the fill was a nest of large potsherds that included parts of several gray striated low-necked jars. An unfinished surface on top of the fill passed under the terrace. On this surface in front was a thin layer of earth covered by another fairly hard but unfinished floor that turned up to the base of the terrace. A jaw and other bones of a peccary were recovered from debris immediately above this surface. Collections and Caches Ninety-two lots of pottery and small artifacts were recovered from the excavations and are here grouped according to the time and conditions of their deposition. The total pottery collection numbers 42,287 sherds, which have been classified in detail by R. E. Smith. Sherd counts of the major classes are as follows: Unidentified: 2,557 Post-Conquest: 95 Mayapán Period: 39,570; Figure Censers, 19,340 (48.9 percent of Mayapán period material); Other Unslipped Ares: 8,848 (22.2 percent); Slipped Red Wares: 10,198 (25.8 percent); Red-on-Buff Wares, with or without design in black: 708 (25.8 percent); Fine Orange Wares (some unidentified as to type): 247 (0.6 percent); Black-on-Cream Ware: 6. Tojil Plumbate pottery: 2. X Fine Orange (?): 2 Slateware Period wares: 59 Other Classic period wares: 3 Wares in current use before the foundation of Mayapán occur only in trace amounts. The fact that Black-on-Cream ware also occurs only as a trace indicates that the construction of the group began later than that of the ceremonial center. The Red-onBuff pottery that occurs in all levels is an even stronger indication of the late date of its construction.

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Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles R. Temple 29.19. Sculptured Stones from Debris of Str. R-87. a–d,i,m,n. Eye elements of masks. e,f. Nose elements. g,h,j,k,l,o,p. Scroll elements. b’. Earplug element. c’. Mouth element. All pieces except w seem to be of Puuc style and workmanship. [p] is 32 cm long; [c’] is 45 cm; scale of others roughly similar. Traces of red, yellow, and green paint on element at right in s; traces of red paint on o. See also Fig. 29.20a,p.

Group 1. Lots A-130, 152, 153, 157 to 159, 165, 166, 171, 201, 203, 206, 209, 211, 220, 221, 234, 238, 241. Surface accumulation of debris at various locations in the group. Pottery Total: 7,604. Unidentified: 1,314. Post-Conquest: 95. Mayapán period: 6,177: Figure censers: 1,109 (18.0 percent); Other Unslipped wares: 1,652 (26.7 percent); Redwares: 3,102 (50.2 percent); Red-onBuff: 232 (3.8 percent); Fine Orange: 61 (1.0 percent); Black-on-Cream: 1 (trace); Miscellaneous: 20 (0.3 percent). Plumbate: 2. Slateware period: 13. Classic: 3. Artifacts Limestone tools: 4 pot-lids chipped stone discs; Fig. 29.24m,5); 7 hammerstones (Fig. 29.24d,6–8); 1 grooved stone, function unknown (Fig. 29.24d,4); 3 metates, trough type (Fig. 29.13q,s,t); 4 manos. Chert and flint: 2 fragments of chipped knives or points (Figs. 29.13a; 29.24a,2); 1 arrowpoint (Fig. 29.24a,3); 1 scraper (Fig. 29.24l,2); 9 chips, unretouched; 14 large unshaped flints; 8 large flints, roughly shaped (Fig. 29.24l,3–9). Obsidian: 3 “thumbnail” scrapers (Fig. 29.13f,g); 5 scrapers made from retouched flake blades (Fig.13k–o); 13 fragments of flake blades, unretouched; 1 core (Fig. 29.13i). 3 fragments of lava metates (Fig. 29.13r). 3 fragments of granite metates (Fig. 29.24j,l). 1 honing stone (Fig. 29.24j,3). 1 small fragment of a greenstone celt. 1 fragment of a pottery ring (Fig. 29.12v). 1 cut oliva shell. 2 fragments of shell. Miscellaneous fragments of animal bone. 1 wrought iron hasp (Fig. 29.12p). 2 copper bells (Fig. 29.12r,t). Group 2. Lots A-133, 151, 154, 205, 222. Mixed lots of debris and material on floors of rooms. Pottery Total: 1,788. Unidentified: 351. Mayapán period: 1,434: Figure censers: 721 (50.3 percent); Other Unslipped wares: 196 (13.6 percent); Redwares: 414 (28.8 percent); Red-on-Buff: 18 (1.3

percent); Fine Orange: 9 (0.7 percent); Black-onCream, 0; Miscellaneous: 75 (5.3 percent). Slateware period: 3. Artifacts Limestone tools: 1 pot-lid; 3 hammerstones. Obsidian: 1 flake blade. 1 oliva shell cut with vertical slit (Fig. 29.12,q). The high proportion of Figure censers in this group is due to their concentration (610) in Lot A133, which represents the southeast room of Str. R88. This is the only location in the group where censers may have been left in place when the group was abandoned. Group 3. Lots A-175, 202, 207, 223, 225, 228, 231. Material on floors, sealed by roof debris. Pottery Total: 4,625. Unidentified: 288. Mayapán period: 4,337: Figure censers: 161 (3.7 percent); Other Unslipped wares: 2,194 (50.6 percent); Redwares: 1,874 (43.2 percent); Red-on-Buff: 69 (1.5 percent); Fine Orange: 20 (0.5 percent); Blackon-Cream: 0; Miscellaneous: 19 (0.5 percent). Artifacts Limestone tools: 1 hammerstone; 1 mano; 1 pestle (Fig. 29.24d,l); 8 chips of red limestone; 2 fragments of unidentified implements of reddish stone. Chert and flint: 1 knife (Fig. 29.24a,1); 1 arrowpoint (Fig. 29.24a4); 1 chip. Obsidian: 4 flake blades; 1 “thumbnail” scraper. 1 carved shell pendant (Fig. 29.24f,3). 1 shell peg (Fig. 29.24a,9). Several fragments of shell. 2 terminal phalange bones of deer foot (Fig. 29.24a,5,6). Fragments of modeled and painted stucco. In these lots the high percentage of unslipped sherds is due to the large water jars left in situ in the shrine rooms of Strs. R-86 and R-87. The lack of censer sherds, on the other hand, may be explained by assuming that the censers had been gathered together and deposited in Burial Cist 2 in Str. R-86. Group 4. Lots A-160 to 163, 167, 174, 204, 215, 219, 230, 232, 235, 239, 240, 242. Material sealed between floors of Phase III and Phase II. Pottery Total: 2,003.

378

Tatiana Proskouriakoff and Charles R. Temple 29.20. Sculptured Stones from Various Locations in the Group. a–p. From debris of Str. R-87. q–y. Elements of altar mask in Str. R-86; t retains most of its painted plaster blue background, yellow body of scroll with red band at upper edge, yellow, red, and green feathers. z,a’. From Str. R-85a (31 elements of type z). b’. One of pair of elements facing projection of bench in Str. R-90. c’–d’. From debris of Str. R-90. e’–h’. From debris of R-88. Dimensions of t are 20 by 40 cm; r and q shown on somewhat larger scale; scale of others variable.

Unidentified: 118. Mayapán period: 1,881: Figure censers: 181 (9.6 percent); Other Unslipped wares: 560 (29.8 percent); Redwares: 1,060 (56.4 percent); Red-on-Buff: 19 (1.0 percent); Fine Orange: 44 (2.3 percent); Black-on-­ Cream: 4 (0.2 percent); Miscellaneous: 13 (0.7 percent). Slateware period: 4. Artifacts Limestone tools: 1 pot-lid; 1 mano; 10 chips of red limestone. Fragments of stalactite. Chert and flint: 1 knife (Fig. 29.24m,3); 1 hatchet-shaped tool (Fig. 29.24m,l); 1 chip. Obsidian: fragments of flake blades. 2 fragments of shell. Fragments of animal bone. Bits of painted plaster. Charcoal. Group 5. Lots A-155, 168, 169, 172, 224, 226, 233. Material above Phase I floors, sealed by floors of Phase II or Phase III. Pottery Total: 1,548. Unidentified: 75. Mayapán period: 1,470: Figure censers: 92 (6.2 percent); Other Unslipped wares: 660 (44.9 percent); Redwares: 632 (43.0 percent); Red-on-Buff: 21 (1.4 percent); Fine Orange: 16 (1.1 percent); Black-onCream: 0; Miscellaneous: 49 (3.4 percent). Slateware period: 3. Artifacts Limestone tools: 5 pot-lids; 1 hammerstone. Chert and flint: 1 chipped point (Fig. 29.24f,2); 7 chips. Obsidian: 10 flake blades; 1 spent core (Fig. 29.13h). Small eroded fragment of copper. 1 perforated rectangular piece of shell (Fig. 29.24a,8); 12 fragments of shell. Miscellaneous animal bones, 4 perforated human teeth (Fig. 29.24b,16–19). 1 deer antler. Shark tooth and other fish bones. Bits of painted plaster. Charcoal. Group 6. Lots A-213, 216, 217. Ash midden outside vaulted passage. Pottery Total: 4,507.

Unidentified: 328. Mayapán period: 4,176: Figure censers: 138 (3.3 percent); Other Unslipped wares: 2,224 (53.3 percent); Redwares: 1,754 (42.0 percent); Red-on-Buff: 28 (0.7 percent); Fine Orange: 14 (0.3 percent); Blackon-Cream: 0; Miscellaneous: 18 (70.4 percent). Pre-Mayapán: 3. Artifacts Limestone tools: 1 hammerstone; 1 fragment of mano; 1 pestle. Chert and flint: 1 knife or point (Fig. 29.24m,2); 2 chips. Obsidian: None. 3 used or worked potsherds. Large collection of animal bones. Group 7. Lots A-164, 170, 173, 194, 195, 214, 214a, 218, 218a, 227, 227a, 236, 237. Material under earliest floors, in earth layer on fill of early platforms, and under ash midden. Pottery Total: 1,255. Unidentified: 52. Mayapán period: 1,169: Figure censers: 36 (3.1 percent); Other Unslipped wares: 531 (45.4 percent); Redwares: 575 (49.2 percent); Red-on-Buff: 6 (0.5 percent); Fine Orange: 6 (0.5 percent); Black-on-Cream: 1 (0.1 percent); Miscellaneous: 14 (1.2 percent). Pre-Mayapán: 34. Artifacts Limestone tools: 1 hammerstone; 2 manos. Chert and flint: 1 chip. Obsidian: 1 spent core; 2 flake blades. 2 worked potsherds. 1 fragment of shell. Miscellaneous animal bones. It is very unlikely that the changes in proportions of wares in the stratified deposits have any chronological significance. The location of the deposits and the manner of their deposition influence their nature far more than does their stratigraphic position. The proportion of figure censers in the deposits sealed under floors is conspicuously low, less than 7 percent, as compared with 48.9 percent in the total collection. If we exclude from the total the material in Burial Cist 2 and that in the southeast room of Str. R88, the proportion of censer sherds under the floors of Phase III will be comparable to the proportion of these sherds in the total. A slight increase in the use

A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90 29.21. Sculpture and Pottery. a. Three human feet sculptured in stucco, found under roof debris in center of front gallery of Str. R-87. Foot at right shows traces of red paint. Soles of sandals are smooth and slightly concave on bottom. b. Three small vessels found on east bench in Str. R-86a (see Fig. 29.12k,n for sections and description). c. Red Ware jar with turkey-head lug from west bench in Str. R-86a (see Fig. 29.12b). d. Jar used for opening of drain in center rear room of Str. R-87 (see Fig. 29.12e). e. Red Ware jar with side opening, from west bench of Str. R-86a (see Fig. 29.12a). f. Jar with dark-red or black slip, from west bench of Str. R-86a (see Fig. 29.12i). g. Small unslipped tripod jar, Cache 2. Ht. approx. 15 cm. h. Limestone turtle receptacle placed over excavated Cache 3. Max. measurement 18 cm; orifice 5.5 by 4.6 cm; depth of receptacle 4 cm; max. diam. 7 cm. i. Fragments of limestone turtle with glyphs carved on carapace; found in debris of Str. R-87, east of center. Larger fragment measures 8.6 by 8.4 by 5.3 cm. j. Water jar reconstructed from fragments in southeast corner of kitchen, Str. R-86a (see Fig. 29.12h). k. Water jar from rear room of Str. R-86 (see Fig. 29.12g). 1–n. Limestone carving of scaled monster from in front of center passage in Str. R-88. Hieroglyphs read: 4 Ahau, 13 Ahau, 1 Ahau. Measures 26 by 15.3 by 10.8 cm.

of censers, therefore, may have taken place. Other Unslipped wares are most abundant in the kitchen midden deposit, which has a low proportion of Fine Orange, as might be expected. Group 8. Tombs and Caches. Burial Cist 1. Lot A-193. This tomb is a plasterlined cist in the fill under Str. R-86, centered on the early stairway to Platform C. It was built before the end of Phase II, and later reopened and plundered. It is not certain, however, whether this was done at the time of abandonment or at the time when Str. R86 was built. The later floors of Str. R-86 were broken above the tomb, but over a wider area than would have been necessary for its excavation. On the floor of the tomb were fragments of a skull and an unslipped effigy jar representing a death’s head (Fig. 29.23e,2), with traces of black and white painting. The jar was partly filled with earth and tiny fragments of burned fiber. Mixed with the earth and stones that filled the tomb were fragments of plaster painted with blue and black design. Burial Cist 2. Lots A-176 to 191. The construction of the tomb has already been described in connection with Str. R-86. It is an oval cist in the fill, 2 m long, 0.80 m wide, and about 0.80 m deep, lined with plaster and built probably at the same time as Str. R-86. Scattered on the floor of the cist were some disarticulated bones of a skeleton and most of the smaller artifacts. Five of the small tripod bowls in Figure 23c,d also came from this lowest level and may have been placed there with the original burial. Most of the pottery and probably all of the small sculptures, which were near the surface, were put in after the cist was reopened, just before Str. R-86 was burned. Some of these objects were actually above the top of the cist and in the area of the broken floor around it. Mixed with the objects were some fill stones, earth, and the debris of broken floors,

including several large pieces of floor material with finishing plaster. There were also pieces of modeled and painted stucco. The collection appears to represent the ceremonial paraphernalia from Str. R-86 and probably also R-87 and R-85, gathered together when the inhabitants left, and deposited in the pit opened for the plundering of the tomb. Over 90 percent of the pottery material comes from effigy censers. A count of human faces shows that at least twenty-five censers are represented. The heads vary in size, and there are at least two different types of figure. The smaller heads shown in Figure 22h may come from “Diving God” figures on a base such as that in Figure 22m. The faces show less characterization than those of the larger heads and they are uniformly Mexican rather than Maya in features. Among the large Figure Censers there are at least four representations of God D, identified chiefly by his almost toothless mouth (Fig. 29.22a,b,j,k). There are two clear examples of God B, characterized by a pendulous nose, and a mask of Xipe (Fig. 29.22l,1). One unidentified head is particularly well preserved Fig. 29.22d,e). It represents a bearded man with an upturned nose, a long pendulous lower lip, tusks at the corners of the mouth, and yellow rings around the eyes. The face itself is painted an earthy red, and the beard is blue with black lines. In addition, there are heads with no grotesque characteristics but with a Mexican cast of features. Among these is one represented with a bird’s beak like the socalled Eagle Knight of the Aztec (Fig. 29.22f,3; g3). Pottery Total: 18,433. All of Mayapán period: Figure censers: 16,795 (91.1 percent); Other Unslipped wares: 733 (4.0 percent); Red Wares: 624 (3.4 percent); Red-on-Buff: 206 (1.1 percent); Fine Orange: 75 (0.4 percent). Artifacts Stone carvings: grotesque idol (Fig. 29.13c1); temple (Fig. 29.24k,5); tripod (Fig. 29.24i,3); axe (Figs. 29.13a’; 29.24i,2); 3 worked fragments of stone of unknown use (Fig. 29.24k,2–4).

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A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90 29.22. Pottery Effigies and Jar from Secondary Fill of Burial Cist 2. a,b. Head of figure censer representing God D. Unslipped Porous Gray Ware with post-firing polychrome paint. c. Head of figure censer, unidentified deity. d,e. Head of figure censer, unidentified deity. Face is painted a deep red-brown; right eye encircled with blue, left eye, with yellow; beard gray with black lines. This personage with upturned nose is represented in pottery and jades elsewhere in Maya area, notably in pottery from Nebaj, Guatemala. f,g. Three heads of Figure censers with Mexican facial features. Note “Eagle Knight” headdress in 3. h. Smaller heads with Mexican features, and serpents. i. 1. Effigy jar of Unslipped Gray Ware possibly representing Ehecatl; ht. 20.4 cm; 2. Unslipped Gray jar with handles. j,k. Head of figure censer representing God D. 1. 1. Head of figure censer representing Xipe. 2. Fragment of censer with death’s-heads. m. Animal effigy base of censer, probably for “diving god” figure above. Unslipped, painted.

Chert and flint: 5 blades or points (Fig. 29.24b,1– 4,6); 1 arrowpoint (Fig. 29.24b,5). Obsidian: 1 complete flake blade; 5 fragments. 3 jade beads (Fig. 29.24c,1–3). 1 rectangular piece of iron pyrites, perforated (Fig. 29.24c,14); 2 copper bells (Fig. 29.24c,12,13). 2 shell beads (Fig. 29.24c,7,8). 2 shell discs (Fig. 29.24c,9,11). 1 perforated human tooth (Fig. 29.24c,6). 1 stingray spine. 1 shark tooth. Cache 1. Lot A-192. Phase III (?). Under central altar of Str. R-86, placed in cavity hollowed in plaster layer on which altar was built, was an effigy vessel representing a rabbit (Fig. 29.23e,1). It contained 2 jade beads (Fig. 29.24c,4,5) and 1 shell bead (Fig. 29.24c,10). Cache 2. Lot A-212. Phase III. This cache was placed in altar of Str. R-87, and may have been looted at time that buildings were abandoned. There was, however, a later excavation into the altar which had disturbed the roof debris above it. The debris of this excavation contained 29 sherds of Mayapán period: Figure censers: 8; Other Unslipped wares: 5; Redwares: 16. Near the rear wall in the undisturbed fill of the altar was a small unslipped tripod pottery jar (Fig. 29.21g). Cache 3. Lot A-208. Phase III. In dais in front of altar of Str. R-87 was an excavated cache, refilled, on which had been placed a stone turtle (Fig. 29.21h). The debris of the refill contained 196 sherds: Unidentified: 25. Mayapán period: 171: Figure censers: 43; ringstand base of unslipped jar: 4; Redwares: 108; Redon-Buff: 2; Fine Orange: 2; Reddish Brown, very thin: 12. Among the Redware sherds is one with a glyph painted in black on its unslipped exterior. The glyph is the name glyph of God D, Itzamna (Fig. 29.12g). There was also a flint point (Fig. 29.24f,1), a shark tooth, and seven tiny fragments of paper-thin gold, the largest 1.8 by 1 cm. The flakes show a reddish color on one side, and the larger pieces have traces of perforations 0.1 cm in diameter.

Cache 4. Lot A-210. Phase III. In southwest corner of center rear room of Str. R-87. This cache was put through the latest floor and sealed by a patch of plaster. It was excavated and looted before the collapse of the building and was carefully refilled with debris. The cache had been placed in a Red-on-Buff (?) jar, parts of which were still in place (Fig. 29.12c,d). A “pot-lid” of chipped limestone (Fig. 29.24e,3), found inside the jar, was too small to have served as a cover. Pottery in the refill numbered 173 sherds, all of Mayapán period: Figure censers: 41; Redwares: 24; Red-on-Buff (?) cache bowl: 107; Thin Black: 1. In the debris of the refill there were also a pointed obsidian flake blade and 10 fragments of paper-thin gold, the largest 1.8 by 1.2 cm. Some of the pieces showed minute rectangular holes, none larger than 0.1 cm. Cache 5. Lot A-229. Refilled excavation in bench east of stairway to Str. R-87, penetrating through floor of basin next to balustrade. Total sherds: 31. Unidentified: 4. Mayapán period: 27: Figure Censers: 6; Other Unslipped wares: 6; Red wares: 14; Thin Black: 1. Also miscellaneous animal bones. Cache 6. Lot A-142. Probably Phase III. Small effigy bowl with cover, representing a turtle, found at edge of excavation just in front of Str. R-90 (Fig. 29.23i,j). Total sherds: 12, including 2 unidentified and 1 of Red Ware. The bowl contained a very fine pointed obsidian flake blade. Cache 7. Lot A-204. Phase III. Under plinth of Str. R-90 in fill covering north end of original stairway to Terrace A. Turtle effigy bowl containing two fragments of burned bone and a pointed obsidian flake blade (Fig. 29.23h). Cache 8. Lot A-243. Phase I or II, This cache, placed in front of Str. R-89 probably at time of its construction, was looted when areaway of shrine was built. It consisted of 82 fragments of an effigy bowl, very badly broken (Fig. 29.12j). Cache 9. Lot A-156. Chipped stone disc found in hole in floor of chamber (Str. R-86b) at juncture of substructures of Strs. R-86 and R-85.

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A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90 29.23. Pottery from Caches and Burial Cists. a. Fine Orange tripod bowl, decorated on interior with red and brown paint and incised design. From Burial Cist 2. Diam. 42 cm, ht. 11.3 cm. b. Red-and-Black-on-Buff tripod bowl. Hollow animal effigy feet, with perforation and pellet. From Burial Cist 2. c,d. Small tripod bowls slipped on interior. Majority show signs of burning on both interior and outer surfaces. From Burial Cist 2. Most of these bowls were found at bottom of deposit and a number were on floor of cist. e. 1. Unslipped gray rabbit effigy jar, with traces of red and blue paint applied after firing. From Cache 1. Ht. 13.5 cm. 2. Unslipped gray effigy jar, painted white with design in black applied after firing. From Burial Cist 1. 3,4,5. Small Unslipped tripod jars from Burial Cist 2. f. Two unslipped gray jars found on floor in Str. R-86b. Ht. of 1 is 20 cm. g. 1. Red Ware tripod bowl slipped on inner and outer surfaces. From Burial Cist 2. Diam. 21.2 cm, ht. 6.7 cm. 2. Red Ware bowl slipped on interior only. From Burial Cist 2. h. Unslipped turtle effigy bowl of Cache 7. Polychrome design, yellow, red, blue, applied after firing. Contained two fragments of burned bone and pointed obsidian flake blade shown at right. i,j. Unslipped turtle effigy bowl of Cache 6, with pottery lid. Traces of red, yellow, and blue paint applied after firing. Contained a very fine pointed obsidian flake blade. 29.24. Tools and Small Artifacts from Various Locations in the Group (following page). a. Artifacts from Str. R-86a. 1. Leaf-shaped blade of rose-tinged flint, Cat. no. 55-33. Lot A-223, under debris of roof. Dimensions: 9.7 by 3.9 by 14 cm. 2. Worked flake of buff chert, Cat. no. 55-79. Lot A-221, surface debris. 4.7 by 4.1 by 0.75 cm. 3. Flint arrow point (see Fig. 13,2), Cat. no. 55-37. Lot A-221. 4. Flint arrow point (see Fig. 29.13g), Cat. no. 55-34. Lot A-223. 5, 6. Two small bones (terminal phalanges of deer foot), Cat. no. 55-100. Lot A-223. 7. 1 Shark tooth, Cat. no. 55-81. Lot A-233, sascab and debris layer on earliest floor of passage between Strs. R-86a and I R-87. 8. Perforated shell ornament, Cat. no. 55-80. Lot A-233. 9. Shell peg (see Fig. 29.13w, Cat. no. 55-32. Lot A-223. b. 1–15. Artifacts from Burial Cist 2. 1. Flint point with long stem, Cat. no. 55-196. Length 8.9 cm. 2. Flint blade or drill, Cat. no. 55-150. 8.9 by 1.9 by 0.95 cm. 3. Broken flint point or blade, Cat. no. 55-130. 5.95 by 2.1 by 0.7 cm. 4. Fragment of flint point or drill, Cat. no. 55-151. 4.8 by 1.2 by 0.65 cm. 5. Flint arrow point, Cat. no. 55-197. 3.35 by 1.4 by 0.4 cm. 6. Fragment of buff, semi-transluscent chert blade, Cat. no. 55-152. 3.6 by 4.1 by 0.9 cm. 7–15. Shaped pieces of white shell, probably conch, Cat. no. 55-198. 16–19. Four perforated human teeth, Cat. no. 55-75. Lot A-169, just above ash layer under upper floors of southwest room in Str. R-87. c. 1–3, 6–9, 11–14. Beads and other small objects from Burial Cist 2. 1. Apple green highly polished jade bead, roughly triangular in section, with bi-conical perforation, Cat. no. 55-154. 1.3 by 1.2 by 0.9 cm. 2. Deep green highly polished jade bead, triangular in section, with bi-conical perforation, Cat. no. 55-155. 1.4 by 1.4 by 0.7 cm. 3. Bright green highly polished jade bead, triangular in section, with bi-conical perforation, Cat. no. 55-149. 1.0 by 1.05 by 0.55 cm. 6. Human molar cut and perforated at root, Cat. no. 55-147. 7. Bead of pink shell with longitudinal bi-conical perforation, Cat. no. 55-153. 2.2 by 0.7 by 0.6 cm. 8. Rectangular bead of white and orange shell with bi-conical perforation, Cat. no. 55-148. 1.4 by 1.3 by 0.7 cm. 9, 11. Two white shell discs, upper with drilled pit and lower with perforation in center, Cat. nos. 55-158, 55-156. Lower is blackened by burning. Diam. about 2 cm. 12, 13. Two copper bells with double wire loop handles and with copper pellets inside, Cat. no. 55-157. Larger specimen is 3.1 cm long and has burr around lip, which smaller bell lacks. 14. Almost square piece of iron pyrites with two perforations; corners at right, square, those at left, rounded, Cat. no. 55-140. 1.7 by 1.6 by 0.1 cm. 4, 5, 10. Three beads found in rabbit effigy jar under central altar of Str. R-86 (see Fig. 29.23e.1). 4. Light green and white jade with low polish, bi-conical perforation, Cat. no. 55-142. 2.9 by 1.6 by 1.3 cm. 5. Cylindrical bead of light yellow-green jade with cylindrical perforation, Cat. no. 55-143. Length 2 cm, diam. 0.85 cm. 10. Small, low cylindrical bead of pink shell with cylindrical perforation, Cat. no. 55-144. Diam. 0.7 cm., ht. 0.5 cm. d. Limestone tools. 1. Pestle, Cat. no. 55-31, found on floor of Str. R-86a. Length 6.9 cm, diam. 4.8 cm. 2,3,5. Hammerstones from debris in Str. R-86a. 2 and 5 were above roof material. 4. Shaped, partially grooved stone of unknown use, Cat. no. 55-39. 6–8. Typical small hammerstones from various locations in the group. Diam. approximately 6 cm. e. 1. Chipped limestone disc, “pot-lid,” Cat. no. 55-4, found under floors of Str. R-90. 9.9 by 9.3 by 1.9 cm. 2. Polishing or grinding stone with rough outer surface, Cat. no. 55-13, from front room of Str. R-Q7. Limestone. 12.9 by 7.3 by 5.9 cm. 3. “Pot-lid” of roughly chipped limestone, Cat. no. 55-29, from Cache 4. 0.4 by 0.3 by 2.3 cm. f. 1. Chipped flint point, Cat. no. 55-5, from Cache 3. 9.4 by 3.3 by 1.15 cm. 2. Chipped flint point, Cat. no. 55-76, on ash layer under late floors of southwest room in Str. R-87 (see Fig. 29.13b). 3. Carved shell pendant, Cat. no. 55-7, rear center room of Str. R-87, under roof debris. Diam. 3.5 cm. thickness 0.45 cm. two conical holes, 0.15 cm. min. diam. g. Cut and perforated potsherd with mat impression (see Fig. 29.12u), Cat. no. 55-43, surface of southwest room of Str. R-67. h. Trough metate (see Fig. 29.13q) from debris at base of terraces south of Str. R-86a. i. 1. Small limestone sculpture (see Fig. 29.13c’), Cat. no. 55-126, from Burial Cist 2. 2. Axe-shaped carving of graygreen granitic stone (see Fig. 29.13a’), Cat. no. 55-133, from above Burial Cist 2. 1.3 by 1.6 by 4.5 cm. 3. Tripod carving of limestone, Cat. no. 55-127, from surface of Burial Cist 2. 8.6 by 7.7 by 8.5 cm. j. 1. Fragment of granite metate, Cat. no. 55-28, found in surface debris of court near Str. R-85; 2. Limestone mano, Cat. no. 55-26, from debris in court. 3. Fragment of grinding or honing stone of fine-grained limestone, Cat. no. 55-27, from debris in court. k. Limestone objects from Burial Cist 2. 1. Small sculpture, Cat. no. 55-129. 4.6 by 12 by 4.6 cm. 2–4. Shaped pieces of soft, reddish clayey limestone, Cat. nos. 55-131, 132, 195. 5. Small replica of temple with four doorways. 8.7 by 7.8 by 9.7 cm; irregular pit about 2 deep in base. 1. Stone tools from debris of terraces back of Str. R-86. 1. Worn hammerstone, Cat. no. 55-103, diam. approx. 6 cm. 2. Flint flake scraper (see Fig. 29.13c), Cat. no. 55-124. 3–9. Roughly chipped flint tools, Cat. no. 55-125. Most retain patches of cortex on surface. m. 1. Celt-like flint tool, Cat. no. 55-242, under floor in front of rear terrace of Str. R-86. 7.7 by 4.4 by 1.3 cm. 2. Chipped flint knife or point, Cat. no. 55-245, in ash layer under construction at south entrance to vaulted passage. 8.4 by 3.9 by 1.15 cm. 3. Flint knife, Cat. no. 55-243, under floors in front of rear terrace of Str. R-86. 13.8 by 5.2 by 2 cm. 4. Rough flint tool similar to those pictured in 1, on west terrace of Str. R-86. 5. “Pot-lid” from debris near southeast stairway to the group max diam. 11 cm.

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 30 December 1955

A Vaulted Temple at Mayapán Howard D. Winters

excavations were made around the temple and its platform wherever structural details were obscure. The only major architectural feature left uninvestigated was the stairway on the north side of the basal platform. The later stages of construction were worked out quite satisfactorily, but the early stages still present problems of interpretation. Accordingly, for early construction phases alternative explanations have been presented in the following report, with indication of the interpretation which seems most probable. Str. Q-80 is on the north side of the north court of the Castillo. Directly to the south is the colonnaded hall Str. Q-81, separated from the temple by a narrow passage (Fig. 30.2a). Within the small area of the passage which was excavated was found the skeleton of a young adolescent. The skeleton lay on the surface of the debris which originally filled the passage and under a great pile of fallen masonry. Whether the

During the 1953 field season, test excavations by Pollock had indicated the presence of murals in a buried room in Str. Q-80 (150 S, 260 W). Consequently, it was decided the following year to undertake excavation for the purpose of exposing the murals and gaining information on architectural details of the structure. The building is interesting in that there is no comparable structure at Mayapán. It is also difficult to find examples elsewhere in Yucatán which combine the architectural features present in Str. Q-80. The Temple of the Frescoes at Tulum (Lothrop 1924) does have the upper story, vaulted room, and side galleries characteristic of the Mayapán temple, but differs in so many other respects that it is hardly a comparable example. Rooms 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 were completely excavated, and Room 5 was partially excavated (Fig. 30.1). Room 4, which is only partly filled with debris, was left unexcavated. In addition, numerous minor

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Howard D. Winters youth was killed by falling masonry or met death by other means must remain a moot point. Before excavation Str. Q-80 was a high mound with little structural detail showing on its south side, but with a partially filled, vaulted room and a small end room exposed on its north side. The slope of the debris on the south side ran smoothly over the remains of the adjacent colonnaded hall. The temple as it stands today consists of two vaulted rooms running east and west, with two small rooms on the west side and three small rooms on the east side (Fig. 30.1). These rooms rest on a low platform, the walls of which serve as a plinth for much of the building. Quite inexplicably, this building platform is placed well off center toward the west and south on the large platform which serves as the base for the structure. No other construction could be seen on unexcavated areas of the substructure platform, nor do there seem to be any requirements of perspective in the area which would lead to such a placement of the temple and its platform. Access to the structure is provided by a stairway on the north side of the basal platform. The masonry is of the usual crude type found in other ceremonial structures at Mayapán. A few well cut, re-used stones are incorporated with the rough limestone slabs forming the bulk of the stone used in the construction of the building (Fig. 30.2h). The well cut stones, many of which are very similar to the well dressed or carved stones of Puuc type found frequently in Mayapán construction, are usually in the doorjambs and vaulting, but occasionally appear in the walls of rooms (Figs. 30.2h; 30.3a,c,e). The mortar appears to be of slightly better quality than that used elsewhere in construction. The fill in the platform and in Blocks A and B (Fig. 30.1) consists of fairly large rocks, among which a small amount of earth and a few sherds are intermingled. Apparently wood lintels were used throughout, since no stone lintels were found. Large areas of plaster still cover the walls in parts of the temple, but, other than the murals in Room 1, no decoration or paint was noted on the plaster, even where it was well protected. The temple and its platform now stand over 7 m high, but must originally have stood much higher, as there is evidence for a second story’s having been present. The evidence consists in a stairway on the north side of the temple which must once have extended over Block B (Figs. 30.1; 30.2k); the presence of four floorings on top of a capstone in the vault of Room 4; the large amount of stone and debris in Room 1 and in the passage between Strs. Q-80 and Q-81; and the sizable quantity of sherds and burned copal in the top of the debris which

filled Room 1. The turtle effigy vessel (Fig. 30.3f) may have come from this upper story, since its fragments were found about 1.5 m above the floor of Room 1. Nothing can be said as to the appearance of the second story, but distribution of debris in the area suggests that it was placed well to the south in relation to the lower story, and that it may have been directly over Room 1. The substructure platform is about 2.5 m high, but shows some irregularities in its elevations. There is a noticeable slope from south to north, and from west to east on the southern part of the platform. Small variations might be explained by the irregularities of the slope on which the platform is built, but the variations here are of a magnitude that indicates the presence of some unknown construction factor. The temple itself presents some rather difficult problems in interpretation, since, in spite of the extensive excavation, much of the detail of the early phases remains obscure, and perhaps must always remain so. Four major construction phases were disclosed, and will be discussed before the more detailed description of the temple. Phase I (Fig. 30.1). A substructure platform was erected. This platform, which was later concealed by a wall around all four sides, has moldings on its east and west sides, slightly over 0.80 m high and projecting 0.30 to 0.36 m beyond the platform walls. Presumably the building that stood on the platform was razed during later construction. This conclusion is based on the assumption that the platform originally supported a building which was well centered, not off to one corner as is the existing temple structure. It is not certain where the stairway leading to this platform was, since the only visible stairway abuts the secondary wall around the early platform. Phase II (Fig. 30.1). The present temple platform was built on the substructure platform. The building originally erected on the present platform is probably represented today only by the southern part of Block A with its five niches. The interpretation of this construction phase is based on construction involving Niche F and the west pier in Room 5. The pier fills the northern part of Niche F, the southern half of which has been blocked with masonry. Since the plaster on the walls of the niche is continuous with the plaster on the west wall of Block A, the niche is apparently a part of the original block. The upper part of the pier, however, ties into the outer masonry of Room 4, a fact which indicates that the northern part of Block A was removed when Room 4 was built and a new face added.

A Vaulted Temple at Mayapán

30.1. Plan and Section of Str. Q-80.

Other details pointing to this conclusion are: 1. Three floors turn up to the south wall of Block A, but only the late upper floor could be found elsewhere in the rooms and on the platform. Perhaps the two earlier floors were removed during new construction, and the older floors remain only in areas adjacent to the original construction. 2. Traces of what is probably a floor were found running under Block B, an indication that this block is a later addition contemporaneous with the construction of Room 4. 3. The slight divergence in orientation of Rooms 1 and 4 may be the result of their having been constructed at different times: It must be admitted that the tying in of the pier in Room 5 may be the result of a local alteration, and that the early floorings may have disintegrated before the last floor was laid. But the interpretation of the southern section of Block A as a residuum of earlier construction seems the most satisfactory solution. Phase III (Fig. 30.1). As indicated above, Phase III begins with the removal of the northern face of Block A. A new face containing three niches was

added on the northern side of Block A, and Block B was constructed, forming Room 4. The ten piers on the east, south, and west sides were added at the same time, forming a gallery with eight doorways around the southern part of the temple. The second story was probably constructed at the same time. Architectural details supporting these conclusions are as follows: 1. The north face of Block B is flush with the platform wall instead of being set back slightly as was customary, a fact which indicates that the north face was constructed with the idea that it would be the back wall for the stairs leading to the upper story. Thus Block B would be contemporaneous with the renovations which involved the construction of the second story. 2. The debris on the structure indicates that the upper story was placed well to the south and perhaps directly over Room 1. Consequently, the piers would have had to be present to support the weight of the second story. Thus the upper story cannot be earlier than Phase III. The gallery was probably vaulted for its entire length. We assume here that the vaulting in Room 1

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Howard D. Winters 30.2. Views of Str. Q-80. See Figure 30.1 for identification of numbers and letters referring to rooms and architectural features. a. Strs. Q-80 and Q-81 from south. West wall of shrine of Str. Q-81 at lower right; secondary platform wall of Str. Q-80 at lower center; primary platform of Str. Q-80 at center; Room 1 of Str. Q-80 with Niches A, B, and C at top. b. Room 1 from southwest, showing Niches C, D, and E and vaulting. c. Room 1 from northeast, showing doorway and west wall. d. Room 1 with fallen beam of sapote (?) wood in situ in front of Niche C. Beam is 1.64 m long. e. Room 1 from southeast, showing Niches A, B, and C and west wall. f. Room 1 from southwest, showing Niches C, D, and E and east wall. g. Room 1 from south, showing murals between Niches D and E. Niche D is 1.25 m high. Large sections of representations of temples are preserved around each niche, with a fragment of an “earth monster” mask at the bottom (see Fig. 30.4). h. Room 1 from northwest, showing rubblefilled doorway between Piers 6 and 7. i. Room 1 at right and Room 2 at left, from southwest. j. Room 3 from north, Niche L in rear wall. k. Stairway on platform from northeast. Originally led to an upper story. l. Room 4 from southeast, showing east doorway of room and blocked vault.

represents the original roofing of the gallery. Certainly, if the second story was directly or partly over Room 1, the roofing of the gallery on its south side could scarcely have been changed unless the second story was removed and rebuilt. If such extensive changes were made, there is now no way to determine whether the gallery originally had a flat or vaulted roof. Phase IV (Fig. 30.1). Five secondary walls were built in the gallery, creating six rooms (Rooms 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7). The secondary nature of these walls is clearly indicated, since the plaster on Block A runs behind the east wall of Room 1 and the north wall of Room 6, and the plaster on Pier 4 runs behind the west wall of Room 1. As was stated above, there is a good possibility that Room 1 retained its original vaulted roof when it was formed by placing walls across the gallery. It would seem, however, that the roofing of the east and west sides of the gallery underwent extensive changes, if we are correct in assuming that these side galleries also were originally vaulted. There is good evidence in Rooms 2, 3, and 6 that the new rooms were roofed by placing two or three courses of stepped masonry on the new walls and covering the remaining space with one or two large capstones. Rooms 5, 6, and 7 were formed simply by erecting two walls across the gallery. Rooms 2 and 3 and the west wall of Room 1 were formed in a slightly more complicated manner. The west face of Block A was removed, and a large block of masonry was tied into Block A. This block of masonry forms the common east-west wall of Rooms 2 and 3 and part of the west wall of Room 1; in addition, it apparently filled completely the doorway between Piers 2 and 3 (Fig. 30.1). The secondary wall surrounding the basal platform may also have been added during this phase in order to give access to the newly created rooms. Rooms 1, 2, and 7 can be reached only along the addition to the platform provided by the secondary wall.

It should be noted, however, that the north stairway abuts this wall and is centered on the original basal platform rather than on the later construction. Thus, if centering can be considered a diagnostic factor in a structure which is otherwise quite erratic, one might even assign the secondary wall to Phase I. An alternative solution is that the wall was added during Phase III to give another means of access to the newly created gallery. The construction of the secondary jambs in the doorways and the blocking of the vault of the east doorway of Room 4, also the blocking up of Niche K on the west side of Block B, may have taken place during Phase IV (Fig. 30.1). These changes are assigned arbitrarily to this phase, but may simply represent minor alterations made between the mayor changes of the last two phases. Description of Rooms Room 1 (Fig. 30.2b–i). Room 1 is a slightly irregular rectangle in shape, and has a vaulted ceiling. The vault is built of stepped courses of masonry, but probably presented a smooth appearance after being covered with plaster. The west wall of the room is tied into the vaulting, but since this wall is clearly a secondary construction, the tying in must have been done when the wall was built and at the same time that the west face was removed from Block A (Phase IV). The masonry of the walls consists of roughly cut limestone slabs, with an occasional well cut, reused stone of Puuc style, the latter appearing more frequently in the piers and vault than elsewhere. Some of the re-used stone found in the room debris is carved and retains fragments of brightly colored murals (Fig. 30.3a,c,e). Beams were placed in the vaulting for support. A collapsed beam which was found in the room apparently ran from above Niche C to a point over the doorway between Piers 5 and 6. The beam was cut from a very hard wood, possibly sapote, and is rectangular in cross section (Fig. 30.2d). The powdery

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Howard D. Winters 30.3. Pottery and Small Objects from Str. Q-80. a. Re-used carved stones, covered with painted plaster. Stone at upper right is 33 by 16 cm, and was commonest variety of carved stone found around Str. Q-80. b. Room 6 from east. Junction of secondary wall and Block A shows in center of picture. c. Re-used carved stones. Stone on bottom is 33 cm long. d. 1. Limestone “pot lid,” c. 10.1 cm, in diameter, 2.8 cm thick at center, Cat. no. 54-85, Lot C-67. 2. Univalve shell tinkler, 3.7 by 2.1 by 1.8 cm, Cat. no. 54-86, Lot C-67. 3. Pink shell bead, 1 cm in diameter, 0.8 cm thick, Cat. no. 54-101, Lot C-68. 4. Rectangular stone bead, burned, 1.5 by 1.2 by 0.7 cm, Cat. no. 54-99, Lot C-68. 5. Rectangular stone bead, burned, 1.7 by 1.2 by 0.9 cm, Cat. no. 54-98, Lot C-68. 6. Barrel-shaped stone bead, burned, 2.3 by 1.2 cm, Cat. no. 54-102, Lot C-68. 7. Triangular shell pendant burned, 1.8 by 1.8 by 1.7 by 0.4 cm, Cat. no. 54-103, Lot C-68. 8. Cylindrical greenish stone bead, 2.9 by 1.2 cm, Cat. no. 54-100, Lot C-68. 9. Subspherical greenish stone bead, 1 cm, in diameter, 0.8 cm thick, Cat. no. 54-96, Lot C-68. 10. Rectangular greenish stone bead, 2 by 1.3 by 0.9 cm, Cat. no. 54-g7, Lot C-68. e. Re-used carved stones, covered with plaster painted red, blue, white, orange, and green. Stone at upper right has diameter of 16 cm. f. Turtle bowl, from debris in Room 1; may have come from upper story. Restored. Unslipped Ware, painted black, blue green, and yellow after firing. Human hands protrude from turtle’s front feet. Orifice diameter 6.5 cm, height c. 9.5 cm, length c. 17.5 cm Lot C-68. g. Filleted jar incensario from Niche A of Room 1. Porous Gray Ware, painted blue-green, with vertical blue stripes and concentric blue circles on the rosettes. Burned copal in bowl. Orifice diameter 22 cm, height 28 cm. Lot C-68.

residue of another beam was found in front of Niche E. Thus, it appears that beams ran from above niches to points above the doorways. There were undoubtedly other beams in the vaulting, but no trace of them remains today. Three doorways give access to the room, and along the north wall are five irregularly spaced niches (Fig. 30.2b,d–g) The niches taper slightly from the bottom toward the top. Each niche has a low step at the bottom, and Niche C has a projecting course of masonry at the top. The room is floored with the typical smooth hard plaster found in previously excavated structures in Mayapán. Three floors turn up to the north wall, but the lower two are preserved only adjacent to this wall. The second floor is continuous with the plaster on the north wall on which the murals to be described below are painted. No wall plaster ties in with the lowest floor, and it may be that the earliest coat of plaster was removed or had disintegrated at some earlier period of the building’s history. The uppermost floor, which is very well preserved, ties in with the outer layer of plaster on the wall. The most important feature of the room is the murals which cover the north wall and extend onto the east and west walls (Figs. 30.2e–g; 30.4). The murals were covered with a thin, undecorated coating of plaster which was heavily smudged, probably by the smoke from burning copal, ample remains of which were found on the floor. The murals showed no such smudging. The murals are fairly well preserved up to the tops of the niches, with a few patches still adhering to the upper part of the wall. They consist of two distinct elements. The first is the depiction of a temple façade painted around each niche, which thus served as a doorway for the temple, although the size of the niches makes the doorways dispro-

portionately large in comparison with the rest of the temple façade. A deep red is used as the background for the designs, and the temples are painted in blue, black, red, white, and yellow, with black outlining Proskouriakoff’s restoration of the murals gives us some idea of the way the temples of Mayapán may have been decorated (Fig. 30.4). The second element is an “earth monster” mask which occupies the space between the niches below the temple facades. The masks are portrayed with gaping haws, and are painted in red, yellow, black, and green. On the back wall of each niche is a vertical line of disk shaped spots painted either solid red or blue. The part of the murals extending onto the side walls consists simply of an area painted in the solid deep red of the background. As to the dating of the murals, the following points are relevant: 1. The murals are painted on a coating of plaster that is preserved on the east and north sides of Block A. They seemingly were painted on dry plaster, since the pigment does not penetrate the plaster. 2. The murals extend onto both the east and west secondary walls of the room. They are not present on the area of the north wall covered by these secondary walls. Consequently, the murals date from Phase IV, since they must be as late as the secondary walls of the room. A fair number of sherds were found on the floor, with smaller quantities in the plaster, stone, and earth debris which filled the room. The sherds were predominantly from filleted jar and human effigy incensarios. Six stone beads, a disk-shaped shell bead, and a triangular shell pendant were found in various areas of the room just above the floor. A few animal bones were also present in the debris, including two

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30.4. Str. Q-80. Murals in Room 1. a. Restoration of murals in Room 1, by Tatiana Pros­ kouriakoff. Restored portions are outlined on the masonry wall of the room. Preserved portions of the murals are shown on plaster.

which were recognized as those of deer. Many of the others were of iguana or rodents. Three of the beads and the shell pendant were blackened from burning. The other beads were mace from assorted greenish­colored stones, none of which could be called jade (Fig. 30.3d, 3-10). A completely restorable incensario of the filleted jar type was found in Niche A (Fig. 30.3z). Large sherds of similar incensarios were found just outside of and in Niches D and E. In Niche C and surrounding it were many sherds of a large human effigy incensario. A few sherds of another such incensario were found in Niche B. The bottoms of several of the incensario bowls still contained quantities of burned copal. Pieces of heavily smudged limestone sculpture and painted stucco were found in the debris in the middle of the room at heights of 0.50 to 0.75 m above the floor. Some of the stucco resembled the ornaments on human effigy incensarios, and it may be that all these fragments once formed part of a large image of the effigy incensario type. The limestone sculpture may have served as an armature on which the stucco was modeled. In the general excavations outside Room 1, a stone “pot lid” and a univalve shell tinkler were found (Fig. 30.3d,1,2). Rooms 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 (Figs. 30.2i,j; 30.3b). All these rooms were completely excavated, except Room

5, which was cleared only at its west end. Previous remarks on masonry apply to all these rooms, and the mode of roofing has been discussed under the section dealing with Phase IV of the temple. Before excavation, all the rooms except Room 3 were filled with debris consisting of earth, rock, and plaster. Room 3 contained little debris, but may once have been filled with material which spilled out over the ruined western edge of the platform. A few sherds were found mixed in the detritus which filled the rooms, and considerable quantities of sherds were found in the floors of Rooms 2, 3, and 7. The sherds were mainly from filleted jar incensarios, some with pedestal bases; and sherds from human effigy incensarios were found in Rooms 2, 3, and 5. Room 6 produced only a handful of sherds, even the floor being almost barren of pottery. Rooms 2 and 3 differ from the other small rooms only in that each has a niche in its rear wall. Unlike those in Room 1, neither of the niches has a step at the bottom. Room 4 (Fig. 30.1) was not excavated, but since it is only partly filled, some of its architectural detail could be observed. Room 4 differs from Room 1, which runs roughly parallel to it, mainly in the number and location of its niches, the appearance of the vault, and the location of the doorways. Room 4 has three niches, Room 1 five. The niches in Room 4 are

A Vaulted Temple at Mayapán very poorly spaced along the south wall of the room, but no satisfactory explanation has been advanced to account for the peculiar spacing. The corbelled vault of Room 4 is constructed so that it has a smooth surface, whereas the vault in Room 1 is constructed of stepped courses of masonry. The doorways of Room 4 consisted originally of the open ends of what was essentially a vaulted passage. These openings were later modified by the addition of secondary jambs and the blocking of the vault at its ends, the modifications resulting in much smaller doorways. Entry into Room 1 is provided by the openings between the piers along its south side. Temporal Relations of the Temple Little could be determined about the temporal relations between Str. Q-80 and other structures at Mayapán. Excavations in the passage between Str. Q-80 and the colonnaded hall Str. Q-81 to its south were inconclusive. There was slight evidence that Str. Q-81 cut through a layer of grouting in the passage, an indication that the hall was later in construction than the secondary wall around the platform of Str. Q-80. This sequence of events is, however, by no means certain. Tests were made in the fill of the substructure platform, and exposed surfaces of the fill in Blocks A and B were examined for pottery types. No sherds from human effigy incensarios were found either in the fill of the platform or in the fill of Blocks A and B. It would probably be safe to assume that most of the construction of the temple took place before the introduction of the human effigy incensario at Mayapán. The presence of human effigy incensarios and restorable incensarios of the filleted jar type in the niches of Room 1 probably indicates that the temple was still in use very late in the occupation of Mayapán. Summary The summary which follows presents what seems to the author to be the best interpretation of the rather complex series of alterations in Str. Q-80. Qualifications of the conclusions, and alternative solutions of the architectural problems involved, have already been presented. A building was erected on an earlier basal platform. Most of this building was razed, leaving only the southern part of the construction designated as Block A in Fig. 30.1. A temple was then built incorporating the remaining portion of Block A. The building was a two-story structure, with a first story

consisting of a large vaulted room, and galleries running along the east, south, and west sides. Nothing is known as to the appearance of the upper story, except that it was probably placed well to the south in relation to the lower story, and that the stairway leading to it was on the north side of the basal platform. The lower story was subsequently remodeled by placing walls across the gallery, forming six rooms. At approximately the same time murals were painted on the north wall of the large vaulted room on the south side, and changes were made in the doorways of the large vaulted north room. Tentatively, it might be suggested that Str. Q-80 is earlier than the colonnaded hall to its south. The temple was almost certainly built before the introduction of the human effigy incensario at Mayapán, and continued in use after the introduction of this type of incensario. Materials Recorded Artifacts and pottery are listed below. The whole vessels illustrated in Figure 30.3f,g are described in the captions. The pottery was analyzed by E. M. Shook. Lot C-67: general excavation along the south, west, and north sides of the structure: limestone “pot lid” (Fig. 30.3d,1); univalve shell tinkler, white, perforated with one hole for suspension (Fig. 30.3d,2); skeleton of adolescent; 61 animal and bird bones; 4 stalactites; 1 obsidian flake blade; 2 unworked univalve shells. Total sherds: 2,900: 7 Puuc period; 2,893 Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels, 217; Non-Effigy Type censers, 260; figurine fragment, 1; Human Effigy Type censers, 2,030; Mayapán Red, 358; Red-on-Cream, 22; Fine Orange, 4; Black-on-Cream, 1). Lot C-68: in debris in Room 1: pink shell bead (Spondylus shell?), disk-shaped (Fig. 30.3d,3); burned stone bead, rectangular (Fig. 30.3d,4); burned stone bead, rectangular, with rounded surfaces (Fig. 30.3d,5); burned stone bead, barrel-shaped (Fig. 30.3d,6); burned shell pendant, triangular, incised at corners, central depression, hole for suspension in one corner (Fig. 30.3,d,7); stone bead, cylindrical, greenish (Fig. 30.3d,8); stone bead, subspherical, greenish (Fig. 30.3d,9); stone bead, rectangular with rounded surfaces, greenish, longitudinal perforation, perforation on side extending into longitudinal perforation (Fig. 30.3d,10); 5 obsidian flake blades; 30 animal and bird bones; copal from incensarios. Total sherds: 2,068: 3 Puuc period; 2,065 Maya­ pán period (Unslipped vessels, 24; Non-Effigy Type

395

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Howard D. Winters censers, 770; Human Effigy Type censers, 1,087; Effigy bowl, 15; Mayapán Red, 153; Red-on-Cream, 22; Fine Orange, 2; Black-on-Cream, 1). Lot C-69: excavation down to bedrock in passage between Strs. Q-80 and Q-81: copal from incen-

sarios; 26 animal and bird bones; 2 obsidian flake blades. Total sherds: 787: 11 Puuc period; 776 Mayapán period (Unslipped vessels 114, Non-Effigy Type censer, 58; Human Effigy Type censers, 328; Mayapán Red, 264; Fine Orange, 1; Black-on-Cream, 11).

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 31 December 1955

Excavation of a Colonnaded Hall at Mayapán Howard D. Winters

The plan of the building after excavation was found to differ little from that of other colonnaded halls at Mayapán (Fig. 31.1). The structure, which faces directly on the plaza, is approached by a flight of steps leading up from the plaza to a front terrace. Neither of these architectural features was excavated. At the rear of the terrace is a low step in front of the plinth of the colonnaded gallery. Eight round columns are evenly spaced, very close to the edge of the plinth; six more widely spaced columns are at the rear of the gallery, close to the bench which runs around three sides of the structure. An enclosed shrine containing an altar is centrally located at the rear. The gallery, including the bench, is 5.75 m wide and 22.28 m long. The rear wall of the structure today stands 3.33 m above the plaza floor. Originally it may have been only 30 or 40 cm higher, since presumably it would not have been much higher than the platform of Str. Q-80 to its rear.

In 1954, while an approach trench was being carried across the colonnaded hall Str. Q-81 (165 S, 260 W) toward the vaulted temple Str. Q-80 on the north side of the north court of the Castillo, the central shrine of the hall was encountered. Excavation of the shrine produced a very interesting group of effigy incensarios, pottery vessels, and sculpture. The central portion of the hall was excavated in addition to the shrine. A small section of the passage between Strs. Q-81 and Q-80 was also excavated at the northeast corner of the former structure. The data from these excavations combined with those obtained by Proskouriakoff at the west end of Str. Q81 in 1953 gave an adequate picture of the construction of the building. Before excavation, the presence of the colonnaded hall was indicated only by a few column drums and an occasional bit of exposed wall. The debris covering the structure formed a continuous slope with the mound of Str. Q-80 behind it.

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31.1. Plan and Section of Str. Q-81 1–7. Incensarios Nos. 1–7, in order (Fig. 31.3a–d, f–n). 8. Turtle effigy cache vessel (Figs. 31.2e, 31.3q,r). 9. Mayapán Red Ware cache vessel (Fig. 31.2i). 10. Limestone turtle (Fig. 31.2j,k).

The masonry of the building consists of roughly shaped slabs of limestone with occasional pieces of well cut, re-used stone, many of which are very similar to the Puuc type of dressed stone. The well cut stone was used mainly in the doorjambs, the altar molding, and the face of the bench, and as facing for the low step in front of the gallery. The columns are constructed of roughly shaped disks of stone. The gaps between the uneven surfaces of the disks were filled by chinking with small wedges of stone, and the whole surface was then covered with plaster. The gallery is surfaced with four well preserved plaster floors 2 to 5 cm thick, and plaster still adheres to the walls in spots. No trace of painted decoration was found. Presumably the roof was of masonry supported by beams and lintels of wood. Concentrations of plaster from the roof were found throughout the excavation, often in direct contact with the floor.

Construction Phases Early Construction. A doorjamb belonging to an earlier structure was found in a trench cut through the center of the gallery and shrine (Figs. 31.1; 31.2f). The jamb is under the doorway of the present shrine; the wall of which it is a part continues eastward, but was not excavated. Floor 1 (Fig. 31.1) under the building is contemporary with the early construction. The rear wall of the hall cuts through this early floor. Little can be said about the nature of the early building. Two column drums were found in the fill overlying Floor 1, however, and if they belong to the early structure, the jamb may be part of an earlier colonnaded hall. Floor 1 runs over a shallow pit dug into the limestone bedrock (Fig. 31.1). Though the floor does not completely cover the pit, presumably it did so at one time, and was partly removed when

Excavation of a Colonnaded Hall at Mayapán the later hall was built. The pit underlies the central niche and altar of the present hall, but whether these structures were purposely placed over the pit cannot be determined. The contents of the pit were of little help in interpreting its significance, consisting of loose, dark soil, in which sherds of Mayapán Red, black-on-cream, porous gray, and slate wares were mingled with a few obsidian chips. A patch of fine gray ash was also present, and flecks of charcoal were randomly dispersed throughout the fill. Phase I. After most of the earlier construction had been razed, the major portion of the colonnaded hall was built. The gallery, with its columns and walls, and the steps and terrace in front of the gallery are all assigned to this phase. Fill, consisting of fairly large stones and a small quantity of earth containing a few sherds, was placed over the earlier construction and the bedrock, which at some points comes almost up to the floors of the terrace and gallery. Phase II. A bench with a central niche was built around the west, north, and east sides of the gallery. This conclusion is based on the fact that in the central niche the plaster on the rear wall runs behind, and Floor 2 (Fig. 31.1) runs under, the bench on either side of the niche. An alternative interpretation would be that the central niche was originally much wider, and that it was later narrowed, so that a portion of the floor and wall plaster was covered. Such an addition was not observed, but may exist. If the addition does exist, Phase II would be eliminated. Phase III. A wall was built across the central niche near its mid-point, and an altar was placed over the cist thus formed (Figs. 31.1; 31.2d,e). The altar rests on the earliest floor on the bench, and the later two floors of the bench turn up to it. A low step of plaster was placed in the niche in front of the altar. Floors 3 and 4 of the gallery (Fig. 31.1) are continuous with this step and turn up to the altar. Phase IV. A turtle effigy cache vessel was placed in a pocket formed by the removal of a stone from the wall under the altar and the excavation of a shallow depression in Floor 2 (Figs. 31.1.8; 31.2e; 31.3q,r). A small piece of white shell was found in the earth which filled the vessel. Beneath the vessel was a subspherical bluish stone bead (Fig. 31.2h,2). An additional wall was then built across the niche, and the space between the new wall and the altar wall was filled with stones and earth (Fig. 31.1, 2d). A small Mayapán Redware cache vessel (Figs. 31.1.9; 31.2i), covered with a circular lid of the same ware, was placed in the fill behind the new wall.

Flatstones were laid across the front of the niches, raising the height of the step in front of the wall. Phase V. Walls were erected around the altar area, forming a shrine room. The doorway of the room is directly in line with the niche and the altar (Figs. 31.1; 31.2b,d). The walls incorporate columns of the gallery at the southwest and southeast corners. Floor 5 (Fig. 31.1) turns up to the shrine walls, but all other floors run under these walls. Description of the Shrine and Its Contents As indicated above, the shrine in its final form was a room with benches and an altar placed centrally and to the rear. A step in a shallow niche between the benches led up to the altar, which is made of well dressed stone, mostly of the Puuc type and definitely re-used, and which has a projecting molding around its three freestanding sides (Fig. 31.2a,b). The top of the altar was badly disturbed, perhaps through looting. No cache vessels were found in the cist under the altar, where one might expect to find something of the sort. If looting took place, it occurred before the collapse of the roof, since roof debris lay undisturbed on top of the altar. Perhaps the fragments of two small greenish-blue tripod cylinder jars found on the west bench were once part of an altar cache. (For illustration of a similar jar see Shook 1954, Fig. 10s. One of the tripod cylinders from the shrine is about 7.5 cm high and has an outside diameter of 4.5 cm). The cache vessels mentioned in the discussion of Phase IV, since they were not in the cist under the altar, may have been overlooked by the looters. Among the more important objects in the shrine was a large limestone turtle (Fig. 31.2j,k). The turtle is portrayed with gaping jaws, from which a face having the toothless, sunken jaws of Itzamna looks out, and has human hands holding unidentified objects. Flecks of white plaster adhere to the stone. If any other colors were used, they are no longer preserved. The turtle was sitting on the floor of the shrine with its head pointing northeast (Fig. 31.1.10). One might infer from its skewed position that the turtle had been removed from its original location. Perhaps it once was on the altar, and its removal was coincident with the disturbance of the altar top. Fragments of a restorable jar of Mayapán Red­ ware were found in the doorway of the shrine. When assembled, the jar was found to be a lidded cylinder on which was appliquéd a polychrome “diving god,” modeled from porous gray ware (Fig. 31.3o,p). The face of the figure is painted orange, and the hands

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Excavation of a Colonnaded Hall at Mayapán 31.2. Views of Str. Q-81 and Miscellaneous Objects a. Shrine and altar after excavation, from southwest. b. Shrine and altar after excavation, from south. c. Shrine doorway during excavation; effigy incensario in situ. d. View of shrine from southeast after removal of altar and part of secondary construction; note secondary walls and steps in central niche. e. Effigy cache vessel in situ in pocket in wall under altar (Figs. 31.1.8; 31.3q,r). f. Detail of trench through shrine; earlier construction under colonnade shows just below center of picture. g. Pestle, limestone, 7.7 cm long, 5 cm wide at bottom, Cat. no. 54-91, Lot C-70. h,1. Limestone “pot lid,” 17 cm in diameter, 2.5 cm thick at center, Cat. no. 54-82, Lot C-72. 2, bluish stone bead, 1.3 cm in diameter, 0.7 cm thick, Cat no. 54-92, Lot C 71a. 3, pink shell bead 0.6 cm in diameter, 0.1 cm thick, Cat. no. 548-3, Lot C-72. i. Cache vessel from fill behind late wall in central niche (Fig. 31.1.9). Mayapán Red Ware, although slip is darker than normal; lid is typical Mayapán Red Ware. Bowl is 5.5 cm high; orifice diameter 5 cm; neck and loop handles were removed before vessel was placed in cache; lid has diameter of 5.5 cm. Lot C-71a. j,k. Limestone turtle from floor of shrine (Fig. 31.1.10). Length 42 cm, width 25 cm, height 17.5 cm; Cat. no. 54-81, Lot C-72.

are red. The eyelids and a band around the mouth are green. The fact that no smudging was present on the inside of the jar suggests that it was not used as an incensario. Perhaps the most notable artifacts in the shrine were the human effigy incensarios. Seven incensarios were restorable at least in part, and fragments of many others were found on the floor of the shrine and on the benches (Figs. 31.1, 31.1.7; 31.2c; 31.3a–n). The incensarios were crushed in place by roof and wall debris which lay over and around them. The color is well preserved on all of them. Before proceeding to a description of the incensarios, one may note that similar human effigy censers have been found over a wide area from Chichén Itzá to sites in British Honduras (see Gann 1918, Fig. 67, Pl. 20; Gann and Gann 1939, Pl. 5; Lothrop 1924, Figs. 29c, 30, Pl. 9; Morley 1946, Pl. 85; Salisbury 1879:71– 89; Sanders 1955:214; Thompson 1897, Pl. VIII). Since Adams (1953:146–148) has already described the general appearance of the censers, we shall note only a few details which have been observed in the somewhat better specimens now available. As Adams has indicated, the censers consist of an effigy attached to a pedestal-based censer bowl. The effigies are usually portrayed standing erect, but in rare examples they are shown in a seated position. The effigies of our examples stand from 58 to 70 cm high, including their headdresses. The censer bowls, with their pedestal bases, are from 40 to 56 cm high, with an average of around 45 cm. The bowls have outside diameters of 17 to 20 cm, and the bases are around 15 cm in diameter. The bowls are normally undecorated, but a few bowl sherds showed traces of some sort of design applied in white paint. All the human effigy censers at Mayapán were decorated in a variety of colors, but it would seem that similar censers from the Corozal District of British Honduras are decorated only with blue paint applied over a white slip (Gann and Gann 1939:20). The censers from this district are considered to be

late in the area, since the sherds from them occur as surface finds on top of earlier structures. The slightly concave panel on either side of the effigy mentioned by Adams is part of the feather headdress represented in a highly stylized form. Adams’ statement on the construction and appearance of the effigies has been verified, except that the hand and arm position shows some variation. The forearms generally form a 90 degree angle with the upper arms and the body, but may come together so that the fingers touch in front of the body (Fig. 31.3j,k). The hands may have the palm inward, upward, or downward. In the group from the shrine, the palm is usually up, with a ball of copal resting in it. The copal is sometimes shown flaming. In other examples the hands hold an atlatl, an ear of maize, or an unidentified conical object (Fig. 31.3e,f,j,k). Pouches are sometimes suspended from the arms (Fig. 31.3h–k). A shield is attached to the left arm of one effigy (Fig. 31.3g). Some new details have been learned about dress from the shrine incensarios. The basic garments consist of an apron (maxtli), a sort of half skirt which covers the buttocks and sides of the thighs, an open coat, and a breastplate. Some effigies are shown with a wide, circular collar. The coats, half skirts, maxtlis, and shirts are painted in a variety of color combinations and designs, which probably represent the appearance of cloth. The only color not noted by Adams is white, which seems to be fugitive and is preserved only under ideal conditions. The breastplates are often elaborately ornamented with braid and appliquéd decoration. One breastplate consists of the Quetzalcoatl seashell motif with pendant bells (Fig. 31.3n). Each head has earplugs, the design of which varies somewhat, and bracelets of circular “jade” beads are sometimes worn around the wrists. Three basic styles of headdress have been observed. One style consists basically of a cylindrical bonnet, another is in the form of a helmet modeled

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Excavation of a Colonnaded Hall at Mayapán 31.3. Incenarios and Other Objects from Shrine of Str. Q-81. a,b. Incensario No. 1 (Fig. 31.1.1). Polychrome decoration. Face 31 cm high. Lot C-72. c,d. Incensario no. 2 (Fig. 31.1.2). Polychrome decoration. Effigy 58 cm high; bowl 43.5 cm high. Lot C-72. e. Hand holding atlatl. Polychrome decoration; hand is painted blue. From west bench of shrine. Arm and hand 17 cm long. Lot C-72. f,g. Incensario no. 4 (Fig. 31.1.4). Polychrome decoration. Hand ca. 7.5 cm long, holding maize; face ca. 16 cm high; effigy 59 cm high; bowl 40.5 cm high; orifice diameter 17.6 cm. Lot C-72. h,i. Incensario no. 5 (Fig. 1.5). Polychrome decoration. Effigy 55.5 cm high; bowl 47 cm high; orifice diameter 19 cm. Lot C-72. j,k. Incensario no. 6 (Fig. 31.1.6). Polychrome decoration. Effigy 62 cm high; bowl 44.1 cm high; orifice diameter 20.2 cm. Lot C-72. l,m. Incensario no. 7 (Fig. 31.1.7). Polychrome decoration. Face and panels ca. 46 cm high; orifice diameter of bowl 21 cm. Lot C-72. n. Incensario no. 3 (Fig. 31.1.3). Polychrome decoration. Effigy ca. 68 cm high. Lot C-72. o,p. Lidded jar from doorway of shrine. Polished red and buff slip, with polychrome “diving god” figure of Porous Gray Ware. Total height 24.5 cm; jar 16 cm high, orifice diameter 14 cm; lid 10 cm high, orifice diameter 14 cm. Lot C-72. q,r. Cache vessel from pocket in wall under altar of shrine (Figs. 31.1.8; 2e). Porous Gray Ware painted bluish green. Bowl 22 cm long, 17.5 cm wide, 9 cm high, orifice diameter 8 cm. Circular plug in bottom of bowl 2.5 cm in diameter. Figure on turtle’s head 13 cm high. Human face looks out of turtle’s mouth; object held by seated figure may be intended to represent flaming copal. Lot C-71a.

to portray a bird or other animal with gaping jaws, and a third form looks like a rectangular box. Though ornamentation varies considerably between and within the three styles, some elements are common to all. All headdresses observed have flaps which extend down to the shoulders and a funnel-shaped element at the top, and all are attached to elaborate featherwork. The featherwork usually varies only in color and minor details of pattern, but Incensario No. 4 has a strikingly different sort of feather headdress (Fig. 31.3g). The bonnet type of headdress consists of a cylindrical cap from which the usual funnel-shaped element rises. The caps and “funnels” are decorated with panels and stripes in a variety of color combinations. Ornaments (adornos) such as spikes, rectangular panels, and triangles are appliquéd on the headdresses (Fig. 31.3c,j). The helmet type of headdress consists of a representation of the head of a bird or other animal with an open mouth from which the face of the image looks out. In two examples the head is that of a jaguar (Fig. 31.3f,n). In one instance the head is that of an unidentified bird (Fig. 31.3b), and another head (Fig. 31.3,l,m) may be that of a bird, although the presence of human teeth makes its identification very much open to question. A variant form of the helmet headdress is found on Incensario No. 5 (Fig. 31.3h,i). The upper jaw of a serpent is attached to the headdress, but the effect is not that of the typical open-mouthed head of an animal. The decoration of the helmets is relatively simple. Appliquéd decoration was not used on the helmet proper, and solid colors predominate. The two jaguar headdresses, which were on the two incensarios in the doorway of the shrine, were painted orange with red lips. The bird headdress on No. 1 was painted green with red eyes and mouth, and the “bird” helmet on No. 7 had a cream-colored back-

ground on which were painted small designs in red. The eyes were blue, and the mouth was red with white teeth. Only fragments of the “box” type headdress were found in the shrine, so that its description must await the reporting of examples from other structures at Mayapán. The identities of the effigies have not been thoroughly analyzed, but some suggestions can be made on the basis of preliminary observations. Incensarios Nos. 1, 2, and 3 on the east side of the shrine have well modeled faces, very human in appearance and so alike in detail that one might suggest that they were made from a single mold (Fig. 31.3a–d,n). Incensario No. 3 has a breastplate in the form of a seashell, perhaps indicating some connection with Quetzalcoatl. Traces of paint on the face of No. 1 show that it was painted red and black, perhaps in a banded pattern. The face of No. 2 is orange with a curving red band; the eyelids, arms, and legs are painted red. The face of No. 3 is red and orange, and the feet were apparently black. Little can be said about Incensario No. 4 (Fig. 31.3f,g). The presence of fangs might suggest Chac (God B, following the classification of Schellhas 1904), but the protruding blue eyes and the sunken jaw seem to contradict such an identification. The last-mentioned element is more commonly associated with Itzamna (God D). The presence of a shield on the left arm and an ear of maize in the right hand does little to clarify the identity of the effigy. Perhaps one should note Morley’s comment that “. . . the ancient Maya conceived of some of their deities not only as a single entity but at the same time as composite or multiple in character. . . .” (Morley 1946:231). Possibly we have here a combination of attributes conventionally assigned to separate deities. The face of this particular image has whitish skin, blue eyes, orange eyebrows, and red lips surrounded by an

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Howard D. Winters orange area. The arms and feet appear to be painted white. The proboscis-like nose and curving fangs of Incensario No. 5 (Fig. 31.3h,i) are suggestive of Chac, the rain god. Perhaps again a duality in the nature of a god is indicated by the painting of the body of this effigy, the flesh of the right side of the body being painted red, and that of the left side blue. The face has orange eyebrows and lids, red lips, and white tusks. Incensario No. 6 (Fig. 31.3j,k) has the toothless, sunken jaws of Itzamna (God D), lord of the heavens. The hands hold an unidentified conical object, which was originally covered with rows of triangular spikes. Small red, white, and black designs under the eyes might be interpreted as tears. The face, hands, and feet are blue. The eyelids are orange, and the red lips are surrounded by an orange area. The face of Incensario No. 7 (Fig. 31.3,l,m), with its cutout eyes, may represent a mask. The mask has a very human appearance, and closely resembles Incensarios Nos. 1, 2, and 3. Fangs project from the lower corners of the mouth, and again we may be dealing with an effigy combining the attributes of more than one deity. The face is painted blue, with orange and green stripes on the cheeks. In summary, the effigies on the east side of the shrine (Fig. 31.1) have faces of quite human character, and one of them wears a Quetzalcoatl symbol as a breastplate. This group may be linked to Quetzalcoatl. The effigies on the west side of the shrine have combinations of attributes linked to Chac, Itzamna, and perhaps other deities. One of the effigies is probably a representation of Chac, and another, Itzamna. Temporal Relations of the Colonnaded Hall The fill under the floors produced no sherds from human effigy incensarios, a fact which indicates that the colonnaded hall was built before the introduction of this late form of incensario at Mayapán. The building may be later than the substructure of Str. Q-80 to the north. This conclusion is based on a very tenuous indication that the hall cuts into a layer of grouting in the passage between the two structures. Summary A colonnaded hall of conventional plan was built over an earlier structure of which little trace remains. It is possible that the bench around the sides was added after the hall was built. Such a sequence was not definitely established, however, and in other col-

onnaded halls the bench was built at the same time as the gallery. The bench contained a central niche, the rear half of which was later sealed off by the construction of a wall across the niche and the placing of an altar over the cist thus formed. Subsequently, another wall was placed across the niche, reducing it further in size. At the same time, two cache vessels were buried behind the new wall, one of them being placed in a pocket formed by the removal of a stone from the wall under the altar. The final phase of construction consisted in the erection of walls around the altar area to form a room or shrine. The top of the altar had been broken into, possibly in an attempt at looting, before the collapse of the roof of the structure. The shrine room contained seven partly restorable human effigy incensarios, a lidded jar decorated with a “diving god” figure, and a limestone turtle. Great quantities of incensario sherds were found on the floor and benches, and the restorable incensarios had been crushed in place by debris from the roof and walls. Materials Recovered The artifacts in the debris of the colonnaded hall would indicate that the building was a ceremonial structure. The sherds were preponderantly incensario fragments, and very few artifacts were found such as one would expect to be present in a structure primarily utilitarian in function. Artifacts and pottery are listed below. Whole vessels are described in the legends to the photographs. The pottery was analyzed by E. M. Shook. Lot C-70: fill over early construction (between Floors 1 and 2): pestle, probably fine-grained limestone (Fig. 31.2g); 66 small animal and bird bones; 5 fragments of obsidian flake blades; 2 flint chips; 2 fragments of unworked shell. Total sherds: 765; 76 Puuc period; 689 Mayapán period (unslipped 300, Mayapán Red 290, Hard Red 2, Fine Orange 4, Black-on-Cream 93). Lot C-71: fill between Floors 2 and 3: 2 obsidian flake blades; 9 fragments of small animal and bird bones. Total sherds: 47; 7 Puuc period; 40 Mayapán period (Unslipped 13, Human Effigy Type censers 4, Mayapán Red 21, Black-on-Cream 2). Lot C-71a: cache under altar: bluish stone bead, spherical, found under turtle effigy bowl (Fig. 31.2h,2). Two cache vessels (Figs. 31.2i; 31.3q,r). Lot C-72: general excavation in the colonnade and shrine: limestone “pot lid” (Fig. 31.2h,1); pink shell bead (Spondylus?), disk-shaped (Fig. 31.2h,3),

Excavation of a Colonnaded Hall at Mayapán found in disturbed fill in altar; limestone turtle (Fig. 31.2j,k); pottery “chile grinder,” cat. no. 54-84; 6 obsidian flake blades; 1 flint chip; 4 stalactites; 7 animal bones.

Total sherds: 3,993; 22 Puuc period; 3,971 Maya­ pán period (unslipped 265, Human Effigy Type censers 3,472, Mayapán Red 221, Red-on-Cream 2, Fine Orange 4, Black-on-Cream 7).

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 32 December 1955

Three Serpent Column Temples and Associated Platforms at Mayapán Howard D. Winters

temples, with particular attention to details pertaining to the serpent columns.

The temples and platforms discussed in the following report were excavated during the 1954 field season. The primary objective in the excavation of the temples was the gathering of comparative data on serpent column temples at Mayapán. Two low platforms in front of Strs. Q-143 and Q-218 were cleared as examples of a minor and little-known architectural type. The structural details of the platforms were worked out satisfactorily, and some interesting clues were obtained as to their use. Though it would be of interest to compare serpent column temples at Mayapán with those at Chichén Itzá, such a comparison is beyond the scope of this report. We shall limit the comparisons to the three temples reported herewith, and to Str. Q-58, excavated by Shook (1954: 254–258) in 1953. Strs. Q-143 and Q-218, with their adjacent platforms, were excavated by the author; Str. Q-159 was excavated by Pollock. Emphasis was placed upon clearing the debris from the superstructures of the

STRUCTURE Q-143 (270 S, 210 W) Str. Q-143, on the east side of a small court to the east of the Castillo (Str. Q-162), was a mound about 7 m high before excavation. The temple faces west, and is flanked on the north and south by colonnaded structures which abut its terrace walls. Investigations by E. Wyllys Andrews in 1942 had exposed parts of the front and medial walls of the temple, the tops of the doorway columns, and the serpent heads. The only area of the temple interior left unexcavated during the 1954 season was the south end of the shrine room. The pyramidal substructure probably has two terraces, but this point is not certain since the only excavation undertaken on the substructure was the uncovering of the balustraded stairway. If two

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Howard D. Winters terraces are present, the adjacent structures, Q-142 and Q-144, almost certainly were constructed in part over the lower terrace of Q-143. The stairway and balustrades are constructed of well cut stone, which seems to be almost entirely reused material (Figs. 32.1a; 32.3a). Much of this stone is sufficiently well dressed to warrant comparison with masonry of the Puuc type. No trace of serpent heads was observed at the foot of the balustrades. The walls of the superstructure still stand from 1 to 2 m high (Figs. 32.1a; 32.3e), except at the rear, where only a few courses of masonry are preserved. Parts of a battered basal zone were found on the exterior walls of the temple south of the south doorway and on the south side (Fig. 32.3b), presumably the walls rose vertically from the batter. No trace of a plinth was found anywhere around the superstructure. The outer walls of the temple are built of the usual rough slab masonry with interstitial chinking. Well dressed stone was used for the facing of the battered zone, the lower part of the front doorjambs, and the facing of the altar (Fig. 32.3b–d,f). The rear wall of the anteroom is constructed largely of well dressed, re-used stone, including several nicely carved pieces (Fig. 32.3f). The altar facing is dressed only on its outer and upper surfaces, and is probably dressed stone of the Mayapán type. It may be noted that in some cases the nicely cut and dressed stone is clearly re-used material of the Puuc type; in other instances, the decision as to whether the dressed stone is of Puuc or Mayapán type depends on rather subjective evaluation of the quality of the stone and the care taken in its dressing. Patches of two thick coats of plaster still adhere to the inner walls of the temple. Careful examination failed to reveal any trace of painting or other decoration. Large chunks of roofing plaster, averaging 0.15 m in thickness, were found in the debris filling the rooms of the temple. Underlying the plaster were many thin slabs of limestone. The flat upper surface of the plaster was invariably well smoothed. From this evidence, it may be inferred that the temple had a flat roof composed of a thick layer of plaster and thin slabs of limestone supported by wooden beams, all trace of which has disappeared. In its final form the temple had an anteroom and a shrine room to the rear. Access to the anteroom was provided by a triple doorway formed by the two serpent columns, and a wide doorway in the rear wall of the anteroom opens into the shrine room (Figs. 32.1a; 32.3k). The floor of the anteroom is raised above the level of the terrace, so that there is a low step in the front doorway, and a step down into the shrine room

(Fig. 32.3c). A similar elevated flooring was found in the outer room of the Castillo, Str. Q-162 (Shook 1955). A rectangular altar about 0.30 m high was in a central position against the rear wall of the shrine room (Fig. 32.1a). The altar was faced with dressed stone and filled with earth and rock (Fig. 32.3g). The floor plaster turned up smoothly over the altar face, forming a continuous surface over the top of the altar. Roofing debris was found inside the altar, and stones had been removed from the altar face, indicating that the altar may have been looted before the collapse of the roof. Interior arrangements differed somewhat in earlier phases of the temple. Four floors were found in a test made in the shrine room (Fig. 32.1a, section). The first and lowest of these was covered by 0.20 m of earth and rock fill, on which the three later floors were placed. The relation of the lowest floor to the present superstructure could not be ascertained in the limited test made. The second floor ran under the platform in the anteroom, a fact which shows that the stepped arrangement was a later innovation. Traces of an altar which had been ripped out were found on this floor in the same position as the later one, but the earlier altar had been somewhat smaller than the later. The last two floors run over the anteroom platform and under the medial walls which divide the anteroom from the shrine room. Thus it can be seen that there were three phases of alterations in the interior of the temple: 1. A single, evenly floored room was built, with serpent columns forming a triple doorway. A rectangular altar was placed against the rear wall. 2. A platform was built across the front of the room, and the earlier altar was replaced by a larger altar. 3. A medial wall with a wide central doorway was built at the rear of the platform, making a definite separation between the anteroom and the shrine room. A number of points should be noted about the serpent columns. The two tail pieces found on the platform indicate that the conventional rattles were placed on the tops of the pillars (Fig. 32.3h,i,k). The better preserved of the tail pieces has a dowel on its tip, indicating that an additional element was once present. The serpent heads, which were directly on the terrace floor, were not set against the columns, but about 0.70 m forward. The resulting space was filled with large and small stones, which were then covered with plaster, so that the heads were joined to the columns (Fig. 32.3k). The columns, like those of Strs. Q-159 and Q-218, are single shafts embedded in the rock fill of the terrace.

32.1. Strs. Q-143 and Q-146. a. Plan and section of Str. Q-143. b. Plan and sections of Str. Q-146. l. Base of statue (Fig. 4d,e). 2–4. “Ring stones” (Fig. 32.4d,e). c. “Ring stone” from Str. Q-146. Height 27 cm, max. width 20 cm, diameter of hole 7 cm. d. Drawing of painted decoration covering west side of buried platform under Shrine II of Str. Q-146.

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Howard D. Winters The heads, which are shown with gaping jaws, are not identical (Fig. 32.3j–l). The north head is 0.97 m long, the south head only 0.86 m. The north head has two shallow holes, 0.045 m in diameter, in the nose, and the south head has none. The nose of the south head is rounded, and the nose of the north head is blunt and squared off. The south head is approximately 0.52 m high; the north head probably was somewhat higher. The north head lacks the supraorbital carving present on the south head. Finally, the fangs on the south head are shown in relief, and on the north head are outlined by incised lines. Other minor differences might also be noted. Bits of painted plaster, which was applied to the heads and tail pieces as a very thin coating, give some indication of how the serpent columns must have appeared originally. The rattles of the tail (Fig. 32.3h,i) retain flecks of bluish-green paint, with red paint on the base of the tail. The sides of the tail were apparently bluish green from top to bottom. Fragments of bluish-green plaster were found in some quantity around the serpent heads. One fragment from the top and side of the body area between the head and the column was painted orange on one surface and green on the other. This would suggest that the top of the body was painted orange and the sides green. The third and fourth of the five coats of plaster on the south column have traces of green paint with indications of designs formed by black lines. Red paint was observed around the eyes of the south head and on the roof of the mouth of the north head. No trace of plumage was present on the sculptured surfaces of the heads, but one cannot rule out the possibility that plumage was represented by painted decoration on the plaster coating. The pottery, which was concentrated in the shrine room, was predominantly from human effigy incensarios. A sherd of Mayapán Redware found embedded in ceiling plaster indicates that a few sherds may have come from this source. A single subspherical bead of a dull greenish stone was found in the debris in the shrine room. Structure Q-146 (270 S, 225 W) Directly west of Str. Q-143 is a long platform standing about 0.30 m above the plaza floor (Fig. 32.1b). Since the platform is not centered on any adjacent structure, we are treating it as a separate unit. Before investigation it appeared as a raised area in the plaza, with an occasional section of the outer retaining wall exposed. The platform was covered by a thin layer of debris, and a few small trees and shrubs were growing on its surface.

When clearing was started on the platform, it was intended that excavation should be limited to obtaining a plan of the structure. The discovery of “ring stones” in situ and an earlier buried platform, however, led to more intensive excavation. Unfortunately, there was not sufficient time to work out all the details of construction and the temporal relation to adjacent structures. In its final form the platform consisted of a rectangular unit with projecting bays at the southeast and southwest. The asymmetrical plan was the result of the incorporation of separate earlier platforms into a unified structure (Figs. 32.1b; 32.4a). The retaining wall of the platform was constructed of well cut blocks of stone which may have been re-used. One upright stone was usually sufficient to give the wall its desired height, but in places two stones were used. The fill of the platform consisted of rocks and soil. Near the north end of the platform are two shrines (Figs. 32.1b; 32.4b,e), the sides of which are parallel rows of well dressed stone. Another low stone wall, perpendicular to the side walls, serves as a common rear wall for the two shrines (Fig. 32.4e). Shrine II on the west is entered by a low step, which apparently extended south beyond the shrine, forming a step along most of the western side of the platform (Fig. 32.4a, b). The side walls of Shrine I extend to the edge of the east retaining wall of the platform. Since the walls are only one stone high and there was very little debris over the shrines, one may suggest that there had been a superstructure of perishable materials with a thatched roof. Two unusual features were found in Shrine I, which is centered on the stairway of the serpent column temple, Str. Q-143, to the east. The first was the base of a limestone statue still retaining traces of red-painted plaster on the feet (Fig. 32.1b,1). Only the feet and the lower part of the limbs remained (Fig. 32.4d,e). The statue obviously had been moved, and may once have occupied a central position in the shrine. The second feature consisted of two “ring stones” incorporated in the rear wall of the shrine (Figs. 32.1b,2,3; 32.4,d, e). There are two possible interpretations of the relation of the ring stones to the shrine. The first is that they were originally part of the furnishings of the shrine, and that the rear wall was only two stones thick. Accordingly, the row of stones incorporating the ring stones was a later addition which made the rear wall three stones thick. An alternative interpretation is that the ring stones were set into the top of an earlier platform which exists under the shrine, and that they were incorporated into the later shrine wall at the time of its construction. Thus, the rear wall of the shrine

Three Serpent Column Temples and Associated Platforms at Mayapán would have been three stones thick in its original form. One might tend to favor the latter interpretation if the assumption is correct that a statue occupied a central position in the shrine. A third ring stone (Fig. 32.1b,4 and lc) was found near the northwest corner of the platform. There is some doubt whether it was actually in place, although it was in an upright position when uncovered. Any interpretation of the use of these ring stones must at present remain largely speculative. Perhaps men or animals which were to be sacrificed were tied to them. Several ring stones have been found at Mayapán, but it may be of particular interest to note that one was embedded in Floor 9 north of the Castillo, Str. Q-162 (Shook 1955). The base of the ring stony rested on a boulder in the fill between Floors 8 and 9, about 1.5 m from the bottom of the fifth step of Str. Q-77. The greater part of the top of the ring was missing, but it could not be ascertained whether this damage was associated with the laying of later floors or was accidental. On the central part of Str. Q-146 are four small rectangular platforms (A, B, C, and D in Fig. 32.1b). These small platforms are about 0.30 m high and are constructed of fairly well dressed stone. They may have served as bases for stucco figures, since stalactites, a stucco face (Fig. 32.4f) and a stone foot were found near them. The stucco elements found here, and in other excavations at Mayapán, suggest that the stucco figures may have resembled human effigy incensarios very closely. As was mentioned previously, Str. Q-146 incorporates earlier construction. The area designated as Q-146b in Figure 32.1b is one such earlier platform, with its north face almost entirely concealed by the later construction. Under the shrines at the north end of the platform is another earlier platform, rectangular in plan (Figs. 32.1b; 32.4c). The top of the early platform is only slightly below the surface of the later one, and was presumably covered only by the plaster floor of the shrines. The north and south faces of the platform are directly under the side walls of the later shrines. The east face is exposed, having been incorporated into the east face of the retaining wall of the large, late platform. An addition on the west subsequently changed the plan of the early platform from rectangular to square, with the north and south faces again, directly under the walls of the later Shrine II. Well preserved painted decoration was found on the west and north faces of the early rectangular platform, giving some idea of the original appearance of such platforms. The plaster on which the paint is applied forms a continuous surface with the plaza floor, and turns smoothly over the edge of

the platform (Fig. 32.4c). The decoration consists of a central band of light and dark red stripes, above and below which the plaster is painted a solid bluish green (Fig. 32.1d). We do not know whether there was earlier construction under the central part of the late platform, since there was no time to excavate in this area. The bay on the southwestern part of the late platform, however, suggests the possibility of an earlier platform adjacent to Q-146b. Structure Q-218 (330 S, 250 W) The temple Str. Q-218 is on the east side of a plaza and surrounding buildings that form a southern extension of the main ceremonial group. The structure faces west. At its northwest corner is the small building Str. Q-217, and to the west are the low platforms Q-218a and b (Figs. 32.2a; 32.5a). Small excavations had been made by E. Wyllys Andrews in 1942 around the serpent heads on the summit of the pyramid and in the north doorway of the temple. The investigation reported here included the almost complete clearing of the superstructure, excavation at the bottom of the stairs, and partial exposure of the first and second terraces on the north side of the pyramid. The substructure of an earlier pyramid was investigated by cutting through the terraces of Str. Q-218 at two places on the north side. A small test was also made at the puncture of Strs. Q-218 and Q-217. It was established that Str. Q-217 was of later construction, since it was built directly against the battered wall of the first terrace of the secondary substructure of Q-218. A considerable quantity of pottery and burned bone, both animal and human, was encountered along the east side of Str. Q-217, the bulk of the deposit consisting of a fine gray ash. The substructure of Str. Q-218, which is constructed of roughly cut slabs of limestone, has three terraces, the lowest of which definitely has a batter (Fig. 32.5d). The second terrace now rises vertically, but it has been shoved out and bowed considerably, and so may also have had a batter originally. Roughly shaped quarter-round stones are used to form the rounded corners of the pyramid. The fill underlying the terraces consists of rather neatly stacked slabs of limestone placed on the terraces of the buried pyramid (Fig. 32.5b). Clearing of the stairway on the west side was limited to uncovering the lower two steps and balustrades and the serpent heads at the foot of the balustrades (Fig. 32.5e). Both the steps and the balustrades are constructed of well dressed stone. The

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32.2. Strs. Q-218, Q-218 SUB, Q-218a and b, and Q-159 a. Plan and section of Strs. Q-218, Q-218 sub, and Q-218a and b. b. Cache vessel between sculptured stones west of Str. Q-218b; Porous Gray Ware, painted blue on exterior. Height ca. 5.5 cm, length without head 8 cm, orifice diameter 3.1 cm. Lot C-98b. c. Plan and section of Str. Q-159.

Three Serpent Column Temples and Associated Platforms at Mayapán stone in the steps is re-used material, but the rectangular blocks composing the balustrades may be dressed stone of the Mayapán type. The area directly in front of the stairway was leveled by footing composed of two courses of stone (Fig. 32.5e). At the foot of each balustrade is a serpent head which rests on a platform about 0.10 m high (Fig. 32.5e–i). Both well cut stone and roughly dressed slabs were used in the construction of the platforms. The north head is badly weathered, but seems to be identical in detail with the south one. The heads are portrayed with the conventional open haws, and the eyes are shown extruded from their sockets. Traces of red plaster were found on the roof of the mouth of the south head, and white plaster was noted on the tongue. No indication of plumage was seen. The space between the back of the head and the balustrade was filled with stone, which was presumably plastered over to form the body of the serpent. The platforms on which the heads rest cover the lower part of the balustrades, and must have been constructed somewhat later than the balustrades. The backs of the heads are concave, a point which perhaps indicates that they were once placed directly against columns. The relation of the heads to the floors of the plaza could not be ascertained. Directly in front of the stairway is a badly weathered altar or “sacrificial stone” shaped like a truncated pyramid (Figs. 32.2a; 32.5a). The altar, which rests on bedrock, stands 0.58 m above the plaza floor, and the dimensions of the partly destroyed top were approximately 0.32 by 0.29 m. At the rear of the pyramid summit are the poorly preserved remains of a temple consisting of a single room. Parts of the walls were standing on the north and west sides, but the east and south walls had disappeared completely. Most of the stone from the walls was scattered over the pyramid terraces, and the thin layer of debris on the summit consisted mainly of earth, ceiling plaster, and a few stones. A small quantity of sherds, including effigy incensario fragments, was found on the temple floor. The walls of the temple are constructed of rough slab masonry, and well dressed stone is used only in the facing of the battered lower wall zone, the doorjambs, the columns, and the facing of the altar. The altar facing is almost entirely reused stone of the Puuc type; the columns, battered wall facing, and doorjambs may be dressed stone of Mayapán type (Fig. 32.5j,k). Traces of three floorings were found in the temple, but these were so poorly preserved that they could rarely be related to architectural features. The lowest of the floors was on a layer of grouting approximately 0.14 m thick.

A triple doorway formed by the two serpent columns provides entry into the temple on its west side. A rectangular altar stands only 0.15 m behind the columns. Near the northwest corner of the building a section of battered lower wall facing is still standing (Fig. 32.5k). Since the exterior face of the walls was not preserved elsewhere, it was impossible to ascertain whether the batter was present on the back and sides. It presumably was restricted to a basal zone, with the upper part of the walls rising vertically. No evidence was noted for a plinth’s ever having been present. The serpent heads in front of the columns are badly damaged, with the south head the better preserved of the two (Figs. 32.4g,h; 32.5l). Very humanlooking hands project forward from the bottom of the heads, which may have been of the conventional serpent type with gaping haws. A strikingly similar arrangement is seen on a carved stone from Champoton, Campeche (Fig. 32.4k). A fragment of undecorated stucco was found on the under side of the north head. The heads were placed directly on the terrace floor, and a space of about 0.30 m between each head and its column was filled with rock, which was then covered with plaster. It is difficult to relate the heads temporally to the temple, but there were indications that two, and possibly three, coats of plaster had been applied to the columns before the serpents were placed against them. The floors on the terrace were poorly preserved, and the relation between the floors and the heads could not be worked out satisfactorily. It might be suggested, however, that the serpent heads were put in place somewhat later than the construction of the temple proper. Since the tail elements would almost certainly have been contemporaneous with the building of the temple, the delay in placing the heads might be explained by assuming that the heads were not finished until later, or that they replaced earlier pieces. Perhaps the heads at the foot of the stairs were originally against the columns. The upper part of a tail element was found on the southwest corner of the pyramid summit, and its base was found on the plaza floor off the southwest corner of the pyramid (Fig. 32.4i,j). Part of another badly weathered tail element was found on the terrace directly in front of the central doorway of the temple. Investigation of the rectangular altar behind the columns (Fig. 32.5j) showed that it had been filled with earth and a few rocks. A few patches of plaster surfacing remain on top, and at least one floor runs under the altar. The floor at the rear of the room was checked for traces of an earlier altar, but

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Three Serpent Column Temples and Associated Platforms at Mayapán 32.3. Str. Q-143 a. Stairway and balustrade from southwest. b. Battered basal zone and south doorjamb of temple from northwest. c. View looking into anteroom from northeast, showing south section of medial wall and step down into shrine room. d. South end of anteroom from north. e. North end of shrine room from south. North end of altar at lower right. f. South section rear wall of anteroom from west. g. Altar in shrine room after clearing, from northwest. Missing stones in face of altar had been removed before excavation. h,i. Serpent tail from between columns of doorway. Height 84 cm, max. width 33 cm. j. South serpent head from south. k. South serpent column from northeast. l. North serpent head from south.

if such an altar was present, all evidence for it has disappeared. An effigy tripod cup had been buried in the center of the altar (Fig. 32.4o). The vessel was filled with earth in which were three small shell beads, two of them disk-shaped, one rectangular. Just outside the central doorway was a concentration of obsidian chips, flake blades, and a single well chipped semicircular scraper. The obsidian seemed to be mixed with a thin layer of roofing debris and earth, but it may have been on a floor which has disintegrated. Three carved stones were found in the debris of the temple. One was a spade-shaped element of limestone (Fig. 32.4m) found in the debris off the northeast corner of the altar. The other two were molding stones of the Puuc “guilloche and pleat” type (Fig. 32.4l), found in the debris on the terrace in front of the temple. Examination of exposed portions of the buried pyramid, designated Str. Q-218 sub, showed that it was very similar to the later substructure. Rough slab masonry was used in the construction of the two narrow, battered terraces covered with white lime plaster. Crudely dressed quarter-round stones were used at the corners (Fig. 32.5b). The superstructure apparently consisted of a single room with a narrow plinth around it. Only the roof had been removed from the temple walls, which were then used as foundation for the later temple. Slab masonry, with an occasional well cut, re-used stone, was used in the walls of the room (Fig. 32.5c,d). The earlier temple was slightly larger than the one which covered it, but was probably very similar to it in plan. Excavation of the buried room was limited to removal of the upper part of the rock and earth fill at the north end of the room, and the only artifacts recovered were a few sherds. No plaster remained on the walls that were exposed. The fill over the buried substructure contained a fair amount of pottery, a few obsidian flake blades, and pieces of two flint blades or projectile points. A few incensario sherds were among the pottery, but these may be intrusive, inasmuch as the terrace floors had disintegrated.

Structures Q-218a and b (330 S, 265 W) Directly west of Str. Q-218 is a nearly rectangular platform with a bay projecting on its north side (Figs. 32.2a; 32.5a). The platform, which stands only 0.36 m above the plaza floor, is faced with well cut, re-used stone, and is filled with earth in which a few sherds were mixed. Many of the sherds may have penetrated into the fill from above, since the plaster surface of the platform has completely disintegrated. Str. Q-218a is faced with cut stone on all four sides, indicating that it was constructed before Q218b. The plaza floors have disappeared around Str. Q-218a, but are well preserved under and around Str. Q-218b. On the west side of the latter, four floorings of the plaza were identified, of which three run under the platform and the uppermost turns up to it (Fig. 32.2a, section). Thus, we can say that Str. Q218b was constructed rather late so far as the plaza floors are concerned, but we cannot infer how much earlier Q-218a is than Q-218b. The lowest two floors running under the platform may correspond to two floors found in front of the steps of Str. Q-218. The platform was trenched thoroughly, but no caches were discovered. A few stalactites were found on the surface of the platform, indicating that stucco figures may have been present. A pair of sculptured stones were set into the plaza floor about 0.30 m from the west side of the platform (Figs. 32.2a; 32.4n). The stones are set close together, and each has a groove running down its outer face. Since the upper part of the stones has disappeared, we can only suggest that they may have formed the lower limbs of stucco figures. Two small cache vessels had been placed between the two stones at their bases. The vessels were poorly preserved, but enough of each was restored to show that they were almost identical effigies of a toad or frog (Fig. 32.2b). They are reminiscent of an effigy vessel from Str. Q-71 (Adams 1953, Fig. 9c, left). When the four floorings of the plaza around the stones were examined, it was found that the stones cut through the lowest plaza floor, and that they may cut through the next floor as well. The upper two floors turn up to the stones. Since only the last floor of the plaza turns up to Str. Q-218b, the stones

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Three Serpent Column Temples and Associated Platforms at Mayapán 32.4. Strs. Q-146 and Q-218. a. General view of Str. Q-146 from northwest. b. Str. Q-146. Shrine II from west. c. Str. Q-146. West face of buried platform from southwest. A single stone in wall of addition to buried platform shows beneath wall belonging to Shrine II. d. Str. Q-146. Shrine I from north. “Ring stones” and base of statue in situ. e. Str. Q-146. Shrines I and II from east. Shrine I in bottom half of picture; Shrine II in top half. f. Str. Q-146. Stucco face. Height 13 cm, width 10.5 cm, thickness 9 cm; Cat. no. 54-255, Lot C-102. g,h. Str. Q-218. South serpent head on temple summit from north and from south. i,j. Str. Q-218. Serpent tail from south (?) serpent column. Tail is 96 cm, high, 43 cm, wide at bottom, 92 cm long. k. Sculpture of serpent head in restaurant (1951) in Champoton, Campeche. 1. Molding element from debris on summit of Str. Q-218. m. Str. Q-218. Limestone object from debris behind altar; 28 by 16.7 by 5.5 cm; Cat. no. 54-193, Lot C-96. n. Sculptured stones west of Str. Q-218b. Each stone is 32 cm high, 25 cm. wide. o. Cache vessel from altar of Str. Q-218. Porous Gray Ware; rear half painted white, front half light greenish blue, with features of the face painted red. Rim diameter 5.5 cm, height 10 cm. Lot C-96b.

must have been put in place before the construction of this part of the platform. Structure Q-159 (260 S, 300 W) The temple Str. Q-159 is directly south of the Castillo. The temple faces east, and is almost directly opposite Str. Q-143, described in the first part of this report. At the foot of the stairs on the east side is a low platform which is probably similar to the platforms Q146 and Q-218a and b adjacent to Strs. Q-143 and Q218, respectively. South of the southeast corner of the pyramid is a wall with a gateway leading to a shrine. West of the shrine is an atypical columnar building, and just beyond this is a small platform suggestive of living quarters. All these structures are above the level of the plaza floor. Excavation was concentrated on the uncovering of the superstructure, with minor digging at the base of the stairs and on the sides of the substructure. The substructure consists of three narrow terraces with battered walls and rounded corners formed by well shaped quarter-round stores. The second terrace has a batter of 0.15 to 0.20 m in a height of 1.40 m. The masonry of the substructure is of typical Mayapán slab type (Fig. 32.6a). A balustraded stairway constructed of well shaped stone is on the west side of the pyramid (Fig. 32.6b). The stairs have a width of 3.60 m between balustrades, and each balustrade is 0.38 m wide. At the rear of the pyramid summit is a temple consisting of a single room, with a triple doorway formed by two serpent columns (Fig. 32.2c). There was an altar at the rear of the room, but only the east face of this feature is preserved. The walls of the superstructure are in very ruinous condition, but sufficient portions of them remain on the east and south and at the southwest corner to permit reconstruction of the plan of the building. The temple has a battered basal zone at least on the east side, where the outer facing of the walls is preserved (Fig. 32.6c). Perhaps the batter ran completely around the structure, but this point must

remain in question. A plinth runs across the front of the building (Fig. 32.6d,e), but the sides of the temple are in too ruinous condition to ascertain whether the plinth was present on the other three sides. The walls of the temple are of typical Mayapán slab masonry. The plinth, jambs, one column, and the facing of the small platforms under the serpent heads are constructed of well cut, re-used stone of the Puuc type; the stone forming the battered wall zone and the altar facing may be dressed stone of the Mayapán type. Two floors were found on the terrace in front of the building. Only one floor could be identified in the building, but it may be that the upper floor had disintegrated completely. The one that is present runs under the altar. The floors consist of the usual lime cap over a layer of marl (sascab) and pebbles which is about 0.10 m thick. Underlying the floors is the loose fill of the pyramid. A serpent-tail base was found southeast of the north column of the temple, and its top was located on the side of the pyramid near the northwest corner (Fig. 32.6j,k). A dowel-like tip had been broken off the top of the tail. Another badly weathered tail of similar design was found at the foot of the pyramid near the southeast corner. Both tails are more elaborately carved than other examples observed at Mayapán. The stucco figures in front of the columns of the temple were placed on low platforms faced with reused, carved Puuc type stones which had been covered with a heavy coating of stucco (Fig. 32.6d–h). Large stones served as a sort of rough armature around which the stucco figures were modeled. The surviving parts of the stucco possibly portray an “earth monster” crouching, with the buttocks directly against the stone column at the rear. Since these figures are well to the rear of the platforms, there may well have been additional stucco work farther forward. Pollock suggests in his field notes that the figures in their original state may have consisted of a monster with open jaws, possibly containing a human face, and that the monster rested on the

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Three Serpent Column Temples and Associated Platforms at Mayapán 32.5. Strs. Q-218, Q-218 sub, and Q-218a and b. a. View from top of Str. Q-218 over plaza to west. Altar at center; trench through Str. Q-218b just beyond altar. b. Northwest corner of buried structure, Q-218 sub, from northwest. c. Str. Q-218 sub. Interior of buried room from southeast. d. Strs. Q-218 and 218 sub. Substructure from north. Terraces 1 and 2 of secondary structure in bottom half of picture; wall of buried temple at top center. e. Str. Q-218. Stairway and serpent heads from northwest. f. North serpent head at base of balustrade, from north. Head is ca. 95 cm long, ca. 45 cm high. g–i: South serpent head at base of balustrade from north, from northwest, and from west. Head is ca. 1 m. long, ca. 45 cm high. j. Altar and columns of temple from northeast. k. Battered basal zone and north doorjamb from southwest. 1. Serpent heads and columns on temple summit from southwest. Head at lower right is 92 cm long, 65 cm high.

back of a serpent with the usual gaping jaws placed at the front of the platforms. No evidence of painted decoration was seen on the stucco. A limestone turtle (Fig. 32.6p) with a hemispherical depression in its back was found in front of the altar. The turtle, which has a human head, was either directly on the floor or just above it. The presence of mortar on one side and on top of the head, however, suggests that it may have been set in masonry. Several sculptured stones were found in the course of excavation. A spool-shaped element (Fig. 32.6n) with deep depressions in each end was found between the stucco figures, just south of the serpent tail. One of the depressions has plaster in it. Another carved stone was found just north of the north column (Fig. 32.6l). Three “guilloche and pleat” molding stones were found in the debris, one of them at the foot of the stairway (Fig. 32.6m). Another oddly shaped stone (Fig. 32.6i), possibly a mask element, was also found at the foot of the stairway. A banded column altar of Mayapán type (Fig. 32.6o), found off the southeast corner of the pyramid, may be from Str. Q-159, or it may be associated with the shrine to the south. A large female figure and an animal “banner holder” were also noted near the southeast corner. The debris in the temple contained a single “jade” bead, a small tripod cup (Shook 1954, Fig. 32.10s, for illustration of a similar cup), and a quantity of sherds, many of them from human effigy incensarios. Comparison of Structures Q-58, Q-143, Q-159, and Q-218 In the following comparison, we shall attempt to point out the major similarities and differences among the three structures covered in this report and Str. Q-58 (Shook 1954:254–258). The substructures of Strs. Q-58, Q-159, and Q218 consist of two or three battered terraces, but the terrace walls of Str. Q-143 may rise vertically. The stairways on two of the pyramids face west, and on the other two, east. Well cut stone was used in all the stairs and balustrades. Str. Q-218, unlike the other

pyramids, has serpent heads at the foot of the balustrades, In front of each structure there are one or more low platforms or shrines. Strs. Q-159 and Q-218 each have a superstructure consisting of a single room. Str. Q-58 has a small enclosed shrine in the rear of the room, and Str. Q-143 has an anteroom and a shrine room, with the level of the anteroom higher than that of the terrace in front and the shrine room at the rear. Originally, Str. Q-143 had but a single, evenly floored room. Str. Q-58 is the only one of the four which has a shaft penetrating the pyramid from the floor of the temple. Mayapán slab masonry is used for the walls of the temples, but well dressed stone of Mayapán or Puuc type is used in the battered lower wall and altar facings, plinths, and door columns. The altars in Strs. Q-143 and Q-159 are placed against the rear wall of their shrine rooms, whereas the altar in Str. Q-218 is a freestanding feature placed very close to the central doorway of the room. Apparently Str. Q-58 had no altar. A battered basal zone has been noted on the exterior walls of Strs. Q143, Q-159, and Q-218, but the walls of Str. Q-58 rise vertically. Only Strs. Q-58 and Q-159 have a plinth. Each of the temples has a triple doorway formed by two columns, apparently surmounted by serpent tails. The carving on all the tails is quite similar, except for the examples found on Str. Q-159. The sculptured and modeled heads which abut the columns vary greatly in detail. The heads which Shook indicates as possibly belonging to Str. Q-58 were too badly damaged to permit any sort of detailed description. Str. Q-143 has stone serpent heads with gaping jaws and a body formed of rocks covered with plaster. The stucco figures on Str. Q159 are grotesques, possibly representing an “earth monster” astride a serpent’s back, the head of which may have been modeled in stucco in front of the monster. The heads on Str. Q-218 are probably of the gaping jaw variety, but have human hands. Like the serpent heads on Str. Q-143, these heads have a body consisting of rock covered with plaster. The serpent heads at the foot of the balustrades of Str. Q-218 are shown with gaping jaws, and have “extruded” eyes.

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Three Serpent Column Temples and Associated Platforms at Mayapán 32.6. Str. Q-159 a. Northwest corner of pyramid, from west. b. Foot of stairway and south balustrade, from northeast. c. South doorjamb and battered basal zone. d. View of temple from southeast, showing stucco figures, columns, and plinth. e. Stucco figures and columns from northeast. f,g. South stucco figure from south and from north. h. North stucco figure from south. i. Mask element (?) from debris at foot of stairway. Max. height 65 cm, max. width 38 cm. j,k. Serpent tail, presumably from north column. Height 70 cm, max. width 41 cm, thickness 21 cm. l. Carved element from debris in temple; 10 by 30 cm. m. Molding element found at foot of stairway; 20 by 44 cm. n. Spool-shaped element from between stucco figures. Height 27 cm; diameter at top ca. 23 cm; hole in top 12 cm in diameter, 12 cm deep. o. Column altar off southeast corner of pyramid. Max. height 56 cm, diameter 40 cm. p. Limestone turtle; 29.6 by 17.5 by 12.4 cm; Cat. no. 54-58, Lot C-66.

Low platforms were placed under the heads on Str. Q-159 and at the foot of the balustrades of Str. Q-218. All other heads were placed directly on the floor. Painted plaster was noted on heads and tail pieces from Strs. Q-143 and Q-218. Sculptured plumage was not found on any of the heads, but, as was suggested above, one cannot rule out the possibility that such details were painted on the plaster covering the sculpture. All the temples were probably in use late in the history of Mayapán, since sherds from human effigy incensarios were found on their floors. Though we cannot set up a uniform type of architecture for serpent column temples at Mayapán, we can suggest that the four structures have sufficient elements in common to be regarded as variants of a basic type. We would define the basic type of building as one which has a pyramidal substructure with two or more battered terraces, a single stairway, a super structure consisting of a single room with a battered basal zone around the exterior, and a triple doorway formed by serpent columns with sculptured or modeled heads in front of them. Painted decoration on the temples may have been limited to the serpent columns, although it is possible that the lack of paint on the wall plaster is the result of the disappearance of fugitive colors. Materials Recorded Artifacts and pottery are listed below. The whole vessels illustrated in Figures 32.2b and 32.4o are described in their legends. The pottery was analyzed by E. M. Shook. Str. Q-143. Lot C-101: in debris inside temple: bead, greenish stone, subspherical, 1 cm in diameter, 0.7 cm thick, Cat. no. 54-267; 1 obsidian flake blade. Total sherds: 1,339: 3 Puuc period; 1,336 Maya­ pán period (Unslipped, 11; Non-Effigy censers, 16; Human Effigy Type censers, 1,285; Mayapán Red, 21; Fine Orange, 1; Black-on-Cream. 2).

Str. Q-146. Lot C-102: in debris on surface of platform: stucco face (Fig. 32.4f); 16 stalactites; 8 fragments of modeled stucco; 2 animal bones; 1 obsidian flake blade. Total sherds: 641: all Mayapán period (unslipped 284, Human Effigy Type censers 241, Mayapán Red 114, Fine Orange 1, Black-on-Cream 1). Str. Q-159. Lot C-66: from debris in front of altar: limestone turtle (Fig. 32.6p); l jade bead, Cat. no. 54-59; 2 limestone hammerstones, cat. nos. 54-56, 54-57; modeled stucco. Total sherds: 653: all Mayapán period (Unslipped, 1; Human Effigy Type censers, 631; Mayapán Red, 21). Str. Q-218. Lot C-95: from fill over buried structure: blade tip, flint, 3.1 cm wide, 3.7 cm high, 0.8 cm thick, Cat. no. 54-197; projectile point fragment, flint, 1.8 cm wide, 3.7 cm high, 0.7 cm thick, Cat. no. 54-196; 42 fragments of obsidian flake blades; 1 obsidian chip; 3 unworked shells; 15 animal and bird bones. Total sherds: 811: 6 Puuc period; 805 Mayapán period (Unslipped, 308; Non-Effigy Type censers, 8; Human Effigy Type (?) censers, 40; Unidentified, 6; Mayapán Red, 420; hard Redware, 1; Fine Orange, 2; Black-on-Cream, 20). Lot C-96: in debris on summit of pyramid: obsidian scraper, semicircular in shape, 2.6 cm wide at base, 0.9 cm thick, Cat. no. 54-194; spade-shaped object of limestone (Fig. 32.4m); 21 obsidian flake blades; 3 obsidian chips; 1 flint chip. Total sherds: 205: all Mayapán period (Unslipped, 11; Noneffigy Type censers, 14; Effigy Type (?) censers, 163; Mayapán Red, 17). Lot C-96a: from fill in room of buried temple. Total sherds: 24: 15 Puuc period; 9 Mayapán period (Unslipped, 5; Mayapán Red, 4).

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Howard D. Winters Lot C-96b: contents of cache vessel (Fig. 32.4o) in altar: 3 shell beads, 2 disk-shaped, 0.5 cm in diameter by 0.1 cm thick, and 0.6 cm in diameter by 0.3 cm thick; one bead rectangular, 0.6 cm by 0.5 cm by 0.4 cm thick, Cat. no. 54-195. Lot C-97: surface material from debris on north terraces of structure: 4 stalactites; 4 obsidian flake blades. Total sherds: 288: 1 Puuc period; 287 Mayapán period (Unslipped, 90, Non-Effigy Type censers, 1; Human Effigy Type censers, 79; Mayapán Red, 109; Black-on-Cream, 8). Lot C-98: surface material from base of stairs, plaza, and platform on west of structure: 4 stalactites; 6 obsidian flake blades; 1 bottle green obsidian flake blade. Total sherds: 685: 10 Puuc period; 675 Mayapán period (Unslipped, 168; Non-Effigy Type censers, 1;

Human Effigy Type censers, 325; Mayapán Red, 174; Fine Orange, 3; Black-on-Cream, 4). Lot C-98a: from surface to bedrock at base of stairway, mostly below plaza floor. Total sherds: 106: 5 Puuc period; 101 Mayapán period (Unslipped, 37; Human Effigy Type censers, 2; Mayapán Red, 56; Black-on-Cream, 6). Lot C-99: from northwest corner of substructure at juncture with southeast corner of Str. Q-217, mostly from an ashy midden: 92 human, animal, and bird bones and shell fragments; 1 fragment of bone awl (?). Total sherds: 831: all Mayapán period (Un­slipped 265; Non-Effigy Type censers, 76; Miscellaneous censers, 93; Human Effigy Type censers, 104; Maya­ pán Red, 282; Hard Redware, 1; Red-on-Cream, 2; Black-on-Cream, 2; Fine Orange, 3; Cream ware, 3).

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 33 January 1956

A Dwelling and Shrine at Mayapán Ann Chowning and Donald E. Thompson

Strs. Q-165 to 168 are situated in the Main Group, southwest of the Castillo (280 S, 350 W). The two principal structures are Q-165 and Q-168 (Fig. 33.1). The former, described in a following section of this report, is immediately adjacent to a colonnaded hall on the east. To the west, Strs. Q-166 to 168 stand on a single L‑shaped platform. It was hoped that the chronological relation between these buildings and Str. Q-165 might be established, but the latter is built on a higher outcrop of bedrock and was not connected with the other structures by floors.

structure (Fig. 33.1; see Ruppert and Smith 1951:231). It occupies most of the shaft of the L‑shaped platform and faces east. In front of it is a small plaza, the terrace wall of which runs eastward from near the northeast corner of Q-168, then south toward Q-165. Another terrace wall supports the north side of Q-168. There are traces of what may have been a staircase on the north side of the plaza, which is roughly rectangular. A plaster plaza floor in fair condition extends under the front wall of Q-168, but the same or a later floor turns up to its exterior bench farther south. Q-168 was in poor condition, as the result of exposure and the building of a post‑conquest wall over its rear wall. The rear and side walls are low and constructed of rough masonry; the upper wall and roof were undoubtedly of perishable material. The front of the house is open, and faced with two parallel rows of stone slabs, set on edge; the back row is 0.05 m higher than the front one. The platform on

Structures Q-166, 167, AND 168 Ann Chowning Str. Q-168 As indicated above, the principal building of the three discussed here is Q-168, a simple dwelling‑type

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Ann Chowning and Donald E. Thompson which the building is set extends about two‑thirds of the way across the front of it; on its north side and for most of its length, it is a rough slab wall, but in front of the south passageway of the house. It becomes a low stone step, made of rectangular slabs laid flat. It is possible that this functioned as the entryway into the house, although the front wall is only 0.45 m high at other points. The front room contains three benches, two of them rectangular and the third L‑shaped. All were faced with a single course of rectangular stones, usually rough, but well cut, Puuc type stones were used for one side of the middle bench. Heights of bench faces vary from 0.17 to 0.50 m, sometimes on one bench. A medial wall, about 0.50 m high and composed of a double row of stones on edge, ran behind each bench. Two sets of roughly shaped jamb stones stood on either side of the passageways to the rear room; the jambs at the front corners of the benches face forward, and those on the medial walls face the passage. The back room is divided in two by a bench, 0.17 m high and faced on one side with one to two courses of well cut, flat stones, which fills the space between the medial wall behind the central bench and the rear wall. The depth of the debris in the northwest corner of the building suggests that a very crude bench may have stood there, but fall from the walls may also account for it. A broken metate rested at floor level in the debris. The plaster floor is well preserved in the other back room, in which a narrow passageway separates the medial wall from a small rectangular bench built against the rear. A wall across the end of the L‑shaped front bench apparently was extended here to meet the medial wall; the stone or stones were subsequently removed, but the turn‑up of the floor indicates their position. The narrow passageway just mentioned leads into a transverse room which contains two rectangular benches, one filling the southwest corner, and one, built against the end wall of the L‑shaped bench, in the northeast corner. Between the bench of the adjoining back room and the southwest bench of this room is a lower line of stones which forms the front of a curious construction, composed of four rows of stone, separated by loose fill, which interrupts the back wall and extends beyond it. At the rear it consists of several neatly laid courses of stone. Excavation inside it gave no clue to its use; presumably it was some sort of exterior bench. The lower of the two rows of stones across the front of the house ends just beyond the south wall of the front room, but the upper row continues to a point level with the southwest corner of the building. It is joined by a row of stones laid flat which extend, with interruptions, from the front edge of

the northeast bench in the transverse room. The two rows form a rounded corner and continue as a very low line of stones which ends 0.60 m short of the edge of the southwest bench and its side wall. There is some question as to whether this gap is a real doorway or not. The abrupt termination of the wall at the edge of the bench indicates that it is, but there are no jambs and very little room for them. A plaster floor extends through the doorway, but fragments of higher floors indicate that it belonged to an earlier period. It does at least show that there was once an opening here which postdated the construction of the southwest bench. The passageways and interiors of the benches were investigated (Fig. 33.1), but Str. Q-168 yielded little in the way of human skeletal remains. Except for a few bone fragments in the fill, including several in front of the north bench in the front room, the only burial found lay in the fill under the edge of the southwest bench in the transverse room (Fig. 33.1, Section C‑C’). The skeleton was that of a child of 11 or 12, and lay flexed on its left side, with its head and trunk under the edge of the bench. The pelvis and legs had been badly disturbed, and most of the lower bones were missing. There was no sign of a burial cist, and the body lay directly on dry fill. The burial clearly antedated the building of the bench. Near the neck were pierced cowrie shells, presumably part of a necklace, and sifting of the nearby debris yielded several other ornaments, including an engraved piece of flat bone, representing a serpent’s head and apparently meant to be glued or sewed to some sort of backing. Two bone awls, one of which was broken, and an obsidian arrowhead probably were also grave goods (Fig. 33.2h; see Lot A-265). Excavation also revealed that Str. Q-168 is at least the third building on this site. The earlier ones differed considerably in ground plan from each other and from the latest structure, though the earliest contained at least one L‑shaped bench. Partial destruction in the course of remodeling, and insufficient excavation, make it impossible to be sure of their plans. Each set of floors was replastered at least twice, and the floor level was built up by the addition of dry fill between the first and second and between the second and third buildings, so that the floor of Q-168 is considerably higher than the upper floor of the earliest structure (Fig. 33.1, Section A‑A’, D‑D’). Only one sealed lot was obtained; it lay between the first and second structures, and contained no Effigy Censer sherds, but only two Puuc period sherds (see Lot A-252). Most of the other lots from below the surface contained Effigy Censer sherds, and Red-onBuff sherds were found in the fill of the front and side rooms, and inside three of the benches. Although the

33.1. Strs. Q-165 to Q-168, Plans and Sections.

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Ann Chowning and Donald E. Thompson 33.2. Strs. Q-165 and Q-168. a. Str. Q-165. Interior of main shrine room from northeast, showing niche, altar, dais, and bench arrangement. b. Str. Q-165. Ossuary cist in front of altar, from southeast. c. Str. Q-165. Mayapán Red Ware pot from ossuary cist. Height 11.8 cm, diameter 13.0 cm. Lot A-445. d. Str. Q-165. Metate from interior surface of west room. Lot A-441. e. Str. Q-165. Bark beaters of fine grained limestone from interior surface of west room. Left: grooved on both sides; length 8.8 cm, width 5.3 cm, thickness 3.6 cm; Cat. no. 55-587. Right: grooves on one side covered with plaster, other side polished smooth as though used for rubbing stone; length 9 cm, width 7.2 cm, thickness 4.3 cm; Cat. no. 55­-586. Lot A-441. f. Str. Q-165. Pottery figurines from ossuary cist. Left: prob­ably female; has blue earplugs; measures 8.6 cm high. Right: probably male; left earplug outlined in black; two black or blue lines make a V from neck to belt, blue, black, and white maxtli; black armband; measures 10 cm high. Both figures plastered before painting. Lot A-445. g. Str. Q-165. Mayapán Red Ware pot lid and Unslipped Cinnamon Ware restricted orifice bowl containing cremation, from cave in west room. Diameter of lid 18.3 cm. Height of bowl 14.5 cm, max. diameter ca. 20 cm. Lot A-448. h. Str. Q-168. Artifacts associated with Burial 1. 1. Bone awl, 8.1 cm long. 2. Obsidian arrowhead, 2.9 cm long. 3. Orange and white shell pendant, 2.7 by 2.1 cm. 4. Shell tinkler, 2.3 cm long. 5. Bone carving of serpent head, 2.7 by 2.0 cm. 6. Broken awl, 4.7 cm long, max. width 0.9 cm. 7. Pierced cowrie shells, length 1.0–1.2 cm. Lot A-265.

lots were unsealed, the number of such sherds is so large as to make it appear unlikely that all of them were intrusive, especially in view of the fact that so few sherds of these types were found on the surface. They indicate that the construction of Q-168 dates from late in the Mayapán period. The end wall of the L‑shaped bench and the bench in the southwest corner of the transverse room dated from the second structure in that part of the building, where the building sequence differed somewhat from that of the main rooms; the wall behind the central bench dates from the second structure there. The present rear wall of the building is based on the level of one of the earlier floors, but is not connected with it. In its latest form, Str. Q-168 was undoubtedly a simple residential building. In addition to the broken metate already mentioned, several broken manos were found on the surface, including one of which the missing part lay inside Str. Q-165. Large pieces of heavy utilitarian pottery were scattered around the benches, and some pots seem to have been broken in place. Although censer and figurine fragments in the fill indicate that the fill was taken from a place in which some form of religious observance was practiced, sherds from human Effigy Censers are so scanty in the surface debris as to make it clear that no concentrated ceremonial activity was carried on in this building. There are no indications of a shrine. Except for a fairly large number of Fine Orange sherds, the pottery confirms the impression that this was a domiciliary structure of the humbler sort. Ashy midden debris, full of sherds and animal bones, was heaped against the terraces around the building. The proximity of this house to the more elaborate structures, Q-155 and Q-164, is its only outstanding feature, and it is likely that if housed retainers or servants of those who lived in the latter buildings.

The pottery from Strs. Q-165, 167, and 168 was analyzed by R. E. Smith. Materials recovered from the last are as follows: Lot A-250: surface material. 14 fragments of animal and bird bone; 3 shell fragments; 1 piece of coral; 3 broken manos; 2 hammerstones; 10 flint chips; 17 obsidian flake blades. Total sherds: 1,068: 354 Unidentifiable; 8 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (39 Effigy Censers, 23 Fine Orange, 1 Black-on-Cream, 1 Red-on-Buff). Lot A-252: sealed lot from below floors of second structure and penetrating below floors of first structure, in north passageway. 9 animal, bird, and fish bones; 1 fragment of human skull; 1 white shell disk bead; 1 ornament of cut white shell; 2 obsidian flake blades. Total sherds: 333: 48 Unidentifiable; 2 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (1 Black-on-Cream). Lot A-254: north passageway, above second set of floors and Lot A-252, and below upper floor level. 5 animal and turtle bones; 1 shell fragment; 3 flint chips; 2 obsidian flake blades. Total sherds: 257: 21 Unidentifiable; 5 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (1 Effigy Censer; 1 Black-on-Cream). Lot A-255: trench in transverse room, from latest to lowest floor. 1 animal and bird bones; 1 spiral shell; 4 shell fragments; 1 manos; 2 obsidian flake blades. Total sherds: 383: 39 Unidentifiable; 4 Puuc type, remainder Mayapán period (12 Effigy Censers; 4 Black-on-Cream or Buff; 3 Fine Orange).

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Ann Chowning and Donald E. Thompson Lot A-256: in central bench, front room, above floor under it. 1 fragment of greenstone celt; 1 fragment of human skull; 1 worked Redware sherd, possibly used for smoothing. Total sherds: 120: 14 Unidentifiable; 1 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (1 Red-on-Buff). Lot A-257: south passageway, upper level (above second set of floors, below top floor level). Total sherds: 31: 4 Unidentifiable; remainder Mayapán period. Lot A-258: south passageway, below Lot A-257, between lowest and second sets of floors. 1 bone fragment (human?); 1 shell fragment. Total sherds: 120: 3 Unidentifiable; remainder Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange). Lot A-259: inside exterior construction (bench?) at rear of building. 2 animal bone fragments; 2 shell fragments; 1 obsidian flake blade; 1 highly polished burnishing (?) stone. Total sherds: 89: 7 Unidentifiable; 5 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (2 Black-on-Cream). Lot A-260: in northeast bench, transverse room. 1 fragment of human skull; 1 shell fragment; 1 flint chip; 3 obsidian flake blades. Total sherds: 77: 17 Unidentifiable; remainder Mayapán period (6 Effigy Censers). Lot A-261: fill in front of south bench, front room, down to lowest floor, 1 broken mano. Total sherds: 31: 7 Unidentifiable; remainder Mayapán period. Lot A-262: in central bench, back room. 1 flint chip. Total sherds: 131: 34 Unidentifiable; 1 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (2 Red-on-Buff; 1 Fine Orange). Lot A-263: combined with Lot A-265. Lot A-264: in south bench, front room. 1 hammerstone (?); 1 flint chip; 1 obsidian flake blade. Total sherds: 88: 4 Puuc type; remainder Maya­ pán period (1 Fine Orange). Lot A-265: inside southwest bench, transverse room, and area around burial. Incomplete skeleton of a child of 11 or 12. Presumably associated with burial (see Fig. 33.2h); 6 pierced cowrie shells; 1 whole cowrie shell; 1 shell tinkler; 1 shell pendant; 1

bone carving of a serpent head; 2 bone awls (1 broken); 1 obsidian arrowhead, with expanding base and side and basal notches; 1 flint chip. In fill, probably not associated with burial: 43 animal, bird, and fish bones; 1 flint point; 1 drilled flint chip; 1 obsidian core fragment; 1 obsidian chip; 19 obsidian flake blades. Total sherds: 635: 77 Unidentifiable; 9 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (36 Effigy Censers; 5 Black-on-Cream; 1 Red-on-Buff; 3 Fine Orange). Lot A-266: trench parallel to front of north bench, front room, down to lowest floor. Small limestone carving (10 by 8 cm), probably of a monkey head; 1 flint chip; 1 obsidian flake blade. Total sherds: 339: 62 Unidentifiable; 8 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (21 Effigy Censers; 1 Black-on-Cream; 1 Red-on-Buff; 4 Fine Orange). Lot A-267: trench in front of central bench, front room. 5 fragments of animal bone; 1 shell fragment; 1 broken flint point; 1 flint chip; 1 obsidian flake blade. Total sherds: 87: 9 Unidentifiable; 2 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (5 Effigy Censers). Lot A-268: trench in transverse room parallel to the east bench. 11 fragments of animal and bird bone; 2 shell fragments. Total sherds: 462: 50 Unidentifiable; 4 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (19 Effigy Censers; 2 Fine Orange). Lot A-269: trench in front of north bench, front room, in front of wall at lowest level. Fragments of human bone; 1 jaguar tooth; 2 shell tinklers; 1 flint chip; 1 obsidian flake blade. Total sherds: 61: 5 Unidentifiable; 2 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period. Strs. Q-166 and Q-167 As has been mentioned, the platform in front of Str. Q-168 terminates in a low step. Another platform, faced with large flat stones set on edge, begins opposite the inner wall of the transverse room, and forms an exterior bench at that point. The platform continues 4 m beyond Str. Q-168, and intersects an earlier terrace wall which forms the short leg of the L. Between Q-168 and the end of this leg is the complex of benches and walls designated as Strs. Q-166 and 167 (Fig. 33.1, plan and Sections A‑A’, B‑B’). The plan of Q-167 is uncertain, and it is possible that more than one structure is represented. One part

A Dwelling and Shrine at Mayapán of the structure centers about an L‑shaped bench. Its back (north) wall is an extension of the terrace wall, and it is evident that the short leg of the L‑shaped platform is earlier than the long one. In front of the bench is a small rectangular platform or step of plaster, with ill defined edges; The sides of the bench are badly fallen, but there are traces of a west wall which extends south of the bench and meets a wall that is parallel to the front (south) of the platform. This last wall ends abruptly 0.70 m from the corner of Q-166, and the break may be the door­way of the room. The construction of the bench indicates that, unlike the surrounding structures but like the colonnaded hall next to Q-165, Str. Q-166 faced south, away from the Castillo. The walls enclose a sloping plaster floor which is lower than any of the floors around it, and if the wall is correctly re­constructed, this portion of the structure was cut off from the others or entered by a step‑down. However, a low transverse bench connects the rear of the L‑shaped one with another large bench built near or against the end wall of Str. Q-168. Two of the walls of the last bench are clearly defined, but on the side adjacent to Q-168, a line of well cut stones lies at a sharp angle to the rest of the bench. The stones rest on loose rub­ble, and although they were laid in place deliberately, it is not certain that they mark the edge of the bench. A single column drum forms its northwest corner; there were no other drums. If the bench actually extended to the wall of Q-168, the postulated doorway to the latter structure would have been almost blocked. Across from the small connecting bench is a squarish bench. Between the latter and the wall of Q-168 are the remains of the plaster floor which continues into Q-168 at a lower level than the latest floor there. No trace could be found of a wall behind this floor or behind the square bench. The area between the four benches consisted of soft, ashy earth mixed with stones and containing lenses of pure ash. Below the floor level, as indicated by the bases of the benches, two or more large striated pots, broken in place, lay in a deposit of ash. A similar broken pot lay immediately below the plaster floor between Q-168 and Q-167. Structure Q-166 lies on the end of the short leg of the L‑shaped platform. The platform continues east to a point level with the southwest corner of Str. Q-165, and then turns south, forming a right angle. Traces of two plaster floors, covered by midden debris, were found between the base of the platform and the abrupt rise in bedrock on which Q-165 is built. The terrace wall runs south for 4.7 m, and then turns again (Fig. 33.1). It is built up to form a wall across the south side of the structure. The continuation of the wall is not clear, but the abrupt change in

floor levels between this structure and Q-167 indicates that there was at least a retaining wall between them (Fig, 33.1, Section B‑B’). A rectangular bench, with walls along the south and east sides, extends from the east side of the platform, and indicates that the structure faced north to the small plaza. It could have been entered directly from the platform in front, but there are also indications of a doorway, with a wide jamb, between the bench and the rear wall. The platform wall visible behind the adjacent parts of Q-167 could not be found here. Two fragments of human bone lay in the debris just outside the doorway. The surface remains from Strs. Q-166 and 167 were treated as a unit. The earth in these structures and around them was extremely ashy and contained many fragments of animal bones. Some of the debris probably originated in Q-165. Of the identifiable sherds, only 69 came from Effigy Censers, and many of these were found in the debris tossed over the edges of the terrace. Several lay just beyond the end wall of Q-168. One moldmade figurine head was found behind Str. Q-165, and may come from it. Although no hearth was identified, the heavy deposits of ash, types of pottery, and general midden debris suggest that these structures were outbuildings attached to Str. Q-168 or possibly directly to Q-165. It is noteworthy that the debris is much thicker in and around these buildings than in Q168. Possibly the fill of this part of the terrace was midden debris from elsewhere, but the sherds in it do not seem to be notably earlier than those in Q-168. If these buildings were used primarily for the preparation of food, while Str. Q-168 served as sleeping quarters, the heavier accumula­tion in the former would be explained. Whatever the exact function of this group, it was almost certainly not ceremonial. The contents of the lots are as follows: Lot A-251: surface of Strs. Q-166 and 167. 65 fragments of animal and bird bone; 7 fragments of turtle plastron; 5 shell fragments; 1 bivalve shell; 1 limestone “polishing stone”; 1 spherical stone; 1 mano fragment; 2 worked pieces of pottery; flint tool (?); 10 flint chips; 2 obsidian cores; 1 obsidian chip; 28 obsidian flake blades. Total sherds: 3,389: 806 Unidentifiable; 16 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (69 Effigy Censers; 19 Black-on-Cream; 12 Red‑on‑Buff, 7 Red‑and‑Sepia‑on‑Buff, 27 Fine Orange). Lot A-253: Str. Q-167, below floor level in upper part of structure. 5 fragments of animal and bird bone; 2 obsidian flake blades.

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Ann Chowning and Donald E. Thompson Total sherds: 699: 44 Unidentifiable; remainder Mayapán period (1 Black-on-Cream; 1 Fine Orange).

Structure Q-165 Donald E. Thompson As previously noted, Str. Q-165 lies between a long colonnaded hall, Str. Q-164, and a residential group, Q-166 to -168. It was hoped to discover the function of Q-165 and to determine whether it was primarily associated with the hall or residence. Although this hope was not fully realized, the structure proved interesting and a fairly good guess as to its association was possible. Str. Q-165 is divided into two adjoining rooms connected by a doorway (Fig 33.1). The main room faces the same small plaza as the residential structure, Q-168. The smaller room to the west opens in the opposite direction but gives ready access to Strs. Q-166 and 167 and the southern end of Q-168. As already seen, the former two small structures seem to be associated with Q-168. The colonnaded hall faces south the same direction as the west room of Q-165. Since, as will be brought out later, the smaller room of Q-165 seems to have served as a kitchen and the main room as a family shrine, the association of Q-165 with the residential structure, Q-168, seems the most likely, though the group as a whole could be as­sociated with the colonnaded hall. The main room of Str. Q-165 is approached by three steps. It is built of fairly good masonry, especially the benches. Although badly disturbed in some places, notably the back wall, which has fallen below bench level, its essential plan and section were easily determined. Much of the roof debris had washed away from the benches, but on the floor of the room it was present to a depth of about 0.52 m, and consisted largely of the characteristic chunks of plaster which indicate a beam and mortar roof. On the central axis of the structure the two L‑shaped benches gave way to a niche and a higher altar. In front of the niche a small dais of the same height as the niche protruded into the room and slumped down and forward. The slumping of the dais and the absence of floor on the central axis suggested a collapse of the foundations of the floor and led to the discovery of an ossuary cist in front of the altar (Fig. 33.1, Section E‑E’). The ossuary cast, 0.93 m deep from floor level, was built of crudely dressed stone. The floor and walls of the cist were completely covered with plaster. Aside from sherds, it contained 5 burials with 1 pot and 2 figurines as grave goods (Lot A-445;

Fig. 33.2b,c,f). Two of the burials lay face up, fully extended in opposite directions, on an east‑west axis, and the other three were clustered on the front side of the cist. The three dislocated burials could have been put in disarticulated, or have been disturbed by looters, or, most likely, have been pushed aside to accommodate the two burials which were well articulated. This whole room bears a remarkable resemblance to Str. Q-172, reported and discussed at length in Thompson and Thompson (1955), and most likely served as family shrine and tomb. The one feature which sets it apart from Q-172 is the singular lack of large and numerous incensario sherds, the only fact which argues against a religious function. Near the doorway leading from the main room to the west room of the structure two mano fragments, a hammerstone, and a higher proportion of pottery were found (Lot A-442). This fact is understandable in view of the richer debris in the west room. The west room is built of much poorer masonry than the other chamber, and the floors too are in worse condition. The artifacts in the various lots from this room are listed in full below, as it is the quantity and type of artifacts that suggest that the room may have served as a kitchen. In one sheltered spot by the north wall of the west room a small segment of floor was found which corresponds in height to the floor of the main room. It seems likely, then, that at one time the floor levels were the same. Below this level, the fill was dark and ashy and very rich in pottery, bone, and artifacts. In one corner of the room the sherds of at least 3 porous gray ware jars were found, broken probably by wall or roof fall (Lot A-441). At a lower level in the room, fragments of a second floor were found sloping from below the eastern doorway toward the center of the room (Fig. 33.1, Section F‑F’). At the narrow opening to a cave in the bedrock below the chamber, the rock was plastered, and to the south a low bench ran part way across the room. Since the bench is only slightly below the lowest discovered point on the lower sloping floor, it seems likely that they once joined and that the entrance to the cave was a few centimeters deeper, surrounded by low walls reaching to floor level. Directly above the floor in the south part of the room a partly disturbed burial was found lying with its head almost due north. The long bones were out of position, but the arm bones suggested flexing rather than full extension. No grave goods were found. In the west part of the room two burials, the upper badly disturbed, were encountered in a small natural pit in the bedrock. The lower burial was tightly flexed with its head to the west. Possibly

A Dwelling and Shrine at Mayapán associated grave goods included one jade bead, one shell bead, two attractive oliva shells, and one drilled shell (Lot A-447). Near the center of the room a small natural opening leading down to the previously mentioned cave had been artificially widened to a size large enough to admit a man (Fig. 33.1, Section F‑F’). The cave was natural and no marks of excavation tools were found on its rough, jagged walls. When the room had been filled to build the upper floor, one large slab and two smaller ones had been placed over the opening, thus keeping out most of the fill, though fine dirt had managed to trickle in through various cracks. Because of the small dimensions of the cave, excavation was difficult, especially when burials were found. The uppermost burial was in poor condition and disturbed. The head was to the west, and the confined quarters necessitated flexing. The next burial below was undisturbed, with its head northwest and body flexed. The deepest burial had its head almost due north and was undoubtedly flexed, though the long bones were badly disturbed, probably by the later burials. On the east side of the cave a restricted orifice bowl, broken but complete and in very large pieces, was found to contain cremation ashes, both human and animal and probably turtle (Fig. 33.2g). Very near by and facing the mouth of the bowl a Mayapán Redware pot lid was found. Although it did not fit well, it was probably used as a top (Fig. 33.2g). The cave could have been used for burials before or after the construction of the room above it. In any case, the first floor of the room was arranged to give access to the entrance of the cave. Later, a floor, level with that of the main room, was laid, and the subsequent burials on top of the bedrock and of the first floor were made at the time of this latest floor, or later. From the quantity and type of artifacts found in the room, and the very ashy fill, it is inferred that at some time subsequent to the lower, and probably also the upper, floor the room served as a kitchen. Chowning, in her discussion of Strs. Q-166 and 167, concludes that one or both of these structures may have served as kitchens. Q-168 seems definitely residential. The main room of Q-165, because of the direction it faces, is thought to have served as a shrine and burial place for the residents of Q-168. The adjoining room, if it was a kitchen, may have been used for the ritual preparation of food for the colonnaded hall or for persons secluded in the adjacent shrine room. Strs. Q-166 and 167, then, would have served the regular needs of the residents of Q-168. It is possible, though by no means sure, that the whole group, Q-165 to 168, housed persons connected with the colonnaded hall.

The pottery from Str. Q-165 was analyzed by R. E. Smith. Materials recovered from the excavations are as follows: Lot A-440: exterior surface. 1 spindle whorl with incised geometric design; 1 hammerstone; 14 obsidian flake blades; 10 flint chips; 4 shell fragments; 68 animal, bird, and turtle bones. Total sherds: 1984: 412 Unidentified; 12 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (100 Effigy Cen­ sers; 33 Black-on-Cream; 36 Red-on-Buff and Redand-Black-on-Buff; 14 Fine Orange). Lot A-441: interior surface of west room. 1 metate (Fig. 33.2d); 1 fragment of torso of pottery figurine; 1 worked long bone; 1 shell tinkler; 1 conch shell trumpet; 1 obsidian core; 6 mano fragments (the other half of one found in Str. Q-168, Lot A-250); 4 hammerstones; 2 bark beaters (Fig. 33.2e); 2 fragments of conch trumpets; 1 bone awl; 1 fragment of stone pendant; 1 polishing stone; 1 crude pottery head; 1 stucco amulet; 1 antler fragment; 5 shell fragments; 2 flint chips; 8 obsidian flakes. Total sherds: 2,177: 339 Unidentified; 11 Puuc type; re­mainder Mayapán period (63 Effigy Cen­sers; 14 Black-on-Cream; 9 Red-on-Buff and Red-andBlack-on‑Buff; 5 Fine Orange). Lot A-442: interior surface of shrine room. 1 fragment of rocker stamp; 1 hammerstone; 2 mano fragments; 2 animal bones; 1 obsidian flake blade fragment. Total sherds: 259: 60 Unidentified; remainder Maya­­pán period (17 Effigy Censers, 1 Fine Orange). Lot A-443: Under poor floor in west room. Total sherds: 87: 3 Unidentified; 2 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (2 Black-on-Cream). Lot A-444: level in west room deeper than A-441 but not sealed. 1 drilled pig’s tusk; 1 shell pendant; 4 hammerstones; 1 obsidian scraper; 1 side scraper; 1 egg‑shaped stone; 1 rubbing stone; 41 obsidian flake blade fragments; 4 obsidian chips; 1 flint chip; 4 shell fragments; 36 animal and bird bones. Total sherds: 1,371: 132 Unidentified; 21 Puuc type; re­mainder Mayapán period (13, Effigy Censers; 37 Black-on-Cream; 1 Red-on-Buff; 21 Fine Orange). Lot A-445: Ossuary cist in front of dais in shrine room; not sealed. 1 pot (Fig. 33.2c); 2 figurines (Fig. 33.2f); 7 obsid­ian flake blade fragments; 7 animal bones.

431

432

Ann Chowning and Donald E. Thompson Total sherds: 910: 111 Unidentified; 6 Puuc type; re­mainder Mayapán period (54 Effigy Censers; 9 Black-on-Cream; 6 Red-on-Buff; 5 Fine Orange).

Black-on-Cream, 2 Red­-and‑Black‑on‑Buff; 4 Fine Orange).

Lot A-446: below floor level of shrine room; not sealed. 2 flint chips; 2 shell fragments; 3 obsidian flake blade frag­ments. Total sherds: 207: 30 Unidentified; 7 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (4 Effigy Censers; 2 Black-on-Cream; 1 Fine Orange).

Lot A-449: surface by rear terrace wall. 2 stone balls; 3 flint chips; 1 tinkler fragment; 2 obsidian flake blade fragments; 65 animal, bird, and turtle bones. Total sherds: 1,769: 398 Unidentified; 1 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (70 Effigy Censers; 2 Black-on-Cream; 3 Red-on-Buff; 17 Fine Orange).

Lot A-447: small cist in bedrock in west room. Artifacts possibly associated with burials found therein. 1 jade bead; 1 drilled shell; 1 shell bead; 2 whole shells. Total sherds: 7: all Mayapán period.

Lot A‑X50: under dais behind ossuary cist in shrine room; sealed. 1 flint chip; 1 obsidian flake blade fragment. Total sherds: 52: 6 Unidentified; remainder Mayapán period (7 of Effigy Censers).

Lot A-448: deep cave in west room. 1 Mayapán Redware pot lid (Fig. 33.2a); 1 restricted orifice bowl containing cremation (Fig. 33.2a). Total sherds: 473: 29 Unidentified; 6 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (6 Effigy? Censers; 6

Lot A-451: lowest 10–20 cm in cave in east room; below undisturbed burials. 1 bone awl; 1 bone needle. Total sherds: 89: 1 Unidentified; 1, Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (43 Black-on-Cream).

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 34 February 1956

A Round Temple and Its Shrine at Mayapán Ann Chowning

Mayapán (Tozzer 1941:25; cf. Jones 1952, Square Q; Proskouriakoff 1953, Fig. 1; Shook 1954:17 and Fig. 1). It seems evident, however, that Landa was referring to a building in the Main Group. In the course of excavation of H-18, the surface of the structure, except for parts of two staircases, was completely cleared. Investigation of earlier constructions was confined to the exposure of part of the exterior of a buried substructure, and a narrow trench inside the west doorway of the temple. The Itzmal Ch’en group is set on a natural knoll which is highest at the center of the plaza. The area had been built up so as to form a relatively level plaza floor, but even at the latest period, the base of Str. H-18 is only 20 cm above bedrock. A plaza floor was laid down here, apparently before any structure was built; it is visible under the west side of H-18, and traces of it appear under the east side. The plan of the lowest structure found is uncertain, and it will be considered in relation to what was presumably

During the 1955 season at Mayapán, the small ceremonial group in Square H, next to Cenote Itzmal Ch’en, was partially excavated and mapped. The original purpose was to remove enough of the overburden so that the plans of the buildings would be evident, but preliminary excavation of one of the structures, H-18, revealed so many features of interest that it was investigated in more detail (Fig. 34.1). Str. H-18 stands near the center of the plaza and is depicted on the map of Mayapán as a round structure facing and connected with the large pyramid, H-17, to the north of it (Jones 1952). Excavation revealed no physical connection between the two structures. The superstructure and upper part of the substructure of H-18 were badly fallen, but in spite of the debris there were indications of four doorways. This fact was particularly interesting because none of the three round buildings in the Main Group agrees in this respect with the report in Landa of a “building of a round form, with four doors” at

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34.1. Strs. H-18 and H-18a. a. Plan and sections. b. Str. H-18a. Stucco figure. c. Str. H-18a. Sculptured stone after removal of stucco.

A Round Temple and Its Shrine at Mayapán the second structure erected in the middle of the plaza. This second structure was a square platform, with its sides oriented to the cardinal directions (Fig. 34.1). Its height was about 1.7 m but on the east, where bedrock is not so high, the walls are based on a slightly lower level. The construction of the walls shows minor variations from one side to another; on the east, the lowest course consists of rectangular stones averaging 15 by 35 cm, above which are narrower, roughly cut stones, laid in mortar and chinked with small stones. A heavy layer of plaster, much of which still remains, covered this wall. The central section of the upper part is intact on the east and west sides. On the west, it consists of a line of dressed stones, 10 cm high and set back 5 cm from the lower part of the wall, surmounted by rectangular stones, 40 cm high which rise vertically and flush with the lower line (Fig. 34.2b). Both sections of this cornice are composed of re-used, plain, Puuc type stones, including boot-shaped vault stones. The lower course is covered on top by a heavy layer of smooth plaster, which extends almost the depth of the stone, and the outer surface of both sets of stones is covered with plaster. The eastern cornice is similarly composed of two layers of Puuc style stones, but in this case the lower course, which is again 10 cm high, projects 10 cm from the face of the wall below it. The upper course, which is only 35 cm high, is set back 10 cm at the bottom and then slants forward so that the top is even with the front of the lower course. This slant is perfectly regular and seems to be intentional, despite the fact that there is no sign of it on the other side. The projection of the lower stones continues only to a point which apparently marked the edge of a staircase, and beyond that the lower course is flush with the bottom of the upper one (Fig. 34.2c,d). Some stones of the lower course are again topped by a layer of plaster, which curves forward over the front surface of the stone. On neither side, however, is there any indication in the dry fill behind the wall that this ever represented the top level of the platform. On both sides, the stones of the upper cornice were occasionally surmounted by a narrow stone which would bring the whole to the proper height. Even more interesting than the difference between the two sides is the fact that there is no sign of a similar cornice on the north and south. It is difficult to be certain, because the top level is missing on those sides except behind the south stairway, and all corners are partially destroyed. On the north side, however, the level of the crude Mayapán masonry is so high that if a cornice existed, it could have been no more than 35 cm high, and on the south side, the masonry behind the stairs is uniform, although

it is reasonably certain that the cornice continued behind the stairs on the east and west. Any explanation of this phenomenon leaves the structure curiously unbalanced. Either there never were cornices on the north and south, or they were removed so that the Puuc type stones could be re-used, and the walls were built up again with Mayapán masonry. This latter theory hardly explains conditions behind the south stair; there is no reason to think that there was a cornice there but it is possible that the cornice began on either side of the staircase. As has been indicated, this platform had a staircase on each side. Only the south one was left intact by later remodeling; the others are represented by fragments of their balustrades. The south staircase is notable for the relative width of its balustrades: 0.75 m of the total width of 1.75 m. Several Puucstyle stones were used for narrow steps, which are still covered with two layers of plaster (Fig. 34.2e). The top step is at the level of the top of the platform, and projects only 6 cm from it. The tops of the balustrades are unfortunately missing; it is assumed that they were composed of square blocks of masonry. The other staircases differed somewhat in size (Fig. 34.1), the north one being almost 2 m wide with narrower balustrades. They seem to have been well centered on the terrace walls, but the fragmentary condition of the latter makes this point difficult to judge. There is a well-defined rectangular hole in the plaza floor under the west staircase, but excavation in it yielded only sterile earth. Two replasterings of the plaza floor turn up to these staircases. No trace remains of the superstructure which belonged to this platform, if there was one. Eighty centimeters below the top of it, however, a wellmade plaster floor covers about four square meters in the central and west parts of the structure. Beyond this area, the floor continues as hard-packed earth, which, as far as could be ascertained, extended to the wall of the platform. There was no obvious change in the masonry at this level, such as would indicate that the earlier height had been increased, and attempts to find the same floor in other parts of the platform were inconclusive. Resting on this floor, almost exactly in the center of the platform, is a crude three-sided crypt which faces west. Its back is formed by a column drum set on edge, and the sides and top are crudely constructed of unshaped stones, laid without mortar. The inner space, 38 cm wide, 40 cm deep, and 45 cm high, was empty except for eight obsidian flake blades which lay inside and in front of it. Either this is all that remains of an earlier structure, of unknown dimensions, or it was a subterranean crypt contemporaneous with the platform. The fill of the platform, which is composed of large

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A Round Temple and Its Shrine at Mayapán 34.2. Str. H-18. a. View from north. North stairway under debris in foreground; top of inner substructure visible on left. b. View from west. Cornice of inner substructure visible behind west stairway. c. View from east. Cornice of inner substructure visible behind top of east stairway. d. East cornice of inner substructure. e. Buried south stairway of inner substructure, from west. f. Masonry pier from west, with altar in place; east jamb of north doorway of temple on left. g. Masonry pier from south. h. Interior of temple from southeast, showing north doorway and east niche in masonry pier. i. Stone turtle with glyphs on back, found by northwest corner of substructure. Measures 25.0 by 18.2 by 10.7 cm. Cat. no. 55-307, Lot C116.

stones including column drums, and contains very little dirt and pottery, now shows no indication of steps leading down to the lower level, but they may have been removed when the structure was remodeled. In any case, the use of the crypt is unknown. In the next stage, parts of the upper courses and the staircases of the earlier platform were torn out; all the corners are at least partially destroyed. Another platform, about a meter wider on three sides, and almost two meters wider on the south, was then constructed around it. The increased size of the platform on the south made possible the retention of the inner staircase. Only on the north side is the inner wall complete enough for its original dimensions to be retained. The cornerstones of the outer platform are large, roughly rectangular stones set on end, and similar large stones, laid on their sides, form part of the lowest course of the wall (Fig. 34.2a,b). One of these was 1 m long, and half as wide. In other parts of the wall the lowest course, like the upper ones is composed of long flat stones; averaging 10 cm by 20 to 35 cm, laid in mortar with very little chinking. No trace of wall plaster remains. At this time, a crypt was built in the north side of the platform (Fig. 34.1). One wall was formed by the wall of the buried platform, and another by the east balustrade of its north stairway. The north wall is the wall of the outer substructure, which was laid at this point so that an inner row of cut stones faced the crypt. The east wall seems to be composed of stones from the inner platform; they interlock with the stones of the north and south sides, and are laid in mortar. The crypt apparently was not plastered, and the plaza floors within it had been destroyed and replaced by a layer of uncut stones, in which was included a large conch shell, broken at one end. Above this layer were four skeletons, complete except for two skulls and three mandibles. This is particularly interesting because the top two vertebrae of each skeleton were present, indicating that the skulls were removed after the flesh had decomposed. Sherds, including many from a Mayapán Redware grater bowl, were mixed in the dirt and small stones around the bones. Above them was another layer of stones and loose plaster, and above that eleven more skeletons. The bodies were well articulated, but

every skull was out of place, and in only one case was the mandible articulated with the skull. Stones, dirt, sherds, and the bones of small animals filled the crypt. There were no grave goods, unless a stalactite which had been plastered and painted with a curvilinear design in light green, black, and red was such. A broken stone figure and a large piece of molded plaster were the only other artifacts in the crypt. No complete pots were included. All the bodies were those of adults, except one, which was that of a boy in late adolescence. Both sexes and a wide age range were represented, and most but not all of the skulls seem to have been deformed (occipital flattening), though the fragmentary condition made it impossible to be certain in many cases. The bodies were all flexed, usually rather loosely, and lay on side, back, or stomach, or in an intermediate position. The crypt widens slightly from top to bottom, but its maximum length is 1.1 m, and its width varies from 46 to 65 cm. The bones are piled to a height of less than 1 m, including the layer of stones above the bottom skeletons. It is obvious that the bodies could not have been put in simultaneously, since the perfect articulation of hand and foot bones and vertebrae makes it evident that the flesh had not rotted when they were buried. It is most likely that they were added one or two at a time, and dammed down on the bodies below them, which became broken and disarranged in the process (only two complete long bones were recovered from the crypt). There was no indication of a removable capstone for the crypt, though one may have existed, but the finding of bones between the stones of the outer wall indicates that some stones may have been removed in order that the bodies might be put in. The lack of ceremony with which they were treated, and the fact that this crypt is directly opposite a shrine, Str. H-17a, in front of which stands a stone of the type thought to have been used for human sacrifice, suggest that this was the repository for the victims. Around the base of the substructure runs a step 30 cm wide, composed of a row of flat rectangular stones laid edge to edge to form a strip 15 to 20 cm wide, behind which is a fill of small unshaped stones. The step has been heavily plastered twice. It is 14 cm high, and the plaza floors turn up to it. After this step

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438

Ann Chowning 34.3. Str. H-18a. a. Bench h remains of feet in front of it, from south. b. Hands of stucco figure which stood in front of bench. c. Shrine with stucco figure inside, from north. d. Stucco figure as found inside shrine, from west. Carved stone visible between legs. e. Sculptured stone slab after removal of stucco, from west. f. Offerings found around sculpture. Lot C-122. Upper row: burned jade bead found between legs (Cat. no. 55-225); jade bead found by head (Cat. no. 55-222); pottery turtle from effigy censer; burned jade bead found between legs (Cat. no. 55-223); incised jade bead found on left side (Cat. no. 55-224). Diameter of largest bead (Cat. no. 55-222) is 2.0 cm. Lower row: pink-and-white shell bead found on left side (Cat. no. 55227); black-and-white shell bead found by head (Cat. no. 55-228); gray shell ornament found on left side (Cat. no. 55-226); pink-and-white shell bead found by head (Cat. no. 55-227). Diameter of bead at right is 0.8 cm. g. Offerings found under sculptured slab. Lot C-137. Two jade beads (Cat. nos. 55-501 and 55-502), and copper fragment. Length of larger bead (55501) is 2 cm.

had been constructed, staircases were built on each side of the platform. The south and west ones were completely cleared, and the other two were examined sufficiently to reveal their features. The south staircase is the largest, being 3.25 m wide, although it only faces a colonnaded hall, Str. H-15. The shrine near its foot may have contributed to its importance, however, if its size has any significance. The terrace in front of the temple is also widest on this side. The east and west staircases are of approximately the same width, but the east one is very much off center. The north staircase is the smallest, being 2.5 m wide. All four differ in such details as width and degree of slant of the balustrades, which end in wellcut stones. On the south side, the second plaza floor from the top is well above the base of the bottom step, and there are indications on the west side that the plaza floor was replastered at least three times after the building of the substructure. Unless the top steps of the staircases were inset, the outer substructure was at least 20 cm lower than the inner one, and since the full height of the buried platform was retained as a base for the superstructure, it is likely that there was a plinth around the temple. The buried platform was covered with a thick plaster floor which extended well beyond its edges; on the west side it is preserved for a distance of 35 cm. No trace remains of the plinth, if there was one, but the other circular buildings at Mayapán rest on circular plinths (Proskouriakoff 1953, Fig. 34.1; Shook 1954, Fig. 34.1). If the plinth here was circular, it would account for the removal of the upper courses of the earlier platform only at the corners, since these would be outside the circle and on a lower level (Fig. 34.1). On top of the floor which covered the earlier platform, a round temple was built (Figs. 34.1; 34.2a,b). Although the temple does not extend beyond the edges of the buried platform, it definitely postdates it. The walls are badly fallen; the maximum height is only 63 cm above the floor, and in most places it is considerably lower. The shape of the temple is an irregular circle, flattened on the north side. The wall

is a double row of fairly long, thin stones, set in mortar with a little chinking. It is 55 cm thick, and broken opposite each staircase by a doorway. These vary in width, but except for the west one, which now is only a gap, are well marked by their jambs. These are composed of rather small Puuc type stones, possibly those removed from the cornice of the buried platform. The most complete jambs each consist of two rectangular stones about 35 cm high, placed side by side and surmounted by one or more longer stones laid lengthwise (Fig. 34.2f,h). A column drum set on end may have functioned as one jamb of the east doorway, or may simply have backed it. A little to the east of the center of this building a stone column, composed of drums 45 cm in diameter, was erected. It now stands less than 1 m high, but drums found in the debris which filled the temple and spilled over the sides indicate that it may once have been twice as high, in which case it probably helped support a flat beam and mortar roof. The depth of plaster and stone inside the temple indicates that the roof was of this type. After the column was erected, it and the floor around it were plastered twice; both floors turn up to the column (Fig. 34.1, sections). Only traces of these two floors remain, but they show signs of burning in the area south of the column. The final step in the building of the temple was the construction of a stone and plaster pier, possibly conceived as a miniature temple, around the column (Figs. 34.1; 34.2a–c,f–h). Though irregular in shape, varying in diameter from 1.06 to 1.24 m, it is basically circular. It stands on a circular plinth, 20 cm wide. Flat stones covered with plaster were laid around the base of the column and act as supports for the walls. The latter are composed of uncut flat stones, laid in mortar and chinked. The whole construction now stands 92 cm high, and probably was higher originally. There is no indication as to whether it reached the ceiling. The upper part of the pier shows no sign of a projection or other roof feature to carry out the design of a miniature temple, nor was any paint visible on the smooth plaster which

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Ann Chowning completely covered the stones. Four open niches, backed by the central column, face the doorways of the main temple. They seem to have had plaster floors which were destroyed, possibly in a search for offerings. The niches are in the form of doorways; their jambs are large rectangular stones set on end and placed so that the niche narrows from front to rear (Fig. 34.2g). In some cases a small flat stone rests on top of the jamb; on it or directly on the jamb is the lintel, a single rectangular stone spanning the niche (Fig. 34.2f–h). All but one of these were in place. The niches vary somewhat in size, the north and south ones being 38 cm high, the east and west ones 45 cm. In front of the south niche lay the pieces of a plain censer and a weathered limestone carving, possibly of a monkey, with tenons on its back. The north and south niches face slightly west of the cardinal directions, so that three niches seem to be crowded toward the west side of the structure. The west niche is by far the largest, being 45 cm wide, and it seems to have been built especially to accommodate a wellmade, round altar which stood in front of and partly within it (Figs. 34.1; 34.2b,f,g). The altar, 72 cm high and 48 cm wide, is carved of hard limestone in the shape of a ball set on a circular pedestal which narrows at the base. When found, it rested on loose fill, the floor all around it having been broken, but the shakiness of its position and traces of plaster on its base indicate that it originally stood on the floor and was later moved, perhaps by looters who sought a cache beneath it. One polished jade bead was discovered well down in the fill below it. The masonry pier seems definitely to have been designed to hold the altar, but the destruction of the floor makes it impossible to be sure whether the altar stood here before the pier was built. Very little pottery was found inside the round temple, and it is possible that most ceremonial activity was carried on outside it, perhaps because there is so little space inside. As in the case of the round temple excavated by Shook (1954:18), there is no evidence of the frequent replasterings of the floors and walls found in many Mayapán temples. Fragments of Human-Effigy censers were scattered around the base of the substructure, but they were not heavily concentrated at any point. A badly weathered stone carving of a turtle, possibly with a human head, lay by the northwest corner of the substructure; its back seems to have been decorated with glyphs (Fig. 34.2i). Two fragments of carved stone rings were also found by the substructure. Little except pottery was found below the surface of the structure, but it is interesting that effigy censers, which appear late in the Mayapán period, are found in only one of these lots. This is from the fill under the round

altar, which otherwise, according to Shook, contains pottery of “fairly early Mayapán period.” The combination probably resulted from the fact that the lot contains sherds incorporated into the late plaster floor as well as those included in the earlier fill, though the breaks in the floor might also account for it. All the lots differ from those obtained by Shook from the other round temple, Str. Q-214, in that the pottery from H-18 contains a much higher percentage of sherds of the Puuc period, and, in the surface lot, a much smaller proportion of sherds from effigy censers (see Shook 1954:20–21). The earlier parts of Str. H-18 may date from fairly early in the Mayapán period, but there is no evidence that a round structure was associated with them. The pottery in the lots listed below was analyzed by E. M. Shook. Lots are listed in presumed chronological order. Lot C-132: sealed lot inside substructure, between inner floor and plaza floor (below Lot C-124), 1 obsidian flake blade; 1 flint blade or tool. Total sherds: 43: 4 Puuc type; remainder Maya­ pán period (6 Black-on-Cream). Lot C-13: fill of outer substructure. 1 stone turtle fragment; 2 obsidian flake blades. Total sherds: 118: 16 Puuc type; remainder Maya­ pán period (4 Black-on-Cream). Lot C-124: fill between floor of round temple, under altar and floor inside substructure. 27 obsidian flake blades; 1 jade bead; 2 fragments of uncorked shell; 2 bird bones; 1 fragment of limestone mano. Total sherds: 234: 6 unidentifiable; 15 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (52 of Human-Effigy censers, 13 Black-on-Cream). Lot C-126: burial crypt. Human, animal, bird, and fish bones; 1 large conch shell; 1 obsidian flake blade; 1 broken stone carving (seated figure?); 5 fragments of modeled and painted stucco; 1 painted stalactite. Total sherds: 132: 3 Puuc type; remainder Maya­ pán period (2 Tulum or East Coast incised Red­ware, 1 Black-on-Cream). Lot C-116: surface of temple and substructure. 1 carved stone turtle (Fig. 34.2i); 2 fragments of carved stone rings; 1 carved stone monkey (?); 3 obsidian flake blades. Total sherds: 345: 1 unidentified; 8 Puuc type; re­mainder Mayapán period (86 of Human Effigy censers, 2 Black-on-Cream).

A Round Temple and Its Shrine at Mayapán Trenches were dug from Str. H-18 to two of the buildings which it faced, but in both cases plaza floors were so fragmentary that it proved impossible to establish chronological relations between the structures. This was particularly true in the case of the main structure of the group, H-17. Two plaza floors were visible between H-18 and the east colonnaded hall, H-16. The upper one ran under the outer substructure of H-18, but was broken beyond that point. It stopped 1.6 m short of H-16. The lower floor, which ran under H-16, did not reach to H-18. Both floors were broken, and neither turned up to a structure; they only indicate that H-16 was built on an earlier plaza floor than was the latest substructure of H-18. Lots from the trenches were separated into those from above and those from below the plaza floors, but breaks in the floors prevent the latter from being pure samples. The contents were as follows: Lot C-134: between Strs. H-18 and H-17, below plaza floors. Total sherds: 52: 11 Puuc type; remainder Maya­ pán period (16 of Human-Effigy censers). Lot C-129: between Strs. H-18 and H-17, above plaza floors. Total sherds: 46: 1 Puuc type; remainder Maya­ pán period (22 of Human-Effigy censers). Lot C-136: between Strs. H-18 and H-16, below plaza floors. 1 obsidian flake blade. Total sherds: 56: 5 Puuc type; remainder Maya­­ pán period (14 of Human-Effigy censers, 1 Black-onCream). Lot C-135: between Strs. H-18 and H-16, above plaza floors. Total sherds: 49: 1 Puuc type; remainder Maya­ pán period (27 of Human-Effigy censers, 1 Red-onCream; 3 Black-on-Cream). Structure H-18a One meter southwest of the south staircase of Str. H-18 is the small structure, which probably functioned as a shrine, designated as H-18a (Fig. 34.1). It is composed of three contiguous parts, all built directly on the plaza floor. Nearest to H-18, but facing away from it, a low stone bench, 1.5 by 0.75 m, is based on a plaza floor which seems to correspond to the one that runs under the staircase. The present height of the bench is 45 cm; the top is covered with flat stones, but there is no trace of plaster, and it may

once have been higher. The sides of the bench are composed of well cut stones covered with plaster. A low step, made of flat stones covered with plaster, projects from the south side, and on it are the remains of two pairs of feet made of stucco modeled over stone (Fig. 34.3a). Evidently two figures had stood in front of the bench or been seated on it. One of them was removed in ancient times, but the remains of the other were scattered in front of the bench. Only the hands were identifiable; made of limestone covered with stucco, they grasp hemispherical objects (Fig. 34.3b). The statue may have been broken up deliberately, or may have collapsed in the course of time. After this bench was built, another plaza floor, which turns up to it, was laid down. A second construction was erected on this, 60 cm west of the bench. It consists of two rectangles side by side; the walls are composed of a single row of stones, many of which are roughly triangular, set on end, and the centers are filled with dirt and small stones. The use of this is purely conjectural; it may have formed a companion bench to the first one, but it was much more crudely made, and apparently had no step in front of it. The south side stands on a higher plaza floor than does the north side, and therefore seems later (Fig. 34.1, Section C-C’), but the floors in between are so poorly preserved that the exact relation between the two sides could not be determined. The sequence of plaza floors indicates that this was also the period during which the carving that is the principal feature of the shrine was set in place. Three early plaza floors end so abruptly that they seem to have been cut through, in order to leave a space about 1.3 m square just south of the second construction (Fig. 34.1, Section C-C’). A thin layer of dirt covers the bedrock, and two fade beads had been deposited in it, presumably as an offering. A tiny piece of copper may have been included accidentally (Fig. 34.3g). Then a carved stone slab, 90 by 85 by 20 cm, was laid down and kept level by the insertion of small stones under the ends and larger stones between it and the edges of the plaza floors. The slab is roughly rectangular, but rounded at the corners, and is of hard, fine grained limestone, of much better quality than that commonly used for carving at Mayapán. The main part of the sculpture is badly chipped and worn, but it clearly depicts a squat anthropomorphic figure in fairly high relief, lying so that its elbows and knees form right angles (Figs. 34.1c; 34.3,e). All that remains of the head is a rough stone circle with a large hole through it, and it is impossible to be sure whether the figure is prone or supine; the position of the hands, which seem to be palm

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Ann Chowning upward, may indicate that it lay on its back. It is, of course, possible that the stone was originally designed to be stood on end, so that the figure was standing or falling in the so-called “Diving God” posture. The hands are empty, and the wrists are encircled by a carved line. Another line runs just behind the toes, which are depicted side by side in an anatomically impossible position. An incised pattern on the abdomen (?) is of unknown meaning, but on one elbow is the clear depiction of a crude, stylized death’s-head, its gaping jaws facing the hand. Sections of similar toothy jaws are still visible on the other elbow and one knee; the other knee is chipped but presumably bore a similar design. Death’s-heads on the joints do not characterize any known Maya deity, but Proskouriakoff has pointed out their presence on the Aztec “Earth Monster.” This figure may be another example of the worship of Mexican gods at a late date in Mayapán history; or the motif may have been added to a Maya god. On either side of the figure, between the arms and legs, a large serpent head is carved in low relief. The two heads differ in details, but, in contrast to the crudity and lack of grace of the central figure, both of them exhibit the scrolls and flourishes of serpent heads of the Classic Maya period. The usual elongated eye, however, is replaced by a large circular hole, surrounded by an incised line. The holes pierce the stone, and presumably had some function, perhaps that of containers for offerings. There are no signs of burning on the sides, and they were empty when discovered. The bodies of the serpents, in higher relief than the heads, cross between the legs of the central figure, and the tails, each of which ends in two stylized rattles, are carved on the ends of the stone (Figs. 34.1c; 34.3e). There is no indication, however, that the rattles were visible when the stone was in this position, and it seems likely that the carving was originally exhibited elsewhere, and was placed here only as a basis for a later stucco sculpture (Figs. 34.1b; 34.3c,d). The plaza floor reached the edge of the stone only after the addition of the stucco sculpture (Fig. 34.1, Section C-C’). This plaster floor covers the flat stones which were placed around the edges of the slab, and also covers large flat pieces of a pottery altar or box. This lay at the flot of the slab, and under the pottery were two jade beads, both of which had been burned (Fig. 34.3f). The floor which covered these is the one on which the south side of the second “bench” is built; on the other side of the shrine, it turns up to both earlier parts of the structure, and also to H-18. The stucco figure, with which the floor blends, follows the contours of the stone one as far as the torso and upper parts of the limbs are concerned, but the arms and legs have been elongated by the

addition of uncarved stones beyond the edges of the slab (Fig. 34.1b). The stucco is thick, and almost as hard as stone. A thin black coating on the slab may be paint or smoke, or some sort of foundation for the stucco. In many places the stucco was badly damaged or destroyed as the result of exposure and root action, and the head and hands were completely missing. Details of the costume were still fairly clear. The figure wore a one-piece tunic-like garment, made of horizontal strips of tabs with notched edges which may represent feathers. Traces of red paint were visible on this and on a button on the shoulder. The rest of the shoulder ornament was destroyed, but a flaring cuff still remained on one wrist. A band encircled the thigh, and some sort of ankle ornament was worn. The feet are not shod with sandals; they are arched, with parallel lines running the length of them, and may be claws rather than human feet. On each knee and elbow, facing the hands and feet, is modeled a large death’s head. These are toothless and much more detailed than those carved on the stone, but obviously represent the same thing. The holes in the serpents’ eyes were left open, but the rest of the carving was covered by the plaza floor and by stucco which looks like pure decoration, or a winglike element from elbow to waist, rather than an attempt to duplicate the snake motif. Except where the holes exposed it, the stone was entirely hidden. Plume-like pieces of stucco modeled over stalactites lay between the legs and in the hole through the stone head, and may be the remains of a headdress. The hole in the head, which is much cruder than the eye holes, may have received the tenon of a raised head, which probably faced sideways or toward the feet, since the face would be invisible otherwise. The complete absence of any other trace of the head indicates that it was removed deliberately. After the stucco figure had been modeled, another very thick plaza floor was laid down around Str. H-18a and the south stairs of H-18. It was probably at this time that one of the figures in front of the bench was removed. Subsequently a threesided enclosure was built around the upper part of the stucco figure (Figs. 34.1; 34.3c). It consists of a double row of rectangular stones set on edge, and one corner of it hides part of the step in front of the bench and the remains of feet on it. The outer part of the north wall is formed partly by the edge of the second “bench” and a continuation of it which linked the two early structures; this part is based on a lower level, and an earlier plaza floor turns up to it. The wall ends near the waist of the figure, and the stone actually touches it on one side. If there were an upper wall and a roof, they were of perishable materials.

A Round Temple and Its Shrine at Mayapán There is a space above the head of the figure which was filled with at least three layers of plaster that produced a sort of plain step or low altar, about 14 cm high. This was badly damaged by roots, but there was no great accumulation of pottery on it, and the difficulty of entering the enclosure without stepping on the figure makes it likely that ceremonial activity was concentrated outside the wall. This supposition is borne out by the extremely heavy deposit of pottery, mostly sherds from small Human-Effigy censers, between the legs of the figure and on the plaza floor around it. One of the censers was decorated with death’s-heads, a common headdress. At least one censer was inside the shrine. Other offerings found on the surface include two broken stone turtles, five beads, and a small shell ornament. The turtles lay by the legs of the figure. One fade bead incised with a design of radiating lines, a pink shell bead, and a small ornament of gray shell, possibly made to be sewed to cloth, lay between the arm and leg on one side, and three other beads, of fade, pink shell, and black and white shell, lay near the head (Fig. 34.3f). Fragments of miniature vessels, such as often hold offerings in caches, were found in the shrine and may originally have held the beads. All these must have been in clear view before the figure was covered with humus; even if a superstructure existed, it would not have covered the legs. Unless the beads are simply the remnants of a larger offering, their presence indicates that this shrine, at least, was not robbed. The missing head, however, presents a problem, unless it was removed later, after the rest of the figure was covered. There is no evidence, except proximity, to prove that Str. H-18a was actually connected with the round temple. Whatever the deity represented may have been, worship of him was clearly very active during the latest period of occupation of this part of Mayapán. Lot C-137: under sculptured slab in shrine. 2 jade beads; 1 fragment of copper (see Fig. 34.3g). No pottery. Lot C-122: surface of shrine. 2 stone turtles; 2 fragments of carved stone rings; 1 unworked shell; 1 broken flint point; 4 jade beads; 3 shell beads; 1 shell ornament (see Fig. 34.3f).

Total sherds: 660: 6 Puuc type; remainder Maya­ pán period (341 of small unpainted Human-Effigy censers). No attempt was made to recover all the effigy censer sherds scattered at the foot of the stucco figure. Chronologically, the relation of Str. H-18a to H-18 is fairly clear. The first bench is probably contemporary with the buried platform, and the shrine around the stucco figure is the latest construction. The stucco figure probably postdates the erection of the later substructure of H-18, but parts of the second bench may be contemporary with it. A trench was dug from H-18a, parallel to the foot of the carved stone, to the colonnaded hall south of it, Str. H-15 (Fig. 34.1, Section C-C’). In the vicinity of the shrine, five plaza floors were visible. The first and third from the bottom end 20 cm from the south edge of the carved slab, and the one between them ends 50 cm from it. The fourth floor extends to the stucco figure. On the north side of the shrine, the floors are in poorer condition, but there are traces of three floors, the third of which ends, or is cut through, about 10 cm from the stone. A fourth floor again extends to the stucco figure. Although the floors cannot be traced all the way around the shrine, it is clear that the walls around the sculpture postdate the construction north of it (Fig. 34.1, Section C-C’). In the direction of Str. H-15, the second and fourth floors end, respectively, 1.5 and 2.1 m south of the shrine, and the fifth floor is visible only immediately around it. The other two floors end 1.9 m north of H-15, and the bits of floor which continue under the colonnaded hall cannot be linked with them. The contents of lots from the trench are listed below. Breaks in the floors undoubtedly added later sherds to the lower lot. Lot C-130: trench between Strs. H-18a and H-15, below the plaza floor level. 1 obsidian flake blade. Total sherds: 55: 2 unidentifiable; 4 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (14 of Human-Effigy censers, 1 Black-on-Cream). Lot C-125: trench between Strs. H-18a and H-15, above level of plaza floors. Total sherds: 59: 2 unidentifiable; 3 Puuc type; remainder Mayapán period (17 of Human-Effigy censers).

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 35 February 1956

Exploration of the Cave of Dzab-na, Tecoh, Yucatán Gustav Strömsvik

San Antonio, about 200 m south of the hacienda house. The name alludes to the large cave in the side of the cenote wall. According to Felix Pat, his grandfather told him the story that when Mayapán was destroyed a young man of the family of the chief of Mayapán, with a large retinue, took refuge in the cave of Dzab-Na and lived there for many years. Examination of the cave in June 1955 revealed it to be a rather extensive complex of caverns. The cave can most conveniently be approached through an opening above ground about 50 m to the west of the cenote opening (see plan and sections, Fig. 35.1). Entering through a 1.70 m wide doorway with the remnants of crudely erected doorjambs still showing (Fig. 35.2a), we found the opening to be partly filled with debris that had fallen from the higher ground outside. Once inside, it was noted that the center part of the cave had been cleared of the many rocks fallen from the roof. This was done early in 1942, by order of the commanding general in Yucatán, for

Late in 1954, while I was exploring the environs of Mayapán and Telchaquillo for pre-Spanish occupation sites, Felix Pat, the comisario municipal of Telchaquillo, told me about cenotes near the town of Tecoh, the municipal seat. Pat’s description of these water sources, and an interesting legend associated with one of them, suggested they should be investigated. The first cenote visited, called Itza Ch’en, is about 2 km southeast of the plaza in Tecoh. It is entered from the south by a path leading north under the high, dome-shaped natural vault. There are crudely cut, much-worn steps in the abruptly sloping, slippery bedrock, down to clear water. These steps are certainly of pre-Spanish origin. A few sherds of pottery water jars that could be from almost any period, even from modern times, were seen. The next cenote visited, called Dzab-Na (Casa de Cascabeles or The House of the Rattles), is about 1 km south of the plaza in Tecoh, on the land of Quinta

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35.1. Plan and Sections of Dzab-Na Cave and Cenote. a. Statuette and bowl. b. “Mushroom stone.”

Exploration of the Cave of Dzab-na, Tecoh, Yucatán adaptation to a possible air-raid shelter. The cave is low, between 2 m and 1.5 m in height, and even lower in narrow passages, but in spots it is over 3 m high. Any number of budding stalactites hang overhead, and many potsherds are on the floor (Fig. 35.2b,c). Proceeding eastward by the trail, cleared of fallen rocks, for about 50 m at 101 degrees from magnetic north, and side-stepping large columns formed by stalactites, we found the open cenote mentioned above (Fig. 35.1). A straight wall, about 0.50 m high, heavily encrusted with calcium deposits from water filtration, crosses the path 43 m in from the entrance. It appears to have been constructed by man. Beyond the wall, to the left of the path, begins an abruptly widening gully in the cave floor that debouches into the cenote. From this gully it is a short drop to the earth of the partly filled cenote. Only along its east edge is there a constant pool of water. This used to be the drinking supply for the cattle on Quinta San Antonio. About 30 m in from the entrance of the cave, and on the north side, is the opening to a large hall over 2 m high. We called this the Northeast Gallery (Fig. 35.1). Here the floor is level and dry, with few potsherds showing. Moving approximately northeast, and passing a stalactite column on either side, we came to a narrow passage 40–45 m from the entrance to the gallery. Another 10–12 m brought us to the slippery edge of an absolutely dark underground cenote. The water is 5.50 m below the edge of the cave floor and a little over 2 m deep. By the electric light, small fishes could be seen moving about in the clear water. This dark cenote measures about 30 m northwest-southeast and about 15 m across. The water table here is 12–13 m below ground surface; with 5.50 m from the water to the cave floor, and about 3 m head room, some 3.50–4.50 m is left for the thickness of the limestone cap, a respectable roof thickness. Returning to a point approximately 15 m in from the main entrance to the cave, we proceeded southward over some very rough terrain, crossing large, jumbled rocks fallen from the roof. We advanced about 15 m in this direction through a narrow passage into a fairly spacious hall, which we called the Southeast Gallery, badly cluttered with fallen rocks. Approximately 30 m south of our starting point, and about 4 m east, we found under a large fallen rock a black wooden statuette and about three-fourths of a pottery bowl (Figs. 35.1a; 35.2d–f). These objects had been protected by the flat slab and by the dry, loose debris around them. The objects no doubt were shoved underneath a slab already fallen; otherwise they would have been crushed by the great rock falling from the roof. A few meters southeast of

this was found what looks like a “mushroom stone” (Figs. 35.1b; 35.2g). It was broken across the stem, and only the head was recovered. Worn and broken metates and manos were also seen here. The easiest way to get into the Southeast Gallery is to strike south from a point 35 m in from the main doorway to the cave. At 15 m a passage a little over 3 m wide and 1.75 m high, now closed by a wall about 1 m high, leads into the Southeast Gallery (Fig. 35.1). Fifteen meters beyond the wall we found a fumble of fallen rocks, and due west of this, over very rough ground, is a passage. At 35 m west there was a shallow water hale in the floor, and water was dripping from the roof everywhere. The passage continues, but was not explored further by us. The water hole and the drizzle from above are probably features of the rainy season only. The undulating southern wall of the Southeast Gallery runs in a generally southeast direction for an unknown distance. Following this wall is a cleared path marked by small cairns. About 50 m along the trail is found a small, dome-shaped hall housing a large colony of bats. Potsherds were seen on the floor for about 100 m along the trail, and exploration was continued another 100 m, but by then no signs of human occupancy could be seen. The cave extended onward in various directions, but for lack of electric cable we could go no farther. Gregorio Patron, a merchant in Tecoh, reports that there are seven cenotes in the cave. Others say that this cavern is connected with caves in Mayapán, but legends of underground passages are extremely common in Yucatán. Artifacts From Dzab-Na The small black wooden statuette (Fig. 35.2d,e) found in the Southeast Gallery represents a man seated, cross-legged, with the left hand resting on the right foot and the right hand on top of the head, apparently in some kind of ceremonial gesture. No vestige of clothing or ornament is shown. The head is egg-shaped, with an exaggeratedly pointed chin. A raised ridge extends from the broad, flattened nose up the forehead. The eye sockets are slanting and oval and may have been inlaid. The mouth is vague and pouting. The right ear is missing, apparently carved away in the making, when a space was hollowed out between the head and the raised right arm. The left ear is well represented by a stylistic scroll and is pierced horizontally a little below the middle. On the left cheek, under the eye, is a circle, and below this is the Maya numeral 12; the two bars are horizontal with the two dots below. The circle and number may represent tattooing.

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Gustav Strömsvik

35.2. Dzab-Na Cave. a. Entrance to cave. In right foreground can be seen stone of doorjamb. b,c. Interior of cave, showing roof, floor, and stalactitic columns. d. Wooden statuette. Height 14.5 cm; max. width 7.0 cm. e. Section and base of statuette in d. f. Medium Slate Ware pottery bowl; dark brown with faded black dribble decoration. Lip diameter 17.5 cm; height 7.5 cm; wall thickness 0.4–0.5 cm. g. “Mushroom stone.” Diameter of top 26.0 cm, of stem 14.0 cm.

Some extraneous features of the statuette may be mentioned. A hole is pierced through the left shoulder and another under the right arm at about the same level, as if for suspension. These holes, as well as the hole through the ear, are drilled in the same manner as holes in objects of jade: a conical hole is drilled from each side, in this case at slightly different angles, to meet at the middle. In the back of the figure is a comparatively large, round hole (Fig. 35.2e), 4 cm deep and 4 cm wide; from this a vent 1 cm in diameter opens upward, emerging at the base of the neck. On the flat base of the statuette is carved a triangle, open toward the back; possibly these lines are supposed to represent the natural body folds of a seated person. The ceremonial function of this statuette, if any, can only be guessed. It may possibly have been used as an amulet, suspended on a string and worn

around the neck. Extra charms could then be kept in the little depository in the amulet’s back. No marks of the tools used in the making of the statuette can be detected. It apparently was fashioned mainly by rubbing or abrading, except for the cavity in the back, which is rough and no doubt was pecked out with some pointed instrument. A broken “mushroom stone” (Fig. 35.2g), so called from its shape and the lack of a functional name, was also found in the Southeast Gallery, among the debris and rock fallen from the roof, about 2 m southeast of the slab under which the wooden statuette was found. The top is fairly large, as such stones go. The stem is broken, and there is no telling how long it originally was (Kidder, Jennings, and Shook 1946; Thompson 1948). The stem and under side of the “mushroom stone” are rather crudely finished, the marks of the pecking tool showing clearly. The

Exploration of the Cave of Dzab-na, Tecoh, Yucatán nicely rounded top surface is much better finished possibly rubbed smooth. In spite of extensive search, the lower end of the stone could not be found. Around the cave, and particularly near the mush­ room stone, were seen at least six metates in various stages of completeness and wear. With them were short manos. All metates were of the unfashioned, rough slab type, with the grooves formed by the short manos. Together with the wooden statuette, under the same stone slab, was found a Medium Slateware (brownish) pottery bowl with one quarter of the side missing. The bowl is nicely burnished inside and outside. The outside is decorated with black dribble stripes, irregularly converging toward the rounding bottom (Fig. 35.2f). The break, where the piece is missing, is quite old, to judge by the heavy calcium coating. The missing fragment was not found. During the exploration of the cave a great many holes were dug, in an attempt to find a place with enough accumulation of earth to provide some stratigraphy, but no depth was attained. In spite of lack of soil, over 1,300 potsherds were recovered in the digging, not including surface sherds. R. E. Smith examined the lot and gives the following statement: “In the collection are included the following types of sherds: 2 recent, 408 Mayapán, 123 Puuc, 23 Classic (mostly Early Classic, Tzakol style polychrome), 420 pre-Classic, 341 unidentified (144 black slipped jars, 197 weathered and fragmentary). Thus, a very long occupation of the cave is indicated.”

Discussion Within a radius of about 100 m from the entrance of the cave are found at least six small mounds or platforms. This indicates that there was a small settlement here, dependent, perhaps, not on the cave, but on the cenote as a constant source of water. About 1 km to the north lies the town of Tecoh, which apparently was an aboriginal site of some consequence (Roys 1952). The large church is built on an extensive artificial mound, and the town plaza, which apparently was the ancient plaza, has a cenote near the center. This cenote is now covered over, hidden beneath the cement walks of the modern plaza, but until recently it was the town’s water supply. Just south of the municipal building can be seen an artificial mound, still large in spite of having served for centuries as a quarry for building the town of Tecoh. Notwithstanding the more pretentious settlement of neighboring Tecoh to the north, Dzab-Na was probably a separate unit settlement during the Mayapán period, conforming with the apparent trend of that time toward decentralization from monumental ceremonial centers to small or family group units. The cave would have served as a safety refuge during times of unrest. Quite aside from the legend mentioned earlier, Dzab-Na was so considered as late as 1942. There is reason to believe that such periods were many and occurred from the earliest times.

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 36 June 1956

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV A. Ledyard Smith and Karl Ruppert

mortar roof and was obviously the home of a person of some importance. The other three structures were a single-room building that had supported a thatch or grass roof, a long low platform, and an altar platform, the last being in the center of the court. The other structures excavated, chosen for their differences in plan from the normal dwelling type of building having a front and back room with benches in the front room, were those that faced in two directions and single-room constructions. These latter were found with and without benches, some with interior stone columns, some with interior altars built against the center of the back wall. It was hoped that through thorough investigation some idea of the function of these unusual buildings could be gained. R. E. Smith, as in the past, examined the collection of sherds and furnished the data given in this report. A total of 34,568 sherds was recovered, of which 28,949 were identified. Of the latter, 28,872

During the 1955 field season, the last season of work by Carnegie Institution at Mayapán, excavations were confined to three whole groups and to structures of unusual, not previously investigated plan. The three groups chosen, all of the dwelling type with buildings facing on small courts, were J-71, K67, and Q-244. Group J-71 was selected primarily because one of its four constructions faced in two directions. Two of the others were buildings of the normal dwelling type, one having once supported a beam-and-mortar roof, the other a roof of thatch grass. The fourth, a small altar shrine, was in the center of the court. Group K-67 was picked because it was a closely knit unit of four structures surrounded by a property wall. Three of the structures were of the dwelling type that had supported thatch or grass roofs, the fourth was an altar platform in the center of the court. Group Q-244, also a unit of four structures, was chosen because of Str. Q-244b, an elaborate dwelling that once supported a beam-and-

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A. Ledyard Smith and Karl Ruppert (99.75 percent) were of Mayapán period, 75 (0.25 percent) of Puuc wares, and one sherd each of Classic and Plumbate wares. Among the Mayapán sherds those from censers number 5,438, those of Fine Orange 228. With few exceptions, the contents of each lot of artifacts are listed in the caption of the drawing of the construction where the lot was found. Exceptions are Lot A-551 (Str. R-142e) and Lots A-513, -514, -517 (Group Y-2), which appear on no drawing and are listed under the descriptions of the respective structures. Structure A-1 (540 N, 1232 W) Str. A-1 consists of a terrace supporting a singlechambered building (Fig. 36.1f). The terrace, which to a great extent is formed of a natural rise, varies in height from 1.40 m at the northwest to no more than 0.50 m at a section on the south. Much of the facing has fallen, though in places very large, roughly weathered stones are still in position. On the north are remains of a stairway, approximately 5 m in width, formed of three risers averaging 0.40 m, and treads of 0.55 m. The stairway rises directly from bedrock and was made of very large stones. The single-chambered building rises, on the north side, from a 0.30 m base somewhat suggestive of a plinth though there is no offset. The single doorway is to the north, with jambs of large stones. The masonry throughout is of irregular, mostly large, much weathered stones. Only two Puuc-type stones were noted; they formed part of the facing of the plinth at the doorway. The thickness of the wall varies from 0.50 m to 0.75 m, and its greatest height is 0.85 m at the east jamb. Two floors were suggested. One is at bedrock on the north; the second, 0.30 m above the first, forms the sill of the doorway, and traces of it were found turning up at the back wall. Material from within the structure from surface to bedrock includes a small tripod vase from below the upper floor (see Fig. 36.1f, Lot A-595). Group J-71 (135 N, 510 E) Group J-71, a unit of the dwelling type, consists of four structures resting on a terrace about 1 m high. The terrace was formed by building retaining walls around the sides of a natural rise and filling in to form a level area. Three of the structures, a, b, and c, are situated on the west, north, and east sides of the terrace and face a small court in which the fourth structure, d, an altar shrine, is placed. Access to the group is by means of a small stairway on its south

side, just east of Str. J-71a. The only construction not excavated in the group was Str. J-71c on the east side of the terrace. It is a house-type structure supported by a low platform Str. J-71a (Fig. 36.1a), on the west side of the court, is supported by a low platform and faces both east and west. Its plan differs from that of the typical dwelling with front and back room, being much less closed in. It has entrances on four sides. The two main entrances, on the east and west sides, consist of large openings each divided into three doorways by two columns. At the north end of the structure there is a single doorway, and at the south is an opening with a single column in the center forming two doorways. A medial wall down the center of the structure divides it into an east and west room connected by a doorway in the center of the wall. The east room has a bench on either side of the doorway in the medial wall, and its north end, which is open, leads into a room extending the breadth of the building. This is an unusual plan, and, though the structure may have been used as a dwelling, one cannot be sure of its function. Practically no Puuc-type stones were used in the construction of Str. J-71a, although the masonry is of fairly well cut; and faced stones. From the good preservation of the floor and the debris on it, it was evident that a beam-and-mortar roof had been used. A considerable amount of charcoal on the floor may indicate that the roof was burned. An exploratory trench was dug to bedrock from the center of the east room through the doorway as far as the center of the west room. During the removal of the surface material from the structure, several broken pottery vessels, one of which we were able to mend (Fig. 36.7b), were found above the floor in the northeast corner of the north room (see Fig. 36.1a, Lot A-545). Str. J-71b (Fig. 36.1b), on the north side of the court, is supported by a low platform and faces south. It consists of a long front room and two back rooms. The front room has a large opening on the south side divided into three doorways by two masonry piers, and a small doorway at either end. Benches extend along the back wall except where it is broken by two doorways leading into the two back rooms. The eastern of these back rooms, probably a shrine room, is small with a low bench or altar along its back wall. Its only doorway, which leads into the front room, is in line with the central doorway of the structure. Two whole pottery vessels (Fig. 36.7a) were found above the floor in this room (see Fig 36.1b, Lot A-547). The western back room has no bench and extends to the west end of the building. There is no rear room at the east end of Str. J-71b to complement the west back room.

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV From the excellent condition of the floors and the amount of charcoal and remains of burned beams on them, there is no doubt that this structure, which was of the dwelling type, had a beam-and-­mortar roof that was destroyed by fire. Although very few Puuc-type stones were used, the stones in the masonry were fairly well cut and faced. A strange feature in the front room was an olla neck set in the floor, which had been resurfaced several times (Figs. 36.1b,1; 36.5a; 36.7k). It was situated just northeast of the central doorway but had no companion on the other side. Its purpose is problematical. A trench in the center of the front room and leading back into the shrine room uncovered under the front room an early floor (Fig. 36.1b,2) which does not seem to have been associated with the structure. It probably had to do with an early platform. Str. J-71d (Fig. 36.1e) is a small platform in the court centered on Strs. J-71a and b. The platform, made of well-cut stones, had stones lying around its edges except off the center of the north side. It probably supported a small structure with a doorway on its north side, presumably an altar shrine. A pit in the center of the platform proved that it rested on the court floor, and brought to light a cache put through the court floor. The cache (see Fig. 36.1e, Lot A-546) was put in at the time of the construction of the altar shrine or later. Group K-67 (75 N, 475 E) Group K-67 (Fig. 36.2), a compact group of the dwelling type consisting of four structures, a–d, rests on a terrace of two levels following the contour of the bedrock, which rises from north to south. The lower level, about l m high, supports the northern part of the group, Strs. K-67b, c, and d. The upper level, to the south, is about 2 m higher than the lower level and supports Str. K-67a. An inset stairway of six steps leads up to a broad terrace in front of Str. K67a, which faces north upon a small court with Strs. K-67b and c on its east and north sides, and Str. K67d, a small altar platform, in the center lined up with the stairway. A wall of rough stones, averaging about 0.60 m high and placed anywhere from 0.30 to 1 m apart, surrounded the group except to the south, where it runs into a sascab pit. This wall was probably solid at one time, except for entrances, the spaces between the large stones having been filled with rubble and mortar which has now washed out. Although there may have been several entrances through the wall, the most likely place was on the north, where there is a meter-wide opening with a jamb stone on one side. A pit (Lot A-541) was dug in the sascab pit mentioned above. Undoubtedly the

limestone used in the making of the lime mortar for the construction of the buildings, terraces supporting them, and floor of the court of Group K-67 came from this sascab pit. Very few Puuc-type stones were used in the masonry of this group, which was made almost entirely of roughly cut, unfaced stones. Str. K-67a, a house once covered with a thatch or grass roof and supported by a low platform, faces north on a terrace overlooking the court below. It has two rooms, front and back. The front room has a wide opening in its north side which was probably originally divided into three entrances by two wooden posts. At one time there were two doorways in the back wall of the front room leading into the back room, one doorway near the center of the wall, the other nearer the east end. A bench extended around three sides of the room except where it was interrupted by passageways leading to the two doorways to the back room. At some later date the eastern of the two doorways was blocked and the bench made continuous by filling in the passage way leading to the doorway. The floor in the passageway leading to the other doorway was 0.30 m higher than the rest of the floor in the room and had a low step against its north face. The back room had no doorways except the two leading into the front room. The floor level of the room was raised above the level of that directly in front of the western doorway. Here the level is the same as that of the passage between the benches in the front room, which continues part way across the back room a little wider than the breadth of the doorway, and then rises to within a few centimeters of the floor of the rest of the room, forming a sort of altar against the back wall. A pit through the floor in the western of the two passage ways in the front room exposed a tomb with roughly cut stone walls. It contained the skeleton of an adult male extended on its back, arms flexed and head to the northeast. The skull showed artificial occipital deformation, and some of the other bones showed an arthritic and degenerative condition. The only evidence of another skeleton was a fragment of mandible of an adult. Objects found with the skeleton are given under Figure 36.2, Lot A-539. Another pit directly north of the burial and in front of the platform supporting Str. K-67a brought to light a cache (see Fig. 36.2, Lot A-538) of two pottery turtles with human heads in their mouths (Figs. 36.2a,1; 8a–d). Str. K-67b is a two-room structure of the dwelling type facing west upon the court. It is supported by a low platform with two steps against the center of its west side leading up from the court. The front room is completely open on its west side, which was probably divided into three entrances by two posts

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36.1. Excavations in Strs. J-71a, J-71b, P-23c, R-30f, J-71d, A-1, P-14a, P-28b, Q-37a; and R-91. a. Str. J-71a, plan and section. Lot A-542: from surface: mano (Fig. 36.9v); flint point (Fig. 36.10a); shell tinkler with evidence of carving. Sherds: 629; 131 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 11 of censers). Lot A-545: pottery vessel from above floor, northeast corner of north room (Fig. 36.7b). Sherds: 858; 131 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange). Lot A-549: from between floor and bedrock in trench extending from center of east room to center of west room: 2 bird bones; animal bone; shell; shell fragment; 2 flint chips; 3 obsidian flake blade fragments. Sherds: 155; 11 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period. b. Str. J-71b, plan and section. 1. Pottery neck in floor. 2. Fragment of early floor. Lot A-543: from surface: stone alligator head (Fig. 36.9j); worked manatee rib (Fig. 36.11e); rubbing stone (Fig. 36.9v); pottery head (Fig. 7n); hammerstone; mano (?). Sherds: 865; 203 unidentifiable, 1 Puuc period, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 47 of censers). Lot A-547: two pottery vessels from above floor on west side of east back room (Fig. 36.7a). Sherds: 149; all of Mayapán period. Lot A-548: from below floor of east passageway and front and east back rooms down to bedrock: flint point (Fig. 36.10c); pottery neck in floor of front room (Fig. 36.7k); hammerstone; fragment of greenstone celt; flint chip; fragment of obsidian blade; 4 bird bones. Sherds: 170; 7 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 4 of censers). c. Str. P-23c, plan, section, and detail of burial. 1. Portholes. 2. Niche: opening 0.15 m, high, 0.24 m, wide; interior 0.30 m high, 0.24 m wide and 0.25 m, deep. Lot A-583: from surface: worked shell disk with central hole and four peripheral notches; fragment of obsidian blade; 3 metates. Sherds: 284; 69 unidentifiable, 1 Medium Slate Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (4 Fine Orange). Lot A-586: from tomb in front of altar: deer antler awl (Fig. 36.11d); skeletal material, evidence of 3 old males and 1 female. No sherds. d. Str. R-30f, plan and section. Lot A-555: from surface: pottery spindle whorl (Fig. 36.10h). Sherds: 887; 283 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (3 Fine Orange, 5 of censers). Lot A-557: from below floor level in center of structure: stone monkey (Fig. 36.10e). Sherds: 75; 4 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (3 Fine Orange). e. Str. J-71d, plan and section. Lot A-546: from below court floor level under structure: flint arrow points (Fig. 36.10c); jade bead; 2 shell beads; segment of cut bone (Fig. 36.10f); remains of small pottery turtle with human face. Sherds: 87; 15 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period. f. Str. A-1, plan and section. 1. Possible floor. 2. Possible floor. 3. Tripod pottery vessel containing 6 beads (Fig. 36.11f). Lot A-595: from surface to bedrock: tripod vessel; 6 beads in tripod vessel, jade bead (diam 2.3 cm), 4 shell beads, jade bead (Fig. 36.11f); fragments of 2 obsidian blades. Sherds: 160; 63 unidentifiable, 2 Puuc period, remainder of Mayapán period (46 of censers). g. Str. P-14a, plan, section, and detail of burial. 1. Old male lying on right side, face north, arms extended, legs flexed, copper tweezers under head. 2. Adult female (?), bones burned. 3. Old female lying on left side, face up, arms extended, legs flexed. 4. Very old female. 5. Adult male. 6. Pottery bowl and lid (Fig. 36.7l, bottom), contained shell bead. 7. Pottery bowl and lid (Fig. 36.7l, top), contained shed bead. 8. Conch shell trumpet (Fig. 36.11c). 9. Flat stones over burial. 10. Position of skull of 2. Lot A-584: from surface: flint point (Fig. 36.10b); green stone celt (Fig. 36.11h); fragments of 3 conch shells; stone fiber beater; 2 flint chips; 3 fragments of obsidian flakes; animal bones. Sherds: 765; 233 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (3 Fine Orange, 15 of censers). Lot A-585: from burial under two large slabs: 5 adult skeletons, 2 male, 3 female; carved deer antler (Fig. 36.11d); deer antler; copper tweezers (Fig. 36.10x); sting ray spine (Fig. 36.11a); sting ray spine, broken (Fig. 36.11a); sting ray spine, worked (Fig. 36.11a); worked bone (Fig. 36.11a); 4 fragments of obsidian blades; flint point with tenon (Fig. 36.10d); flint point, broken; piece of worked shell; pottery disk; shell fragment. Sherds: 135; 14 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange). Lot A-590: from cache under altar: conch shell trumpet (Fig. 36.11c); pounding stone; 2 small pottery bowls and lids (Fig. 36.7i); 2 shell beads, one in each bowl. h. Str. P-28b, plan, section, and detail of burial. 1. Two antler earplugs, on bedrock (Fig. 36.11a). 2. Hammerstone, on bedrock. 3. Pottery vessel and stone lid, on bedrock (Fig. 36.7p). 4. Miniature pottery vessel. Lot A-588: from surface: 3 flint chips; 1 animal bone. Sherds: 171; 40 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period Fine Orange, 10 of censers). Lot A-593: from shaft inside altar: spiral shell; fragment of obsidian blade. Sherds: 237; 24 unidentifiable, 1 Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 14 of censers). Lot A-594: from burial in front of altar: adult skeleton extended on back resting on bedrock; pottery vessel 10 cm high with pedestal base and stone lid (Fig. 7p); hammerstone; fragment of bone point (Fig. 36.11a); fragment of green celt; miniature pottery vessel; 2 antler earplugs (Fig. 36.11a); 23 bird and animal bones. No sherds. i. Str. Q-37a, plan and section. 1. Old female. 2. Very old male. 3. Fragment of mandible belonging to 2.4. Plastron and carapace of turtle (Fig. 36.11b). Lot A-582: from surface: 3 fragments of obsidian flake blades. Sherds: 109; 25 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 3 of censers). Lot A-587: from burial in front of altar: remains of old female skeleton and very old male skeleton; turtle plastron and carapace, each with drilled hole (Fig. 36.11b); limestone metate (Fig. 36.9k); mano; 2 hammerstones; rubbing stone; whetstone of foreign stone; flint blade (Fig. 36.10a); five-sided rubbing stone Fig. 36.9k); rubbing stone inside turtle carapace; fragments of two deer antlers; worked and drilled shell (Fig. 36.10g); small shell; 2 animal (jaguar?) teeth; fragment of tepescuintle jaw; bone spindle whorl (Fig. 36.11a); 4 flint chips; piece of worked shell; fragment of sting ray spine; worked bone tube (Fig. 36.11a); bone awl (Fig. 36.11a); flint arrow point notched for hafting. Sherds: 647; 42 unidentifiable, 4 of Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (183 of censers). Lot A-591: from altar above lowest floor: perforated shell tinkler (Fig. 36.10x); shell. Sherds: 20; 8 of Puuc type, 2 probably of Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period. Lot A-592: from below lowest floor below altar. Sherds: 8; 2 of Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange). j. Str. R-91, plan and section. 1. Position of Lot A-579. 2. Two upper floors and early floor cut through possibly to get some offering out of small cist which contained fragment of incensario Ware. Lot A-571: from surface: shell pendant (Fig. 36.10x); rubbing stone; animal bone. Sherds: 609; 70 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 403 of censers). Lot A-579: small pottery effigy vessel on top floor between south pair of feet in front of altar (Fig. 36.8i,1); 1 jade and 2 shell beads from pottery vessel above. Lot A-580: from inside altar: pottery bowl, once had three legs now missing (Fig. 36.7h); pottery effigy vessel containing jade bead, small shell, and a few small animal bones (Fig. 36.8o,p). Sherds: 15; all of Mayapán period. Lot A-581: from below floor in front of and inside structure: stone fiber beater (Fig. 36.9t). Sherds: 30; all of Mayapán period.

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A. Ledyard Smith and Karl Ruppert

36.2. Group K-67, Plan and Sections. a. Str. K-67a, house foundation and associated terrace. 1. Position of pottery turtles, Lot A-538 (Fig. 36.8a–d). 2. Cist 0.65 m to bedrock. b. Str. K-67b, house foundation. c. Str. K-67c, house foundation. d. Str. K-67d, altar platform. Areas marked PIT on plan indicate trenches yielding no sherds. Lot A-536: from surface: shaped piece of shell; shell fragment; 6 flint chips; flint point (Fig. 36.10d); 4 fragments of obsidian blades; pottery head (Fig. 36.7m); grooved rubbing stone (Fig. 36.9v); rubbing stone; mano fragment; 6 animal bones. Sherds: 2,500; 555 unidentifiable, 1 Plumbate, remainder of Mayapán period (11 Fine Orange, 122 of censers). Lot A-537: from below floor in west bench, Str. K-67c: small sea shell. Sherds: 151; 1 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange). Lot A-538: from below level of terrace in front of front room, Str. K-67a: turtle with human head in mouth (Fig. 36.8a,b); turtle with human head in mouth (Fig. 36.8c,d). Sherds: 2; both of Mayapán period. Lot A-539: from tomb under western passageway, Str. K-67a: 2 pieces of coral; fragment of bivalve shell; 2 stone disks (pot lids); 2 pottery legs standing on animals (Fig. 36.7o) pottery serpent head (Fig. 36.8l); pottery head (Fig. 36.8g,h); pottery head (Fig. 36.8m,n); 6 animal bones; skeletal material, an adult male and fragment of mandible of another adult. Sherds: 795; 9 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (510 of censers). Lot A-540: from under lowest floor in passageway, Str. K-67c. Sherds: 12; all of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 3 of censers). Lot A-541: from pit in sascab pit south of Str. K-67a. Sherds: 69; 17 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 3 of censers).

that helped to support a thatch or grass roof. A single doorway in the center of the back wall leads into the back room. Benches against the back wall on either side of the doorway extend the length of the front room The southern half of the back room was higher than the other part of the room. Unfortunately the walls, except for a small bit at the north end, had completely fallen, so it was impossible to know just

how far the room extended to the north. For a possible reconstruction of Str. K-67b, see Figure 36.2b. Str. K-67c, a two-room building of the dwelling type, is supported by a low platform and faces south on the court. The front room, which does not extend to the east end of the platform, is completely open on the south side, which, like the open side of Str. K-67b, was probably divided into three entrances by

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV two wooden posts supporting the roof of thatch or grass. A single doorway in the back wall leads into the back room. There are two benches in the front room, one against the back wall to the east of the doorway, the other an L-shaped one along the back wall to the west of the doorway and along the west wall. The area east of the front room, formed by the platform extending beyond its east wall, had walls on its west and north sides and along half of its east side, forming what may have served as a partly enclosed exterior bench or kitchen. The back room extended the whole length of the platform and had no benches. Str. K-67d, a small altar platform, rests in the center of the court in line with the stairway leading up to Str. K-67a. A pit sunk in the center of the altar produced nothing. Structure P-14a (65 S, 680 W) Str. P-14a, one of a group of two on a terrace about 1 m high, is supported by a low platform and faces east (Fig. 36.1g). It is a single-room building with a bench at its south end and an altar set in a recess in the center of the back wall. The back wall of the construction projected at this point to make room for the altar. The east side of Str. P-14a was open except for a short distance at either end. This wide opening was undoubtedly divided into three entrances by wooden posts which would have been necessary to support the roof. The latter must have been of grass or thatch, as there were no indications of its having been of beams and mortar. No Puuc-type stones were used in the masonry, which was very rough. At some date after the construction of the building, the platform supporting it was extended on the east side. Just what function this structure had is hard to determine. It certainly does not have the plan of the general dwelling type, but still may have been used as a place to live. A pit sunk through the altar uncovered a cache including two small pottery bowls and lids (Fig. 36.7i; see Fig. 36.1g,6,7, Lot A-590). Two large flat stones in the center of the room (Fig. 36.1g,9) proved to be capstones of a tomb roughly outlined with rough stones. There were five skeletons in the burial (Fig. 36.1g,1–5): 1. An old male lying on his right side, facing north, with arms extended along the sides, legs flexed, a pair of copper tweezers (Fig. 36.10g) under the skull; 2. An adult female (?), bones burned; 3. An old female lying on her left side, face up, arms extended along the sides and legs flexed; 4. A very old female; 5. An adult male. For other objects recovered from the tomb see Figure 36.1g, Lot A-585.

Structure P-23c (95 S, 510 W) Str. P-23c is one of five structures included in Group P-23. It faces east and limits the west edge of a court bounded by Str. P-23a on the north, P-23b on the south, and the open edge of the terrace to the east. The platform directly supporting the structure has a height of 0.15 m on the east side, where the edge of the platform is 0.15 m outside the wall of the building. The platform was not observed at the back of the structure. The building consists of a single chamber (Fig. 36.1c) with two columns in the east entrance, averaging 0.38 m in diameter. When the columns were excavated, five drums were found associated with the column to the south and six drums (giving a height of 1.25 m) with the column to the north. One of the drums for the latter column had on one side a knob projecting 0.15 m (similar to Fig. 36.6c). There is a narrow doorway in the south wall. The sill of the doorway, having a height of 0.10 m, is formed of several stones laid with considerable care. Within the building and just to the northeast of an altar had been a column. The lowest drum was still in position. Five drums had fallen en masse to the south. This column seems secondary, as there is much irregularity in diameter of the individual drums; the average diameter is 0.45 m. Possible remains of a floor were noted under the lowest drum. Within the chamber there is a bench built against the north and west walls. On the west the bench is interrupted, in line with the transverse axis of the structure, by an inset altar. Here the bench has a height of 0.40 m and a width of 1.55 m. On the north the width varies from 0.70 m to 1 m. In the southeast corner of the room may be the remains of a narrow (0.45 m) bench, now in a very poor state of preservation. Its height was not clearly defined, though it seemed lower than the main bench. The altar is somewhat similar to that in Str. R126a. It is formed of a single step 0.15 m high and is recessed 0.45 m from the face of the bench (Fig. 36.1c). A niche in the bench has its opening in the north side of the altar recess (Fig. 36.1c,2). The opening measures 0.15 m high by 0.24 m wide. Inside measurements are 0.24 m wide and 0.25 m deep. The inside height is 0.30 m; the floor of the niche is 0.10 m, below that of the altar step or entrance to the niche. A pit directly in front of the altar disclosed a natural cavity in the bedrock which had been used as a tomb. Irregular in shape, it extends under the altar (Fig. 36.1c). Material from the tomb consisted

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36.3. Group Q-244, Plan and Sections. a. Str. Q-244a, house foundation. b. Str. Q-244b, house foundation. 1. Front room. 2. Back room. 3. Shrine room. 4. West room. 5. East room. 6. Room added on east side of east room. 7. Early construction, buried. 8. Stone disk covering small opening in top floor. 9. Earth and midden fill. 10. Foundation wall. 11. Plaster base, possibly for wooden post or statue (Fig. 36.5g). 12. Floor. 13. Floor. 14. Floor. 15. Floor. 16. Area where Floors 12–15 were broken through in ancient times. 17. Position of pottery vessel and lid (Fig. 36.7e) in Lot A-526. 18. Deposit of copal 0.40 m west of middle bench, Room 1. c. Str. Q-244c, long low platform. d. Str. Q-244d, altar platform. Lot A-500: from above floor of Room 3, Str. Q-244b: stone turtle (Fig. 36.9m,n); fragment of stone sculpture (Fig. 36.9o,p); small crouching idol (Fig 36.9e,f); rubbing stone; cut and perforated shell tinkler (Fig. 36.10f); perforated shell, 2 holes (Fig. 36.10f); 2 flint nodules from which chips had been flaked off; 2 small shells; 3 flint chips; fragment of obsidian blade; miscellaneous animal bones. Sherds: 488; 100 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 151 of censers). Lot A-501: from surface: limestone metate from Room 2, Str. Q-244b (Fig. 36.9l); mano from Room 2, Str. Q-244b (Fig. 36.9l); mano from Room 2, Str. Q-244b; small crouching idol (Fig. 9c,d) fragment of lava metate (Fig. 36.9r); flint point (Fig. 36.10c); retouched obsidian flake blade (Fig. 36.10f); piece of bone with 4 perforations (Fig. 36.10f); 15 flint chips; flint tool (Fig. 36.10a); tang of flint point (Fig. 36.10d); 4 shells, 1 perforated; flint tool; flint arrow point (Fig. 36.10d); 32 pieces of obsidian blades; drilled re-used sherd, possibly a spindle whorl (Fig. 36.10h); stone sculpture; shaped sherd; shell bead; obsidian arrow point (Fig. 36.11h); perforated shell tinkler (Fig. 36.10g); fragment of mano; end fragment of mano, volcanic stone (Fig. 36.10e); fragment of obsidian core; pottery plate with pedestal base (Fig. 36.7g); fragment of mano; foreign stone; mano; mano, grooved (Fig. 36.9t); fragment of stone diving god; 14 miscellaneous animal bones; 7 human bones. Sherds: 6,062; 1,491 unidentifiable, 7 of Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (46 Fine Orange, 648 of censers). Lot A-503: from below floor of west end of Room 2, Str. Q-244b: flint point (Fig. 36.10d); notched obsidian arrow point (Fig. 36.11h). Sherds: 1,059; 79 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (5 Fine Orange, 152 of censers). Lot A-506: from pit off west side of Group Q-244 before trenching into west wall of platform supporting group, about 0.30 m between surface soil and bedrock. Surface level included in Lot A-501. Sherds: 209; 86 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 8 of censers). Lot A-507: from west wall of platform supporting Group Q-244. Sherd collection lost. Lot A-515: from west of wall in trench into west side of platform supporting Group Q-244: tinkler shell; fragment of obsidian blade; 2 animal bones. Sherds: 389; 89 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 32 of

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV censers). Lot A-518: from east of wall in trench into west side of platform supporting Group Q-244: drilled re-used sherd, possibly a spindle whorl (Fig. 36.10h); 3 antler fragments; 2 conch shell fragments; bivalve shell fragment; 3 flint chips; flint scraper (Fig. 36.10b); 10 fragments of obsidian flake blades; 26 miscellaneous animal bones; 13 miscellaneous bird bones. Sherds: 1,264; 92 unidentifiable, 2 of Puuc type; remainder of Mayapán period (10 Fine Orange, 332 of censers). Lot A-519: from south end of Str. Q-244c, surface to bedrock: fragment of hatchet-shaped flint (Fig. 36.10d); hammerstone; fragment of conch shell; 17 flint chips; flint scraper; 7 fragments of obsidian flake blades; 49 miscellaneous animal and bird bones. Sherds: 895; 53 unidentifiable, 1 Classic type, remainder of Mayapán period (4 Fine Orange, 31 of censers). Lot A-520: from north end of Str. Q-244c, surface to bedrock: 2 shell fragments; flint chip; 3 fragments of obsidian flake blades; flint point (Fig. 36.10b). Sherds: 297; 30 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 31 of censers). Lot A-521: from broken area in floor in Room 1 from level of top floor to bedrock, Str. Q-244b: pottery figurine (Fig. 36.8e,f); 3 pottery figurines (Fig. 36.8e,f); flint point (Fig. 36.10c); tubular jade bead (Fig. 36.10c); jade bead; hammerstone; conch shell fragment; flint point (Fig. 10a); flint point (Fig. 36.10b); fragments of 5 obsidian flake blades; remains of 7 skeletons, probably 2 adult males, 2 adult females, 2 other adults, 1 infant. Sherds: 231; 23 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (3 Fine Orange, 34 of censers). Lot A-522: from below floor level to bedrock in center of Str. Q-244c; large tubular, jade bead (Fig. 36.10c); bone awl (Fig. 36.10f); perforated, jaguar tooth; perforated shell tinkler (Fig. 36.10f); piece of carved bone; drilled re-used sherd, possibly a spindle whorl (Fig. 36.10h); reused sherd, possibly for smoothing; 4 conch shell fragments badly burned; 2 coral pieces; 8 flint chips; used flint chip (Fig. 36.10b); round flint scraper (Fig. 10d); flint thumbnail scraper; obsidian thumbnail scraper (Fig. 36.11h); 8 fragments of obsidian flake blades; miscellaneous animal bones; skeletal remains of 2year-old child. Sherds: 1,514; 57 unidentifiable, 2 of Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (13 Fine Orange, 116 of censers). Lot A-523: from inside most eastern terrace of Str. Q-244b: 2 shell fragments; 2 small shell tinklers; 3 flint chips; flint point (Fig. 10,a); flint point (Fig. 36.10,b); obsidian thumbnail scraper (Fig. 36.11h); 4 fragments of obsidian flake blades; 45 miscellaneous animal and bird bones. Sherds: 646; 35 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (6 Fine Orange, 11 of censers). Lot A-524: from trench into center of north side of Str. Q-244b between top floor of terrace in front of Room 1 and floor dust above bedrock: pottery mask, perforated pectoral ornament (Fig. 36.10f); flint point (Fig. 36.10c); bone ring (Fig. 36.10f); 8 flint chips; 2 fragments of obsidian flake blades. Sherds: 37, 2 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (6 of censers). Lot A-525: from below floor level of plaza south of Str. Q-244d: cache of two pottery vessels in hollowed-out circular hole in bedrock; one of the pottery vessels sealed (Fig. 36.7d); shell bead inside sealed vessel; jade bead inside sealed vessel. Sherds: 24; all of Mayapán period. Lot A-526: from below floor to bedrock, Str. Q-244b, extension of pit (Lot A-521) to south: stone bead; hammerstone; small object of unknown blue-green material; flint chip; 8 fragments of obsidian flake blades; pottery vessel and lid (Fig. 36.7e). Sherds: 309; 17 unidentifiable, 2 of Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (4 Fine Orange, 21 of censers). Lot A-527: from pit through terrace east of Room 6, Str. Q-244b: small turtle plastron fragment; 3 flint chips; fragments of 3 obsidian flakes; 30 miscellaneous animal and bird bones. Sherds: 919; 180 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 19 of censers). Lot A-528: from central area of Str. Q-244d, surface to bedrock: tripod Red Ware jar (Fig. 7l). Sherds: 108; 2 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period. Lot A-529: from bench in Room 3, Str. Q244b: stone pot lid; 2 flint chips; fragment of obsidian flake blade; small perforated bivalve shell. Sherds: 251; 15 unidentifiable remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 19 of censers). Lot A-530: from pit in center of Room 2, Str. Q-244b, from top floor to bedrock: flint point (Fig. 36.10c); stone disk pot lid; 2 flint chips; obsidian chip; pottery vessel (Fig. 36.7c). Sherds: 108; 5 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (13 of censers). Lot A-531: from between level of floor of Room 6 and upper floor, Str. Q-244b: flint chip. Sherds: 72; 9 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (6 of censers). Lot A-532: from below floor of Room 3, Str. Q-244b: tubular jade bead (Fig. 36.10c); shell bead; 3 flint chips; bivalve shell. Sherds: 86; 10 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (7 of censers). Lot A-533: from below floor of Room 5, Str. Q-244b: hammerstone. Sherds: 105; 4 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (5 of censers). Lot A-534: from between lowest plaza floor and bedrock off side of Str. Q-244. b: obsidian chip. Sherds: 66; all of Mayapán period (3 of censers). Lot A-535: from burial on bedrock south of Str. Q-244d: 2 fragments of bone awls (Fig. 36.10f); fragment of obsidian flake blade (Fig. 36.10f); remains of 2 skeletons, adult female (?) and child about 4 years old. No sherds.

of part of a deer antler awl (Fig. 36.11d) and skeletal remains of four adults, probably three male and one female (see Fig. 36.1c, Lot A-586). The terrace directly supporting the structure extends some distance to the north. On this had been built a raised area or platform 0.22 m, high and 1.90 m wide. Traces of masonry wall 0.35 m wide were found across the west end (back) of the platform and extending for a short distance along the north edge. What may have been postholes were noted in the northeast and northwest corners of the platform (Fig. 36.1c,1). The one at the northeast had a diam-

eter and depth, respectively, of 0.10 and 0.15 m, the one at the northwest of 0.12 and 0.20 m. No plaster floor was seen, and the small amount of debris on the platform suggests a thatch roof. At the north end of the platform, and on what presumably was the floor level, was a considerable deposit of ash. Exterior to the west end wall was an even greater accumulation of ash, perhaps deposited there from the residue of fires within this addition. Such accumulation of ash together with the presence of metates leads to the supposition that this addition served as a kitchen.

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36.4. Excavations in Strs. R-126a, R-17b, R-142c, S-133a, S-133b, Y-2d, and Y-8b. a. Str. R-126a, plan and section. 1. Niche in face of bench. Lot A-559: from surface: flint point (Fig. 36.10a); flint point (Fig. 36.10d); cut shell tinkler; stone cube (Fig. 36.10e); fragment of lava metate (Fig. 36.9u); limestone tool; polishing pebble (Fig. 36.10e); 2 pieces of shell; small tripod vessel (Fig. 36.7j); pottery pot stand (Fig. 36.7j); pottery mold; 2 rubbing stones; fragment of mano; hammerstone; flint point with polished surface (Fig. 36.10l); 2 conch shell fragments; 3 flint chips; fragment of obsidian flake blade; bivalve shell (Fig. 36.10e). Sherds: 162; 32 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (8 Fine Orange, 10 of censers). Lot A-562: from below floor inside structure to bedrock: bone awl (Fig. 36.11a); piece of cut antler (Fig. 36.11a); small tripod cup (Fig. 36.7j). Sherds: 105; 4 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period. b. Str. R-171b, plan and section. 1. Floor. 2. Floor. Lot A-569: from surface: rubbing stone (Fig. 36.9t); shell; stone disk; fragment of obsidian flake blade; 3 flint chips; 2 sections of human femur; 3 animal bones. Sherds: 163; 39 unidentifiable, 1 Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (5 of censers). Lot A-572: from trench in line with altar, from Floor 1 to Floor 2: fragment of obsidian flake blade; 1 animal and 1 bird bone. Sherds: 28; all of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 2 of censers). Lot A-573: from trench in line with altar, from Floor 2 to bedrock: obsidian core (Fig. 36.11h); 4 pieces of shell; 2 fragments of obsidian flake blades; piece of coral; 3 flint chips; fragment of flint point; bird bone. Sherds: 194; 31 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (9 of censers). c. Str. R-142c, plan and section. 1. Niche roofed with flat stone. 2. Level of skeletal material in tomb. Lot A-544: from surface: green stone celt (Fig. 36.11g). Sherds: 116; 23 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (2 Fine orange, 1 of censers). Lot A-550: from burial below floor in center of structure: 3 adult skeletons, 1 male, 2 female; copper ring (Fig. 36.11g); copper ring (Fig. 36.11g); copper ring with human head (Fig. 36.11g, i, j): copper ring (Fig. 36.11g); fragment of textile; jade bead; 2 fragments of obsidian flake blades. Sherds: 262; 13 of Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange). Lot A-552: from below floor under altar. Sherds: 64; 5 unidentifiable, 2 possibly of Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange). d. Detail of tomb in Str. R-142c. 1. Skeleton of adult female extended at full length. 2. Skeleton of adult male extended at full length. 3. Skeleton of adult female, arms and legs flexed. 4. Position of copper rings (Fig. 36.11g). 5. Position of copper ring with human head (Fig. 36.11g, i, j). e. Str. 5-133a, plan and section. 1. Re-used cord holder in face of bench. 2. Stone-lined cast in central bench; 0.40 m below top of bench is early floor which extended to within 0.60 m of east edge of cist. 3. Doorway sill 0.20 m, above floor of room. Lot A-553: from surface: flint point (Fig. 36.10a); 3 fragments of conch shell; 2 flint chips. Sherds: 137; 60 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (5 Fine Orange, 5 of censers). Lot A-556: from burial north of platform supporting Str. S-133a: flexed skeleton of an adult female; sting ray spine. Sherds: 31; 3 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 of censer). Lot A-558: from below floor level in trench in front room extending into west passageway: fragment of obsidian flake blade. Sherds: 90; 10 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (5 of censers). Lot A-560: from below floor level of front room between benches at east end. Sherds: 52; 2 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 of censer). Lot A-565: from between top of central bench and floor 0.40 m below, in stone-lined cist. Sherds: 29; 5 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period. Lot A-566: from below floor 0.40 m below top of central bench, in cast. Sherds: 127; 14 unidentifiable, 7 of Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (8 of censers). Lot A-567: from inside west bench of front room. Sherds: 71; 7 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (6 of censers). f. Str. S-133b, plan and sections. 1. East room. 2. Central room. 3. West room. 4. South room. 5. Floor. 6. Floor. 7. Floor. 8. Floor. 9. Approximate position of child. 10. Approximate position of child. 11. Approximate position of adult. 12. Approximate position of young adult. 13. Approximate position of old male. 14. Pottery doll, torso only (Fig. 36.8q–s). 15. Jade bead. 16. Copper ring (Fig. 36.10g). 17. Arms and legs of pottery doll (Fig. 36.8q–s). 18. Stone pestle (Fig. 10e). 19. Stone cord holders set in floor. 20. Pottery vessel set in plaster block. 21. Position where two stone cord holders were found (Fig. 36.9h). Lot A-554: from surface: fragment of flint knife (Fig. 36.10b); miniature stone temple (Fig. 36.9q); flint nodule; lava implement or metate leg; fragment of lava mano; miniature stone sculptured altar (Fig. 36.9s); polishing pebble (Fig. 36.10e); 2 stone cord holders (Fig. 36.9h); 2 stone cord holders (Fig. 36.9i); pottery mold; fragment of stone implement; 4 rubbing stones; 2 fragments of manos; fragment of rubbing stone; fragment of mano, foreign stone; small shell (Marginella labiata); flint chip; stone sculpture (Fig. 36.9a, b. Sherds: 1,635; 426 identifiable, 14 of Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (16 Fine Orange, 75 of censers). Lot A-561: from above floor just south of altar in Room 2: rubbing stone, wedge-shaped with plaster on three sides. Sherds: 689; 16 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (344 of censers). Lot A-563: from tomb under central bench in Room 1: remains of 5 skeletons, 3 adults and 2 children; complete pottery doll with movable arms and legs (Fig. 36.8q–s); small stone pestle (Fig. 36.10e); copper ring (Fig. 36.10g); jade bead. Sherds: 28; all of Mayapán period (4 of censers). Lot A-564: from stone-lined cist under south bench in Room 1: flint blade (Fig. 36.10b). Sherds: 77; 2 unidentifiable, 2 of Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (2 of censers). Lot A-568: from inside bench at south end of Room 3: fragment of 3-legged metate, foreign stone (Fig. 36.9u); shell bead. No sherds. Lot A-575: pottery neck in floor of Room 2, north of altar. Sherds: 4; all of Mayapán period. g. Str. Y-2d, plan and sections. 1. Floor. 2. Secondary floor. 3. Floor fragment. 4. Building level. 5. Floor. 6. Skull of young adult female. 7. Raised area 0.10 m above Floor 1. 8. Large rock. 9. Secondary masonry block put in to narrow doorway. Lot A-502: from surface: 3 stone pot lids, average diam. 14 cm; obsidian arrow point (Fig. 36.10f); stone ring (Fig. 36.9g); stone cord holder (Fig. 36.9r); small conch shell. Sherds: 1,134; 43 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (16 Fine Orange, 889 of censers). Lot A-504: from below level of secondary construction and above Floor 1 between benches in front room and leading back into back room. Sherds: 386; 7 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 297 of censers). Lot A-505: from tomb under passageway between benches in front room: skeleton of young adult female; fragment of baby skull; bone spindle whorl (Fig. 36.10f); 2 copper rings (Fig. 36.11g); flint arrow point (Fig. 36.10c); fragment of conch shell; fragment of obsidian blade. Sherds: 78; 4 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (3 Fine Orange, 37 of censers). Lot A-508: from under Floor 1 in back room and from under same level under bench at south end of back room down to floor of cast: fragment of lime-

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A. Ledyard Smith and Karl Ruppert 36.4. Excavations in Strs. R-126a, R-17b, R-142c, S-133a, S-133b, Y-2d, and Y-8b—continued stone vessel; 2 rubbing stones; 2 stone disks; unfinished flint blade (Fig. 36.10a); perforated shell, 2 holes (Fig. 36.10g). Sherds: 393; 37 unidentifiable, 1 Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (12 Fine Orange, 50 of censers). Lot A-509: from bench along back wall in back room: shell bead; perforated shell (Fig. 36.10g). Sherds: 34, all of Mayapán period (24 of censers). Lot A-510: from below top of bench at south end of back room down to level of Floor l: pottery figurine, human (Fig. 36.8e,f); rubbing stone. Sherds: 33, all of Mayapán period (20 of censers). Lot A-511: from inside south bench, front room. Sherds: 11; all of Mayapán period (4 of censers). Lot A-512: from inside north bench, front room, down to bedrock: flint point (Fig. 36.10c); 2 perforated shell disks (Fig. 36.10f); hammerstone. Sherds: 70; 2 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 7 of censers). Lot A-516: from below floor of cist under bench at south end of back room: fragment of obsidian flake blade. Sherds: 18; all of Mayapán period (1 of censer). h. Str. Y-8b, plan and section. Lot A-570: from surface of shrine room: tripod vessel (Fig. 36.7f); flint chip; 5 obsidian flake blade fragments; 2 incensario heads (Fig. 36.8k). Sherds: 857; 112 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 494 of censers). Lot A-574: from surface in main room: shell tinkler; 3 conch shell fragments; 3 obsidian flake blade fragments; 2 flint chips; flint thumbnail scraper; human molar. Sherds: 279; 88 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (4 Fine Orange, 6 of censers). Lot A-576: from below floor in main room: 11 obsidian chips; 29 flint chips; 2 small notched flint arrow points (Fig. 36.10d); large flint blade (Fig. 36.10a); perforated shell; 2 worked stingray spines; curved bone with spines; perforated stingray spine (Fig. 36.11a); cylinder-shaped piece of gum of tree or plant, probably copal mixed with chicle or rubber; jade bead; 2 shell fragments; tripod grater bowl (Fig. 36.7g); pottery vessel with pedestal base (Fig. 36.7f); pottery ladle (Fig. 36.7h); 3 obsidian flake blade fragments; skeletal material, adult skeletons, positions disturbed. Sherds: 537; 77 unidentifiable, 3 of Puuc type, remainder of Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 16 of censers). Lot A-577: from inside altar, shrine room: shell disk. Sherds: 40; 7 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (21 of censers). Lot A-578: from below floor in shrine room: flint arrow point (Fig. 36.10d); hammerstone; 3 flint chips. Sherds: 313; 40 unidentifiable, remainder of Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 42 of censers).

Surface material from Str. P-23C is listed under Figure 36.1c, Lot A-583. Structure P-28b (142 S, 512 W) Str. P-28b is the better preserved of the two structures making up Group P-28. The group rests on a terrace at least 1 m in height. No terrace facing was seen, and a stairway on the north side is indicated only by the slope of the debris. Str. P-28b, a single-room building, rises directly from a platform 0.15 m high, and was entered by a triple doorway. The remains of two columns, each 0.40 m in diameter, were found in the entrance (Fig. 36.1h). The roof was most likely of beams and mortar, as large areas of the plaster floor were in good condition where protected by the fallen roof material. Within the room a bench extends around the three sides, interrupted in the center of the back wall by an altar. The bench face has a height of 0.45 m and is topped by a 0.10 m vertical cornice overhanging 0.06 m. The altar, 1.08 m wide, is recessed 0.50 m with a 0.10 m step projecting 0.20 m out from the line of the bench face (Fig. 36.5b). The inner section of the altar rises 0.35 m. On either side of the altar and rising from the top of the bench were remains of a masonry wall 0.30 m wide and in places 0.20 m high. A masonry-lined shaft averaging 0.75 m in diameter (Fig. 36.1h) was built inside the altar. The

shaft extends to bedrock, which here is 0.95 m below the floor of the room (see Fig. 36.1h, Lot A-593). The upper part of the shaft was interrupted by the setback of the altar. In front of the altar and beneath the floor of the room was a masonry-lined cist roughly 1.75 m in length by 0.80 m in width, its floor being the bedrock, which here is 1.10 m below the floor of the chamber. The cist is roughly lined; no faced stones were seen. The cist was filled with sweepings, bits of plaster, and some stones. Lying on the bedrock was the skeleton of an adult male with head to the east. Near the left hand was a hammerstone. On the floor, in the southeast corner, were two bone or antler earplugs placed one on top of the other (Fig. 36.11a). In the northeast corner was found a jar with a stone lid (Fig. 36.7p). Other material from the cast is listed under Figure 36.1h, Lot A-594. Abutting the chamber to the west is a platform similar to the one associated with Str. P-23c which has been identified as probably a kitchen. The platform is on the same level as the one directly supporting the chamber. The only masonry wall noted is at the south end where it abuts the west wall of the main structure. At the northwest corner of the platform is a large stone with a hollow area, perhaps worked in it for the placing of a post. No plaster floor was seen, so it is presumed that this extension had a thatch roof. Surface material recovered is listed under Figure 36.1h, Lot A-588.

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV Structure Q-37a (27 S, 480 W) Str. Q-37a (Figs. 36.1i; 36.5d), one of a group of two constructions resting on a natural rise about 2 m high, was supported by a low platform and faced east. It is a single-room building with a bench extending around three sides. The east side has a large opening divided into three entrances by two columns. Two interior columns are placed on either side of the room slightly out from the corners formed by the bench. The original floor of the room goes under all four columns, but it was resurfaced twice with thin layers of plaster which turn up to them. A small altar, with some burned copal on it, was set into the center of the bench against the back wall. The area between the back of the altar and the back wall of the room may have risen a little higher than the rest of the bench. A good many Puuc-type stones were used in the masonry. Evidence on the floor proved the roof to have been of the beam-and-mortar type. There was no sign of its having been destroyed by burning. The function of this structure is hard to determine. It is certainly unlike the ordinary dwelling in plan, but may have served as living quarters for someone who held an office of some kind, such as that of a priest. A pit dug in the center of the room in front of the altar uncovered a rough cast containing the remains of two skeletons, an old female and a very old male (Fig. 36.1i,1,2). The bones of these two skeletons had been badly disturbed. The floor over the burial had been cut through, probably after the interment, to judge by the disturbed condition of the bones. For a complete list of contents of this tomb see Figure 36.1i, Lot A-587. Group Q-244 (475 S, 10 W) Group Q-244 (Fig. 36.3), consisting of four structures, rests on a terrace about 1 m high on top of a natural rise 2 m high. This group was selected because it is a dwelling unit with a house of a very elaborate type as its main building, Str. Q-244b. Three structures of the group face upon a small court with the fourth, an altar platform, Str. Q-244d, in the center. Str. Q-244a, a rectangular one-room building supported by a platform, lies on the east side of the court. Very little of the superstructure remained, but there was enough to show that its main entrance was on the west side, where there was a wide opening probably divided into three entrances by two wooden posts that supported a thatch roof. A doorway in the back wall near the south end of the room leads out to a terrace at a lower level. A step projected from the back of the building in front of the

rear doorway. Although badly destroyed, there evidently had been two benches in the room, one filling its south end from the rear doorway to the south wall, the other an L-shaped bench extending from the rear doorway along the back wall and continuing along the north wall to the west wall. Str. Q-244b (Figs. 36.3; 36.5c,e–h), a six-room structure on the south side of the court, is supported by a platform rising 0.70 m above the court floor. A broad inset stairway, now destroyed, led up to a wide platform in front of the north side of the building. Originally Str. Q-244b had only three rooms, Rooms 1–3. The main room, Room 1, which extends the length of the original structure, faces upon the platform mentioned above and has a wide opening in its north wall divided into three entrances by two stone columns. Between these two columns is a round plaster base which may have held a wooden post, stone idol, or stucco image (Figs. 36.3b, 11; 36.5g). Benches extend around three sides of the room except where they are interrupted by two doorways in the back wall leading into Room 2, one approximately in the center, the other to the east. With the exception of the one against the east wall these benches have a 0.12 m molding along their upper edge which projects 0.08 m from the face. Room 2, directly south of Room 1, is the same length as Room 1, and besides the two doorways leading into that room has another in its south wall, in line with the one approximately in the center of the north wall, leading into Room 3. The floor level at the west end of Room 2 is about 0.20 m higher than that of the rest of the room A small cist in the floor of the doorway into Room 3 was covered by a stone disk (Fig. 36.3b,8). Room 3, a small room projecting from the rear wall of the building, was probably used as a shrine. It has a bench or altar extending along its back wall with a step against its face. Several interesting objects were found on the floor of this room: a stone turtle (Fig. 36.9m,n), a fragment of stone sculpture (Fig. 36.9o,p), and a small crouching idol of stone (Fig. 36.9e,f). There was also a great quantity of sherds of censers (see Fig. 36.3, Lot A-500). At some later date Rooms 4 and 5 were added to either end of the original structure. Room 4, built against the west end of the building, faces west and has a wide opening in its west all divided into two entrances by a single stone column in the center. Another doorway leads out of the north end of the room of the broad platform which extends across the front of the building. An L-shaped bench runs the length of the east and south walls. Although no stairway was found, the masonry having fallen at the west end of the structure, there must have been

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A. Ledyard Smith and Karl Ruppert 36.5. Views of Strs. J-71b, P-28b, Q-244b, Q-37a, Y-8b, and R-126a. a. Pottery neck in floor of Str. J-71b (Fig. 36.1b,1). b. Looking south at altar in Str. P-28b (Fig. 36.1h). c. Early terrace wall on north side of Str. Q-244b (Fig. 36.3), d. Looking southwest at Str. Q-37a (Fig. 36.1i). e. Southwest corner of Room 1, Str. Q-244b (Fig. 36.3). f. Northeast corner of Room 8, Str. Q-244b (Fig. 36.3). g. Looking south down center of Str. Q-244b; notice possible posthole or base of stone sculpture (Fig. 36.3b,11). h. Looking west at Room 3, Str. Q-244b (Fig. 36.3). i. Looking south at altar in Str. Y-8b (Fig. 36.4h). j. Looking south at Str. R-126a (Fig. 36.4a).

steps leading up to the entrances into Room 4 on this side. Room 5, built against the east end of the building, faces east and has a wide opening in its wall on this side divided by a single stone column into two entrances. These lead out to a wide terrace at a slightly lower level. The east wall of this terrace was formerly a freestanding wall of some earlier construction. Another entrance, in its north end, leads out to the platform on the north side of the structure. The whole room, except for the space in the entrances, is occupied by a large bench or raised area 0.45 m high. This bench was built on the floor, against the plaster on the walls, after the room was finished. Following the construction of Room 5, Room 6 was added to its east side. There seems to have been a change of plan during the construction of this last room, for first the floor in Room 5 was raised to the level of its bench and continued at that level halfway across Room 6 and to within 1.30 m of its south wall. This formed a bench along the west side of Room 6. Traces of red showed that the bench had once been painted. A narrow wall rose from its south end. After the raising of the floor of Room 5 a stone column was placed against the east side of the original column in the center of the opening on the east side of its north jamb. These were next enclosed in masonry, and the southern half of the opening was blocked so as to leave only a single doorway into Room 5, Room 6 was open at its north end, and had a doorway in its south wall and a wide opening on its east side divided into two entrances by a stone column. The floor level of Room 6 was 0.50 m higher than the terrace the room faced on. At the north end of the terrace is a stairway leading to a terrace at a lower level. Excavations under the floors of Str. Q-244b showed several earlier floors and walls and definite evidence of an earlier building which had been razed to its floor level, when Rooms 1–3, the original Str. Q-244b, were built. Without a great deal more excavation it was impossible to tell what the plan of the earlier building was. In Room 1 we found the floor in the center of the room had been broken through before the roof collapsed (Fig. 36.3b,16). Digging brought to light a disturbed burial (Lot A-521) which contained the remains of seven skeletons, apparently two adult

males, two adult females, two other adults and one infant. The cast had no definite walls, as it was simply cut out of the fill. Objects of interest probably associated with the burial (see Fig. 36.3, Lot A-521) included pottery figurines (Fig. 36.8e,f, middle and right), flint points (Fig. 36.10a–c), and a tubular jade bead (Fig. 36.10c). Further excavation (Fig. 36.3, Lot A-526) uncovered a deposit of copal (Fig. 36.3b,18) and a pottery vessel and lid (Figs. 3b,17; 7e). The masonry in Str. Q-244b contained many Puuc-type stones and for the most part was fairly well coursed (Fig. 36.5c,e–h). Figure 36.5f shows an example of Puuc-like stones and fairly well cut and faced stones used in a corner of Room 3. The roof of the building, which left no signs of destruction by fire, was of beams and mortar. The façade above the three entrances on the north side had fallen intact in places when the beams that supported it had given way. It rose five courses, 0.60 m above the beams, which was probably the height of the top of the roof. The jamb at the west end of the opening on the north side, plus the stone which had fallen off it and which we replaced (Fig. 36.5e), measured 1.70 m from floor to top. Allowing 0.30 m for the thickness of the beams that supported the roof, the total height of the building from floor to top of roof was about 2.45 m, and from floor to ceiling about 2 m. Str. Q-244c, a low rectangular platform that may once have supported a structure of posts and thatch, bordered the west side of the court. It originally was about half its final length, having been added to at either end (Fig. 36.3c). Pits were sunk in the center and two ends of this platform (see Fig. 36.3, Lots A519, A-520, A-522). The center pit in the original platform (Lot A-522) contained midden material and the skeletal remains of a 2-year-old child. Str. Q-244d, an altar platform, was in the center of the court in line with the central doorway of Str. Q-244b. A pit in the center of the altar platform (see Fig. 36.3, Lot A-528) produced no cache, but in front of its south side a cast cut out of bedrock (see Fig. 36.3, Lot A-525) contained a tripod cylindrical vase in a bowl (Fig. 36.7d). An excavation through the court floor south of Str. Q-244d disclosed a burial with two skeletons, an adult female (?) and a child about 4 years old (Fig. 36.3, Lot A-535). With the burial were fragments of

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV 36.6. Views of Strs. R-91, S-133b, and Y-2d. a. Looking east at Str. R-91 (Fig. 36.1j). b. Looking east and down on altar in Str. R-91 (Fig. 36.1j). c. Southern inner column in Str. R-91 (Fig. 36.1j). d. Looking southwest at columns on east side of Str. S-133b (Fig. 36.4f). e. Looking east at entrance into tomb under central bench in Room 1, Str. S-133b; entrance is in east wall of Room 2 (Fig. 36.4f). f. Looking east at entrance into stone-lined cist under south bench in Room 1, Str. S-133b; entrance is in east wall of Room 2 (Fig. 36.4f). g. Looking southwest into stone-lined cist under bench at south end of Room 1, Str. S-133b (Fig. 36.4f). h. Small altar with pottery vessel imbedded in center in front of center of platform and attached to it on east side of Str. S-133b (Fig. 36.4f). i. Looking at south side of Str. Y-2d (Fig. 36.4g). j. Looking at Str. Y-2d from the east (Fig. 36.4g).

two bone awls (Fig. 36.10f) and a fragment of an obsidian flake blade (Fig. 36.10f).

36.1d, Lot A-557) includes a small stone monkey figure (Fig. 36.10e).

Structure R-30b (72 S, 360 E)

Structure R-91 (275 S, 30 E)

Structure R-30b is a simple altar now consisting of a masonry wall 2 m long and 0.60 m wide of Puuc-type stones one course high. The long axis is north-south. On the west side of the masonry wall is a platform 0.05 m high, 1.10 m wide where it abuts the masonry wall, and projecting 1.30 m. An exploratory pit in the altar was carried to bedrock at a depth of 0.40 m. No material was encountered. This altar is located east (in front) of Str. R-30d, the principal structure of the group.

Str. R-91 (Figs. 36.1j; 36.6a–c) rests upon an artificially raised area 1 m high and about twice the size of the structure, which is supported by a low platform and faces west. It is a single-room building with a wide opening on the west side divided by two columns into three entrances. On either side of a rectangular raised area in the center of the room is a column, the one on the south having a projecting knob in the shape of a jaguar head on its fourth drum from the floor (Fig. 36.6c). Against the center of the back wall there is an altar faced with Puuc-type stones. The altar once supported two seated stucco figures, of which only the feet remain. These are in front of the altar and show traces of red and blue paint. Sandals on the feet had two thongs, one between the big toe and the next toe, the other between the third and fourth toes. Several large pieces of stalactites found near the altar probably were used in the legs of the stucco figures, and traces of plaster on the altar indicated that the two figures were seated. There are three floors in the structure, the top floor being a thin resurfacing. The lowest and middle floors are from 0.01 to 0.04 m apart. The early or first floor goes under the raised area in the center of the room, the altar, the stucco feet in front of it, and the two interior columns. The two upper floors turn up to the altar and columns and continue in thin layers over the stucco feet and the raised area in the center of the room. The stone used in the walls of the building was roughly cut and faced. From evidence on the floor of the room it was obvious that the structure carried a beam-and-mortar roof which had not been destroyed by fire. All the evidence, no benches, the raised area in the center of the room, the altar with two seated stucco figures, the high percentage of sherds from censers, indicates that Str. R-91 was a purely ceremonial structure, probably used as a place of worship. Excavations in the altar uncovered a cache (see Fig. 36.1j, Lot A-580) consisting of a pottery bowl

Structure R-30f (65 S, 350 E) Resting on the north edge of a large terrace supporting a group of possibly six structures is Str. R-30f. This is a single-chambered building now very much in ruin (Fig. 36.1d). On the south side (front) are remains of two broad steps leading up to the platform directly supporting the building. Some of the platform facing on the south side has been removed; none of it remains on the east side. Two columns, one now rising three drums in height, have the basal drums in situ. The bench within the chamber, built against the north wall, had a height of 0.45 m. It was interrupted approximately in line with the transverse axis of the building by an inset area, most likely an altar, 1.15 m long by 0.50 m deep. Only the sides of this inset are now faced with carefully worked stones. All masonry of this structure is of carefully worked Puuc-type stones. Since debris on the floor did not rise to the height of the top of the bench, and no plaster floor was seen, it is assumed that the structure had a thatch roof. Surface material (see Fig. 36.1d, Lot A-555) included a pottery spindle whorl (Fig. 36.10h). A pit dug directly south of the altar measured 1 m by 1.30 m and had a depth, from floor of building to bedrock, of 0.95 m. Material recovered (see Fig.

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Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV 36.7. Pottery Recovered During Excavation in Strs. J-71b, J-71a, Q-244b, Y-8b, R-91, P-14a, R-126a, Q-244d, K-67a, and P28b, and Groups Q-244 and K-67. a. Pottery vessel, 15 cm high, from Str. J-71b, Lot A-547 (Fig. 36.1b). b. Pottery vessel, 25 cm high, from Str. J-71a, Lot A-545 (Fig. 36.1a). c. Pottery vessel, 20 cm high, from Str. Q-244b, Lot A-530 (Fig. 36.3). d. Pottery vessels from Group Q-244, Lot A-525 (Fig. 36.3). Vessel on left, 11 cm high, was inside vessel on right, 7 cm high. e. Pottery vessel, 12 cm high, and lid from Str. Q-244b, Lot A-526 (Fig. 36.3b,17). f. Left to right, tripod pottery vessel, 11 cm high, from Str. Y-8b, Lot A-570 (Fig. 36.4h); pottery vessel with pedestal base, 14 cm high, from Str. Y-8b, Lot A-576 (Fig. 36.4h). Left to right, pottery plate with pedestal base, diam 21 cm, from Group Q-244, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption); pottery tripod grater bowl, 9 cm high, from Str. Y-8b, Lot A576 (Fig. 36.4h). h. Left to right, pottery vessel, originally tripod, diam 12 cm, from Str. R91, Lot A-580 (Fig. 36.1j); pottery ladle, handle gone, diam 17.5 cm from Str. Y-8b, Lot A-576 (Fig. 36.4h). i. Pottery vessels, diam 7.5 and 8 cm, and lids from Str. P-14a, Lot A-590 (Fig. 36.1g, 6,7). j. Left to right, tripod pottery vessel, 8 cm high, from Str. R-126a, Lot A-559 (Fig. 36.4,a); pottery pot stand, 6 cm high, from Str. R-126a, Lot A-559 (Fig. 36.4a, caption); tripod pottery cup, 7 cm high, from Str. R-126a, Lot A-562 (Fig. 36.4a). k. Pottery neck 8.5 cm, high, from Str. J-71b, Lot A-548 (Fig. 36.1b,1). l. Tripod pottery vessel from Str. Q-244d, Lot A-528 (Fig. 36.3). m. Pottery head, 19 cm high, from Group K-67, Lot A-536 (Fig. 36.2, caption). n. Pottery head, 6 cm high, from Str. J-71b, Lot A-543 (Fig. 36.1b). o. Pottery feet, 5 cm wide, standing on animal figures, from Str. K-67a, Lot A-539 (Fig. 36.2). p. Pottery vessel with pedestal base, 10 cm high, and stone lid, diam 11 cm, from Str. P-28b, Lot A-594 (Fig. 36.1h,3).

that once had three legs (Fig. 36.7h), and a pottery effigy vessel (Fig. 36.8o,p). On the floor in front of the altar was a small pottery effigy vessel (Figs. 36.1j, Lot A-579; 36.8i,j). The floors of the raised area in the center of the room had been cut through at some time before the roof collapsed, possibly to remove some offering from a small cist directly below the cut (Fig. 36.1j,2). Structure R-126a (255 S, 382 E) Str. R-126a lies on the south side of a low terrace supporting two constructions. The platform directly supporting Str. R-126a averages 0.25 m in height and extends approximately 0.35 m beyond the walls of the building proper. The building, facing north, consists of a single chamber with two columns in the entrance, two columns within the chamber, and a bench extending across the east and south walls and part of the west wall (Fig. 36.4a). On the south the bench is interrupted in line with the medial axis of the structure by an inset altar somewhat similar to the one in Str. P-28b (Fig. 36.1h). The lower part of the altar does not project as in Str. P-28b, but is inset 0.20 m from the line of the face of the bench. The inner section of the altar is 0.15 m higher than the top of the bench. In Str. P-28b it is 0.10 m lower. Rising from the bench on either side of the altar is a masonry wall. The greatest height of the walls now is 0.50 m above the top of the bench. In the face of the south bench, 0.60 m west of the altar, is a niche. The opening is 0.40 m wide and 0.30 m high and has its sill on the level of the floor of the chamber. The niche is irregular in shape (Fig. 36.4a,1). Its floor, 0.40 m below the floor of the cham-

ber, was carefully plastered; its roof was of stone slabs. Masonry of Str. R-126a is mixed, showing some coursing with thin slabs, some large roughly worked stones. No Puuc-type stones were noted. The two interior columns differ in size, one having a diameter of 0.35 m, the other a diameter of 0.50 m. A heavy coating of plaster at the base of the smaller might indicate an attempt to make them somewhat uniform in size. Surface material is listed under Figure 36.4a, Lot A-559. A trench beneath the floor of the structure, in line with the medial axis, was extended to bedrock, which was encountered at a depth varying from 0.65 to 0.80 m. Material recovered from the trench is given under Figure 36.4a, Lot A-562. Structure R-142c (387 S, 425 E) Str. R-142c (Fig. 36.4c) is one of five structures resting on a raised area about 2 m high. This building was chosen for examination because of its unusual plan. Resting on a low platform, the single-room structure faces south. The original platform supporting Str. R-142c was later covered at the east end by an exterior bench. Another change the builders made was to extend the platform to the south at the east end of the south side. A large opening on the south side of the building was divided into three entrances by two columns. Another entrance was through a small doorway in the west wall. In the early stage of the building there was a bench along the back wall with a small altar sunk into the center of the bench but not back as far as

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Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV 36.8. Pottery Objects Recovered During Excavation in Strs. K-67a, Y-2d, Q-244b, R-91, Y-8b, and S-133b. a. Front view of pottery turtle with human head in mouth, from Str. K-67a, Lot A-538 (Fig. 36.2a,1). b. Side view of a, 17 cm long. c. Front view of pottery turtle with human head in mouth, found in Str. K67a, Lot A-538 (Fig. 36.2a,1). d. Side view of c, 16 cm long. e. Left to right, front view of pottery figurine, 12 cm high, found in Str. Y-2d, Lot A-510 (Fig. 36.4,g); front view of 3 female figurines, 9.5 cm high, found in Str. Q-244b, Lot A-521 (Fig. 36.3); front view of pottery figurine, male, 15 cm high, found in Str. Q-244b, Lot A-521 (Fig. 36.3). f. Side view of e. Front view of pottery head, 6.5 cm high, found in Str. K-67a, Lot A-539 (Fig. 36.2). h. Side view of y. i. Front view of pottery vessel, 7 cm high, with human face on side, found in Str. R-91, Lot A-579 (Fig. 36.1j,1). j. Side view of i. k. Left to right part of pottery incensario found in Str. Y-8b, Lot A-570 (Fig. 36.4h); pottery head, from Str. Y-8b, Lot A-570 (Fig. 36.4h). 1. Pottery serpent head, 11 cm long, found in Str. K-67a, Lot A-539 (Fig. 36.2). m. Front view of pottery head, 12 cm high, found in Str. K-67a, Lot A-539 (Fig. 36.2). n. Side view of m. o. Front view of pottery vessel, 12 cm high, with human face on side, found in Str. R-91, Lot A-580 (Fig. 36.1j). p. Side view of o. q. Front view of pottery doll with movable arms and legs, showing limbs articulated, total height 25.5 cm, found in Str. 5-133b, Lot A-563 (Fig. 36.4f,14,17). r. Front view of q, showing limbs disarticulated. s. Side view of q.

the wall. The area behind the altar extending to the back wall was higher than the rest of the bench. A niche in the bench east of the altar was roofed with flat stones (Fig. 36.4c,l). At some later date benches were placed against the east and west walls. These extended from the original bench against the back wall, at the same height, as far as the front wall. Although a few Puuc-type stones were used in the masonry, for the most part the stones were roughly cut and faced. From the condition of the floor and the debris on it there is no doubt that this building carried a beam-and-mortar roof. A pit in the altar disclosed no cache, but a larger excavation in the center of the room uncovered a rough cist containing three skeletons (Fig. 36.4d,1– 3). The central skeleton, that of an adult male, lay extended at full length, head to the east, between two adult females with their heads also to the east. The skeleton on the north side was extended at full length; the one on the south was lying on its right side facing north and had its arms and legs flexed. For material recovered from the burial, see Figure 36.4c, Lot A550, and for position of copper rings (Fig. 36.11g,i,j) found with the skeletons, see Figure 36.4d,4,5. Surface material is listed under Figure 36.4a, Lot A-559. A trench beneath the floor of the structure, in line with the medial axis, was extended to bedrock, which was encountered at a depth varying from 0.65 to 0.80 m Material recovered from the trench is given under Figure 36.4a, Lot A-562. Structure R-142c (387 S, 425 E) Str. R-142c (Fig. 36.4c) is one of five structures resting on a raised area about 2 m high. This building was chosen for examination because of its unusual plan. Resting on a low platform, the single-room structure faces south. The original platform supporting

Str. R-142c was later covered at the east end by an exterior bench. Another change the builders made was to extend the platform to the south at the east end of the south side. A large opening on the south side of the building was divided into three entrances by two columns. Another entrance was through a small doorway in the west wall. In the early stage of the building there was a bench along the back wall with a small altar sunk into the center of the bench but not back as far as the wall. The area behind the altar extending to the back wall was higher than the rest of the bench. A niche in the bench east of the altar was roofed with flat stones (Fig. 36.4c,1). At some later date benches were placed against the east and west walls. These extended from the original bench against the back wall, at the same height, as far as the front wall. Although a few Puuc-type stones were used in the masonry, for the most part the stones were roughly cut and faced. From the condition of the floor and the debris on it there is no doubt that this building carried a beam-and-mortar roof. A pit in the altar disclosed no cache, but a larger excavation in the center of the room uncovered a rough cist containing three skeletons (Fig. 36.4d,1– 3). The central skeleton, that of an adult male, lay extended at full length, head to the east, between two adult females with their heads also to the east. The skeleton on the north side was extended at full length; the one on the south was lying on its right side facing north and had its arms and legs flexed. For material recovered from the burial, see Figure 36.4c, Lot A550, and for position of copper rings (Fig. 36.11g,i,j) found with the skeletons, see Figure 36.4d,4,5. During the excavation of Str. R-142c a pit was sunk in Str. R-142e, a small altar platform in the court south of Str. R-142c in line with its main entrance. Lot A-551: from fill in Str. R-142e. Mayapán Redware jar sherd with used edge; 6 flint chips. Sherds: 99; 13 unidentifiable, the remainder of Maya­ pán period (3 Fine Orange, 5 of censers).

471

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV 36.9. Stone Objects Recovered During Excavation in Strs. S-133b, Q-244b, Y-2d, J-71b, Q-37s., R-171b, R-91, R-126a, and J-71a, and Groups Q-244 and K-67. a. Front view of stone sculpture, 18.7 by 11.4 by 15.5 cm found in Str. 5-133b, Room 2, Cat. no. 55-296, Lot A-554 (Fig. 36.4f, caption). b. Side view of a. c. Side view of stone sculpture, 21.9 by 13.7 by 16.6 cm, found in Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-11, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption). d. Front view of c. e. Front view of stone sculpture, 11.7 by 16.4 by 11.9 cm, found in Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-12, Lot A-500 (Fig. 36.3). f. Side view of e. Tenoned stone ring, 31 cm long with tenon, diam 23 cm, hole diam 10 cm, ht. 17 cm, found in Str. Y-2d, Cat. no. 55-333, Lot A-502 (Fig. 36.4,g., caption). h. Stone cord holders found in Str. 5-133b, Lot A-554 (Fig. 36.4f,21). i. Stone cord holders found in Str. 5-133b, Room 2, near cord holders in floor, probably fell out of wall above them, Lot A-554 (Fig. 36.4f,19). j. Tenoned stone alligator head, 42 by 16 by 9.5 cm, found in Str. J-71b, Cat. no. 55-122, Lot A-543 (Fig. 36.1b, caption). k. Limestone metate from Str. Q-37a, Lot A-587 (Fig. 36.1i); l. Limestone metate and mano from surface of Str. Q-24Z Room 2, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption). Metate 46 cm long, 38 cm wide, 20 cm thick; mano 22 cm long, diam 11 cm. m. Front view of stone turtle, 21.7 by 13.6 by 13.6 cm, found in Str. Q-244b, Room 3, Cat. no. 55-9, Lot A-500 (Fig. 36.3). n. Side view of m. o. Front view of fragment of stone carving of human figure, 12.4 by 7.9 by 7.3 cm, found in Str. Q-244b, Room 3, Cat. no. 55-10, Lot A-500 (Fig. 36.3). p. Side view of o. q. Miniature stone temple, 8.4 by 7 by 13.5 cm high, found in Str. 5-133b, Room 2, Cat. no. 55-286, Lot A-554 (Fig. 36.4f, caption). r. Left to right, fragment of lava metate, 17.6 by 13.6 by 3 cm max. thickness, found in Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-14, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption); stone cord holder, 20 by 16.5 by 6.7 cm, found in Str. Y-2d, Cat. no. 55-621, Lot A-502 (Fig. 36.4g, caption). s. Small stone sculptured altar, 10.6 cm high by 10.9 by 9.7 cm, found in Str. 5-133b, Room 2, Cat. no. 55-295, Lot A554 (Fig. 36.4f, caption). t. Left: grooved mano, 19.3 by 9.7 by 6 cm, found in Group Q-274, Cat. no. 55-574, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption). Center: five-sided rubbing stone, 9.9 by 5.1 by 3.8 cm, found in Str. Q-37a, Cat. no. 55-579, Lot A-587 (Fig. 36.1i). Right top: rubbing stone, 10.6 by 7.5 by 3.8 cm, from Str. R-171b, Cat. no. 55-297, Lot A-569 (Fig. 36.4b, caption). Right bottom, stone fiber beater, 8 by 5.2 by 4.6 cm, from Str. R-91, Cat. no. 55-580, Lot A-581 (Fig. 36.1j). u. Left to right, fragment of lava metate, 18.5 by 16.3 by 7 cm, from Str. R-126a, Cat. no. 55-294, Lot A-559 (Fig. 36.4a, caption); fragment of metate, foreign stone, 28 by 20.5 by 10.5 cm, found in Str. 5-133b, Cat. no. 55-287, Lot A-568 (Fig. 36.4f). v. Left to right, grooved rubbing stone, 7.5 by 5.8 by 3 cm, found in Group K-67, Cat. no. 55-607, Lot A-536 (Fig. 36.2, caption); stone mano, 18.5 by 9 by 8 cm, from Str. J-71a, Cat. no. 55-289, Lot A-542 (Fig. 36.1a, caption); rubbing stone, 10.6 by 6.8 by 6.6 cm, from Str. J-71b, Cat. no. 55-290, Lot A-543 (Fig. 36.1b, caption).

Structure R-171b (480 S, 100 E) Str. R-171b, facing north, is the central of one of three on a poorly defined terrace. The building rises directly from a platform having a projection and height on the north side of 0.15 and 0.30 m, respectively. The platform was reached by a single step, the riser measuring 0.25 m and the tread 0.30 m; the length is not known, but if the step was centrally placed it measured 3.3 m. Some changes were observed in the bench of this single-chambered structure. The latest period shows a bench abutting the end and back wall, having a height of 0.50 m and a width varying from 1.45 m to 1.65 m (Fig. 36.4b). At one time the bench had been interrupted in the medial axis by a recess for an altar. Only the back and west face of this recess now remain. The east face as well as the section of facing at the corner had been removed. This area was then filled and faced by a triangular section projecting into the room. The facing of the addition was of much larger and rougher stones than that of the original bench. An earlier floor was encountered 0.50 m beneath the one associated with the bench and altar just described. This earlier floor was traced northward and extends under the step of the final construction. At the south were remains of an altar 0.85 m wide with a step 0.40 m deep by 0.10 m high.

Masonry of the structure is for the most part of large, roughly worked stones with one of Puuc type occasionally noted. The roof was undoubtedly of beam-and-mortar construction. Surface material recovered in the excavation of the structure (see Fig. 36.4b, Lot A-569) included a rubbing stone (Fig. 36.9t) and two sections of a human femur found on the plaster floor. A trench 1.20 m wide through the medial axis of the building yielded from between Floors 1 and 2 the material listed under Figure 36.4b, Lot A-572. Material from below Floor 2 to bedrock (see Fig. 36.4b, Lot A-573), which was from 0.25 to 0.55 m below the floor, included an obsidian core (Fig. 36.11h). Structure S-133a (345 S, 520 E) Str. S-133a (Fig. 36.4e), one of a group of six structures, rests on a large terrace about 2 m high. It is supported by a low platform and faces north on a small court. This building, which is of the dwelling type, has a long front room open to the north. Three benches against the back wall are separated by two doorways leading into two back rooms of approximately the same size and separated by a thin wall. The eastern of the two a doorway in its east end with a sill 0.20 m above the floor level of the room (Fig.

473

36.10. Artifacts Recovered During Excavation in Strs. Y-8b, R-126a, S-133a, J-71a, Y-2d, Q-37a, Q-244b, Q-244c, S-133b, P-14a, J-71b, J-71d, R-30f, and R-91, and Groups Q-244 and K-67. a. Top, left to right, large flint blade, 12.2 by 5.2 by 1.4 cm, from Str. Y-8b, Cat. no. 55-271, Lot A-576 (Fig. 36.4h); flint point, 11 by 3.1 by 1.3 cm, from Str. R-126a, Cat. no. 55-173, Lot A-559 (Fig. 36.4a, caption); flint point, 10.3 by 3.25 by 1.45 cm, from Str. 5-133a, Cat. no. 55-178, Lot A-553 (Fig. 36.4e, caption); flint point, 7.6 by 5 by 1.2 cm, from Str. J-77a, Cat. no. 55-543, Lot A-542 (Fig. 36.1a, caption). Bottom, left to right, unfinished flint blade, 7.3 by 4 by 2.7 cm, from Str. Y-2d, Cat. no. 55-315, Lot A-508 (Fig. 36.4g); flint tool, 6.2 by 4.6 by 1.7 cm, from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-165, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption); flint blade, 7.2 by 3.1 by 1.5 cm, from Str. Q-37a, Cat. no. 55-526, Lot A-587 (Fig. 36.1b, flint point, 5.1 by 3.8 by 1.3 cm, from Str. Q244b, Cat. no. 55-337, Lot A-521 (Fig. 36.3); flint point, 4.4 by 3.3 by 1.2 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-342, Lot A-523 (Fig. 36.3). b. Top, left to right, flint point, 8.5 by 3.2 by 0.9 cm, from Str. Q-244c, Cat. no. 55-339, Lot A-520 (Fig. 36.3); flint blade, 7.9 by 3.3 by 0.9 cm, from Str. 5-133b, Cat. no. 55-171, Lot A-564 (Fig. 36.4f); flint point 7 by 3 by 1.4 cm, from Str. P-14a, Cat. no. 262, Lot A-55-564 (Fig. 36.1e, caption); flint point, 5.6 by 3.6 by 1 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-343, Lot A-523 (Fig. 36.3). Bottom, left to right, fragment of flint knife, 5.7 by 3.1 by 1.3 cm, from Str. 5-133b, Cat. no. 55-175, Lot A-554 (Fig. 36.4f, caption); flint point, 5.1 by 3 by 1 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-338, Lot A-521 (Fig. 36.3); used flint chip, 5.7 by 3.1 by 0.7 cm, from Str. Q-24c, Cat. no. 55-340, Lot A-522 (Fig. 36.3); flint scraper, 5 by 3.5 by 0.6 cm, from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-321, Lot A-518 (Fig. 36.3). c. Top, left to right, flint point, 12.2 by 5 by 18 cm, from Str. J-71b, Cat. no. 55-82, Lot A-548 (Fig. 36.1b); flint point, 13 by 4.5 by 1.1 cm, from Str. Y-2d, Cat. no. 55-44, Lot A-512 (Fig. 36.4g); flint point, 8.9 by 3.9 by 1.2 cm, from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-48, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption); flint point, 8.4 by 3.4 by 1.3 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-49, Lot A-521 (Fig. 36.3); flint point, 7.5 by 2.6 by 1.1 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-50, Lot A-524 (Fig. 36.3); flint point, 5.4 by 2 by 0.9 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-47, Lot A-530 (Fig. 36.3); flint arrow point, 3.5 by 1.65 by 0.65 cm, from Str. Y-2d, Cat. no. 55-67, Lot A-505 (Fig. 36.4g). Bottom, left to right, large tubular jade bead 6 by 2.4 by 2.25 cm, from Str. Q-244c, Cat. no. 55-51, Lot A-522 (Fig. 36.3); tubular jade bead, 2.55 by 1.35 by 1.05 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-52, Lot A-521 (Fig. 36.3); tubular jade bead, 1.9 by 1 by 1 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-56, 0.5 cm (Fig. 36.3); flint arrow point, 5.3 by 2.45 by 0.5 cm, from Str. J-71d, Cat. no. 55-87, Lot A-546 (Fig. 36.1e); flint notched arrow point, 4.55 by 1.9 by 0.6 cm, from Str. J-71d, Cat. no. 55-85, Lot A-546 (Fig. 36.1e); flint arrow point, 4.2 by 2.1 by 0.75 cm, from Str. J-71d, Cat. no. 55-84, Lot A-546 (Fig. 36.1e); flint arrow point, 4.2 by 2.05 by 0.5 cm, from Str. J-71d, Cat. no. 55-86, Lot A-546 (Fig. 36.1e). d. Top, left to right, flint point, 8 by 2.1 by 0.8 cm, from Str. R-126a, Cat. no. 55-174, Lot A-559 (Fig. 36.4a, caption); flint point with tenon, 6.5 by 1.2 by 0.5 cm, from Str. P-14a, Cat. no. 55-507, Lot A-585 (Fig. 36.1g); tang of flint point, 5.5 by 3.9 by 0.9 cm, from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-166, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption); fragment of hatchet shaped flint, 4.7 by 4.7 by 1.15 cm, from Str. Q-244c, Cat. no. 55-335, Lot A-519 (Fig. 36.3); flint point, 4.1 by 3 by 0.8 cm, from Group K-67, Cat. no. 55-535, Lot A-536 (Fig. 36.2, caption); flint point, 4.5 by 2.8 by 0.7 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-274, Lot A-503 (Fig. 36.3). Bottom, left to right, flint point with polished surface, 4.8 by 2.1 by 0.8 cm, from Str. R-126a, Cat. no. 55-177, Lot A-559 (Fig. 36.4a, caption); flint arrow point, 4.4 by 2.3 by 0.65 cm, from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-167, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption); flint arrow point, 3.8 by 1.6 by 0.6 cm, from Str. Y-8b, Cat. no. 55-276, Lot A-578 (Fig. 36.4h); notched flint arrow point, 2.7 by 1.45 by 0.3 cm, from Str. Y-8b, Cat. no. 55-273, Lot A-576 (Fig. 36.4h); notched flint arrow point, 2.2 by 1.3 by 0.3 cm, from Str. Y-8b, Cat. no. 55-272, Lot A-576 (Fig. 36.4h); round flint scraper, 2.7 by 2.6 by 0.7 cm, from Str. Q-244c, Cat. no. 55-341, Lot A-522 (Fig. 36.3). e. Top, left to right, stone cube, 5.7 by 5.7 by 5.3 cm, from Str. R-126a, Cat. no. 55-291, Lot A-559 (Fig. 36.4a, caption); bivalve shell from Str. R126a, Lot A-559 (Fig. 36.4a, caption); end fragment of mano, volcanic stone, 6.3 by 5.8 by 9.9 cm, from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-298, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption). Bottom, left to right, stone pestle, diam 3.8 to 4.1 cm, length 5.5 cm, from Str. 5-133b, Cat. no. 55-303, Lot A-563 (Fig. 36.4f,18); small stone monkey figure, 5 by 4.3 by 4.1 cm from Str. R-30f, Cat. no. 55-304, Lot A-557 (Fig. 36.1d); polishing pebble, 3.7 by 3.5 by 1.8 cm, from Str. R-126a, Cat. no. 55-300, Lot A-559 (Fig. 36.4a, caption); polishing pebble, 4.3 by 4.4 by 2.6, from Str. 5-133b, Cat. no. 55-301, Lot A-554 (Fig. 36.4f, caption). f. Top, left to right, bone awl, 12.4 cm long, from Str. Q-244c, Cat. no. 55-60, Lot A-522 (Fig. 36.3); fragment of bone awl, 5.6 cm long, from Group Q244, Cat. no. 55-61, Lot A-535 (Fig. 36.3); fragment of bone awl, 5.5 cm long, from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-61, Lot A-535 (Fig. 36.3); piece of bone with 4 perforations, 5.7 by 0.7 by 0.3 cm, from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-64, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption); cut and perforated shell tinkler, 2.7 by 1.6 by 1.5 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-93, Lot A-500 (Fig. 36.3); perforated shell disk, diam. 2.2 cm, 2.3 cm thick, from Str. Y-2d, Cat. no. 55-53, Lot A-512 (Fig. 36.4g). Middle, left to right, bone ring, 2 cm, outside diam, by 0.9 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-65, Lot A-524 (Fig. 36.3); segment of cut bone, 1.7 by 1.7 by 1.4 cm, from Str. J-71d, Cat. no. 55-91, Lot A-546 (Fig. 36.1e); bone spindle whorl, 2.4 cm max. diam by 1.3 cm, from Str. Y-2d, Cat. no. 55-46, Lot A-505 (Fig. 36.4a); perforated shell tinkler, 2 by 1.3 cm from Str. Q-244c, Cat. no. 55-70, Lot A-522 (Fig. 36.3); perforated shell disk, diam 2.2 cm, 2.3 cm thick, from Str. Y-2d, Cat. no. 55-53, Lot A-512 (Fig. 36.4y). Bottom, left to right, fragment of obsidian flake blade, 5.6 by 0.6 by 0.1 cm, from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-72, Lot A-535 (Fig. 36.3); obsidian arrow point, 2.5 by 2.2 by 0.05 cm, from Str. Y-2d, Cat. no. 55-59, Lot A-502 (Fig. 36.4g, caption); retouched obsidian flake blade, 4.1 by 0.9 by 0.3 cm, from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-55, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption); pottery mask, pectoral ornament, 6.1 by 4.4 by 0.8 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-45, Lot A-524 (Fig. 36.3); perforated rectangular shell, 2 holes, 1.45 by 0.65 by 0.35 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-92, Lot A-500 (Fig. 36.3). g. Top, left to right, worked and drilled shell, diam 6.2 to 6.5 cm, max. thickness 0.55 cm, from Str. Q-37a, Cat. no. 55-530, Lot A-587 (Fig. 36.1); perforated shell 5.7 by 3.8 cm, from Str. Y-2d, Cat. no. 55-317, Lot A-508 (Fig. 36.4); shell pendant, 3.4 by 2.6 by 0.8 cm, from Str. R-91, Cat. no. 55-172, Lot A-571 (Fig. 36.1j, caption); copper tweezers, 4.2 by 2.1 by 0.6 cm, from Str. P-14a, Cat. no. 55-277, Lot A-585 (Fig. 36.1g). Bottom, left to right, perforated shell tinkler, 3.6 by 2.1 by 1.8 cm, from Str. Q-37a, Cat. no. 55-536, Lot A-591 (Fig. 36.1i); perforated shell tinkler, 4.5 by 2.4 by 2.1 cm, from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-176, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption); perforated shell, 2.4 by 1.7 by 1.3 cm, from

476

A. Ledyard Smith and Karl Ruppert 36.10. Artifacts Recovered During Excavation in Strs. Y-8b, R-126a, S-133a, J-71a, Y-2d, Q-37a, Q-244b, Q-244c, S-133b, P-14a, J-71b, J-71d, R-30f, and R-91, and Groups Q-244 and K-67—continued Str. Y-2d, Cat. no. 55-316, Lot A-509 (Fig. 36.4g); copper ring, diam 1.65 cm, ht. 0.9 cm, from Str. 5-133b, Cat. no. 55-183, Lot A-563 (Fig. 36.4f,16). h. Top, left to right pottery spindle whorl, diam 2.3 by 1.5 cm, from Str. R-30f, Cat. no. 55-182, Lot A-555 (Fig. 36.1d, caption); drilled re-used sherd, possibly a spindle whorl, 4.9 by 4.6 by 0.9 cm, from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-136, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption). Bottom, left to right, drilled re-used sherd, possibly a spindle whorl, diam 3.5 cm, thickness 0.8 cm, from Str. Q-244c, Cat. no. 55-347, Lot A-522 (Fig. 36.3); drilled re-used sherd, possibly a spindle whorl, max. diam. 6.2 cm, thickness 0.7 cm, from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-320, Lot A-518 (Fig. 36.3).

36.4e,3). A few Puuc-type stones were used in the masonry, but for the most part the stones were only roughly faced. The structure, which once carried a thatch roof, must have had a row of wooden posts set in the platform on its north side to support such a roof. A pit sunk in the central bench uncovered a stone-lined cist and a fragment of early floor 0.40 m below the top of the bench (see Fig. 36.4,e, Lots A565, A-566). Another pit, in front of the platform supporting Str. S-133a, disclosed a tomb which had been cut through two early court floors; it was impossible to tell if the latest or top floor had been cut through, as it was in very poor condition. The south and west sides of the tomb were of rough masonry, but the other two were simply cut from the fill. Its floor, 0.15 m above bedrock, was plastered. The tomb contained the skeleton of an adult female lying on its right side in a flexed position, head north. Two of the lumbar vertebrae were fused and the skull was artificially deformed, having sagittal flattening (see Fig. 36.4e, Lot A-556). Structure S-133b (325 S, 508 E) Str. S-133b (Figs. 36.4,f; 6,d–h) lies a little to the northwest of Str. S-133a and faces east on the same court. The very fragmentary remains of a small altar platform, Str. S-133c, are directly in front of and centered on it. Str. S-133b, a good-sized construction possibly used as a dwelling, has an unusual plan. Supported by a low platform, it has four rooms, three parallel, long axis north and south, and one lateral at the south end. A small plaster block with a pottery bowl set in it projects from the center of the east side of the platform supporting Str. S-133b and rises slightly above the level of its floor (Figs. 36.4,f,20; 6,h). Room 1, the east room of the building, facing on the court, has a large opening in its east side with two columns dividing it into three entrances, the central one being the widest of the three. The columns are larger than those usually used in dwellings, being 0.60 m in diameter, and are in a good state of preservation, the plaster being intact on one (Fig. 36.6,d).

At the south end of the room is a doorway leading into Room 4, the lateral room at the south end of the building. The west wall is pierced by two doorways leading into Room 2, the central room. Benches extend along the back wall of Room 1, except where it is broken by the two doorways leading into Room 2, and along the wall at the north end. The benches had a 0.10 m molding along their upper edge which projected 0.01 to 0.03 m from the face of the benches. Two stone cord holders were found near the north jamb of the large opening on the east side of the room (figs. 36.4f,21; 9h). They probably had been in the wall, which had almost completely fallen at this point. Room 2, the central room, has only two doorways, those leading into Room 1. The southern of the doorways, which is nearer to the center of the room and is its main doorway, has two stone cord holders set in the floor, a little in from either jamb (Fig. 36.4f,19). They each had a hole and were similar to those found in Room 1 (Fig. 36.9h). All that protruded above the floor was the end with the hole. Two other cord holders found on the floor nearby (Fig. 36.9i) probably fell out of the wall above the two set in the floor. A small altar built in two levels was placed against the back wall of the room in line with the doorway with the cord holders. The floor at the south end of the upper level of the altar had been broken through, possibly to remove an offering from a small cist. The floor just south of the altar was covered with fine ash and a large number of sherds, many of censers (see Fig. 36.4f, Lot A-561). To the north of the altar a pottery neck had been placed in the floor at the time of its construction (Fig. 36.4f, Lot A-575). There are two other openings in the east wall of Room 2, besides the two doorways. These are in the approximate center of the wall sections on either side of the main doorway and lead down into rectangular stone-lined vaults under the benches on the other side of the wall in Room 1 (Figs. 36.4f; 36.6e,f,g). Both vaults extended under the east face of the bench above them, and in each case the stones forming the face of the bench fell into them, probably when the wooden beams which must have rested on

Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV the walls of the vaults to support the masonry and fill above collapsed. The walls of the vaults were made of roughly cut stones and the floors were plastered. The vault under the south bench had nothing in it except some sherds (Fig. 36.4f, Lot A-564) and a flint blade (Fig. 36.10b). The vault under the center bench held a burial containing the remains of five skeletons, three adults and two children. Very few long bones were found, so the positions of the skeletons could not be determined, only the locations of the skulls. One of them, that of an old male (Fig. 36.4f,13), was burned black. Objects found with the burial (Fig. 36.4f, Lot A-563) included a pottery doll with movable arms and legs (Fig. 36.8q–s), a small stone pestle (Fig. 36.10e), and a copper ring (Fig. 36.10x). For position in the tomb of the skulls and the associated objects see Figure 36.4f,9–18. Floors 5–8 are associated with Rooms 1 and 2. The top floor, Floor 5, turns up to all walls in both rooms, the columns and benches in Room 1, and the altar in Room 2. Floor 6, about 0.06 m below Floor 5, goes under the columns (they rest on it) in Room 1, turns up to the benches in this room, goes under the altar in Room 2, and turns up to the walls in both rooms. Floor 7, about 0.06 m below Floor 6, goes under everything in both rooms except where it was broken to put in the two vaults under the benches in Room 1, It must have been associated with an early construction destroyed at the time of the building of Str. 5-133b. Floor 8, 0.40 m below Floor 7 under Room 1, is probably an early floor of the terrace supporting the group. Room 3, the western of the three parallel rooms, has a large opening in its west wall divided into three entrances by two columns. A row of stones found on the floor between the south column and south jamb may have fallen from the roof. Originally Room 3 had a doorway in its south end partly blocked by a bench extending along the east wall of the room to within about 2 m of its north end. This bench had a narrow wall along its north end, rising 0.35 m above the level of the top of the bench, and a molding along its west face similar to the molding on the benches in Room 1. At some later date the doorway in the south end of the room was blocked and a bench placed against the south wall. Room 4, a late addition, was a long lateral room at the south end of the building. Its south side, which was completely open except for masonry blocks at either end, was divided into three entrances by two square masonry columns. Both ends of the room had entrances, the one at the west end being the width of the room. A doorway from Room 1 leads into the east end of the room, and a large bench extended along its north wall.

The masonry in Str. S-133b, except for the facing of the benches which was of stones of the Puuc type, was of roughly cut and faced stones laid in fairly even courses with the use of many spalls (Fig. 36.6f). The roof, which had been of beams and mortar, was destroyed by fire. Structure Y-2d (570 S, 20 E) Str. Y-2d (Figs. 36.4g; 36.6i,j) is one of a group of four structures on the northwest corner of a large terrace about 2 m high. The group surrounds a small court, Str. Y-2d being on its west side and facing upon it. This building, of the dwelling type, is supported by a low platform and has a front and rear room. The front room has a wide opening on its east side which is divided into three entrances by two columns, the central opening being the widest of the three. A doorway in the center of the back wall leads into the rear room. At some time after the construction of the building this doorway was narrowed by placing a masonry block against its north jamb (Fig. 36.4g,9). On either side of the doorway are benches that extend to the ends of the room and along the north and south walls. The northern of these L-shaped benches is about 0.20 m lower than the southern. A pit between the two benches in the front room brought to light not only a burial (Lot A-505) but several floors. The earliest floor, Floor 1, continued into the back room. Later a sill was placed in the doorway leading into the rear room. The sill rested on a fragment of floor, Floor 3, which may have been a later floor in the back room, but which was not found elsewhere. The burial mentioned above was put through Floor 1 and then the area between the benches was covered by a new floor, Floor 2, 0.25 m above Floor 1. Floor 2 was continued through into the rear room. The cist containing the burial was cut out of the fill and had bedrock as its floor. The skeleton of a young adult female lay on its right side at the bottom of the cist, head to the east, legs flexed, and arms crossed at the abdomen. The only other bone found was a fragment of a baby skull. Some charcoal was found with the burial, as well as a bone spindle whorl (Fig. 36.10f), two copper rings (Fig. 36.11g), a flint arrow point (Fig. 36.10c), and one or two other objects (Fig. 36.4g, Lot A-505). Pits sunk in the two benches in the front room showed that each contained a stone-lined cist with a plastered floor. The cists (Fig. 36.4g, Lots A-511, A-512) were filled with earth and stones and covered by the plastered tops of the benches. They were undoubtedly built to hold future burials. The back room did not extend to the north end of the structure. Although built at the same time as the

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Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV 36.11. Artifacts Recovered During Excavation in Strs. P-28b, Q-37a, R-126a, Y-8b, P-14a, P-23c, J-71b, A-1, Y-2d, R-142c, Q-244b, R-171b, and Q-244c, and Group Q-244. a. Top, left to right, pair of bone or antler earplugs, max. diam 3.8 cm, ht. 1.4 cm, from Str. P-28b, Cat. no. 55-531, Lot A-594 (Fig. 36.1h,l); worked bone tube, 8.6 by 1.1 by 0.95 cm, from Str. Q-37a, Cat. no. 55-511, Lot A-587 (Fig. 36.1i); fragment of bone point, 6.7 by 1.4 by 0.8 cm, from Str. P-28b, Cat. no. 55-519, Lot A-594 (Fig. 36.1h); bone awl, 8 by 1.2 by 0.8 cm, from Str. Q-37a, Cat. no. 55-512, Lot A-587 (Fig. 36.1i); bone awl, 10 by 2.1 by 1.6 cm, from Str. R-126a, Cat. no. 55-184, Lot A562 (Fig. 36.4a). Lower left corner, above: perforated stingray spine, 7.8 by 0.8 by 0.3 cm, from Str. Y-8b, Cat. no. 55-268, Lot A-576 (Fig. 36.4h). Below: 3 stingray spines, from Str. P-14a, Cat. no. 55-506, Lot A-585 (Fig. 36.1g). Lower right corner, left to right, piece of cut antler, 5.2 by 1. by 0.7 cm, from Str. R-126a, Cat. no. 55-188, Lot A-562 (Fig. 36.4a); bone spindle whorl, diam. 2.5 cm, ht. 1.1 cm, from Str. Q-37a, Cat. no. 55-514, Lot A-587 (Fig. 36.1i); piece of worked bone, 4.2 by 1.4 by 1.4 cm, from Str. P-14a, Cat. no. 55-505, Lot A-585 (Fig. 36.1g). b. Perforated plastron and carapace of turtle, latter 15.1 by 10.5 by 6.7 cm from Str. Q-37a, Cat. no. 55-278, Lot A-587 (Fig. 36.1i,4). c. Conch shell trumpet, 16.8 by 12.3 by 9.7 cm, from Str. P-14a, Cat no. 55-279, Lot A-590 (Fig. 36.1g,8). d. Left to right, carved deer antler, 14.7 by 4.2 by 1.6 cm from Str. P-14a, Cat. no. 55-260, Lot A-585 (Fig. 36.1g); deer antler awl, 14 by 2.2 by 2.1 cm, from Str. P-23c, Cat. no. 55-527, Lot A-586 (Fig. 36.1c). e. Worked manatee rib, 28.5 by 4.4 by 3.1 cm, from Str. J-71b, Cat. no. 55-135, Lot A-543 (Fig 1b, caption). f. Cache in Str. A-1, Lot A-595 (Fig. 36.1f). Top: tripod pottery vessel, 6.5 cm, high (Fig. 36.1f,3). Middle, left to right, shell bead, Cat. no. 55-542; jade bead, Cat. no. 55-541; jade bead, diam 2.3 cm, ht. 1.7 cm, Cat. no. 55-540; shell bead, Cat. no. 55-542; shell bead, Cat. no. 55-542. Bottom: shell bead, Cat. no. 55-542. g. Top, left to right, copper ring, 2.1 by 1.5 cm. from Str. Y-2d, Cat. no. 55-54, Lot A-505 (Fig. 36.4g); copper ring human head, diam 2.1 cm, ht. of body 1.9 cm, total ht. 3.2 cm, from Str. R-142c, Cat. no. 55-96, Lot A-550 (Fig. 36.4d,5). Middle, left to right, green stone celt, 7.6 by 4.5 by 2.3 cm, from Str. R-142c, Cat. no. 55-83, Lot A-544 (Fig. 36.4c, caption); copper ring, 2.1 by 1.5 cm, from Str. Y-2d, Cat. no. 55-54, Lot A-505 (Fig. 36.4g); copper ring, max. diam. 1.8 by 1.1 cm, from Str. R-142c, Cat. no. 55-95, Lot A-550 (Fig. 36.4d,4). Bottom, left to right, copper ring, max. diam. 2.3 cm, ht. 16 cm, from Str. R-142c, Cat. no. 55-94, Lot A-550 (Fig. 36.4d,4); copper ring, max. diam. 2.1 cm, ht. 0.35 cm, from Str. R-142c, Cat. no. 55-97, Lot A-550 (Fig. 36.4d,4). h. Top, left to right, obsidian arrow point, 3.65 by 1.6 by 0.35 cm from Group Q-244, Cat. no. 55-186, Lot A-501 (Fig. 36.3, caption); obsidian thumbnail scraper, 2.6 by 2.5 by 0.65 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-344, Lot A-523 (Fig. 36.3). Middle, 169, Lot A-573 (Fig. 36.4b); green stone celt, 3.9 by 3 by 1.5 cm, from Str. P-14a, Cat. no. 55-264, Lot A-584 (Fig. 36.1g, caption). Bottom, left to right, obsidian thumbnail scraper, 2.4 by 1.4 by 0.3 cm, from Str. Q-244c, Cat. no. 55-345, Lot A-522 (Fig. 36.3); notched obsidian arrow point, 4.5 by 2.8 by 0.7 cm, from Str. Q-244b, Cat. no. 55-274, Lot A-503 (Fig. 36.3). i. Front view of copper ring with human head, diam 2.1 cm, ht. of body 1.9 cm, total ht. 3.2 cm, from Str. R-142c, Cat. no. 55-96, Lot A-550 (Fig. 36.4d,5). j. Side view of i.

front room, it was built against its back wall. There is evidence that the builders originally intended not to have the back room extend to the south end of the building, but to have it stop short as it does at the north end, and then changed their minds. The only doorway in the room is the one leading into the front room. Originally there was a bench at the south end of the room. Later a lower bench was placed against the center of the back wall. This central bench was eventually covered by Floor 2, which covered all of the back room except the bench at its south end. A pit in the bench at the south end of the room brought to light a stone-lined cist with a plastered floor 0.20 m above natural rock, probably another place prepared for future interment. The masonry of Str. Y-2d is of very rough stones set in good lime mortar (Fig. 36.6i,j). Traces of plaster on the walls show a thickness of as much as 0.05 m in one place the wall at the south end of the building rises 1.70 m above the floor of the front room. This was probably not far from the height of the room. The roof had been of beam-and-mortar construction. There was no sign of its having been burned. While excavation was going on in Str. Y-2d, R. E. Smith did some trenching for pottery in Group Y-2.

Lot A-513: cut into dry rock fill in center of Group Y-2 along outer face on east side of an early terrace inside the larger terrace supporting the group. Cut goes down to bedrock: spiral shell fragment; 3 obsidian flake blades. Sherds: 68; unidentifiable, the remainder of Mayapán period (5 Fine Orange, 1 of censer). Lot A-514: cut into terrace about 0.40 m below broken floor level found only on east side of Str. Y2a. Cut goes down to dry rock fill of terrace: 3 flint chips. Sherds: 189; 105 unidentifiable, the remainder of Mayapán period (21 of censers). Lot A-517: trench between benches in Str. Y-2a down to bedrock, which uncovered corner of an early terrace: obsidian flake blade; conch shell fragment. Sherds: 225; 72 unidentifiable, the remainder of Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 4 of censers). Structure Y-8b (567 S, 135 E) Str. Y-8b is the central building of three forming Group Y-8, which rises from a natural hillock. Only suggestions of terrace facing remain, though the hillock was definitely leveled and prepared for the support of the buildings.

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A. Ledyard Smith and Karl Ruppert Str. Y-8b faces northeast, rises from an independent platform 0.15 m high, and is composed of a single chamber with a small projecting shrine room at the back (Fig. 36.4h). The building is in a poor state of preservation. In some places walls could not be followed. Two column drums, 0.40 m in diameter, were encountered across the front of the structure, but it is doubtful whether either was in situ. Small patches of floor plaster were seen in the passageway between the benches leading into the shrine room and in the shrine room itself. Because of the poor condition of the plaster floor and the lack of debris, it is thought that the roof was of thatch. The main chamber has two L-shaped benches each rising 0.50 m. Surface material from the main chamber and the passageway is listed under Figure 36.4h, Lot A-574. A pit in the floor of the east half of the chamber was sunk to an average depth of 1.30 m. No outlines of a cast were seen. Material recovered had apparently been rather indiscriminately dumped into the fill. This material included parts of eight adult skeletons. In some cases long bones and vertebrae may have been associated with skulls, but in general the

skeletal material was found scattered throughout the fill. See material listed under Figure 36.4h, Lot A-576. The floor of the passageway steps up 0.15 m at a point 0.10 m in from the corner of the bench. This raised level extends into the shrine room. The projecting shrine room measures 1.80 by 3.25 m. Surface material from here is given under Figure 36.4h, Lot A-570. A pit in the floor directly in from the doorway was carried to a depth of 1.45 m. Bedrock was not encountered. Material from the pit is listed under Figure 36.4h, Lot A-578. Built against the inner face of the back wall of the shrine room is an altar 0.70 m wide, 1.20 m long, and 0.28 m high. Each front corner is formed of a Puuctype spool ornament (Fig. 36.5i). A pit opened in the altar was carried to a depth of approximately 1.40 m without encountering bedrock. Material recovered is given under Figure 36.4h, Lot A-577. At the west exterior of the main chamber are remains of a platform 1.50 m wide. Though in very poor state of preservation, it is similar to those associated with Strs. P-23c, P-28b, and R-142c, and may have served a like purpose.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 37 June 1956

The Southern Terminus of the Principal Sacbe at Mayapán, Group Z-50 H.E.D. Pollock

and we now feel little doubt that the quadrangle at the northern end of the sacbe served as living quarters for the well-to-do. The group of buildings at the southern end of the road (565 S, 120 W), which is the subject of this report, is less securely defined as to function. As will be seen from the plan and sections (Fig. 37.1), Group Z-50 consists of a raised courtyard with buildings on three sides. A few meters west of the group an opening in the bedrock, now choked by the roots of trees, may be the mouth of a cenote that once served as a source of water. The main approach is from the north, where the sacbe enters, and secondary approaches in the form of stairways are at the northwest and the east. None of the three buildings is characteristically residential in plan. The southern building, Str. Z-50b, has a single enclosed rear chamber affording the privacy that seems to be a mark of household architecture, but the rest of the structure is very open, and the other two buildings are quite different

The principal sacbe at Mayapán has been referred to in an earlier report in this series (Pollock, 1950). The road runs from a large group of buildings in the western part of Square R to a somewhat smaller group in the northeastern part of Square Z (Jones 1952, map). The limited excavations described in the 1954 report were at the northern terminus of the sacbe and were made with the purpose of determining the age of the road. It was fairly well demonstrated that the sacbe was a late construction in the history of the city and also was late in relation to the quadrangle of buildings (Strs. R95 to R-99) at the northern end of the road. Although the excavations were not sufficiently extensive to throw any light on the character or function of the group, the opinion was expressed that the quadrangle was domiciliary and might accurately be termed a palace. Recent work by Proskouriakoff and Temple (1955) in a strikingly similar nearby assemblage of structures (R-85 to R-90) has amply demonstrated the domiciliary character of such groups,

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37.1. Plan and Sections of Group Z-50.

The Southern Terminus of the Principal Sacbe at Mayapán, Group Z-50 in plan from the usual dwelling. Though the character of the architecture is atypical for a residential group, the ceramic remains recovered are very much in the nature of household material. One is therefore tempted to believe that this assemblage of buildings had both residential and ceremonial functions. No earlier archaeological work, other than the general mapping of the site, is known to have been carried on at Z-50. Our excavations began with the intention of developing a relatively detailed plan of the group in its final stage of occupation and of trenching through the sacbe at its southern end in order to check the time of construction of the road against the findings of similar work a year earlier at the northern terminus (Pollock 1950). As work progressed, there were indications that something might be learned of building sequence by carrying our excavations somewhat further. This was done, still on a limited scale, with the results that appear below (also see Pollock 1955). Our work here seems to confirm the relatively late time of construction of the sacbe that was indicated by the earlier digging at the north. Parts of Group Z-50 were built even later than the road. Building Sequence It will be seen from the plan of Group Z-50 that the sacbe, which enters the group from the north, originally extended some 5 m south of the stairway that now forms the terminus of the sacbe and the principal approach to the assemblage (Fig. 37.1). In the earlier stage the sacbe ended against a terrace wall that was subsequently buried for the most part by the extension northward of the main basal platform of the group. This fact was discovered by means of a pit that uncovered the east side of the sacbe at its junction with the buried terrace wall (Fig. 37.2a). Both are footed on bedrock and have the appearance of being contemporaneous. This pit also exposed remnants of what seemed to have been the east balustrade of a stairway that once rose from the sacbe to the top of the terrace. If there was indeed such a stairway, the upper steps and part of the balustrade were demolished in ancient times. Our pit did not extend outward from the terrace wall far enough to determine the presence or absence of lower steps. Because of the obvious necessity for a stairway, at this point, and because of the slight evidence of a balustrade, a stairway has been restored here in our plan and section (Fig. 37.1, Section A-A’). The buried terrace wall we have been referring to was uncovered by another pit at the northeast corner of the building platform, or plinth, of Str. Z-50c. At this point the buried wall continues

westward under the plinth (Fig. 37.2b), but ends, or more probably turns a corner, at a point short of the northwest corner of the building platform. This was determined by an excavation at the northwest corner that showed the building platform to rest on loose fill rather than on the old terrace wall. It seems clear from these findings that Str. Z-50c was built in a later stage of development of the group than that of the buried terrace. East of the sacbe the buried terrace emerges within a few meters to form one wall of the main platform of the group in its final stage. The wall continues east a short distance, turns south, and then east again. In the angle made by the last turn a secondary wall (Fig. 37.1) had been constructed. This could be followed to a point about 2 m eastward, where all traces disappeared. Still farther east, the early wall turns south to form the eastern side of the main platform of the group. The small groundlevel room (Figs. 37.1, Section C-C’; 37.2c) between the stairways on that side seems to have been made at the time when the main platform was built. The east wall of the platform behind both stairways, but this is normal construction practice at Mayapán, and there is no reason to think that the main stairway on that side is not to all intents and purposes contemporaneous with the platform. The smaller stairway (Fig. 37.2d), on the other hand, to judge by its position and poor construction, may well represent a later addition. South of the main east stairway the platform wall is badly fallen and was followed only a short distance. The position of wall seems to be as shown on the plan, but this is largely reconstruction and we do not know the relation between this part of the main basal platform, which supports Str. Z-50a, and the part of the platform supporting Str. Z-50b. It may all be one unit, or the part of the platform beneath Z-50b may be earlier. It is unlikely that the latter is later, as Str. Z-50b seems to have been built before Z-50a, and the last-named structure seems to be contemporaneous with its basal platform. Returning to the northern side of the group, it will be seen from the plan that the main platform was extended northward at a period subsequent to that we have been discussing. Several meters of the sacbe were thus buried, and the presumed early stairway at its end, or at least the upper part of the stairway, was removed. In place of the earlier stairway a new one was built upon the sacbe (Figs. 37.1, Section A-A’; 37.2e–g). In its original form this stairway carried balustrades almost 2 m wide. Later, a block of masonry was added east of the east balustrade and was carried around the northeast corner of the extension of the main platform to within a

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The Southern Terminus of the Principal Sacbe at Mayapán, Group Z-50 37.2. Views of Excavations and Details of Construction. a. Wall of buried terrace (upper left), east edge of sacbe (center), and remains of what probably was a balustrade (right), looking southwest. b. Buried terrace running under northeast corner of building platform (center) of Str. Z-50c, from northeast. c. Ground-level room between stairways to Str. Z-50a, from northeast. d. Northern stairway at east side of Str. Z-50a, from northeast. Note column drums in lowest step, ground-level room beyond stairway. e. Stairway forming principal approach to Group Z-50, looking south. Trench through sacbe at foot of stairway. f. East edge of sacbe and principal stairway to group, from northeast. Wide balustrade at east side of stairway extends almost to left margin of picture. West edge of sacbe, column drum and step, principal stairway beyond, from northwest. h. Southwest corner of Str. Z-50a, from west. Late addition to building platform of Str. Z-50b is seen just right of center of picture, low plinth of Z-50a just below center. i. Building platform of Str. Z-50c, from northeast. East end of trench cut to floor level along east-west axis of building appears in upper left of picture. j. Altar at rear center of Str. Z-50c, from southeast. Higher bench, which is primary to altar, is seen at right of picture. k. North doorway of Str. Z-50c, from north. Burned roof (?) beam was found on floor inside doorway. l. Opening to cavity in terrace south of Str. Z-50c, from south. Remains of plaster floor at top of picture.

short distance of the early platform wall first discussed. A deep niche was thus formed in the side of the platform. As might be expected, this recess held a relatively deep deposit of debris and yielded a good return of pottery and other materials (Lot C-142). All the pottery was of Mayapán period, and a good proportion, about one-quarter, was of types late in that period. Two small limestone sculptures of animals, one of a jaguar, burned almost beyond recognition (Fig. 37.3a), the other possibly of a turtle (Fig. 37.3b), came from this deposit (see Lot C-142 under Pottery and Other Materials). West of the new main stairway to the group a block of masonry was added, and another stairway, rising from ground level, was built (Fig. 37.1, Section D-D’). Near the foot of the west balustrade of the main stairway is an altar or large column drum, and between it and the side of the sacbe is a step leading from ground level to the surface of the road (Fig. 37.2g). The step is clearly secondary to the sacbe and to the balustrade, and probably is secondary to the altar or drum. It is not known how the western addition to the main platform that forms the base of Str. Z-50c fits into the above described sequence of building. It is possible that the northward and westward extensions of the early platform were coeval. On the other hand, the northward extension may have come first. The latter condition is indicated on the plan by the buried southern end of the west side of the northern extension (Fig. 37.1). Excavation did not disclose what the situation is here, and this part of the plan is reconstruction. Certain fragmentary constructions (not shown on plan) below court level off the northeast corner of Str. Z-50c suggest that a stairway once rose from ground level at the west to the level of the court. If such a stairway did in fact exist, the western part of the main basal platform under Z-50c must almost certainly have been built after the northward extension of the platform.

Whatever the relative age of the northern and western extensions of the platform, the building Z50c appears to have been erected later than the early buried platform, on which it only partly rests. It has already been noted that Str. Z-50a seems to be contemporaneous with that early platform but is later than Str. Z-50b. The apparent order of building of these structures is, then, Z-50b, Z-50a, and, lastly, Z50c. The evidence suggesting this sequence will be given in more detail below. Structures Z-50a, Z-50b, AND Z-50c Masonry. Our excavations, spotted here and there to develop the plan of the assemblage and to discover so far as possible the sequence of construction, did not uncover large enough wall areas to provide an adequate sample of the masonry of the group. It would be particularly hazardous to attempt to define differences between early and late constructions. One of the characteristics of Mayapán masonry is the relative crudity of the stonecutting and the seeming lack of uniformity in the way the stone was shaped and laid even within a single building. Observation of small areas of wall can, therefore, be highly misleading. Speaking within these limitations, our impression was that the masonry seen here is typical of that observed in structures of comparable size or importance elsewhere in Mayapán, and described, with its range and variations, in a number of places in this series of reports. The views in Figure 37.2 will give an impression of the masonry. There is the usual sprinkling of finely cut and shaped stone of Puuc style, quite obviously a secondary use of these elements. In a number of buildings elsewhere in the city, stone of this sort was reserved particularly for stairways and plinth courses. This does not seem to be so at Group Z-50, where the only concentration of Puuc-style stones observed was in the face of the altar in Str. Z-50c (Fig. 37.2j).

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H.E.D. Pollock Str. Z-50b. Facing the main approach and looking the length of the court, Str. Z-50b occupies the most important position in the group (Fig. 37.1). Natural ground level here rises gently from north to south and from west to east (Fig. 37.1, Sections A-A’, B-B’), culminating in a little hillock beneath Str. Z50b. The north-south rise has been maintained in the artificial surface of the court, and when one stands in the main entrance of Str. Z-50b and looks northward, one has the impression of occupying a position of eminence, even though the floor of Str. Z-50c is on approximately the same level. Considering the terrain, and the orientation imposed on the group by the sacbe, it is not surprising that Str. Z-50b was the first to be built. In its original form, or at least in the earliest form exposed by our excavations, Str. Z-50b rested on a roughly rectangular platform that provided a terrace of a meter or less all around the building (Fig. 37.1). Sometime later there occurred a series of renovations that resulted in the enlargement of the platform toward the east and northeast, but before this happened Str. Z-50a seems to have been built. This sequence is indicated by the juncture of the low plinth across the front (west) of Z-50a with the original platform of Z-50b, where the low plinth is clearly secondary to the platform. The plinth along the south side of Str. Z-50a at this time ran westward to a point opposite the west doorway on that side, where it turned south and presumably formed a low step across the east end of the platform of Z-50b. After Str. Z-50a was built, or while it was being built, the renovations of the east end of the platform of Z-50b were begun. These consisted in the enlargement of the platform to the east and the filling of the corner between Z-50a and b to the level of the platform of the latter, which stands some 0.35–0.40 m above the plinth of Z-50a (Fig. 37.2h). As the successive steps in enlarging the platform do not seem particularly significant, merely leading to the final plan, only the last stage is shown in Figure 37.1. Changes were also made inside Str. Z-50b, most of which cannot be related to those just described. The short transverse wall at the east end of the southwest room is secondary to the main longitudinal walls and to the altar, which seems to be contemporary with the rear wall (Fig. 37.1). The western jamb of the south doorway carries a secondary facing, added, one suspects, when the transverse wall was installed. The bench that is shown on the plan as filling the southeast corner of the east room is secondary to the column in the east doorway and very probably represents a renovation of the original structure. We cannot be certain of this, but the fact that the bench blocks half of the east doorway

and nearly blocks the eastern half of the south doorway strongly suggests that it is a later addition. We are not sure of the position of the bench, because of limited excavation. It is possible that a passage exists between the bench and the inner walls, but the height and slope of the debris indicate that conditions were as shown in the plan. It will be seen in the plan that the bench we are discussing first extended only to the line of the outer face of the east doorway. Later it was added to so that a part of the bench lay outside the building (Fig. 37.1, Section E-E’). This change could only have come with or after the final eastward extension of the terrace here, as no earlier stage of this terrace provided sufficient space to accommodate the addition to the bench. It will also be noted in the plan that the masonry pier at the northeast corner of Str. Z-50b carries a secondary extension at its east end. As the late addition to the bench lay entirely outside the building, quite open to the elements, one wonders if this extension of the pier was not intended to provide one support for a thatched roof over the terrace, the other supports presumably being wooden posts. Our excavations in Str. Z-50b yielded little material that sheds any light on the character and use of the building. The depth and kind of debris within the structure leave no doubt that it carried a beamand-mortar roof, thus being typical of Mayapán construction. The columns in the front and rear doorways are of exceptionally large diameter, but beyond this the structure is undistinguished except possibly for its unusual plan. The interior and exterior bench arrangement at the eastern end of the building and the wide terrace suggest to the writer the possibility that the east room was used as a kitchen, but this is no more than a guess. Just off the edge of the platform and south of the eastern of the two southern doorways in Str. Z50a, we ran into a deposit with much ash and bone, suggesting kitchen midden refuse. The refuse may have come from Str. Z-50a, Z-50b, or both, but its presence strengthens the likelihood that the eastern room and terrace of the latter served as a kitchen. Excavation in the altar of Str. Z-50b uncovered a cache typical of similarly located offerings in Mayapán. The cache consisted of a miniature tripod vase or cup (see Shook and Irving 1955, Fig. 37.7i,j) and a jade bead. The cup was broken and the bead was loose in the fill of the altar, but there is little doubt that, as in similar caches found elsewhere, the bead was inside the cup when the offering was made. Also from inside the altar (Lot C-139) came an animal-­head effigy foot from a bowl of Red-on-Cream or Buff Ware, a late type of pottery in Mayapán. As

The Southern Terminus of the Principal Sacbe at Mayapán, Group Z-50 the altar seems to have been installed contemporaneously with the construction of the building, and Str. Z-50b appears to be the earliest of the three buildings in the group, the implications are that the entire assemblage is late in the history of Mayapán. Str. Z-50a. It has already been mentioned that the eastern building, although erected after Str. Z50b, seems to be contemporaneous with the earliest part, of which we have any knowledge, of the general basal platform of the group. This conclusion is based on the finding that the low plinth of the building rests directly upon the fill of the platform, with no earlier floor underlying the plinth. It has also been mentioned that the ground-level room (Figs. 37.1; 37.2c) between the stairways to this building seems to have been built at the same time. The front walls of the chamber tie into the platform wall with no sign of a break, and the other walls of the room retain the loose fill of the platform. The only features connected with this structure that suggest later construction are the short stretch of secondary platform wall north of the building, and the northeast stairway (Figs. 37.1; 37.2,d). As it was common practice in Mayapán to erect, the terrace wall before building the stairway, we cannot be certain that this stairway was not part of the original plan. The unsymmetrical location and the slipshod construction involving the re-use of column drums in the bottom step, however, strongly suggest that this stairway was an afterthought. The relatively slight amount of debris in Str. Z50a, together with the absence of the plaster, small stone, and mortar associated with a fallen beamand-mortar roof, leaves little doubt that this building carried a roof of perishable materials, presumably of thatch. The ground-level chamber, on the other hand, was roofed with beam-and-mortar construction, as indicated by the character of the debris inside the room. Whether the upper surface of the roof was level with the surrounding terrace, level with the plinth, or even higher, we do not know (Fig. 37.1, Section C-C’). It seems unlikely it would have been higher than the plinth. Excavations in Str. Z-50a yielded, in addition to potsherds, a fragment of a mano, a sculptured stone head with a long tenon at the rear (Fig. 37.3,c), and two carved stone elements of architectural decoration of Puuc type (Fig, 3,d,e). All were on or above the floor, the first two between the west and medial doorways, the larger architectural element in the medial doorway, the smaller one on the surface of the debris in the east room. The midden material south of the southeast doorway has been mentioned in connection with Str. Z-50b.

Str. Z-50a presents a ground plan that is rare in Mayapán. A notably similar structure is J-71a; somewhat similar is Str. S-133b (Smith and Ruppert 1956, Figs. 1a; 4f). Each of these two buildings is in a group of structures of which at least one is typically a dwelling. By and large there is little to distinguish these groups from the majority of dwelling groups except the buildings to which we are now particularly referring. We do not know the function of this sort of structure. It may have been a dwelling of a rare and aberrant design. More likely, it seems to the writer, it fulfilled some function such as entertainment of visitors or some minor ritual, rather than being the dwelling of a family. Str. Z-50c. The evidence for considering the western building to be the latest of the three has been brought out earlier in this report. The structure appears to rest partly on a western addition to the main basal platform that supports Str. Z-50a, and the latter has been shown to be later than Z-50b. That Str. Z-50c was built later than Z-50b is clearly shown by the joint between their respective building platforms. The platform of Str. Z-50c, which is prolonged at its southern end to form a small courtyard or terrace in the angle between the ends of the two buildings, is secondary to that of Str. Z-50b. Both platforms and the terrace are on the same level. The altar in Str. Z-50c is unusual in being lower than the benches on either side of it (Figs. 37.1, Section B-B’, 37.2j). It was built after the benches, and the floor of the building runs under it. The plastered upper surface of the altar is gone but for fragments at the edges, and beneath the center of the altar, toward the rear, is a rough break in the floor of the building 0.10–0.15 m in diameter. Approximately 0.10 m farther down is an earlier floor that extends out from the rear wall a short distance, then dwindles away. As might be expected from the conditions, just described, no cache was found in the altar. The cache presumably had been removed long ago. In front of the altar was an area of ash and a stone “pot lid.” Also in the debris in front of the altar was the turtle effigy sculpture shown in Figure 37.3f. Just off the front of the platform of the building (Fig. 37.2i), a few meters north of center, was found another stone “pot lid.” A fragment of a mano came from debris in the angle between the platforms of Strs. Z-50b and Z-50c. Several elements of Puuc-type architectural decoration were found near the building, but not directly associated with it (Fig. 37.3g–i). The character of the debris in Str. Z-50c leaves no doubt that the building carried a beam-and-mortar roof. Just inside the north doorway (Fig. 37.2k) our

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The Southern Terminus of the Principal Sacbe at Mayapán, Group Z-50 37.3. Miscellaneous Sculpture. a. Carving in soft limestone, considerably burned and broken in two pieces, of snarling jaguar with creature on back. Length 15 cm, width 7.5 cm, height 9.2 cm. Cat. no. 55-281, Lot C-142. b. Carving in soft limestone, probably burned, of animal with receptacle on back. Length 10.5 cm, width 4.8 cm, height 6.8 cm. Cat. no. 55-280, Lot C-142. c. Human head with tenon at back, from debris in Str. Z-50a; d,e. Architectural elements, presumably re-used, from debris in Str. Z-50a. Height of [d] 0.40 m, of [a] 0.33 m. f. Carving in limestone of turtle with human head in beak and with hands holding rattles (?). Deep oval receptacle in center of carapace. Length 18.2 cm, width 11 cm, height 8.2 cm. Cat. no. 55-283, Lot C143; g–i. Architectural elements from near Str. Z-50c. Height of [h] 0.42 m, of [i] 0.32 m; j,k. “Sacrificial stone” from center of court of Group Z-50. Measures 0.28 by 0.38 m at base, 0.18 by 0.35 m at top, 0.74 m high. l. Serpent head from surface of sacbe. Measures 0.33 m from upper tooth to point of chin.

excavations uncovered a burned wooden beam, presumably a roof beam, and there were ample signs of burning on the floor nearby. This is a condition that has been found frequently in Mayapán. In the present instance, however, there were no signs of a burned roof at the center of the building. If the structure was intentionally or accidentally set fire to, the fire does not seem to have spread to the center of the building. Our excavations did not include the southern end beyond clearing the doorway there. Str. Z-50c is in many respects similar in plan to the colonnaded halls in the main ceremonial group of the city. We know little of the purpose of such buildings, but there are indications that they were used for residence as well as ceremonial (Proskouriakoff 1954:268–269; Shook and Irving 1955). Minor Constructions Near the center of the court of Group Z-50 is a little platform divided into three parts (Fig. 37.1). Each part is outlined by a single course of stones, many pushed out of alignment, and the upper surfaces, presumably once of plaster, are now only dirt and rubble. To judge from the barest traces of a court floor at the side of the platform, the northern and southern parts stood about 0.20 m above court level, the central part about 0.07 m (Fig. 37.1, Sections A-A’, BB’). This last part is formed by courses of stone along each side that connect with the higher ends, and it may well have been built after the others. Along the east edge of the platform, near the center, were small fragments of modeled stucco. Remains of stucco figures associated with small platforms have been found in a number of instances in Mayapán (see, e.g., Shook 1954:261; Thompson 1955:284; Winters 1955:402). Just north of the small platform, almost exactly at the center of the court, is a monument of the sort known as a “sacrificial stone.” It was lying on its side in the position shown in the plan (Fig. 37.1), with nothing to indicate whether it had been moved from some other location or had merely toppled

over where it now rests. One is tempted to think that the stone was once associated with the little platform; against this conjecture is the fact that it is now located so near the exact center of the court. The stone is severely weathered but still shows on each of the broader faces a design in low relief consisting of a deep V bordered at the upper margins by a series of points or triangles (Fig. 37.3j). The band that forms each V runs horizontally across the narrow sides of the stone (Fig. 37.3k) so that the design is continuous all around the monument. So far as we know, this is the only “sacrificial stone” in Mayapán that carries carving, or for that matter any decoration, although other examples may once have been plastered and painted. Somewhat east of center of the terrace or small courtyard south of Str. Z-50c our excavation uncovered the opening (Fig. 37.1) to an underground construction superficially resembling the ancient cisterns in Yucatán known as chultunes. The present example, which is roughly in the shape of the neck and shoulder of a bottle, the bottom coming immediately below the shoulder, is of crudest construction. The neck (Fig. 37.2l), which is less than 0.50 m across at its widest, and about 0.90 m deep, is built of five to seven courses of rough masonry which rests on the loose fill and dirt that form the core of the terrace. The bottom is bedrock, rough and fissured. The total depth of the cavity is about 1.50 m, and the greatest width is not much over 1 m. Only a small boy could enter here, so our observations are of necessity somewhat vague. The debris from within the cavity was removed so far as that could be done without danger of undermining the surrounding fill of loose rock. The quantity of objects recovered was disappointing (included in Lot C-143). A fair amount of sherds, all of Mayapán period, three broken flint implements, nine flint chips, a limestone “pot lid,” a double handful of animal bones, and two bits of charcoal complete the inventory. One can only guess at the purpose of this cavity. It most certainly never held water and was not a

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H.E.D. Pollock cistern. Whatever other purposes it served, it likely was a drain, as the floor around the opening sloped down to it. That the cavity could have served as a receptacle for refuse is obvious, but if such was its use, the small amount of remains that came from the debris inside is puzzling, unless we assume that the group, or at least this cavity, was in use for only a short time. We have no information, nor any particular evidence up to the present, that the Maya provided toilet facilities within, or in connection with, their buildings. If they did, this construction could have served that purpose. Sacbe On several occasions we traversed the sacbe from end to end, observing such features as were visible without excavation. It will be seen on the map (Jones 1952) that, starting at the southern terminus, the road takes a course directly toward the large quadrangle of buildings R-85 to R-90 (see Proskouriakoff and Temple 1955). About halfway along its course the sacbe swings slightly eastward, brushes the fringes of a sizable group (Q-242) on the zero grid line of the map, and continues in a straight line to terminate at the quadrangle formed by Strs. R-95 to R-99 (see Pollock 1950). Whether or not the bend in the road indicates a change in plan on the part of the builders, Strs. R-85 to R-90 having first been selected as the northern terminus, we cannot say. We do not know that construction started at the southern end, and if it began at the north, any plan to link R-85 to R-90 with Group Z-50 would be out of the question. We do not know the relative dates of the three groups, other than that all seem late in the history of the city. There are indications that the sacbe is a late construction relatively to the quadrangle at its northern terminus, and we know that a fair amount of building went on in the southern group after that end of the road had been built. These findings lead to speculation but do not prove which end of the road was built first. Throughout its length the sacbe maintains a width of close to 4.50 m. At no point does it seem to stand appreciably higher than at its northern terminus (Pollock 1954, Fig. 37.1). In places the side of the road is formed by a single course of stone, 0.20–0.30 m high, and where it crosses a relatively high slope of bedrock the upper side disappears entirely, the surface of the sacbe simply merging with the slope of the bedrock. Details of construction of the road have been given in the 1954 report. Few additional features of the sacbe are worthy of mention. About 15 m southwest of the zero grid line on the map, and due south of Group Q-242, is a

mound of rubble with the remains of a low wall on the surface of the road. The wall has a generally eastwest direction, at an angle to the course of the sacbe. Whether this small structure rests on the road or is an earlier construction incorporated in the road, we do not know. Its apparent orientation, judged from the one visible wall, suggests the latter. About 35 m south of the bend in the sacbe a stone serpent head (Fig. 37.3l) lies on the surface of the road (410 S, 60 W). It is associated with no construction and gives every indication of having been transported there from somewhere else. As is the case of our work at the northern end of the sacbe, we cut an exploratory trench through the road at the foot of the principal stairway to Group Z-50 (Fig. 37.2e). About 0.20 m of surface debris and fill was first removed, in order to keep separate, so far as possible, any intrusive materials. Next we cut through the fill of the sacbe to within 0.05–0.10 m of bedrock, at which point we struck what appeared to be an earlier soil surface. Material from this lowest layer was kept separate from that of the clearly artificial fill. It was determined that the side walls of the road were footed on bedrock, the thin layer of soil apparently having been removed to accomplish this. In contrast to our findings at the northern end of the sacbe, where the loose fill of the construction was almost wholly of rock (Pollock 1950), the fill here contained a relatively high proportion of dirt. There seemed rather too much to be explained by the washing of dirt from the stairway above. Not here, nor anywhere in the entire course of the road, is there any trace of a plaster floor that might have served as the final surface of the sacbe. This matter has been discussed in the earlier report. The time of construction of the road in relation to Group Z-50 has already been discussed. The pottery from our cut gives some indication of the time of construction in relation to the principal period of occupation of the city. The lowest stratum, presumably a layer of soil that antedates any visible construction here, produced the only two sherds of pre-Mayapán date found at Group Z-50 (Lot C140). Also included was one Black-on-Cream sherd, a very early Mayapán period type. Only one other such sherd came from all our excavations here. The remainder of the sherds were of typical Mayapán period types, including one sherd of a Human Effigy incensario, a very late type. This last may well have been intrusive. The pottery from the fill of the sacbe above this lowest stratum, but excluding the surface cut, was all of Mayapán period (Lot C-141). A fair amount was from Human Effigy incensarios. A human man-

The Southern Terminus of the Principal Sacbe at Mayapán, Group Z-50 dible and several small skull fragments came from the edge of this cut, a few centimeters above bedrock. It is possible our trench just missed a burial. Pottery and Other Materials Pottery and other remains have been mentioned in the text whenever they might be chronologically or functionally significant. Here the materials recovered are listed in somewhat more detail. The pottery was analyzed by E. M. Shook. Lot C-139: from sealed deposit in fill of altar in Str. Z-50b: 1 jade bead (Cat. no. 55-208); 1 miniature tripod vase or cup of Unslipped Coarse Paste ware; 1 animal-head foot of a Red-on-Cream or -Buff bowl. Lot C-140: from soil layer immediately above bedrock under sacbe: 1 flint point (Cat. no. 55-215); 1 flint chip. Total sherds: 104: 7 unidentified; 2 Puuc period; 95 Mayapán period (Human Effigy incensario, 1; Black-on-Cream, 1; Fine Orange, 3). Lot C-141: from fill of sacbe, 0.20 m below surface to old soil layer (C-140): 7 flint chips; 11 obsidian chips; 1 pottery spindle whorl or bead; right half of human mandible and small fragments of skull; animal and bird bones. Total sherds: 634: 32 unidentified; 602 Mayapán period (Human Effigy incensario, 87; Red-on-Cream or -Buff, 1; Tulum or East Coast Redware, 5; Fine Orange, 3). Lot C-142: from unsealed debris in niche in basal platform, north of Str. Z-50a: 1 fragment of flint blade (Cat. no. 55-217); 5 flint chips; 1 oliva shell with longitudinal groove and perforation at center of groove (Cat. no. 55-221); small, burned, limestone sculpture, in 2 pieces, of snarling jaguar with creature on its back (Fig. 37.3a); small, probably burned, limestone sculpture of animal (turtle?) with receptacle on its back (Fig. 37.3b); animal and bird bones. Total sherds: 474: 7 unidentified; 467 Mayapán period (Human Effigy incensario, 90; Red-on-Cream or -Buff, 19; Mayapán Red-and-Black-on-Orange, 7; Tulum or East Coast Redware, 2). Lot C-143: from surface and general excavations, all deposits unsealed: 1 flint hatchet (Cat. no. 55-216); 3 fragments of flint implements (Cat. no. 55218, -219, -220); 18 flint chips; 2 obsidian flake blades; 12 obsidian chips and fragments of blades; 4 chipped limestone disks or “pot lids” (Cat. no. 55-210, -211,

-212, -213); 2 fragments of limestone manos; 1 hammerstone of limestone (Cat. no. 55-209); 1 limestone sculpture of a turtle (Fig. 37.3f); 1 fragment of bird bone painted red; animal and bird bones. Total sherds: 2,504: 56 unidentified; 2,448 Maya­ pán period (Human Effigy incensario, 187; Red-onCream or -Buff, 100; Black-on-Cream, 1; Tulum or East Coast Redware, 4; Fine Orange, 17). Discussion To judge from the ceramic remains uncovered by our excavations, there is every reason to believe that Group Z-50 and the sacbe were built relatively late in the life of Mayapán. So far as the sacbe is concerned, this conclusion agrees with our earlier findings at the northern end of the road. It is quite clear that a certain amount, possibly a considerable amount, of construction at Group Z-50 continued after the southern end of the sacbe had been built. As our limited work at the northern terminus suggested that the road was built when the assemblage of buildings there had reached virtual completion, there is the implication that Group Z-50 at the south is generally later than Group R-95 to R-99 at the north. This is, however, in no sense certain. One can speculate on the planning and growth of the complex formed by the road and the assemblage of buildings at either end. This question has been touched upon in our section dealing with the sacbe. Group R-95 to R-99 at the north is one of the largest, and we may assume one of the more important, assemblages of buildings outside the main ceremonial group at Mayapán. There is a high degree of probability that the group is domiciliary in character, a sort of palace. If we are correct in our belief that the assemblage for the most part antedates the sacbe and Group Z-50 at the south, it seems probable to the writer that the building of the road, and quite possibly the building or enlargement of Group Z-50, was at the behest of the inhabitants of the northern buildings. This would rule out the possibility that the sacbe was once planned to proceed northward to Group R-85 to R-90. Why the location now occupied by Z-50 was selected as the site of the southern terminus, or why the road took the course it did, we do not know. It can be seen from the map (Jones 1952), however, that a direct course would have involved crossing a sizable sink hole, and that the sacbe avoids other groups and buildings. It may have been such simple yet basic factors as terrain and existing structures that determined the course of the road. We have previously given attention to the possible function of Group Z-50, and we have advanced the rather unsatisfactory suggestion that these

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H.E.D. Pollock buildings were partly ceremonial, partly residential. To put this another way, we think of the group as being used for ceremonial or religious observances that involved temporary residence. This suggestion, and it certainly is no more than that, is based on what we now know of architecture and pottery in Mayapán. We have studied the general surface collections of pottery from Group Z-50 with some care, in the hope that those remains would yield information concerning the use to which the buildings were put. Although most of the surface pottery is grouped in a single lot (C-143), it comes from over a dozen locations spotted around the assemblage, and our records of course show the content of each small collection. We are not happy about the results of this study. One can say that pottery types which give every indication of having been utilitarian form over two-thirds of the ceramic remains. Effigy censers, which it seems fair to assume, were of ceremonial use, form less than one-tenth of the identifiable pottery. These are the clearest divisions we can make. Should we distinguish imported and relatively rare types as pottery that probably was not utilitarian and that might have been ceremonial, the latter category would rise to about one-eighth of the total. The rest of the ceramic material could, for all we know, have been used in the household, or for ceremony, or interchangeably, and there is enough of this to affect considerably the above proportions. Lastly, in excavations as limited as ours, a single additional trench might well have yielded pottery in quantities and types that would widely alter these proportions. By and large, it seems to the writer that the pottery is too heavily laden with utilitarian types to characterize Group Z-50 as an assemblage of buildings that

involved no residence, but he most certainly is far from adamant in this opinion. Looking at the whole architectural complex, the road and the assemblage of buildings at either end, we can summarize our thoughts somewhat as follows. At a point in time pretty clearly late in the history of the city, and quite possibly when Group R-95 to R-99 had mainly been completed, the inhabitants of that “palace” felt the need for an assemblage of buildings such as that seen in Group Z-50. On architectural grounds, not to mention the existence of a “sacrificial stone” at Z-50, it seems unlikely that the occupants of the northern group were merely creating additional living quarters, although that possibility cannot be ruled out. It appears more likely that certain acts demanded by the ceremonial and religious life of the time were best, or of necessity, carried on away from the family residence. Presumably the occupants of the “palace” were sufficiently powerful, or sufficiently imbued with the importance of these ceremonies, to expend the very considerable effort of constructing the sacbe and of building or enlarging Group Z-50. It is obvious that in this effort to breathe some faint spark of life into the remains with which we have to deal the writer is making use of inference based on evidence varying in quantity and reliability. The importance of the large northern assemblage of buildings and its residential character are conclusions which we think rest on rather good evidence. That the northern quadrangle is for the most part earlier than the sacbe and the southern group, and that the last was primarily ceremonial in function, are inferences supported by less reliable evidence.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 38 June 1956

Skeletal Remains from Mayapán Edward I. Fry

manner. In particular, a number of loose teeth lacked numbers. No accurate count was kept of the number of individual bones of each type examined, since it was known that many specimens had not been pre­ served, and in any case, so many fragments were present that lack of time would have prevented their accurate identification. Consequently, nothing very specific can be told of the relative incidence of vari­ ous features among the finds. It is possible, however, to note the low incidence of carious teeth and healed fractures of long bones, and the high incidence of anteroposterior cranial flattening and degenerative arthritis, even though percentages cannot be given. A few of the more important measurements were taken on those skulls whose condition warranted it, but the proper type of flexible tape was not available for measuring cranial circumferences and arcs; nor were any long bones measured, since an osteometric measuring board was lacking.

The field work on which this report is based was carried on from July 4 to July 12, 1955, at the Depart­ ment’s camp in Telchaquillo, Yucatán. A survey was made of all skeletal remains preserved from the past five seasons of digging, with primary attention to evi­ dences of pathology, anomalies, and deformations. This paper is divided into three sections. Section one discusses the finds in general, with specific remarks on remains of extraordinary interest. The second section is a technical appendix in which all finds described in the field notebooks are listed. Section three, also an appendix, consists of a sum­ mary table of cranial observations on the few com­ plete or nearly complete skulls in the collection. Many of the remains were labeled with a field number indicating the site from which they were dug; others were in cloth sacks, with their field num­ ber indicated by a label. A few specimens lacked numbers, either because they had never been num­ bered or because the labels had been lost in some

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Edward I. Fry

38.1. a. Skull from Lot A-539. Frontal, inferior, posterior, and left lateral views. b. Skull [a] from Lot C-30. Frontal, inferior, posterior, and left lateral views.

The seven skulls (Lot A-539, C-22, C-29, C-30[a], C-30[b], C-126[a], C-126[b]) and eight mandibles (Lot A-539, A-576[a], A-576[b], A-586, C30[a], C-30[b], C-126[a], C-126[b]) in complete or nearly complete condition were observed first. Each was thoroughly described and a few measures were taken. Secondly, the other bones and fragments were inspected for evidences of pathology, deformation, or anomalies, and all that failed to exhibit any of these were dis­ carded. Those that did have some of these symp­ toms were described in a field notebook. The last step was to redescribe and measure the “complete” skulls and mandibles, recording their features on the standard Harvard Cranial Observation blank, and to take photographs of them (Figs. 38.1; 38.2). It was planned to restore two skulls (Lot A-2, A-563) which were in good and nearly complete condition, but there was not sufficient time. Particular items will be discussed under the gen­ eral headings: Teeth, Cranial Bones, Other Bones. Teeth Only three filed teeth were seen, although over 1,000 teeth were examined, of which approximately 500

were canines and incisors, the two kinds on which filing is done. Since the filing patterns are different, each tooth will be described separately: 1. Lot C-22 (Fig. 38.2c, left). This tooth is an upper left central incisor, with the mesial and distal edges filed before death. It has a pronounced cingu­ lum on the lingual surface, and is shovel-shaped. This pattern of filing corresponds to type C-4 of the classification presented by Romero and Fastlicht (1951). The same type has been reported from British Honduras (Belize, and San Jose) at the A.D. 800–1000 time level Guatemala (Alta Vera Paz, and Zaculeu [Stewart 1953]) at A.D. 800–1000; and Mexico (Labna, Yucatán, and Tamuin, San Luis Potosi) at A.D. 700 and 1000–1200, respectively. 2. Catalogue no. 52-226, Lot A-2 (Fig. 38.2c, right). A right lateral maxilary incisor with C-7 pat­ tern filing. This pattern is very similar to the C-4 type, but does not exhibit the sharp edges of the lat­ ter. The type has previously been reported only from Guasave, Sinaloa, at the A.D. 1000–1200 time level. 3. Catalogue no. 52-121, Lot A-13 (Fig. 38.2c, cen­ ter). A lower left (?) canine. A hole has been drilled in the root of this tooth, which is one of thirty forming

Skeletal Remains from Mayapán

38.2. a. Skull [b] from Lot C-30. Frontal, inferior, posterior, and left lateral views. b. Skull [c] from Lot C-30. Frontal, posterior, and left lateral views. c. Filed teeth. Left: Lot C22. Center: Cat. no. 52-121. d. Lot A-13. Right: Cat. no. 52226, Lot A-2, fragment: only right molars present; rest of teeth lost ante mortem; slight mandibular torus.

a necklace. The hole was drilled in the anteroposte­ rior direction from both sides, probably with a bow drill similar to that shown on page 52 of Romero and Fastlicht (1951). The posterior, inferior portion of this tooth has been filed off, so that the dentin is exposed. It seems likely that this filing was carried out post mortem, though the broken parts of the crown preclude a clear decision on this. It is of the C8 type found in Tamuin, San Luis Potosi, from A.D. 1000–1200. The fact that one type was previously known only from Guasave, Sinaloa, and another from Tamuin, San Luis Potosi, about 2,000 and 1,000 km away, respectively, and at time levels which barely overlap with known dates for Mayapán, does not argue any real connection between these areas and Mayapán. A sharp line of distinction between the various types of mutilation is difficult to demon­ strate, and although it is possible that a given trait was brought to Mayapán from these areas either by individuals with such a pattern of filing in their teeth, or as a product of stimulus diffusion, it seems more likely that these two types were by-products

of experimentation with the difficult art of dental filing. One molar (Lot C-8) had four roots and, in addition, a peculiar cusp which resembled that of Carabelli, but which in conjunction with the roots indicates that perhaps the molar had fused with a premolar. The incidence of caries and of alveolar abcesses was very low, and is estimated to be about 3 per 100 teeth, mostly confined to molars. Although in a number of cases it was obvious that teeth were lost ante mortem, it cannot safely be assumed that this was due to extensive caries. Causative factors may include accidental or purposeful trauma, and alveo­ lar diseases. The degree of wear, particularly on molars, was fairly heavy, and in a few cases the molar pattern had been virtually obliterated. This amount of wear is no more than was to be expected for a popula­ tion eating metate-ground corn with its numerous particles of grit, and is about the same as that for skeletons from the United States Southwest. On a five-point scale, the average wear was about three to

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496

Edward I. Fry four (medium to pronounced). This is considerably heavier than that seen by Stewart (1953) in Zaculeu remains. One case (Lot A-447) of lateral incisor rotation was seen, and several jaws exhibited considerable crowding. Most mandibles and maxillae, however, showed very good spacing of the teeth, and the inci­ dence of either crowding or rotation was extremely low. The number of shoveled incisors was rather high. Most incisors showed some degree of shov­ eling, and in general the average was from two to three (slight to medium) on the four-point Harvard scale.

Cranial Bones The most striking feature of the whole collection was a curious sulcus which appeared on six of ten artifi­ cially flattened skulls (Lot A-265, A-539, C-22[two], C-30[a], C-126[a]). This depression appeared from 1.5 to 2.0 cm above lambda, and extended about the same distance on both sides of the sagittal suture. One explanation of this curious phenomenon is that the sulcus is a functional result of the flattening pres­ sure, which, applied in an anteroposterior direction, may have caused a buckling of the parietals. The sul­ cus area, however, was not any thinner than the sur­ rounding wall, and the depression was noticeable on the inner table as a slight mound. It is also possible that it arises from direct and localized pressure by a flattening board or some device attached to it. This sulcus does not appear in any of the undeformed Mayapán skulls. Several cases of extreme thickness of the vault were seen (Lot A-2, A447, A-448, C-126, D-5). One parietal fragment measured from 6 to 10 mm thick; an occipital fragment was 14 mm thick, and this was not on an internal or external ridge. Conflicting reports on this material have been received from the four experts who examined it: (1) A pathologist saw nothing unusual about it. (2) Dr. T. D. Stewart (personal communication) said, “Probably some disease condition is represented, but I have never had an opportunity to relate this sort of thing to clinical findings.” (3) A medical doctor was of the opinion that Paget’s disease (osteitis deformans) was the cause. (4) A second pathologist agreed with the Paget’s disease diagnosis. E. A. Hooton’s report (1940) on the Sacred Cenote material from Chichén Itzá notes several cases of pathological thickness of the vault, and it is possible that the Chichén Itzá and Mayapán individuals suffered from the same dis­ ease or condition.

The following table shows length and breadth dimensions taken on the five skulls in good enough condition to be measured. The data are offered only because the amount of such material from Meso­ america is so small. Table 38.1. Dimensions of Skulls. Lot No. Sex Age A-539 C-22 C-29 C-30 [a] C-30 [b]

m m f f? m

35–40 40+ ca. 40 36–55 36–55

Max. Length (mm)

Max Breadth (mm)

156 163 162 151 168

176 — — 182 141

The figures are not reliable, since all five skulls were deformed. As an indication of this unreliability, it can be seen that two skulls (Lot A-539, C-30[a]; see Fig. 38.1) have greater breadth than length. Other Bones Arthritis was a fairly common disease in Mayapán. Unfortunately, age estimates of its onset cannot be given, since in most cases only the vertebrae them­ selves were available. In several sacra (Lot C-126, D-30) almost complete ankylosis had occurred, with the lowest lumbar vertebra fused to the sacrum. Exceptionally heavy bony outgrowths were seen on some lumbar vertebrae, and this “lipping” must have meant considerable immobility of the lower spine. In addition, arthritic growths were seen on thoracic and cervical vertebrae, though these cases were far less numerous and the growths were not so heavy as those in the lumbar region. No arthri­ tis deformans was found in bones other than those of the spinal column, nor was there any evidence of Pott’s disease (tuberculosis of the spine). Although over two hundred long bones were examined, only one case which might be consid­ ered to be a healed fracture was found (Lot D-7). The bone was an adult right femur, and the fracture had moved the distal part laterally and posteriorly. There was no evidence of fracturing on the external table, therefore the injury must have occurred some­ time before death. About one-third of the humeri exhibited perfo­ rated olecranon fossae, and though it is not certain, most of these appeared to have been perforated before death. The author finds isolated humeri dif­ ficult to sex with any degree of validity, so no report can be given on the sex incidence of olecranon perforation. There is no evidence in the Mayapán remains of any of the following conditions which have com­

Skeletal Remains from Mayapán monly been reported from Mexican skeletal finds: ear exostosis, dehiscence of the auditory floor, osteo­ porosis, osteomyelitis, and periostitis. Technical Appendix In this section reference will be made to other pub­ lications in the Current Reports series. Each report which lists human bones as part of the finds, and for which skeletal remains were preserved and avail­ able at Telchaquillo, is listed, and the major features of the finds are described. CR 4. Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán, by K. Ruppert and A. L. Smith (1952). Str. J-131a, Lot A-1. 1. Adult mandible: no teeth in situ; left third molar never erupted; some crowding in front at incisors. 2. Maxilla fragment: left side; third molar never erupt­ ed; second premolar and first and second molars present; medium wear on these teeth. 3. Sixteen loose teeth: 6 molars; 4 canines; 3 premolars; 3 incisors (1 shovel-shaped). 4. Part of adult cranium: strong brow ridges with deep superciliary foramina; Inca bone at lambda. 5. Mandible fragment: very heavy and thick.

Str. J-131a, Lot A-2. 1. Cranial fragments: surface very rough and pitted; greatly thickened. 2. Filed tooth (cat. no. 52-226); right lateral maxil­ lary incisor. Maximum length 25 mm, maximum breadth 9 mm, crown height 10 mm. See Figure 38.2c, right.

Str. J-50a, Lot A-13. 1. Filed tooth (cat. no. 52-121); lower left (?) canine. Maximum length 21 mm, maximum breadth 8 mm, crown height 5 mm. Drilled hole in root measures 2 mm internal diameter, 6 mm external diameter. See Figure 38.2c, center.

CR 5. Cenote X-Coton at Mayapán, by R. E. Smith, 1953. Cenote X-Coton, Lot D-5. 1. Cranial fragments: left parietal (four parts) and part of right temporal; very thick; surface smooth.

Cenote X-Coton, Lot D-7. 1. Right adult femur: third trochanter about 0.9 cm at widest part and 3 cm long; possibly fractured in childhood, so that distal part displaced posteriorly and laterally.

CR 9. Some Small Ceremonial Structures of Mayapán, by R. M. Adams (1953). Trench North of Str. Q-79, Lot C-8. 1. Molar tooth: four roots, giving appearance of Carabelli cusp, but perhaps molar fused with premolar.

Str. Q-69, Lot C-28. 1. Frontal bone fragment: adult female; minimum fron­ tal breadth 9.4 cm.

Str. Q-71, Lot C-22. 1. Calvarium with broken base: male aged 40-plus years; some lambdoid flattening; small sulcus above lambda; sagittal suture slightly keeled; double me­ topic suture; very high and broad palate; three cavi­ ties in 13 teeth; small Inca bone and several small Wormian bones. 2. Two clavicles: very strong muscle attachment ridges on both. 3. Perforated sternum: perforation 7 by 11 mm. 4. Part of calva: some anteroposterior flattening; small sulcus on rear part of sagittal suture. 5. Filed tooth: upper incisor. Maximum length 21 mm, maximum breadth 9 mm, maximum crown height 10 mm. See Figure 38.2c, left.

Str. Q-90, Lot C-37. 1. Sternum: “bullet-hole” perforation 3 by 4 mm, from imperfect ossification. 2. Right femur: Porier’s facet.

Str. Q-84, Lot C-49. 1. Right ramus of adult mandible: heavily ridged gonial angle for attachment of what must have been very powerful jaw muscles.

CR 12. Cenote Exploration at Mayapán and Telchaquillo, by R. E. Smith (1954). Cenote Ch’en Mul, Lot D-30. 1. Sacrum: fifth lumbar vertebra completely fused to sacrum anteriorly, about 90 percent posteriorly, and about 75 percent on wings.

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498

Edward I. Fry CR 14. Three Temples and Their Associated Structures at Mayapán, by E. M. Shook (1954).

CR 22. Colonnaded Buildings at Mayapán, by E. M. Shook and W. N. Irving (1955)

Str. Q-95, Lot C-29.

Str. Q-151, Lot C-86, -87.

1. Facial skeleton: very broad U-shaped palate; very deep infraorbital foramina; only right first and left second premolars present; left third molar not erupted. 2. Part of facial skeleton: right canine impacted and shifted laterally to lie above and between incisors. 3. Facial skeleton plus part of frontal bone: probably male; all teeth lost post mortem; metopic suture present. 4. Calvarium: female about 40 years old; slight to mod­ erate flattening above lambda, pushing whole vault down; large parietal bosses; very slight keeling of first half of sagittal suture; sulcus at lambda; H-form pterion; no teeth present, but possibly right and left incisors and right first premolar and second molar lost before death; spongy mass where right third mo­ lar would normally be found.

1. Two thoracic and one lumbar vertebrae: all with ar­ thritic lapping.

Str. Q-95, Lot C-30. 1. Cranium[a]: middle-aged female (?); strong nuchal crest; anteroposterior and superior deformation; very large Inca bone; double metopic suture; H-form pterion; bone scar about 3 cm long on right frontal, probably incurred shortly before death; most of teeth lost after death; shallow sulcus above lambda. See Figure 38.1,b. 2. Cranium[b]: middle-aged male; right occipital bul grog and left occipital flattened; metopic suture; slight keeling of sagittal suture; K-form pterion; deep nasal depression, with pronounced concavo-convex curve to nasal bones; only one tooth present, rest lost ante mortem; mandible appears to be very robust. See Figure 38.2a. 3. Cranium[c]: infant 2-plus years of age; bregmatic fontanelle not closed; some lambdoid flattening; two fragments missing from occiput, and this area very thin; crown of first permanent molar present. See Figure 38.2b. 4. Seven vertebrae: thoracic, lumbar, and cervical, all with heavy arthritic lapping. 5. Metatarsal: arthritic lapping. 6. Right astragalus: arthritic lapping. 7. Right radius: arthritic lapping 8. Left mandible fragment: impacted third molar.

CR 17. Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán, III, by K. Ruppert and A. L. Smith (1954). Str. Q-62, Lot A-125. 1. Part of child’s (9–10 years) mandible: two central in­ cisors shoveled, and canines erupting.

2. Sacrum: some arthritic lapping, four segments. 3. Right mandible fragment: second and third mo­ lars lost ante mortem; condyle and most of ramus missing.

Str. Q-151, Lot C-88. 1. Three mandible fragments: two from left side and one from right side; all teeth lost after death. 2. Thoracic vertebra: medium arthritic lapping on infe­ rior and anterior surface.

Str. Q-151, Lot C-89. 1. Lumbar vertebrae: two, both showing signs of ar­ thritic lipping. 2. Mandible fragment: no teeth present.

Str. Q-151, Lot C-90. 1. Maxilla fragment: five teeth present; third molars not erupted. 2. Maxilla fragment: right side; deciduous canine and molars present; first permanent molar about to erupt. 3. Maxilla fragment: left side; heavy wear on one tooth present (second molar). 4. Humeri: two, both with perforated olecranon fossae. 5. Pubic symphyses: two; according to Todd’s system of aging, one 20–21 years of age, other 22–24. 6. Hyoid bone body. 7. Lumbar vertebra: submedium to medium arthritic lapping. 8. Thoracic vertebrae: two, one with medium arthritic lipping, one with heavy arthritic lapping. 9. Incisor teeth: four, all with shoveling. 10. Left mandible fragment: central incisor lost ante mortem. 11. Loose teeth: 14 molars (13 with medium wear, 1 with submedium wear); 6 premolars (all with medium wear); 3 canines (all with medium wear); 5 incisors (2 shovel-shaped, 2 with medium wear, 3 with heavy wear).

Str. Q-151, Lot C-91. 1. Mandible: no teeth present; right first molar lost ante mortem; third molars never erupted; bilateral chin.

Skeletal Remains from Mayapán 2. Femur: third trochanter present. 3. Two left scapula fragments: medium arthritic lipping around humeral socket. 4. Lumbar vertebrae: probably L-1; medium to strong arthritic lipping. 5. Cranial fragments: show some evidence of being above average in thickness. 6. Seven deciduous teeth.

CR 29. A Residential Quadrangle: Structures R-85 to R-90, by T. Proskouriakoff and C. R. Temple (1955). Trench South of Vaulted Passage, Group R-85-90, Lot A-214a. 1. Cranium: child 5 years old; deformed (post mor­ tem) and flattened (ante mortem); Wormian bone at lambda; lower left deciduous canine slightly rotated; cavity in lower left first molar tooth.

CR 33. A Dwelling and Shrine at Mayapán, by A. Chowning and D. E. Thompson (1956).

1. Calvarium fragments: parietal fragment above aver­ age in thickness, with spongy texture; occipital frag­ ment with very rough nuchal ridge. 2. Lumbar vertebrae: medium to heavy arthritic lapping. 3. Right femur: crista hypotrochanterica present; bone feels very heavy. 4. Sacrum: arthritic lapping.

CR 34. A Round Temple and Its Shrine at Mayapán, by A. Chowning (1956). Str. H-18, Lot C-126. 1. Cranium[a]: male of 40-plus years; strong brow ridges; artificial ante-mortem deformation and some post-mortem flattening; slight lambdoid depres­ sion; all of right maxillary teeth present except first molar; left maxillary canine, second premolar, first molar present; rest of teeth lost ante mortem; H-form pterion; double metopic suture. 2. Mandible[a]: only right and left molars present, rest lost ante mortem; moderate tooth wear; bilateral chin.

Str. Q-168, Lot A-265.

3. Cranium[b]: probably female about 35 years of age; submedium flattening; very deep nuchal sulcus; all of maxillary teeth present.

1. Calvarium: child 10 years old; many fragments; some evidence of lambdoid flattening; slight lamb­ doid depression.

4. Mandible[b]: all of teeth present except right third molar, which never erupted; medium tooth wear; medium chin, fractured post mortem through symphysis.

2. Mandible: right canine; first premolar and second molar erupting; perhaps decay in right canine.

5. Calva fragments: badly broken; some flattening above lambda; some ante-mortem warping; moder­ ate nuchal sulcus.

Str. Q-165, Lot A-445.

6. Hyoid bone fragments.

1. Left femur: Porter’s facet.

7. Calva fragments: two individuals represented; one of the specimens with rough and pitted external table and greater than normal thickness.

2. Two mandible fragments from two individuals. 3. Teeth: 6 molars (with medium wear); 3 canines; 5 premolars; 9 incisors (3 shoveled, 4 heavily worn, 4 with medium wear, 1 with slight wear).

Str. Q-165, Lot A-447. 1. Cranial fragments: spongy texture; above average in thickness. 2. Mandible: some central crowding; right central inci­ sor, right and left premolars, left first molar, and left and right third molar present; the rest lost ante mor­ tem; two large cavities.

Str. Q-165, Lot A-448. Portions of at least three individuals represented two males and one female).

8. Teeth: 41 molars (2 with large cavities, 1 with Carabelli cusp, 22 with heavy wear); 38 incisors (13 shoveled, 18 with heavy wear); 53 premolars (2 with cavities); 13 canines. 9. Mandible: third molar socket greatly reduced, prob­ ably third molars also greatly reduced. 10. Sacral fragments: sacralized fifth lumbar vertebra; 2 mm separation between first and second sacral vertebrae. 11. Sacrum: 1 mm separation between first and second sacral vertebrae. 12. Sacrum: less than 1 mm separation between first and second sacral vertebrae; submedium arthritic lipping. 13. Sacrum: medium arthritic lipping. 14. Sternum: “bullet-hole” perforation 8 by 12 mm, due to ossification failure.

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500

Edward I. Fry 15. Two ribs: top of one fused to bottom of other for length of 51 mm.

3. Sacrum: submedium arthritic lipping on first sacral vertebra.

16. Mandible: no teeth in situ; large perforation 5 by 3 mm under right premolars, indicating drainage for abcess.

4. Left femur: strong crista hypotrochanterica; subme­ dium third trochanter.

17. Mandible: both canines and all premolars only teeth present; third molars never erupted; right ramus rocker-shaped.

CR36. Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán, IV, by K. Ruppert and A. L. Smith (1956).

Str. 5-133b, Lot A-563. 1. Cranium: heavily carbonized vault fragments. 2. Mandible: also carbonized; ante-mortem loss of cen­ tral and lateral incisors, first molars, and left third molar; only left second molar in situ.

Str. K-67a, Lot A-539. A large deposit with remains from at least three and possibly four individuals.

Str. Y-2d, Lot A-505.

1. Calvarium: male 35–40 years of age; anteroposterior flattening; several post-mortem depressions on fron­ tal bone; lambdoid depression. See Figure 38.1,a.

1. Mandible: heavy tooth wear; strong genial tubercles.

2. Mandible: probably goes with the calvarium; bilat­ eral chin; left second premolar carious; third molars never erupted. 3. Sacrum: some arthritic lipping.

All the following remains belong to the same individual, probably a middle-aged female. 2. Cranial fragments: parts of occipital and right pa­ rietal; most of right temporal and frontal present; moderate anteroposterior flattening. 3. Two maxilla fragments: left third molar lost antemor­ tem; small cavity on left first molar; teeth well worn.

4. Axis and atlas: fused at the dens. 5. Femur: pronounced crista; slight third trochanter; medium Porier’s facet. 6. Tibia: medium squatting facet.

Str. P-23c, Lot A-586. 1. Mandible fragment: adult male; bilateral chin; im­ pression of extreme robustness; crowded incisors and canines; small occlusal cavity on right second molar. 2. Two lumbar vertebrae: very heavy arthritic lipping.

Str. Q244b, Lot A-521. 1. Mandible: large cavity in left third molar; left second molar lost just before death; left first molar has cav­ ity; medium wear. 2. Mandible fragment: heavy wear on outside edges of teeth.

Str. Y-8b, Lot A-576. 1. Mandible fragment [a]: adult female (?); right and left condyles and right coronoid process missing; moderate tooth wear; bilateral chin; moderate alveo­ lar prognathism. 2. Mandible fragment [b]: adult male (?); right and left condyles missing; some crowding of incisors and ca­ nines; third molars never erupted.

CR 37. The Southern Terminus of the Principal Scabe at Mayapán; Group Z50, by H.E.D. Pollock (1956). Trench in Sacbe, Group Z-50, Lot C-141. 1. Mandible fragment: only right molars present; rest of teeth lost ante mortem; slight mandibular torus.

Skeletal Remains from Mayapán Appendix of Cranial Observations Cranial Description

Observation Cranium Calvarium

Cases 5 2

Condition

Observation Poor Fair Good

Cases 3 2 2

Sex Criteria

Observation Uncertain Certain

Cases 1 6

Muscularity

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 2 4 1

Age

Observation Young Adult (21–35) Middle Aged (36–55) Old (56–75)

Cases 1 4 2

Weight

Observation Light Heavy Medium

Cases 1 5 1

Deformation (10 skulls)

Observation Occipital Right Occipital Left Occipital Lambdoid Fronto-Occipital

Cases 5 1 1 1 2

Degree of Deformation

Observation Small Medium Pronounced Trace

Cases 1 3 2 4

Cause of Deformation

Observation Artificial

Cases 10

Form

Observation Ellipsoid Ovoid Pentagonoid Rhomboid Sphenoid

Cases 1 1 1 2 1

Sex

Observation Male Female

Cases 4 3

Frontal Region, Brow Ridges

Observation Median Divided

Cases 2 5

Frontal Region, Brow Ridges, Size

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 3 2 2

Frontal Region, Glabella

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 3 3 1

Frontal Region, Height

Observation Low Medium High Very High

Cases 1 3 1 2

Frontal Region, Slope

Observation Slight Medium Pronounced

Cases 2 3 2

Frontal Region, Metopism

Observation Traces Complete

Cases 5 2

Frontal Region, Postorbital Constriction

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 5 1 1

Frontal Region, Bosses

Observation Small Medium

Cases 6 1

Frontal Region, Median Crest

Observation Small Medium

Cases 6 1

Frontal Region, Breadth

Observation Medium Large

Cases 3 4

Parietal Region, Sagittal Elevation

Observation Small Large Very Large

Cases 2 4 1

Parietal Region, Postcoronal Depression

Observation Small Medium

Cases 6 1

Parietal Region, Bosses

Observation Small, Medium Large

Cases 3 4

Parietal Region, Foramina

Observation None Small, Medium

Cases 3 4

continued on next page

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Edward I. Fry Appendix of Cranial Observations—continued Temporal Region, Fulllness

Observation Flat Small Medium

Cases 1 5 1

Temporal Region, Mastoids Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 2 2 3

Temporal Region, Supramastoid Crest

Observation Small Medium

Cases 3 5

Temporal Region, Sphenoid Depression

Observation Small Medium, Large

Cases 1 6

Occipital Region, Curve

Observation Small Medium Pronounced

Cases 1 4 2

Occipial Region, Inion

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 2 2 2

Occipital Region, Torus

Observation Absent Small Medium Large

Cases 1 2 2 1

Occipital Region, Torus Shape

Observation Ridge Mound

Cases 3 2

Occipital Region, Lambdoid Flattening

Observation Small Medium Pronounced

Cases 4 1 2

Occipital Region, Transverse Suture

Observation Absent Present

Cases 5 2

Occipital Region, Serration, Lambdoid

Observation Pronounced Very Pronounced

Cases 5 2

Occipital, Coronal

Observation Simple Submedium Medium Pronounced Very Pronounced

Cases 2 2 1 1 1

Occipital Region, Serration, Sagittal

Observation Unknown Submedium Medium Pronounced

Cases 1 2 3 1

External Occlusion, Coronal

Observation Medium Advanced

Cases 2 5

External Occlusion, Saggital

Observation Beginning Medium Advanced Complete

Cases 1 3 2 1

External Occlusion, Os Incae

Observation Single

Cases 2

External Occlusion, Lambdoid

Observation Beginning Medium Advanced

Cases 5 1 1

Wormian Bones, Lambdoid

Observation None Few (1–3)

Cases 5 2

Pterion Form

Observation Right H Retourné Left H K Retourné

Cases

Median Occipital Fossa

Observation Small Medium, Large

Cases 2 3

Condyles, Elevation

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 2 1 2

Basion

Observation Low Medium

Cases 1 4

Styloids

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 1 1 1

Pharyngeal Tubercle

Observation Absent, submedium

Cases 7

3 1 2 3 1

Skeletal Remains from Mayapán Appendix of Cranial Observations—continued Pharyngeal Fossa

Observation None, submedium Medium Large

Cases 1 5 1

Lacrimo-Ethmoid Articulation

Observation Small Medium, Large

Cases 1 1

Lacerate Foramina

Observation Small Large

Cases 5 1

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 1 2 3

Postglenoid Process

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 1 5 1

Observation Right None Facial Orbital Left None Facial Orbital

Cases

Glenoid Fossa, Depth

Infraorbital Suture

Tympanic Plate

Observation Thin Medium Thick

Cases 4 2 1

Suborbital Fossa

Observation Slight Medium Deep

Cases 1 4 1

Os Japonicum

Observation Absent

Cases 6

Auditory Meatus

Observation Oval Ellipse Slit

Cases 1 5 1

Malars, Size

Observation Small Medium Large Very Large

Cases 1 2 3 1

Petrous Depression

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 1 5 1

External Pterygoid Plate

Malars, Lateral Projection

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 2 4 1

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 2 2 2

Internal Pterygoid Plate

Malars, Anterior Projection

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 3 3 3

Observation Small

Cases 4

Pterygobasal Foramina

Observation Right Absent Indicated Left Absent Indicated

Cases

Marginal Preocess

Observation Absent, Submedium Medium, Large

Cases 1 4

Zygomatic Process, Thickness

Observation Small Medium Pronounced

Cases 2 3 1

Orbits, Shape

Observation Rhomboid Square Ellipse

Cases 5 1 1

Nasion Depression

Observation Absent Small Medium

Cases 1 4 2

Orbits, Inclination

Observation Small Medium Pronounced

Cases 2 3 2

Nasal Root, Height

Observation Very Low Low Medium

Cases 3 2 2

4 1 3 1

3 1 2 3 1 3

continued on next page

503

504

Edward I. Fry Appendix of Cranial Observations—continued Nasal Root, Breadth

Observation Small Large, Very Large

Cases 3 4

Nasal Bridge, Height

Observation Very Low Low Medium

Cases 3 2 2

Nasal Bridge, Breadth

Observation Small Medium

Cases 5 2

Nasal Profile

Observation Concavo-Convex

Cases 5

Nasal Sills

Observation Absent Dull Medium Sharp

Cases 2 2 2 1

Nasal Spine

Observation Medium Large

Cases 3 1

Subnasal Grooves

Observation Absent Small Medium Pronounced

Cases 3 2 2 1

Midfacial Prognathism

Observation Absent Slight Medium

Cases 2 3 2

Alveolar Prognathism

Observation Absent Slight Pronounced

Total Prognathism

Palate, Height

Observation Low High Very High

Cases 4 2 1

Palatine Torus, Form

Observation Ridge

Cases 2

Palatine Torus, Size

Observation Small

Cases 2

Palatine Transverse Suture, Direction

Observation Transverse Anterior Posterior

Cases 3 1 1

Postnasal Spine

Observation Small Medium

Cases 1 4

Mandible, Size

Observation Medium Large Very Large

Cases 5 2 1

Chin, Form

Observation Median Bilateral

Cases 1 7

Chin, Projection

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 1 6 1

Cases 1 3 3

Mandible, Aveolar Prognathism

Observation None Slight Medium Pronounced

Cases 3 1 2 2

Observation Absent Slight Medium Pronounced

Cases 1 3 2 1

Mandible, Genial Tubercles

Observation Small Medium Large

Cases 1 2 5

Aveolar Border, Absorption

Observation None Slight Medium Pronounced

Cases 2 1 1 3

Mandible, Mylohyoid Ridge

Observation Absent Slight

Cases 7 1

Aveolar Border, Preservation

Observation Poor Fair Good

Cases 2 3 2

Gonial Angles, Pterygoid Attachment

Observation Medium Pronounced Very Pronounced

Cases 3 3 2

Palate, Shape

Observation Parabolic Hyperbolic Elliptical

Cases 1 1 5

Gonial Angles, Eversion

Observation None

Cases 8

Skeletal Remains from Mayapán Appendix of Cranial Observations—continued Tooth Eruption

Observation Complete 3d Molar Suppressed

Cases 6 1

Teeth Lost Ante Mortem

Observation 0 1–4 5–8 9–12 17–20 25–28

Cases 2 2 1 1 1 1

Mandibular Torus

Observation Small

Cases 2

Teeth, Wear

Observation Medium Pronounced Very Pronounced

Cases 5 2 1

Teeth, Quality

Observation Good Excellent

Cases 4 3

Teeth, Caries

Observation None 1–4

Cases 6 1

Abscess

Observation None

Cases 7

Pyorrhea

Observation Absent

Cases 7

Shovel Incisors

Observation Slight Medium

Cases 2 3

Bite

Observation Under Slight over Medium over

Cases 1 2 2

Crowding

Observation Absent to Slight Medium

Cases 4 3

505

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 39 January 1957

House Types in the Environs of Mayapán and at Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Chichen Itza, and Chacchob Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith

During the 1955 field season the area around Maya­ pán was explored to a radius of about 20 km. The purpose of the survey was to see how the house types compared to those at Mayapán and to deter­ mine the extent of the Mayapán types. Other places investigated in order to obtain data on their house types were Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Chichen Itza, and Chacchob. On our return trip from the last, Hacienda Ukum was visited, where a worked rectangular stone with glyphs was discovered. All pottery recovered from the various sites vis­ ited was examined by R. E. Smith. The above survey showed that house types similar to the typical common dwelling found at Maya­pán (Fig. 39.1) occur, with two possible excep­ tions, one at Uxmal and the other at Chichen Itza, only in the vicinity of Mayapán, the farthest away being Itzin Can, 12 km to the west. This does not mean, however, that certain small nonceremonial structures, which may have served as dwellings,

did not have their counterparts at Mayapán. The typical house types of the sites investigated, other than those in the environs of Mayapán, consist of single-room buildings with a doorway in one wall, or a series of adjoining single rooms each with its separate doorway (Figs. 39.3–39.7). The back room so characteristic of Mayapán is lacking. Figure 39.1 shows a series of dwelling-type structures from the simplest to the more elaborate forms, all typical of Mayapán. This type of house, with a front room open on one side, a medial wall, and one or more doorways leading into a back room, is essentially the same as that described by Landa, who says, “And then they build a wall in the middle dividing the house lengthwise, leaving several doors in the wall into the half which they call the back of the house, where they have their beds; and the other half . . . has no doors, but is open the whole length of the house” (Tozzer 1941: 85–86).

507

House Types in the Environs of Mayapán and at Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Chichen Itza, and Chacchob 39.1. Plans of Dwelling-Type Structures with Front and Back Room, Typical of Mayapán, from Simplest to More Complex Forms. a–s. Houses with two benches in front room and single doorway leading to back room; t–ee. Houses with three benches in front room and two doorways leading to back room; ff–jj. Houses with four benches in front room and three doorways leading to back room; kk,ll. Two houses of more elaborate type. Where no medial, end, or back-room masonry walls are shown (heavy black), the walls were presumably of perishable materials of which no trace remains.

Environs of Mayapán With the study of dwelling-type structures at Maya­ pán, it was felt that a survey should be made in the adjacent region. Since we were primarily interested in the Mayapán type of dwelling, the area of the sur­ vey was limited to the extent of the Mayapán dwell­ ing type. Several men from the village of Telchaquillo were employed for this survey. These men had worked with us at Mayapán and were familiar with the material wanted. Two of them, Fausto Uc and Esteban May, were especially sharp-eyed and clever at spotting the Mayapán type of structure. By the time the desired area had been investi­ gated, the men going further in each direction until no more dwellings of Mayapán type were seen, a total of 111 distinct groups or settlements were examined. These, for the most part, were found near cenotes. At the end of the season Ruppert and Smith visited 16 of these sites, choosing those that appar­ ently had houses similar to the Mayapán structures and that were situated at the greatest distance in all directions from that center. Buildings from 10 of the sites revisited by Ruppert and Smith are described below. Their plans are shown in Figure 39.2.

now shows only traces of a bench. Str. 1 has its coun­ terparts in Strs. N-49b and O-15b at Mayapán. Str. 2 (Fig. 39.2b) shows similarities in plan to Strs. J-4a, J-130, S-156c, and Z-168b at Mayapán. The bench has an average height of 0.25 m. The masonry wall noted on the sides and back rises 0.30 m above the bench. Str. 3 (Fig. 39.2c) and Str. 5 (Fig. 39.2d) are simi­ lar in plan. This plan is common and characteristic of Mayapán (e.g., Mayapán Strs. P-81a and X-31 like Jaba Str. 3; Mayapán Strs. E-50b, F-12a, H-30 (Fig. 39.1l), and 0-32b like Jaba Str. 5). The two structures are each formed of an outer and an inner room, the outer room having two simple rectangular benches separated by a passageway. In both these structures the side walls project beyond the front edges of the benches. Str. 5 shows no doorway in the back or end walls. Str. 3 was probably without one also, though the partially fallen wall makes this uncertain. The plan of Str. 4 (Fig. 39.2e) is similar to that of Strs. P-149b, S-17b, and EE-26b at Mayapán, all having two L-shaped benches, a single passageway, and a back room Str. 4 rests directly on a 0.15 m high platform The benches average 0.35 m in height, and the walls rise another 0.20 m. Xtuki Ch’en

Jaba The site of Jaba lies about 1 km west of the ruined main house of Hacienda Pixya, which is 5 or 6 km northeast of Mayapán. Jaba is a very extensive site, much overgrown, and built around an ample and easily accessible cenote. No property walls were seen. Much stone has been taken for hacienda build­ ings and fences, and for the roadbed of the tramway. Of the many structures noted, only representative types of those comparatively well preserved were recorded. Str. 1 (Fig. 39.2a) has a platform approximately 0.50 m high with a single step extending across the entire front. The building proper is a single bench 0.25 m high with remains of a wall across the back. On the bench rests a circle of stones having a diam­ eter of 0.80 m and rising 0.10 m. The structure is one of two which formed the group. The other building

Xtuki Ch’en lies 12 km north of west of Mayapán. The only structure of which a plan could be made out shows two benches (Fig. 39.2f) with back and end walls and a back room open at one end. This plan is very common at Mayapán, being found, for example, in Strs. P-5a, T-60b, and AA-96c. The masonry is rough and much weathered. No Puuc type stones were seen. A large, well-preserved pila (Fig. 39.2f) was noted. Hoal Hoal is 3.5 to 4 km north of Mayapán. This is the site of which Roys (1943:180) says, “In all the docu­ ments the survey of the frontier of the province [Mani] begins at a well, named Hoal, a short dis­ tance north of Tichac, the modern Telchaquillo.” The “well” is a cenote. No water was seen, even though

509

39.2. House Types from Environs of Mayapán.

House Types in the Environs of Mayapán and at Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Chichen Itza, and Chacchob

39.3. House Types at Uxmal.

39.4. House Types at Kabah.

39.5. House Types at Sayil.

underground passageways were followed for some distance. It may be that the water pockets are filled with silt. There are remains of a number of structures to the east of the cenote. Though much in ruin, they give the impression of being of Mayapán type. The plan of one (Fig 39.2g) shows portions of a bench resting on a platform 1 m high. There may have been a narrow back room. All sherds collected are from the cenote. One collection (Lot E-37) from far back in the cenote cave contains 12 sherds of pre-Classic type and 1 uniden­ tified. The other lot of 55 sherds (Lot E-154 includes 5 of recent wares, 31 of Mayapán, 14 of Puuc types, and 5 unidentified.

Chan Pixya Chan Pixya lies approximately 3 km north-northeast of Mayapán. A cenote furnishes an ample supply of water. Although the cenote is somewhat difficult to enter, water could easily have been pulled up in bark buckets through the somewhat restricted opening. Little remains of the structures in the area. Many of the building stones no doubt have been removed for milpa fences. The single example (Fig. 39.2h) of which a plan could be made shows the structure to be of Mayapán type. It has two L-shaped benches, with end and back walls rising above the tops of the benches. The two-L-shaped-bench type of structure is very common at Mayapán, e.g., Strs. R-132, S-122a (Fig. 39.1i), and S-135a.

511

512

Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith

39.6. House Types at Chichén Itzá.

Itzin Can Itzin Can lies about 12 km slightly north of west of Mayapán. There is a large cenote with ample water. Somewhat centrally located in relation to several groups of buildings is a “castillo” or pyramid type of structure. It is roughly 8 m high and shows traces of a building on top. No Puuc-style stones were seen. To the west of the Castillo are remains of a long structure with columns, one of which has a shaft of a single stone 1.40 m in length and 0.50 m in diameter and another has a shaft 0.90 m long. A few Mayapántype column drums were noted. The building shows traces of benches, and, most likely, there had been a back room. Another large structure south of the Castillo is indicated by large jamb stones and what possibly was a stone lintel. The masonry is not of Puuc type. To the north of the Castillo is a group of three structures, two of which were in sufficiently good condition to indicate plans. Str. 1 (Fig. 39.2i) lies on the west side of the group. In the front room there are two simple rect­ angular benches now rising 0.30 m in height. A passageway between them leads to a back room, the walls of which rise one course. Masonry is of rough, much-weathered stones; none of Puuc type was noted. Structures of similar plan are not uncom­ mon at Mayapán; e.g., F-40b, N-42a, and X-43 (Fig. 39.1m). Str. 2 (Fig. 39.2j), forming the north side of the group, is composed of three benches in the front room, each 0.40 m high, and a single exterior bench 0.15 m high. Near duplicates of this arrangement are seen at Mayapán in Strs. P-1a and P-46b, which lack the exterior bench, and Str. R-35b. The walls rise an

average of 0.35 m above the tops of the benches, a height that is comparable to that found at Mayapán. The platform directly supporting Str. 2 has a height on the south of 0.10 m. Masonry is rough and much weathered. Several Puuc type stones were re-used in the structure, and a single sculptured Puuc-style stone was noted (Fig. 39.2j). This stone is apparently the eyebrow and upper lid from a mask panel. Shook (1952:251), who visited the site in 1952, says, “the architecture and pottery . . . indicate occu­ pation, perhaps continuously, from Classic through the Mayapán Period.” Ch’en Uc This group is slightly to the west of, and between, Mayapán and Telchaquillo. It is not compact, the structures appearing on the summits of natural hill­ ocks. It is now much in ruin, the stones probably having been removed for fences outlining milpas in the vicinity. Str. 1 (Fig. 39.2m) is a simple building with a front and back room. The front room has two benches, one of which is L-shaped, and there is a single exterior bench. The back room has a bench at one end. Much similarity in plan is seen in a number of structures at Mayapán, especially in Strs. R-49b and T-39a, the latter even having the bench in the back room. Str. 2 (Fig. 39.21) now shows three simple benches with traces of a back room. The benches rise 0.25 m The one at the north has seemingly been enlarged by a 1.10 m addition. Str. 3 (Fig. 39.2k) may possibly have had a sin­ gle column in the entrance. Built across the back of the chamber was a bench. It is impossible to find a

House Types in the Environs of Mayapán and at Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Chichen Itza, and Chacchob

39.7. House Types at Chacchob.

structure at Mayapán having an identical plan, but some show great similarity. At Mayapán Str. DD-2a has approximately the same interior measurements, though there is no inward turning of the end walls or any indication of a column in the entrance. Mayapán Str. S-130b has one column in the entrance, but it is a two-chambered building and the two benches in the front room are L-shaped, so that this structure can­ not rightly be compared to Ch’en Uc Str. 3. Str. 4 (Fig. 39.2n) shows two benches; a passage­ way suggests the former existence of a back room, though none now remains. A counterpart of this plan, except for slight difference in size, is seen in Mayapán Str. AA-114. Talan Chaac This site lies roughly 11 km south of Mayapán. It is much in ruin, and only one structure was seen that furnished a plan. All masonry was of rough, muchweathered stones. No Puuc-type stones were seen. The single structure (Fig. 39.2o) resembles Str. T-68b at Mayapán, but such plans are not at all typical and have not been classed as dwellings at Mayapán. A total of 28 sherds (Lot E-121), all of recent slipped red jar types, were collected from the surface. Suytana Suytana is approximately 4 km southwest of Mayapán. Structures are all in a poor state of preser­ vation but show similarities to some at Mayapán. Of special interest was a group of four on top of a natu­ ral hillock. Around the base of the hillock is a prop­ erty wall of large stones, so common at Mayapán. All exposed masonry is rough and much weathered. No Puuc-type stones were noted. Str. 1 (Fig. 39.2q) rests on a platform, not over 0.10 m high, on three sides of which rises a masonry wall to a height of 0.40 m. Built against the center

of the back wall is a bench or altar approximately square in plan and 0.10 m high. Str. 2 (Fig. 39.2p) is a platform 0.20 m high on which rests the building proper, composed of a bench 0.30 m high with a wall rising to a height of 0.50 m on two of its sides, and an exterior bench. The building probably faced north. Counterparts of this structure are seen at Mayapán in Strs. S-158a, X-52, Z-144, and EE-24b. The sherds (Lot E-110), of which only 7 were col­ lected, came from within the nearby cenote; 2 are of Mayapán ware, 5 of Puuc type. Mataya Mataya lies about 7 km south of Mayapán. The two structures for which plans could be made may not be representative of the site. Although counterparts of these plans can be seen at Mayapán (Strs. AA-41a, Y-126a, Z-39a, and Z-114), some are not considered dwellings but shrines, and others, which may be dwellings, are not typical of Mayapán. Str. 1 at Mataya (Fig. 39.2r) has a single large stone forming one jamb of the doorway. Much of the masonry is of slabs laid horizontally. Str. 2 (Fig. 39.2s) has masonry of large, muchweathered stones. Remains of a bench appear against the east interior wall. A total of 11 sherds (Lot E-108) recovered from within the cenote includes 1 of Mayapán ware, 6 of Puuc, and 4 unidentified. Xjujil Xjujil, some 7.5 km to the north of Mayapán, is by a good cenote. The remains of a number of structures were noted, all in poor state of repair. No Puuc-type stones were seen. One structure (Fig. 39.2t) yielded a plan. It shows two L-shaped benches and a possible back room. Strs. O-3c, S-122a (Fig. 39.1i), and S-81b at Mayapán are comparable to the one recorded from Xjujil.

513

514

Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith From inside the cenote 29 sherds (Lot E-155) were collected: 1 of recent ware, 3 of Mayapán, 6 of Puuc types, and 19 unidentified. Uxmal During the last week in April and the first few days in May of 1953, Ruppert and Smith, through the kind­ ness of Dr. Alberto Ruz, stayed at the field quarters of the Instituto Nacional de Antropología a Historia at Uxmal. At that site, 33 house-type structures were examined and drawn to scale. The areas covered, besides the Main Group, were about 4 km along the road to San Simon south of the Governor’s Palace and a shorter distance beyond the Main Group west of the Governor’s. It was found that some houses were associated with ceremonial groups and others were away from them. Those at a distance were usually on slight rises. Several groups of houses were found on rises with one or more chultuns and a small temple pyra­ mid. The chultuns were extremely large, roughly 4 m deep from the base of the neck by 5 or 6 m across, and many still had plaster on the neck and interior walls. Houses associated with a ceremonial group were either on terraces supporting the group or in inner courts of the group. The most common type of house is either the single-room building with a doorway in one wall, or a series of adjoining single rooms each with its door­ way. In a few structures of this type, benches were found, and one had what may have been an altar against the back wall. As no excavation was carried on at Uxmal, it cannot be stated positively that none of the other structures of this type had benches, but as benches were visible in structures of other types it is likely that they would have been observed in the single-room buildings if they had been present. Small one-room buildings were found at Mayapán, but there they were used as shrines. The long singleroom type of structure with a bench around three sides is not uncommon at Uxmal and has its coun­ terpart at Mayapán. At Uxmal, it often has a room with a doorway in one wall added at one or both ends. From the evidence of the debris, without exca­ vating, there was no reason to believe that the houses investigated at Uxmal had roofs other than of per­ ishable materials. Masonry of walls, standing about 0.40 m high, varied from well-cut re-used stones to rough stones. Many stones had been so calcined and cracked from milpa fires that it was impossible to say what their original condition had been. Of the 33 plans made of buildings during the survey, 10 are shown in Figure 39.3.

Str. 27 (Fig. 39.3a) lies on the east side of a group of house mounds, surrounding a chultun, west of a small ceremonial group which we named the Court of the Eagles because of two stone bodies and heads of birds found there. The Court of the Eagles is about 4 km southeast of the Governor’s Palace. Str. 27 con­ sists of a platform about 0.30 m high supporting a single room dwelling with walls that at present stand only 0.25 m high. Str. 8 (Fig. 39.3b) is situated south of the Gov­ ernor’s Palace, off the San Simon road. On the east side of the west room is a raised area which may well have served as a bench. Str. 29 (Fig. 39.3c) lies south of the ceremonial archway (Smith and Ruppert 1954) about 3 km south of the Governor’s Palace. It is one of a large group of house mounds associated with four chultuns, one of which is directly in front of it. Structure 29 is supported by a platform 0.10 m high. Probably this construction originally had four rooms in a row. At present the south room is almost completely gone; the room next to it has a doorway only in the wall leading to the south room. This feature is unusual for buildings consisting of rooms in a single row, which commonly have only doorways leading to the outside. One structure at Sayil, Str. 13 (Fig. 39.5f), and two at Chichen Itza, Strs. 5C29 (not illustrated) and 5B28 (Fig. 39.6h), however, do have inside doorways. Str. 5 (Fig. 39.3d) lies west of the Phalli Group off the road to San Simon. It rests, along with another single-room structure to the west, on a platform 0.10 m high. Str. 5 has a bench 0.20 m high which extends around three sides. This type of structure, a single room with a bench around three sides, occurs at Mayapán, an example being Str. Z-168b. Str. 20 (Fig. 39.3e) is situated in the court of a small ceremonial group southwest of the Governor’s Palace. An unusual feature is a doorway in the back wall, the only one at Uxmal. The room has two benches, one in the north end and the other, L-shaped, against the west and south walls. This arrangement of benches in a front room with a doorway in the back wall is not uncommon at Mayapán in the typi­ cal house with front and back rooms, examples being Strs. 5-147a, T-24, and T-60a, but there is no evidence that Str. 20 had a back room. Str. 17 (Fig. 39.3f) is in the same court as Str. 20. It rests on a 0.20 m high platform. The main room has a bench 0.20 m high around three sides. South of the main room is a smaller one which is badly destroyed but probably had a doorway in its south wall. Str. 33 (Fig. 39.3g) is located near the southeast corner of the great lower platform supporting the Governor’s Palace. It is a long building resting on a

House Types in the Environs of Mayapán and at Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Chichen Itza, and Chacchob 0.30 m high platform. The floor of the room is 0.15 m above the level of this platform and extends forward 1.10 m beyond the end walls of the room to form a terrace. Inside the room is a bench 0.15 m high extending around three sides. This is the longest construction of this type encountered (35.25 m). Str. 31 (Fig. 39.3h) is in the court of the Monjas Quadrangle; it is a long building raised 0.13 m above the floor of the court. There are two benches in the single room, each 0.20 m high. One bench in the northeast corner has a rectangular sunken area 0.08 m deep; the other, resting against the east and south walls, is L-shaped. Against the back wall, a little south of center, is a small raised area 0.17 m high which may have served as an altar. The small niche or inset area in the front of the platform supporting the room is faced with re-used colonnettes placed on their sides. The walls of Str. 31, as well as the faces of benches and the platform, are constructed of wellworked stones. Str. 16 (Fig. 39.3l) lies in the court of a small cer­ emonial group west of the Palomas. The floor of the building is raised 0.10 m above the court floor. The south room, the larger of the two, has benches 0.20 m high extending around three sides except for a small area in the southeast corner. The north room has a bench against the south wall extending the full breadth of the room Str. 15 (Fig. 39.3l) is situated in the same court as Str. 16. The floor level of the rooms is 0.10 m above the level of the court, and there is a terrace in front at the same level as the room floors. Room 1 origi­ nally had a doorway in its west wall, but this side is so far gone that it is impossible to say how wide the entrance was. Room 3, the longest room, has an L-shaped bench against the north and west sides. Several stone metates and pilas were found near Str. 15. Kabah During the stay at Uxmal in 1953, two days were spent at Kabah investigating house-type structures. The excellent map of the site (unpublished) made by Shook in 1935 was of great assistance. The main areas covered were the terraces on the north side of the main group to the east of the highway to Uxmal and to the west and southwest of the Portal Vault west of the highway. At Kabah all structures investigated were either of the single-room type, with a doorway in one wall, or were a series of adjoining single rooms each with its separate doorway. Benches were found in one single-room building (Fig. 39.4b). Many well-cut reused stones were seen in the walls, which now stand

about 0.40 m high. Some houses were situated on terraces supporting a ceremonial group; others were apart from ceremonial buildings. They occurred in groups of two, three, and four, as well as singly, sometimes on raised areas. Two groups had chul­ tuns nearby. There were undoubtedly chultuns near other house-type structures which were not discov­ ered. Large rectangular stone pilas were found asso­ ciated with five structures. Fourteen houses were drawn to scale, 5 of which are shown in Figure 39.4. Str. 5 (Fig. 39.4a) rests on the northeast corner of the large terrace supporting the main group on the east side of the highway. There was a broken stone metate off the east end of the building. Str. 3 (Fig. 39.4b) lies southwest of Str. 5 on a higher level of the same terrace and is just south of the west end of Str. 2 (see below). It apparently had two benches 0.20 m high against the north and south walls and extending the full length of the room. This is the only house-type structure at Kabah that had benches. Str. 11 (Fig. 39.4c) is one of a group of four housetype structures associated with a chultun about 120 m west-southwest of the Portal Vault. A large stone pila is near the group. Str. 8 (Fig. 39.4d), one of a group of three housetype buildings resting on a large platform, is about 65 m southwest of the Portal Vault. Two chultuns are associated with the group, as well as a large stone pila and a broken metate. Str. 2 (Fig. 39.4e) rests on the same terrace as Str. 3 (see above), its west end being about 3 m north of it. The plan speaks for itself. Sayil Near the end of their stay at Uxmal in 1953, Ruppert and Smith spent two days at Sayil. As at Kabah, their work was greatly aided by the splendid map of the site (unpublished) made by Shook in 1935. Examples of buildings came from the vicinity of the Great Palace and the Little Palace, the latter being at the extreme south central part of the site. Only one structure was associated with a cer­ emonial building. The rest, except for two, were on raised areas. Singly, or in groups of two, they usually have a chultun nearby. In eight instances large pilas, or their broken remains, were found in the near vicinity. All the houses investigated at Sayil were of the same type as those found at Kabah. Quite a few of them were in poor condition and their walls dif­ ficult to trace. The masonry, one course high, was of poorly cut stone. No benches were seen in any of these structures.

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Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith Fourteen house-type structures were drawn to scale, of which 6 are shown in Figure 39.5. Str. 7 (Fig. 39.5a) rests on the southeast corner of the large terrace supporting the Great Palace. It is supported by a platform 0.20 m high. Except for size, Str. 7 is similar to Strs. T-68b, AA-146c, and EE6 at Mayapán. This type of single-room building with one side open is not uncommon at Mayapán, although there it often has a bench extending the full length of the back wall. Str. 12 (Fig. 39.5b) is one of five house-type struc­ tures on a natural rise about 60 m southwest of the Little Palace. It is supported by a platform that also supports Str. 11. Strs. 9 and 10 (Fig. 39.5c and d), on the same natural rise as Str. 12, are supported by a single large platform Str. 9 lies on the east side of the platform, Str. 10 on the north edge. There is a chultun about 2 m east of the northeast corner of Str. 9 and 3 m south of the east doorway in Str. 10. Str. 3 (Fig. 39.5e), with Str. 4, a two-room struc­ ture, is on a large platform about 150 m southwest of the main stairway of the Great Palace. A large stone pila lies near its northeast corner, and a chultun is located about 3 m east of its center doorway. Str. 13 (Fig. 39.5f) is situated on the east side of a large platform supporting another house-type struc­ ture and several ceremonial buildings. The platform lies about 230 m northwest of the Little Palace. The central room of Str. 13 is unusual in that it has only a doorway leading to the east room, and no exterior doorway. This situation of one of several rooms in a row having no exterior doorway also occurs at Uxmal in Str. 29 (Fig. 39.3c) and at Chichen Itza in Strs. 5B28 (Fig. 39.6h) and 5B29. There is a chultun 0.50 m east of Str. 13. Chichen Itza Chichen Itza was visited by Ruppert and Smith during the 1954 field season from April 5 to 14 for the purpose of locating and making plans of house mounds. The published map of Chichen Itza (Ruppert 1952, Fig. 39.15l) was not only a great help in finding the house mounds but made it possible to locate them fairly accurately. All but 5 of the 43 buildings drawn to scale could be placed on the map and be numbered according to the system used for other buildings. The five not on the map were east and north of the Casa Redonda (Pollock 1936:131, Footnote 4). Other areas in which house mounds were found are west of the Casa Colorada, east and south of the Main Southwest Group, west of the Initial Series Group, in the southwest corner of grid 6B, southwest of the Temple of the Three Lintels, in

the southeast corner of grid 4E, and in the southwest corner of grid 5D. The majority of these structures lie on either side of Sacbe No. 7. Only a few were associated with ceremonial buildings. Some were on low land, but most of them rested on large raised platforms. They occur singly and in groups. In many structures the masonry walls, which were only one course high, had well-cut re-used stones. Several metates and one pila were found near dwellings, but no chultuns were close to any houses investigated. The most common house type is the same as at Uxmal, Kabah, and Sayil: single-room build­ ings, each with a doorway in one wall, or a series of adjoining single rooms each with its separate doorway. At Chichen Itza, however, the majority of rooms had benches. Another type of structure, which may not be a dwelling, is a rectangular plat­ form with a wall along one of its long sides; this type occurs at Mayapán. Of all the buildings examined, only one (Fig. 39.6n) can truly be said to resemble the typical house of Mayapán with a front and back room Wauchope (1938:164, Fig. 51.3) also found one at Chichen Itza. Eleven lots of pottery (G-35 to 45) were recov­ ered from the various structures, 4 from the surface, 5 from pits in structures from surface to bedrock and well below floor level, and 2 from below floors. All sherds recovered from below floors were of early post-Classic types or earlier, except for a late postClassic pottery vessel that was probably put through the floor of Str. 5C22 (see below) and 2 late postClassic sherds from below the floor of Str. 5C25 (see below), which may have come from above the floor and got mixed in accidentally. The late post-Classic pottery from Chichen Itza is as late as Mayapán period pottery. Of the 43 structures drawn to scale, 15 are shown in Figure 39.6, in which the various types of house plans encountered may be seen. Str. 5C18 (Fig. 39.6a) lies 150 m east and 340 m south of the northwest cor­ ner of grid 5C on a platform built on a natural rise. It consists of a long 0.35 m high platform supporting a wall along the whole length of its west side. This type of structure is quite common at Mayapán, two examples being Strs. M-67b and R-148. Str. 5C25 (Fig. 39.6b), 192 m east and 384 m south of the northwest corner of grid 5C, is on the south­ west corner of the large terrace supporting the Initial Series Group. It is a 0.40 m high platform supporting a wall 0.20 m high along its west side. Two lots of pottery were recovered from Str. 5C25: Lot G-42, from above floor, contained 169 sherds, 95 early post-Classic or earlier, 31 late postClassic, and 43 unidentifiable; Lot G-43, from below

House Types in the Environs of Mayapán and at Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Chichen Itza, and Chacchob floor, contained 25 sherds, 17 early post-Classic or earlier, 2 late post-Classic, and 6 unidentifiable. The 2 late post-Classic sherds may have come from above floor with Lot G-42 and have been mixed with Lot G43. Str. 5C31 (Fig. 39.6c), 245 m east and 103 m south of the northwest corner of grid 5C, rests, with two other possible house-type structures, on a large plat­ form on a natural rise. For other examples of this type of construction see under Str. 7, Sayil. Str. 6B9 (Fig. 39.6d) lies 8 m east and 142 m south of the northwest corner of grid 6B. It is a single-room building with a doorway in its east side. The structure in Figure 39.6e does not have a number as it is off the map. It rests, with two other house-type buildings, on a large terrace north of the Casa Redonda. It is a single room structure with a bench 0.10 m high across its east end. Like the preceding building, the structure in Figure 39.6f lies off the map and has no number. It rests on the same terrace, just south of the structure in Figure 39.6e. At the east end a bench 0.20 m high extends the whole breadth of the room Str. 5C22 (Fig. 39.6g), about 145 m east and 394 m south of the northwest corner of grid 5C, is one of a group of five house-type structures resting on a large platform on a natural rise. It is a single-room building with a bench 0.25 m high extending the length of the north wall. From a pit in the room, 319 sherds were recov­ ered (Lot G-41). Of these, 163 were late post-Classic, 126 early post-Classic or earlier, and 30 unidentifi­ able. All the late post-Classic sherds were from a single jar which was probably intrusive. Str. 5B28 (Fig. 39.6h), 362 m east and 398 m south of the northwest corner of grid 5B, is a two-room building. The only entrance is in the north side of the east room, the larger of the two. This room has a bench 0.15 m high extending across the room against its east wall, and a small altar, 0.15 m high, against its south wall. The west room is entered from the east room An L-shaped bench extends the full length of the west and north walls. For other structures with one of two or more rooms in a row having no exte­ rior doorway, see Str. 13, Sayil. Str. 7B9 (Fig. 39.6i), 7 m east and 140 m south of the northwest corner of grid 7B, is one of a group of three house-type structures off the southwest corner of the large platform supporting the Temple of the Three Lintels. The north room has a bench across its north end; the south room, a bench across its south end. A pit dug in the center room produced 100 sherds (Lot G-37), 96 of which were early post-Classic or earlier, and were unidentifiable.

Str. 6B8 (Fig. 39.6j), 145 m west and 27 m south of the northeast corner of grid 6B, is one of a group of two house-type structures. The probability is that it originally was a building similar in plan to Str. 6B7 (Fig. 39.6o) and that its southeast corner has been completely removed. In this case it faced south and had a doorway in its south side, as reconstructed. The small inner room has a bench 0.15 m high against the north wall. In the large room there is an L-shaped bench along the north wall and about half the east wall. Str. 5C26 (Fig. 39.6k), 134 m east and 418 m south of the northwest corner of grid 5C, is one of a group of five house-type structures supported by a large platform on a natural rise. The southeast room is not as wide as the other two and has a bench 0.20 m high across its northeast end. There is an exterior bench or terrace 0.15 m high against the northeast wall of the northwest room. Although somewhat different in plan, this building might be put in the class of those having one or more rooms in a row with one room lacking an exterior doorway (see Str. 13, Sayil). Str. 3C20 (Fig. 39.6l), 142 m east and 308 m south of the northwest corner of grid 3C, is one of a group of several house types in a flat area about 140 m west of the Casa Colorada. The west room has a bench across its north end. Outside the building there is a raised area, probably a bench or a terrace, at either end of the back wall. From a pit in the center room 133 sherds were recovered (Lot G-45), 99 early post-Classic or earlier, 34 unidentifiable. Str. 3C21 (Fig. 39.6m) lies about 20 m southwest of Str. 3C20. Room 1, mostly destroyed, probably had an exterior doorway in its east wall. There is an exterior bench with a wall along its west edge against the north side of Room 4. Str. 4E1 (Fig. 39.6n), 174 m east and 348 m south of the northwest corner of grid 4E, rests on a small rectangular platform 0.15 m high. The plan speaks for itself. Str. 6B7 (Fig. 39.6o) lies about 2 m south of Str. 6B8 (see above). It is very similar to Str. 6B8 (Fig. 39.6j) in plan. Its main and possibly only entrance was a large opening on the east side divided into three doorways by two stone columns. There may have been a very narrow doorway in the back wall. A stone metate was found dust east of the building. Two lots of pottery were recovered from Str. 6B7. One, Lot G-35, from above the floor of the small room, had 173 sherds: 146 early post-Classic or ear­ lier, 27 unidentifiable. The other, Lot G-36, from below the floor of the small room, had 138 sherds: 133 early post-Classic or earlier, 5 unidentifiable.

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Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith 39.8. Chacchob, Dzantun Ch’en, and Ukum. a. Looking south at Str. 2, Chacchob. b. Circular structure on same platform and north of Str. 2, Chacchob. c. Carved stone, 48 cm across, Chacchob. d. Fragment of stone ring, diam of opening 17 cm length of tenon 30 cm, Chacchob. e. Carved stone, greatest dimension 37 cm, Chacchob. f. Four carved pottery spindle whorls, diam 2.6 cm, Cat. no. 55-529, Lot E-507, Chacchob. g. Fragments of 2 flint knives with tenons, Chacchob. Upper, 7.4 by 4.4 by 1 cm from surface of Str. lb, Cat. no. 55-539, Lot E-502. Lower, 5.7 by 3.1 by 1.3 cm from below floor of Str. 2, Cat. no. 55-533, Lot E505. h. Obsidian blade from Str. 2, Lot E-506, Chacchob. i. Copper bell found on surface of two-bench house 2 km south of Mayapán at Dzantun Ch’en. Diam 4.2 cm, ht 2 cm, ht with handle 2.9 cm, Cat. no. 55-99, Lot E-184. j. Hieroglyphic panel, Hacienda Ukum. Length of stone 1.10 m, width 0.60 m.

Chacchob Ruppert and Smith visited the ruins of Chacchob from April 3 to 8 during the 1955 field season in order to study the house types there and to get pot­ tery samples. In 1952 Pollock and Strömsvik (1953) spent 5 days at this walled city. All structures they saw seemed to be of the Puuc period. During their stay, Ruppert and Smith explored most of the area within the wall of this small site, a great deal of which consists of cancab (red earth) and outcroppings of bedrock. They were able to find only about 20 dwellings, most of which were on large platforms. It is their opinion that there probably were never more than 50 house structures here at the time of occupation. There was nowhere near as heavy a concentration of dwellings as at Mayapán, where in about the same area there would be from 250 to 300 houses. Most of the buildings were in poor state of preservation, but enough remained to show that they were of the single-­ room type or a series of adjoining single rooms, each with its separate doorway. The masonry walls, one course high, were, with one exception, made of rough, unfaced stones. The exception was Str. 2, a single-room building with nicely cut re-used Puuc stones in walls and is paving around the edges of the room (see below). This structure and two others were drawn to scale (Fig. 39.7). During exploration of the site several carved and worked stones were discovered (Fig. 39.8c–e). Four carved spindle whorls (Fig. 39.8f) were recovered in the digging of a trench in a corner formed by the city wall and a platform built against it, just south of where the road to San Diego Max cuts through the wall. All pottery obtained from house-type buildings was of the Puuc period except that from Str. 2, which had a high percentage of Mayapán types from below floor level. The sherds from this small single-room construction, possibly a shrine, show that the site was inhabited, or at least visited, in Mayapán times. Str. 2 (Figs. 39.7a, 39.8a) lies about 35 m west of the entrance in the northeast part of the city wall (see Pollock and Strömsvik 1953, Fig. 1). It is a building

supported by a platform 0.15 m high resting on a good-sized terrace 1–2 m high with a stairway on the east side (Pollock and Strömsvik 1953:91; Fig. 5b) Two fallen jamb stones indicate that the door­ way of Str. 2 was on the north side. Re-used Puuc stones were found in the walls and paving around the edges of the room. A small circle of stones (Fig. 39.8b) about 5 m north of Str. 2 probably served as an altar. The stones were re-used Puuc-type, with their flat, dressed surfaces facing out. The circle was about 0.90 m in diameter and 0.15 m high, and undoubtedly was once filled with rubble and covered with a plaster floor. A similar circle, 0.85 m in diameter, made of faced stones was found at the site resting on a large platform supporting several buildings. Two samples of pottery and other artifacts were recovered from Str. 2. One, from paving stone level inside the room to 0.30 m below (Lot E-505), con­ tained a flint blade with tenon (Fig. 39.8g, bottom), a small green-gray stone tubular bead, and 146 sherds, 24 of Puuc type, 52 of Mayapán type, and 70 uniden­ tifiable. The other, from 0.30 m below paving stone level to bedrock (Lot E-506), contained an obsidian blade (Fig. 39.8h), a fragment of an obsidian blade, and 83 sherds, 27 of Puuc type, 33 of Mayapán type, and 23 unidentifiable. Str. 1b (Fig. 39.7b) is one of a group of three house-type structures on the south, west, and north sides of a small court about 120 m east of the break in the wall at the west end of the site, where the road to San Diego Max goes through. This group is men­ tioned by Pollock and Strömsvik (1953:90; Figs. 1, 5a). Str. 1b is the building on the west side of the court. Two pottery samples were recovered from in­side Str. 1b. One, from the surface (Lot E-502), con­ tained a fragment of a flint blade with tenon (Fig. 39.8k, top), and 62 sherds, 54 of Puuc type, 8 uniden­ tifiable. The other, from below the level of the base of the stones forming the walls of the construction (Lot E-503), contained 97 sherds, 89 of Puuc type, 8 unidentifiable. Str. 1a (Fig. 39.7c) lies south of Str. 1b on the south side of the court. The east room had fill in the

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Karl Ruppert and A. Ledyard Smith northwest and southeast corners which may repre­ sent benches. As the ground drops off to the south, a platform or terrace 0.95 m high had been built to support the back of Str. 1a. This platform extended out 1.6 m from the back wall to form a broad terrace. Against the face of the terrace a rectangular enclo­ sure was constructed of large, rough stones averag­ ing 1 m to 1.5 m high. The only entrance to the enclo­ sure was an opening in its south wall. Two lots of pottery were recovered from inside Str. 1a. Lot E-501, surface material, contained 140 sherds, 122 of Puuc type, 2 of Mayapán type, 16 unidentifiable. Lot E-504, from below the floor of the central room, contained 22 sherds, 21 of Puuc type, 1 unidentifiable. In the description of the structures above, all the lots from Chacchob except two, Lots E-500 and E507, have been listed. Lot E-500, from a cenote 400 m southeast of Chacchob, contained 55 sherds, 46 of Puuc type, 9 unidentifiable. Lot E-507 is from a trench in the corner formed by the city wall and the south side of a platform

just south of where the road to San Diego Max cuts through the wall (Pollock and Strömsvik 1953, Fig. 1). This lot contained 4 carved pottery spindle whorls (Fig. 39.8f) and 33 sherds, 21 of Puuc type, 1 of Mayapán type, 11 unidentifiable. Hacienda Ukum On their return trip to Mayapán from the ruins of Chacchob, Ruppert and Smith stopped at Hacienda Ukum to look at a carved stone, possibly a door doorjamb, reported by Pollock and Strömsvik (1953:83; Fig. 6h). Alongside this stone, which was set in the floor of an abandoned machine house, they discovered two pieces of another carved stone with glyph blocks. When placed one on top of the other, as shown in Figure 8l, these stones measure 0.60 m wide and 1.10 m high. They may well have been a doorjamb, as was suggested for the stone found in 1952; they could not have been from the same doorway, however, as the one found by Pollock and Strömsvik was only 0.54 m wide. The hieroglyphs on these stones have not been deciphered.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 40 July 1957

Deities Portrayed on Censers at Mayapán J. Eric S. Thompson

Description of Vessels

Ruppert and Smith (1954, Fig. 7k) illustrate one only 13 cm high. Vase diameters are about 18 cm. There may be a lime wash on the exterior of the vessel; interiors, particularly the bases, of many are fire blackened. Small vent holes in the pedestals and in the bases of bowls are further evidence that burning took place in these vessels. The effigy figure is attached to the front of the vessel, in an upright position. Winters (1955:385) mentions rare examples of seated effigies. I have not noted any of that class at Mayapán, although elsewhere seated personages and diving gods are common on effigy censers. Legs are freestanding, apart, with feet parallel, and attached to the bowl immediately below the buttocks. The sandal normally has an ankle guard to which is attached a cord with a flap over the arch of the foot. A number of the feet show a cord between the first and second and the third and fourth toes. Toenails are carefully indicated.

An excellent description of the effigy incense burners of Mayapán has been published by R. M. Adams, Jr. (1953:146–168), and supplementary information by H. D. Winters (1955:385–388). Accordingly, it is sufficient here to give an outline of their material and to refer readers to those sources. Full technical information will appear in R. E. Smith’s forthcoming study of the pottery of Mayapán. Effigy censers are made of coarse, unslipped pottery. The effigy is attached to the front of a thickwalled vase which stands on a high pedestal base, both slightly flaring. The headdress of the effigy usually rises 10 to 15 cm above the rim of the vase. The tallest censer found at Mayapán is 68 cm high, but the more usual height seems to have been some 10 cm less. Some censers, although none of this class is complete, are of medium size, perhaps about 40 cm high, and an occasional specimen is diminutive;

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J. Eric S. Thompson 40.1. Heads of Incense Burners. a–d. God B, Chac (A-189, A-190, A-190, A-181). e–h. Merchant god (A-180, C-72, A-416, A-570). Complete vessel (g) is not incense burner but cache receptacle. i–j. Whiskered god (A-114, C-72). Part of headdress of was available only in photograph which gave no sure information on colors. Scale is 1:4. See Fig. 40.2 for color symbols.

In most figures the arms are bent at an angle of 90 degrees, palms up, and the hands may support offerings; in a few the hands are brought together in front of the stomach to hold an offering. Rarely a shield is on the left arm; in one effigy a hand grasps a spear thrower. Usually a wide loincloth end hangs between the legs, partly covering them, and reaching almost to the ankles. In width this loincloth is neither in the classic Maya tradition nor in that of Mexican representational art at Chichén Itzá. A half-skirt over buttocks and sides of thighs is reminiscent of the jaguarskin drawers worn by personages on stelae of the Central Maya area. A sort of short-sleeved jacket and a breast ornament are usually part of the costume; cuffs and bands below the knees may be shown. Winters notes three main types of headdress: a close-fitting cap or, in his words, cylindrical bonnet; a helmet in the shape of the jaws or beak of some animal or bird; and, very rarely, a kind of rectangular box. All headdresses appear to be topped by a flaring funnel and to have on each side a flap reaching to the shoulders. A pair of flanges, which project from the vase on either side of the effigy, serve as the two piece frame, usually of feather work, which was placed behind gods or their impersonators, and which is shown being placed in position on the murals of Bonampak (Ruppert, Thompson, and Proskouriakoff 1955, Fig. 27). Some parts of the effigies, notably faces, hands, and feet, were commonly made in molds. Molds for these faces have only occasionally been found at Mayapán; their rarity is not surprising, for potteries might not have been located within the city. Many details of dress and ornament were made separately and attached to the effigy before firing; often these details in appliqué become detached. Painting was done after firing. Colors observed are red, yellow, blue, green, gray, purple, brown, black, white, and, less commonly, gray, purple, and brown; both brown and gray may at times have been accidental. Sometimes there is an apparently intentional mixture of blue and green resulting in a variable shade here called turquoise. Density of paint produces different tones, and sometimes (Fig. 40.2a) a dark blue design is painted on a light blue or a dark red on pink. The colors may have ritual significance, as, for example, that for the flayed skin, cor-

rectly shown as white to a very pale yellow, which Xipe wears (Fig. 40.2a, b), or the black-and-white facial painting of Tlazolteotl (Fig. 40.2c), or the variable colors of God B (Fig. 40.1a–d); at times the artist appears to have used whatever paint took his fancy or was in good supply. Function of Effigy Censers R. E. Smith informs me that, in examining sherds, he has found burned copal incense in the bases of some effigy censers, in verification of the inference from the presence of vent holes and smoke stains on the interiors of many sherds that these vessels were, indeed, used as incense burners, although there is no reason to suppose that they were swung like the censer of the Old World. Quite apart from such direct testimony, the normal occurrence of large quantities of fragments in or around structures designated as shrines is indirect evidence that the vessels were used for burning copal; but it must be remembered that one, though not the only, reason for classifying such structures as shrines is precisely that huge quantities of sherds of incense burners are often found in their vicinity. Nevertheless, these vessels frequently stood on or at the foot of what presumably were altars. Some confusion in early Spanish accounts between pottery idols and effigy incense burners probably reflects a lack of clear-cut differentiation among the Maya informants, but it would seem that the effigy incense burners of Yucatán, like those of the present-day Lacandon, had the dual purpose of serving as receptacles of the burning copal and as idols of the gods they portray, for in the Relación de Valladolid (Relaciones de Yucatán 1900:13:19, 27–28) we read: “They worshipped some idols made of clay, like small jars or the flower pots used for sweet basil, with different faces on the outsides. Inside, they burnt a strong-smelling resin called copal. This they offered to those idols,” and, with reference to the temple on top of the pyramid, “They had their idols in the building on top, made of pottery in the shape of basil pots but with very irregular outline (muy bocadeadas) with their feet, and on them faces, ill-featured and deformed with evil grimaces. They put into this idol a resin-like incense which they call copal.” Support for the view that the Maya of Yucatán regarded these effigy censers as gods is found in

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J. Eric S. Thompson 40.2. Heads and Fragments of Incense Burners. a. Arm of Xipe figure with armlet decorated with head (A-110). Note human skin worn by god. b. Leg and loincloth of Xipe figure showing elaborate decoration of end of loincloth and human skin of sacrificial victim (A-110). c. The goddess Tlazolteotl (A-182, A-188). d. The maize god (C-72). e. Venus god (C-8). f. Various unidentified heads (D-29, A-177, C-93, C-11). Scale is 1:4.

the belief, common among the present-day Maya, that the pottery censers come to life at night and are extremely dangerous. They are called Ah Lux or Ah Lux Kat, and should be destroyed, but their destruction entails some danger. An ingenious method was explained to me by a Maya informant: a heavy stone is suspended above the effigy vessel by means of a strip of mahau (tie) bark. In time the bark strap will rot, allowing the rock to crash on the incense burner, which is destroyed without endangering the person who has contrived its end. Sixty-five heads from censers were sufficiently well preserved or retained sufficient characterization to be suitable for study, and perhaps 20 more were rejected, but these numbers give an inadequate idea of the total quantities unearthed, for in very many cases faces were too badly smashed to be counted. The number of sherds of effigy incense burners in late deposits is truly enormous. For instance, Burial Cist 2 of Str. R-86 yielded 18,433 sherds, of which 16,795 (91 percent) were from effigy incense burners (Proskouriakoff and Temple 1955:327), yet in this huge number there were only 25 faces. Above child burials of Str. Q-208 there were more than 1,800 sherds of censers, some of which were fairly large and many of which were covered with bright paint. Only 6 faces were recognizable, but these had been broken into some 30 sherds. Counts of 9 feet and 10 arms agree fairly closely with the tally of 6 faces (J.E.S. Thompson 1954:78). Even though breakage would be inevitable because of the nature of the pottery and the many projecting and appliqué elements, it was clear that these effigy censers had not been complete when they had been strewn over the children’s graves, and the same appears to be true of many large deposits of these sherds. Again, Lot C32 from Str. Q-82 produced 8,300 sherds, 80 percent of which were from censers, and 96 per cent of all sherds above the latest floors were of censers (Shook 1954:267). It has been suggested that these deposits of large numbers of sherds of effigy censers might be connected with the renewal of the idols of clay and the braziers which Landa (Tozzer 1941:161) says fell in either the month Ch’en or Yax. It appears highly probable, however, that the renovation ceremony was connected with the start of the 260-day almanac on 1 Imix, which chanced to fall on 18 Yax in Landa’s

specimen year. The interval between renovations of the vessels is irrelevant, but the fact that a renewal rite of the effigy censers has survived to the present day among the Lacandon (Tozzer 1907:105–147) is significant. Chronological and Geographical Placement The highly standardized type of effigy incense burner discussed in this paper made its appearance late in the occupation of Mayapán and seems to have attained great popularity in a short time. Indeed, the presence or absence of its sherds is an important factor in dating a deposit. Effigy incense burners of very similar type occur with considerable frequency on the east coast of the peninsula (Gann 1918, Pl. 2), apparently from near the northeast tip southward as far as the north end of New River Lagoon in British Honduras, this southern boundary perhaps corresponding approximately with that of the ancient province of Chetumal. Everywhere the vessels are surface finds, and usually appear on the summits of pyramids. Incense burners of this same type are reported to occur on the surface at Chichén Itzá, particularly in the area of the Caracol, the Monjas, and the Red House, and to represent a reoccupation of the site in late times. Specimens of this type, painted the same bright colors, were with burials in the pyramid of the High Priest’s Grave, and fragments of others were scattered on the floor of the sanctuary (E. H. Thompson 1938:43; Figs. 4b, 20, 21, 27; Fig. 16i, probably shows a piece broken off the headdress of an effigy figure). As the pottery associated with these burials includes Mayapán Redware, the late appearance of this effigy incense burner at Chichén Itzá is amply confirmed. Strangely enough, fragments of these vessels do not seem to have been dredged from the cenote, although numerous vessels of Mayapán ware holding copal were brought up. Effigy incense burners of the same general type, though not so close stylistically, appear also along the west coast of the peninsula, but their distribution is not well known. In Campeche and as far as Los Tuxtlas are found effigy censers of types resembling to a lesser degree those of Mayapán; there is for the most part no information on their chronological

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J. Eric S. Thompson placement, although in Tabasco, where alone intensive digging has been fully recorded, they occur on late time levels, as would be expected (Berlin 1956). Identification of Deities Inasmuch as certain personages on the censers are readily recognizable as specific deities, their identification encourages the assumption that the figure on each of these effigy censers represents a definite member of the Mayapán pantheon. It is known that similarly each Lacandon effigy brazier represents a definite god (Tozzer 1907:89). If, then, we can identify deities whose features are modeled on these censers, we may be able to increase our knowledge of the effects of Mexican influences and the life of a militaristic center on Maya religion. Itzamna, The Old God Several portraits of gods on incense burners clearly represent the deity to whom Schellhas (1904:22–23) assigned the letter D, and whom Seler (1887) and subsequently Fewkes (1895) identify as Itzamna. I believe most modern authors accept that identification, although Gates (1931) considered God B to correspond to Itzamna. The nature of the god is complex. Both in the codices and in the literature where he is referred to at times as Kinich Ahau Itzamna, he is merged with the sun god, but he also has nonsolar aspects. The representations of this god on incense burners (Figs. 40.3d,e; 40.4a,b) show the following characteristics: (1) The mouth is toothless except for a single worn molar in each corner. (2) An oval area around the mouth which includes the upper lip and chin is painted gold (red in one specimen) and outlined in black. As is usual with all effigies on censers, the lips are red. (3) Cheekbones are very prominent, presumably to add emphasis to the appearance of old age conveyed by sunken eyes. (4) Sometimes a groove curves from the nostrils around the eyes to accentuate the portraiture of advanced age. (5) The nose is markedly Hebraic, and there is a round projection over the bridge. (6) Eyebrows and eyelids are prominent, presumably to give a sunken appearance to the eyes. The upper orbital area is usually golden. (7) A white scroll with two pendent circles under each eye appears to be characteristic; but the white paint is fugitive, and the scroll, which may carry simple outlining in black, is not easily seen in all examples. All the physical characteristics noted above are recognizable in examples of God D in the Maya codices, although the line marking the change of

color around the mouth (not to be confused with the time furrows on each side of the mouth) is not always distinguishable. Nevertheless, in the portrait of God D on page 7b and c of Codex Dresden, the areas of yellow paint around the chin are clearly visible. God D is usually shown as toothless in Codex Dresden, but in Codex Madrid and very occasionally in Codex Dresden (e.g., p. 9a) there is one tooth in the corner of the mouth. The presence or absence of a single molar is of little consequence, however, as any dentist would agree. On the murals of Santa Rita, British Honduras (Gann 1900, Pl. 30), God D, as lord of Tun 11 Ahau, conforms to the type already described. His mouth is toothless, but the area around it is yellow, although with a small red design imprinted on it. He appears also on murals at Tulum (Lothrop 1924, Pl. 6) with the same features, but again the mouth is toothless. God D is represented by one complete incense burner (Fig. 40.3d,e), now in the Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico, and eight complete or incomplete heads from incense burners (Fig. 40.4a,b). The complete figure was found with others in the shrine room of the colonnaded structure Q-81 (Lot C-72; Winters 1955). This, as well as the eight heads, retains facial painting. It has a blue face with yellow around the mouth and on the chin. Three (A-188, two of A-190) of the eight faces are red with yellow oral circles, and another (C-60) probably belongs in the same group; the face is painted red, but the mouth and chin are lacking. Two faces (A188, A-190) are blue with a yellow area around the mouth and on the chin; another (C-72) is white with the same yellow oral area. Finally, one (A-190) has gray facial painting with red around the chin and mouth and three curved lines apparently representing furrows of age on each lower cheek. These color variations surely conform to the system of world directional coloring that we find in the Maya codices, in the books of Chilam Balam, and in the Ritual of the Bacabs. Indeed, in the last work there is mention of the Red Itzamna, the White Itzamna, and the Yellow Itzamna (information of R. L. Roys). The God D on the murals of Santa Rita has blue features with golden chin. God D appears painted black several times in Codex Dresden, and glyphs of God D with red and green affixes are found, although rarely, in the codices. The four heads in Lot A-190 are colored, respectively, red (two), blue, gray, and, therefore, do not directly indicate a world directional and color ritual, but there may have been others in the lot to complete the color series. The headdress of the complete example consists of a closefitting round skull cap tied with a large,

40.3. Effigy Incense Burners. a,b. Perhaps Quetzalcoatl (C-72). Height 68 cm. c. God E, the maize god (C-72). Height 68 cm. d. God D, Itzamna (C-72). Height 62 cm. e. Painting of d. f. God B, Chac, the rain god (C-72). Height 55.5 cm.

40.4. Heads from Incense Burners. a,b. God D, Itzamna (A-190). c,d. God A, the death god (A-413, C-32). e,f. Old god with cleft chin (C-93b). g. Xipe (A-110). h,i. Merchant god (A-570, A-180). j. Tlazolteotl (A-182, A-188). k. Unidentified deity. Red stripes on white (D-45).

Deities Portrayed on Censers at Mayapán decorative band, from which rises the funnel that seems to occur with all effigy figures from incensarios (Fig. 40.3d,e). Incomplete headdresses attached to five of the heads are all of this close-fitting cap type. In two, the cap was held in position by a band decoratively tied in front; one has a design of appliqué circles; another has a pattern in appliqué of small circles attached to the perimeter of a larger one (Fig. 40.4a,b). The painting of God D at Santa Rita shows the same funnel element, but it rises from a bird, not from a cap. The closefitting cap held in place by a band appears to be rare in Maya art. Among the sculptures of the Temple of the Warriors at Chichén Itzá are one or two examples of a sort of kerchief held by a band, and similar caps appear frequently in Codices Laud and Fejervary-Mayer, but no significance could be attached to them without an exhaustive investigation of types of headgear and their distribution in Middle America. The complete effigy figure (Fig. 40.3d,e) has a pouch dangling from its left arm, and the two hands support a cone-shaped object which may represent a loaf of copal but which also resembles an architectural device, the significance of which is not certain. Chac, The Long-Nosed God The long-nosed gods, to whom Schellhas assigned the letter B, and who are so frequently portrayed in Maya art, are generally identified as the Chacs, the rain gods of Yucatán, the Maya equivalents of the Tlalocs of Central Mexico and the Cocijos of Oaxaca. This identification is not open to serious question. Among the effigy incensarios from Mayapán are one complete vessel of Chac (C-72) now in the Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico, and six heads, some of which are extremely fragmentary (A-109, A181, A-189, A-190 [two], and C-51). They show (Figs. 40.1a–d, 40.3f) the following characteristics: (1) A long pendulous “trunk” extending downward from the nose over the upper lip. Although it is missing from all the heads but that of the complete effigy, its former presence is indicated by breaks on the surface of the nose, except for one head that completely lacks the nose. (2) A white scroll with pendent circlets beneath the eyes, similar to that of God D, is usually but not invariably present. (3) A fang at each corner of the mouth is almost certainly a characteristic, but as the fangs were appliquéd they easily broke or dropped off. The complete effigy has both fangs, and the head from Lot A-51 retains one. Cache pots with heads of God B commonly have both fangs, but they may be painted, not appliquéd. (4) Normal teeth, usually four, are between the fangs. (5)

Oval areas around the eyes are usually painted a different color, green predominates, than the face, producing the effect of goggles. One half of the face may be of a different color from the other, the line of demarcation passing vertically down the nose and “trunk.” The colors blue and green, which throughout Middle America are associated with water, predominate. The left side of the face of the complete effigy is painted blue; the right side, red. The same color division appears on one head of Lot A-190, but is complicated by other coloring around eyes and mouth (Fig. 40.1b). Two heads (A-109, A-189; Fig. 40.1a) are blue with green around the eyes and mouth. Another from Lot A-190 is blue with gold around the mouth (Fig. 40.1c). A fragmentary head from Lot A-181 (Fig. 40.1d) seems to have had the left side of its face painted red and blue; the right side is black with a red-white-and-black diagonal extending from temple to upper lip. The complete effigy has a snake or alligator head for its headdress. The same arrangement is found on an effigy censer of Chac from Chetumal (G. E. Smith 1927). One fragmentary head (Fig. 40.1a) has a close-fitting cap with a band around it and a bow tie in front, as already noted in the discussion of the Itzamna effigies; a second incomplete head may have a headdress of the same type (Fig. 40.1c); the remainder lack headgear. The complete effigy has a small vessel in its right hand and what is probably a ball of flaming copal in its left. One is reminded that the Chacs carried water in jars or gourds, and caused rain by pouring it on the earth. The Tlalocs frequently appear with small vessels in their hands, from which they are often pictured as pouring water (e.g., Codex Borgia, p. 28). On Dresden page 37c, God B is depicted squatting in the rain with his jar on his back; on Madrid page 9 he holds the mouth of the vessel downward, allowing the water to flow out. The long-nosed god appears on a number of vessels other than effigy censers. A fine one (C-72) carries a figure of God B in diving position (Winters 1955, Fig. 3o,p). The typical features are clearly depicted. The face is orange except for a green oval around the mouth and green eyelids. The hands are red. Three or four small cache pots carry faces of God B in relief. One face (A-580; A. L. Smith and Ruppert 1956, Fig. 8o,p) was painted green after firing except for the white scrolls under the eyes. The accentuated upper orbital areas produce an effect reminiscent of portraits of Tlalocs. Another (C-96b) is turquoise. These faces have the typical proboscis of God B, and display tusks or fangs in the corners of the mouth.

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J. Eric S. Thompson Masks of God B painted on the walls of the Temple of the Warriors at Chichén Itzá (Morris, Charlot, and Morris 1931, Pls. 133, 157b) combine green and blue with a yellow area around mouth and chin. God B is not among the gods whose portraits have survived on the Santa Rita murals. Gods of Merchants Four heads from censers are reviewed together under this heading, and a figure from a cache pot is brought into the discussion. All four heads have peculiar decorative areas around the eyes. Three of the faces (A-570, two; A-180; Figs. 40.1e,h; 40.4h,i) and the one from the cache vessel (A416; Fig. 40.1g) have the area around the left eye gold, and that around the right eye turquoise color. One face from Lot A-570 is black; the others are red. Both eyes of C-72 are green with outlining in yellow. This change in color in the circumorbital area may have resulted from the switch in color of the face to blue. Two of the faces (A-570, A-180) have straight long noses which project horizontally, a type that I term the Pinocchio nose (Fig. 40.4h,i). The nose of the cache pot is missing, but the break strongly suggests that it was of the same unusual form. Jaguar “whiskers,” tusks, beard, and bird headdress are also of importance in this group. The distribution of these traits is best expressed in tabular form (see Table 40.1). A-180 and C-72 have tusks in the corners of their mouths; A-570 (black) has two stumps which may represent molars or perhaps broken tusks; A-416, A-570 (red), and A-180 have projecting lower lips of inordinate size (Figs. 40.1g; 40.4h,i). In reviewing the identity of this group of heads one is instantly reminded of Schellhas’ God M, who often has the same peculiarly shaped marking around the eyes and who typically has the Pinocchio nose and the projecting lower lip. In the codices, however, God M is almost invariably painted black except for the red area around the mouth. Markings around the eyes, if they are present, are white. There is a single exception, for on Madrid page 15b God M is white with the area around the mouth red and that around the visible eye blue.

God M is generally recognized to be Ekchuah, a god of merchants and travelers. In a previous paper (J.E.S. Thompson 1950:76) I stated my belief that God M was primarily a god of hunting, comparable in functions to Mixcoatl, the hunting god of Central Mexico. Perhaps the two concepts are reconcilable. From Sahagun (1938 and 1950, Bk. 1, Ch. 19) we gather that there were six deities of travelers in Mexico: Yacapecutli, also called Hacacoliuhqui, who was the chief; Nacxitl, who was Quetzalcoatl; Yacapitzauac, “he with the pointed nose”; Acxomocuil, whom Seler believed to be merely Tezcatlipoca under another name; Cochimetl; and Chalmecaciuatl, “the Chalmeca woman,” who appears to be a manifestation of the goddess Tlazolteotl. One of the merchant gods then was called “he with the pointed nose.” Torquemada (1723, Bk. 6, Ch. 28) says the name means “he with the aquiline nose,” a term, he adds, for a sharp or clever person. Groups of traveling gods, usually with pack and staff, appear in various codices. On Codex FejervaryMayer pages 36 and 37, an aged god with Pinocchio nose and a fringe beard is among the travelers. In one picture he strides forward beneath the burden of his pack; in the other he carries with him the crossroads symbol. His body is half red, half blue, but his chin and the area around his mouth are white. This same deity, again with his body painted half red, half blue, and again with Pinocchio nose and a fringe beard, is depicted on the murals of Santa Rita, British Honduras (Gann 1900, Pl. 31). The area around his mouth is painted yellow with red markings, not white as in Codex Fejervary-Mayer, and although, like the figures in that codex, he lacks the drooping lower lip, he does resemble the examples of God M in the Maya codices in wearing on his head a plaited tumpline. The area around his eye is painted blue, but in a step pattern, not the horseshoe shape of God M. With one hand he beats a drum; with the other he shakes a rattle. Opposite him another deity holds two trophy heads, one of which is that of this same deity. The face is red and blue, the nose is of the Pinocchio type, and there is a possible, but dubious, tumpline headdress. However, the extreme prominence of the projecting lower lip links the various heads just discussed, representations of God M

Table 40.1. Lot

Face

Orbits

Nose

A-180 A-570 A-570 C-72 A-416

Red Red Black Green Red

Blue/Gold Blue/Gold Blue/Gold Green Blue/Gold

Pinocchio Pinocchio Normal Normal Pinocchio

Whiskers

Beard

Bird Headdress

Yes Yes No Yes No

Yes Yes? No Yes? No

Yes (damaged) Gone No Yes No

Deities Portrayed on Censers at Mayapán in the codices, and the group of figures from incense burners under discussion. Although the evidence is not sufficient for a categorical assertion, the assumption seems reasonable that the four incense burners portray three of a group of perhaps six gods of merchants and travelers who are associated with world colors and directions, namely the red, black, and blue gods of merchants. Interestingly enough, this same group of deities is surely represented in stone and pottery in the highlands of Guatemala. A. L. Smith and Kidder (1951:44, Figs. 53a, 89, 90), who have assembled material on the subject, note that the datable examples are postClassic. One of the pottery heads and all the stone heads have a vertical groove at the back. It is known that the Nahuatl merchants regarded their staves as images of the merchant god Yacatecutli, and that at the end of a day’s journey they offered blood and incense to the bundle of their staves which they set up in their camp (Sahagun 1938, Bk. 1, Ch. 19). This vertical groove at the back may have served to secure the heads to staves. Other heads are at the ends of pottery handles of the kind attached to brazier pans; it may reasonably be supposed that such braziers were used in the worship of the god with the pointed nose. This deity or group of deities was worshipped over a large area, and the cult was presumably spread by merchants, perhaps in post-Classic times. From archaeological evidence alone, Mayapán would hardly be regarded as an important trading center, but trade is known to have been brisk in Yucatán at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards, when conditions were far less stable than they had been when Mayapán dominated a large area. Accordingly, it may be supposed that there was an active cult of the gods of merchants in Mayapán, that the cult was probably of Mexican origin, and that the portraits on incense burners are of Yacatecutli and his fellow patrons of trading. What connections there may be with cacao, the god of which was also a patron of merchants among the Maya, is not clear. The reason for the association of cacao and merchants is, of course, that cacao beans were the common currency of Middle America. Unfortunately, the proveniences of these pieces do not point to any possible residence or temple of the merchant class.

corner of the mouth; another (C-12) is also red, but the whiskers have lost their color and the beard is missing. A trace of color on the chin seems to have been yellow, but there are also traces of black, perhaps fire marks. Fangs, if once present, have become detached. A third face (C-72; Fig. 40.1j) is yellow with a black area around the eyes. The whiskers seem also to have been yellow. The beard is missing, but the place where it broke off can be seen plainly, and a break in the corner of the mouth is almost certain evidence that tusks were originally present. A fourth, somewhat fragmentary head, also from Lot C-72, belongs to this group. The face is green save for a horizontal yellow band across the eyes, which are represented by holes. The start of the cat whiskers is visible, but mouth and chin are missing. Except for the hollow eye sockets, the features are those of a normal person not passed maturity. All four of these heads, like those of the supposed gods of merchants, wear handsome bird helmets. A deity with cat whiskers and beard, wearing a bird headdress, and with a second bird mask at his waist appears on the murals of Santa Rita as patron of Tun 6 Ahau (Gann 1900, Pl. 30). Presumably he represents the same deity as these Mayapán heads, although the facial markings are somewhat different. Five other heads from incense burners appear to belong to this group, but all are fragmentary or lack color. One small complete head (A-539) has golden whiskers and beard, but the facial color has gone. There are two buttons in the center of the forehead. The mouth is devoid of tusks. The headdress is a close-fitting cap with a sort of comb on top. Two fragmentary faces, painted red (C-8, C-51), had whiskers which were golden on one but no paint remains on the other. The beard is missing from both. The head from Lot C-8 retains a fang in each corner of the mouth, and there are slight traces of turquoise paint on the chin. Incomplete heads from Lots C-39 and C-51 have whiskers, and the former shows where the beard broke off. None of these last four retains any headdress. The presence of whiskers and beard usually denotes a connection with the jaguar. With the addition of a line under the eyes and twisted over the bridge of the nose, this bewhiskered face becomes that of the god of the number seven, an aspect of the jaguar god of the interior of the earth; with solar features, it becomes that of the night sun.

Whiskered Gods Several heads resemble the figures of the supposed gods of merchants in their possession of cat whiskers and beard. One (A-114; Fig. 40.1i), painted red with yellow whiskers and beard, has a tusk at each

Xipe Totec Xipe Totec, a Mexican god of vegetation characterized by the rite in his honor in which his impersonators wore the skins of the victims who during his

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J. Eric S. Thompson festival were killed in gladiatorial fights, had not previously been reported in Yucatán. Landa (Tozzer 1941:119–120) noted the wearing of flayed human skins in Maya ceremonies, but as this was an element in the worship of other Mexican deities, it was not certain that such practices referred to a Xipe cult. Among the incensario effigy heads, however, are several that clearly represent Xipe Totec. Five of the six whole or fragmentary heads of Xipe found at Mayapán were with Lot A-110 (Fig. 40.4g), and have previously been identified as representing Xipe (J.E.S. Thompson 1954:78). Re-examination of the material brought to light a small fragment showing part of the very distinctive eye of Xipe Totec. A sixth Xipe head was with Lot A-209 (Proskouriakoff and Temple 1955, Fig. 22l). The characteristics of the Xipe Totec heads at Mayapán are: (1) The face is a light yellow or cream color, which represents the mask of human skin covering the god’s face. (2) The eyes, with eyelids almost closed, appear as crescentic slits. The edges of the lids are painted red, and in one example the surface of each eyelid carries half a dozen light vertical strokes of black paint. (3) The red underlip of the god is visible inside the mouth of the mask. This should not be confused with the line inside the upper jaw of most effigy faces, which normally is painted white and represents the teeth of the upper jaw. Except on Xipe heads there is no such line inside the lower lip. (4) The nose tends to have a squashed appearance. The A-209 head has a broken tubular (?) insertion, painted green, in the left nostril. Flecks of green paint around the right nostril make it evident that both nostrils were thus decorated. It appears likely that a jade rod was depicted, but a jade bead in each nostril is also a possibility. This is the only nose of well over a hundred examined that shows definite evidence of decoration, although two fragmentary noses may have been so decorated. With the heads of Lot A-110 were seven arms and six legs sufficiently complete to be identified as belonging to figures of Xipe. The wrists and ankles are painted red, the color normally employed to portray the skin of men; they extrude from the sleeves or leggings of the dress of human skin, which are painted white or cream, evidently the way of representing the flayed skin, for it is the color of the skin worn over the face. In Mexican codices this donned skin is shown in varying tones of yellow in contrast to the brownish red of the natural skin. Some of the Xipe arms and legs from Mayapán mark the change at wrists and ankles from donned to natural skin merely by the change in color from white to red; others show the skin garment in relief (Fig. 40.2a,b).

Two fragments (A-110) of Xipe legs show at about knee level bells painted yellow, presumably to represent gold or burnished copper. One Xipe arm has a small head tied to the arm with a turquoisecolored band. The little head is yellow with a white band across the eyes and a curved line, also white, from temple to rear of chin on each side of the face (Fig. 40.2a). This is, of course, one of the diagnostics of Xipe on the Mexican plateau and of probably representations of Xipe in the Mayan codices (J.E.S. Thompson, 1950:131). The little face, however, does not show other Xipe characteristics except perhaps for the presence of red cords dangling from the head, which almost certainly terminated in bells. The facial decoration is close to that of the maize god (Fig. 40.2d), as is understandable, for Xipe is also a god of the ripe maize in Central Mexico. One loincloth, attached to a Xipe leg (Fig. 40.2b), carries on a black background two crossed bones below a design reminiscent of the swallowtail emblem so typical of Xipe Totec in the art of Anahuac. One Xipe head is joined to the top of the censer receptacle, to which the “wings” or backdrop of the effigy are attached. Red, the color of Xipe, predominates in this with wide or narrow red bands on a white or gold background, but there are also areas of blue, each of which carries an up-ended double fret (Fig. 40.4g). Tlazolteotl The Mexican goddess called Tlazolteotl, Toci, or Teteoinnan is one of the most important deities of the Mexican pantheon in her role of patroness of the soil and its crops, of weaving, medicine, procreation, and childbirth. There is little reason to doubt that she was once the moon goddess, and she corresponds very closely in her function to Ixchel, the Yucatec moon goddess and wife of the sun god (J.E.S. Thompson 1939). In Mexican codices she is commonly shown with a yellow or white face, and with black marking of melted rubber, Sahagun (1938, Bk. 1, Ch. 18) tells us, around her lips and on her chin, and sometimes on her cheeks. Her most prominent insigne is a crescent or u-shaped symbol supposed to have been a nose ornament, but more probably the symbol for cotton, with which, as a goddess of weaving, she was closely associated. This symbol often decorates her skirt (e.g., Codex Borgia, pp. 12, 16, 23, 55, 57, 63), and occasionally appears on her standard (Codex Telleriano-Remensis, p. 13; Codex Bourbon, pp. 34, 36) or on her headdress (Codex Bourbon, p. 13; Borgia, p. 57). Among the incensario effigy fragments at Maya­ pán one head definitely represents Tlazolteotl, a sec-

Deities Portrayed on Censers at Mayapán ond probably portrays her, and a third may also do so. The first of these (Figs. 40.2c, 40.4j) was with Lots A-182 and A-188. The face is painted white with black around the chin and the mouth; there are black markings around the eyes and a black curvilinear design from ear to ear. In the space between the brow ridges is a small white crescentic area surrounded with black. As far as I know, this position above the bridge of the nose is unusual for the crescentic insigne so characteristic of Tlazolteotl. Nevertheless in the goddess’ headdress (a position which is not uncommon) are five of these insignia: one is painted red, another yellow, two blue, one green. A splash of green on the cheek shows that the earplug was of that color. The presence of these crescents in conjunction with the white face and black chin makes it certain that this effigy represents the goddess Tlazolteotl. The loop at each side of the face is not found on other representations of this goddess. A second head (A-110) may represent the same goddess. The face, of a youthful type, with straight un-Maya nose, is entirely white except for a gray band around the mouth and bands of the same color under each eye. There is a weathered black patch on the bridge of the nose, but it is not possible to say whether it outlined the crescentic form found there on the other head. The base of the headdress is painted gray with a single encircling black line, and at the sides, above and behind the ears, the hair is shown by vertical black lines on gray, as on the head of Tlazolteotl and on the least one of the Xipe heads. Although the identification of this second head as Tlazolteotl is not positive, it is at least a good possibility, perhaps strengthened by the fact that the head was found in the same lot (A-110) as the principal group of heads of Xipe Totec, for the two deities share the religious rite of the donning of human skins. A third head, with Lot C-115, possibly may portray this same goddess (D. E. Thompson, 1955, Fig. 2p). The face is white, with black rings around the mouth and the eyes. There may be black markings elsewhere, but the surface is rubbed. A bird headdress gives the impression that the goddess’ face peers forth from the open beak. The head in Lots A-182 and A-188 is the first definite evidence of an extension of the cult of the goddess Tlazolteotl to Yucatán. It would seem that her worshippers must have been Mexican by birth or descent, or wished to ape Mexican ways, for the functions and fields of activity of Tlazolteotl and those of the Maya goddess Ixchel are so closely related that there would seem to be little reason for establishing the cult of the former were it not for active Mexican influence. It is perhaps worth noting that Tlazolteotl

was one of the six deities worshipped by merchants and travelers among the peoples who used Codices Laud, Fejervary-Mayer, and Borgia, and perhaps under the name Chalmecaciuatl among the Aztec and related peoples of the Valley of Mexico. The worship of the goddess may therefore have been introduced to Yucatán as part of a cult of merchants and travelers, rather than as an attempt to bring in a new mother goddess to replace Ixchel of the native Maya. It may also be of significance that the cult of Tlazolteotl in all probability originated in Veracruz, and so, although the cult spread to the Mexican plateau, it may have been carried directly from Veracruz to Yucatán and not have traveled indirectly via Tula. The Maize God One full-figure incense burner from Lot C-72 (Win­ ters 1955, Fig. 3c,d) conceivably represents the maize god (Figs. 40.2d, 40.3c). The youthful face is yellow with red areas that curve across each side of the face and include the eyes. The pattern resembles, but is not quite the same as, the facial painting of God E, the maize god, which normally shows, as here, a vertical stripe of the same color from forehead to tip of nose, where it expands into a circle around the mouth (cf. Codex Dresden, p. 50). In some of the pictures of God E in the codices, areas between cheek bone and ear seem to correspond to those on the face under discussion. In Mexican codices the maize god is commonly painted yellow. The god on the censer holds in his right hand a ball from which rises an element resembling the conventionalized representations both of flames and of leaves of a maize plant. The ball could represent either copal or maize dough, according to the identification of the element rising from it. Naturally, if the deity is, indeed, the maize god, it is more logical to see in this element a ball of maize dough with its identifying maize sign. Possible Venus God One head (C-8, Fig. 40.2e; Adams 1953, Fig. 10a) may represent one of the gods of the planet Venus. The face of this youthful deity is golden, and on the upper part are six gray rectangles outlined with red. On the lower part of the face are painted two jawbones, pale green with red rami and white teeth. Green seems to be the color associated with death in the representational art of Mayapán. In the Mexican Codex Bologna, Tlauizcal­pante­ cutli, the Venus god as morning star, is represented with fleshless lower jaw, surely to denote that as lord of the dawn he has just emerged from the under-

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J. Eric S. Thompson world, and the same seems to be true of the representations of Venus in Codex Borgia. In Codex Vatican B, Tlauizcalpantecutli is presented with gray skin, and on the dark gray surface of the face are painted a number of white disks. In profile, half a dozen of them are visible; full face there might be more, or the design may be distorted to show in profile the number normally visible in full face. In Codex Fejervary-Mayer (p. 25) the Venus god has a striped brown and white profile with five white disks, whereas in Codex Borgia (p. 16) a dark gray profile of the god carries only four white disks. In Codex Magliabecchi (p. 53) there is a god who is surely Tlauizcalpantecutli, although he is labeled Mictlantecutli, the death god. His face is painted red with seven yellow spots (five are visible): one on each temple and each side of the jaw, one on the chin, the point of the nose, and the forehead. The connection between Venus as morning star and the death god is well known (J.E.S. Thompson 1950:299). The portrait on the Mayapán incense burner has hook-shaped rods projecting from the circular earplugs. Except that they project horizontally instead of hanging vertically, these rods closely resemble the hooked shell ear pendants which are among the insignia of Quetzalcoatl, whose connection with the planet Venus is well known. Representations of Tlauizcalpantecutli do not carry the insignia of Quetzalcoatl, however. Maya representations of the god of the planet Venus do not have disks on their faces, as this face has, nor are they commonly decked with the bared jawbone, the most prominent symbol of death. If, then, this face is that of the Venus god, it is a Mexican, not a Maya, manifestation of the god, but the identification must be regarded as open to question. Quetzalcoatl-Kukulcan? A complete incense burner (C-72) from the shrine of Str. Q-81 may represent Kukulcan, for he wears the section of conch shell, “the spiral wind jewel” to translate its Nahuatl name, which is one of the attributes of Quetzalcoatl (Fig. 40.3a,b). This ornament is colored turquoise and outlined in gold. The youthful face appears originally to have been red all over, but there may have been yellow areas, though neither is the usual face painting for Quetzalcoatl. Winters (1955:387) points out that the well modeled face is so like those of two other deities in the same deposit that all three might have come from the same mold. It is enclosed in the jaws of an animal that Winters identified as a puma, whereas Quetzalcoatl most frequently wears the high peaked “Huaxtec” cap, shaped like the old fashioned dunce’s cap, of jaguar skin. From

circular turquoise-colored earplugs project L-shaped rods painted turquoise and red. They are horizontal, with the lower arm of the L pointing downward. The resemblance to the hook-shaped ear pendants of shell generally worn by Quetzalcoatl is not marked. Moreover, this type of pendant is worn by several deities at Mayapán. The god wears a straight-ended loincloth, white with simple red design, and he holds in each hand a ball painted yellow. Of the six most characteristic insignia of Quet­zal­ coatl, the peaked cap, the loincloth with rounded ends, the yellow-and-black or red-and-black face painting, the penitential bone dagger, the hook-shaped shell ear pendants, and the “spiral wind jewel,” only the last is represented on this figure. Moreover, there is some evidence that this conch-shell ornament is worn also by other deities. The identification of this figure as Quetzalcoatl-Kukulcan must therefore be accepted with great reserve. A second head, a duplicate of the one just discussed except for a knoblike element above the bridge of the nose, was with Lot C-III. It also is set in the open mouth of a puma or a related animal. The puma jaws are red, but the snout and the surviving ear of the puma headdress are golden. The Death God One complete head (A-413) and three fragmentary heads of medium size (C-32) represent the death god (Fig. 40.4c,d). The characteristics are: (1) The lips or the upper lip only are omitted so as to reveal the teeth, or the teeth are modeled on the lips. One of the four death’s-heads lacks this feature; it has normal lips. (2) The nose is shown without flesh. Usually this feature has been conventionalized as a bold relief in the form of an inverted V. This treatment seems to be Mexican rather than Maya. (3) The eyes are replaced by fleshless sockets made by cutting away the clay to leave round or rectangular openings. In one head the orbits are only hollowed. Three of the faces are painted green, although the areas that still retain color are not sufficiently large to establish beyond question that the whole face was green; the fourth face no longer has any color. The nasal area is painted red on the three faces that show green; the one face without prominent teeth has the gums painted red. The only headdress attached to a death’s-head (Fig. 40.4c) has two small skulls set in its band. They are so conventionalized that they show only an inverted V and slightly hollowed orbital depressions. Above the band the funnel-shaped top carries vertical bands of green and narrower bands of red separated by black lines.

Deities Portrayed on Censers at Mayapán Rarely, fragments of heads show one side treated naturalistically whereas the other half displays the features of a skull. Thus, one half of the mouth has normal lips; the other half has the teeth set in the fleshless bones of the jaw. Such life-anddeath representations are not uncommon in the art of Middle America (e.g., the figures with one half of the body that of Eecatl and the other half that of the death god in Codices Vatican B and Borgia). Gods of mixed features are discussed by Seler (1902– 1923:3:450–455). The motive and, presumably, the religious conception that inspired it appear to be Mexican rather than Maya, and so these fragments may also represent another foreign cult brought to Mayapán. Old Deity With Cleft Chin Three heads, two small (C-93b, C-107) and one fragmentary, have in common a deep vertical cleft in the center of the chin (Fig. 40.4e,f). The features are those of an old man, with prominent cheek bones, Hebraic nose, some prominent eyelids, and a mouth drooping at the corners or with a furrow on each side, but it is not possible to identify the deity the potter wished to depict. The heads may portray God D, or, perhaps, Mam. Various Unidentified Gods One head from Lot A-177 (Fig. 40.2g) has unusual markings. The features, those of a youthful person with a naturalistic nose of “European” type, are painted brown except for an irregular area on the cheek and around the eye that is a greenish blue on the left side and yellow on the right. I have not been able to find any deity in Maya or Mexican sources with these facial markings. A youthful head, smaller than most heads from effigy censers, was with Lot C-93 (Fig. 40.2h). There are blue squares on nose and chin, and red circles on each cheek. The eyelids are prominent. This deity also I have failed to identify. Yet another unidentified portrait was with Lot D-29 (Fig. 40.2f). This youthful face is white, but has narrow red stripes on forehead, cheeks, nose and chin; the lips have their normal color, and the mouth is circled with red. A small fragmentary face (only the right half survives) from Lot A-181 is unusual. The color is red. From the inner corner of the eye is suspended a grecque, turquoise with black outlining, which occupies most of the cheek, and terminates below the outer corner of the eye. A square of the same color is on the temple.

Three faces (C-60, A-114, A-178 [fragmentary]) are white except for red lips. The fragmentary piece has a touch of red on the temple, but that may have got there when the ears were painted their normal red color. One (A-114) is in the jaws of an alligator, which are painted white and trimmed with red and gold (Ruppert and Smith 1954, Fig. 40.7c,d). Another youthful face (C-8) has lost much of the color, but has patches of green above and below each eye and on each side of the tip of the nose, and a touch of black in front of the right ear. A youthful face from Lot C-11 has seven areas painted blue, outlined in red (Fig. 40.2i). Undecorated parts of the face appear to have been white. The head is set in the open jaws of a leaf-nosed bat, identifiable by the upturned snout, with canines in upper and lower jaws. The eyes are represented as small buttons. A Goddess A damaged incense burner with Lot C-68 appears to represent a goddess, for the figure wears a skirt and the body is yellow. Both skirt and yellow body color are characteristic of priests as well as of women (Morris, Charlot, and Morris 1931:1:274), and in Mexican codices goddesses are commonly painted yellow; but as it is to be supposed that these figures portray gods and not priests or god impersonators, the conclusion that this figure represents a goddess is difficult to gainsay. Unfortunately, half the face is missing. What remains is, like the body, yellow, but there is a rectangular turquoise patch on the chin. The round earplugs are green, and from them long rods depended (one is missing). The goddess wears a blue skirt with red, gold, and white bands at the bottom. A piece of twisted blue cord hangs down in front; it is probably attached to the plain blue belt that holds up the skirt. The goddess wears a sort of collar or breast ornament painted white, a yellowish brown, red, and green. Cuffs are banded red, green, and white. Little is known about the attributes of Maya goddesses. Various Mexican goddesses of rain and of the soil wear blue skirts. Chalchihuitlicue, whose name means jade skirt, is more often dressed in blue than in green, and the name of her Tlaxcalan counterpart, Matlalcue, means blue skirt. Whether these mountain and rain goddesses were worshipped in Yucatán is not certain, but in view of the cults of Xipe and Tlazolteotl at Mayapán and of Ixtlilton at Santa Rita, it is reasonable that Chalchihuitlicue should be worshipped at Mayapán. Whether this figure represents the goddess is another matter.

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J. Eric S. Thompson Inferences Of the faces from effigy censers, 65 were reasonably well preserved and possessed sufficiently distinctive traits to warrant closer study. Frequencies of the principal identified gods are: God D, Itzamna, 9; the long-nosed god, Chac, 7; Xipe, 7; merchant gods, 4; other whiskered gods 9; death god, 4; Tlazolteotl, 3; and god with cleft chin, 3. Of the total, 32 come from deposits in structures classified temporarily as ceremonial; 31 are from structures similarly classified as residential; 2 are from deposits in cenotes. It should not be forgotten that this distinction between ceremonial and domestic structures is largely vitiated by the fact that many residences have a shrine in which effigy censers were housed, either in one of the rooms of the building itself or in a detached structure, conforming to a pattern that still persists in much of the Maya area (D. E. Thompson and J.E.S. Thompson 1955:237– 242). Many fragments of effigy censers were also scattered over burials and burial cysts below the floors of residences. As a further complication, it should be remembered that ceremonial buildings include such diverse structures as temple and colonnaded hall which probably served distinct purposes, and that in the category of residential buildings are included those that sheltered noble and commoner, whose religious cults may have varied considerably. Accordingly, it is dangerous to place much reliance on the distribution of the limited material at our disposal; any attempt to match a particular god with a certain type of structure would be meaningless if not highly misleading. Of the deities identified with certainty or tentatively, five are believed to be of non-Maya origin: Xipe, Tlazolteotl, Quetzalcoatl, a Venus god, and a god or group of gods of merchants. To these should perhaps be added the deity whose face is divided vertically so that one half is naturalistic and the other half shows the features of a skull. Bearing in mind the need for caution in matching deity with residence, we may note that all examples of Xipe come from two residences believed to be of the nobility, Strs. Q-208 and R-86, and that the one certain figure of Tlazolteotl and one of the two possible representations of the goddess come from the same two important residences. This may be significant, for in Mexican religious ceremony the cults of the two deities, both of whom are associated with the flaying ceremony, are related. The other possible representation of Tlazolteotl (C-115) comes from Str. H-17a at Itzmal Ch’en. The limited material, as far as it goes, does suggest that the cults of Xipe and Tlazolteotl may have been primarily the interest of

leading families who presumably wished to preserve their Mexican connections. Chac (God B) is the most important deity in the Maya pantheon, and appears more frequently in the Maya codices than any other deity. Schellhas (1904:46) counts 218 appearances of God B in the codices, with God D, portrayed 103 times, as the runner-up. Yet at Mayapán only 7 faces of Chac were found. This is only a little more than 10 per cent of the total, a marked contrast to the percentage in Codex Dresden, in the pages of which God B appears 141 times, approximately 53 per cent of the total number of pictures of male deities. Of 84 noses of incense effigies, 50 of which were from structures classified as ceremonial, only 4 (approximately 5 percent) showed the trunk-like appendage of Chac or indicated by a break of the surface that it had once been there. All 4 of these noses of Chac probably come from residential groups. (My recollection is that they definitely came from structures classified as residential, but my note on the count made in Merida is self-contradictory on that point. Hence the use of the word “probably.”) On the other hand, some dedicatory cache pots, small receptacles for offerings placed in altars or under the floors of buildings, are decorated with the features of God B, but it is hard to believe that here the features of God B are anything more than decorative. The scarcity of representations of Chac on effigy incensarios, perhaps more marked because one would expect effigy censers for his cult to be used in sets of four since there were four Chacs corresponding to each of the four world quarters and its color, may reflect the position of Mayapán as a political capital and urban center. The Chacs, as gods of the rain, are still worshipped by the Maya farmers of nearby Telchaquillo, but their favors must have been of less interest to the ruling class in urban Mayapán who had long before beaten their plowshares into swords, and who gained their daily bread by the sweat of others. Naturally, a good maize crop was of importance to the economy of the area Mayapán ruled, but perhaps a citizen of Mayapán might trust largely to the fervor of peasants to achieve this while he gave his attention to placating deities of war and sacrifice or of trade who controlled affairs of direct interest to him. God B seems to have had a higher status in Mexican Chichén Itzá, at least in the earlier part of that period when the Temple of the Chac Mool was decorated. The second most important Maya deity, Itzamna or God D, is represented by nine complete or incomplete figures from effigy censers. The inclusion of two or three portraits of old men which might represent aberrant forms of Itzamna would increase the

Deities Portrayed on Censers at Mayapán percentage. Itzamna, as an all-powerful god, looms large in Spanish accounts of Maya religion, but he is of far less importance than God B in the Maya divinatory almanacs, and, to judge from the fact that his name is unknown to the present-day Maya of the peninsula of Yucatán, his cult was probably popular among the nobility but not among the peasants. It is, therefore, not surprising that there should be a relatively large number of effigies of this god at Mayapán, where lived not only a Mexican Maya ruling group but also representatives of the ruling groups of all the provinces, some of whom, one supposes, had kept to the old ways. With due caution in view of the scarcity of the comparative material, we may note that of the surviving effigy figures from southeastern Quintana Roo collected by Gann, one now in the Liverpool Free Museums (G. E. Smith 1927, Fig. 7), represents God B, a second from Mound 22 in the Chetumal Bay area represents Itzamna, and a third from the nearby Mound 24 is a portrait of the Whiskered God. It is also of interest to note ears of maize set in the headdress of one of the effigy heads, a feature absent in urban Mayapán (Gann 1918:116–20). Naturally, no firm deductions can be drawn from such scant material, but there is perhaps an indication that in Chetumal Province, where the economy was agricultural, the cult of the Maya gods of the soil was stronger than in urban Mayapán with its Mexican features. It is somewhat surprising that, apart from the representations of Tlazolteotl, only one figure from an effigy censer seems to represent a goddess. IxchelAcna, “our mother,” the moon goddess, patroness of weaving, childbirth, and the soil, is an important member of the Maya pantheon, but she has not been identified at Mayapán. It is apparent that there were flourishing cults of one or more goddesses in fifteenth and sixteenth-century Yucatán: a goddess appears on the murals of Tulum; there was a shrine of Ixchel-Acna on Cozumel Island; and the name Isla de Mujeres still witnesses to the idols of goddesses the Spaniards encountered there. An interesting problem is presented by the situation in Str. Q-208, a residence of the nobility which almost certainly was looted and burned at the fall of Mayapán. In front of the bench of what was undoubtedly the shrine were two painted vessels with figures in relief of the diving god (J.E.S. Thompson 1954, Fig. 2e,g). Heavy smoke stains on the interiors made it evident that both had served as incense burners, yet in size, shape, decoration, and deity they were completely different from the type of effigy censer reviewed in this paper, which certainly was in favor until the fall of Mayapán. Such pieces, the ves-

sel with a representation of Chac in diving position previously mentioned (Winters 1955, Fig. 3o,p) may also have been a censer and therefore belong in this category, suggest the possibility that we are dealing with a foreign element, perhaps the cult of some of the provincial rulers forced by the Cocoms to reside in Mayapán, or of some group of foreign traders. In that connection it is of interest to note that the diving god, although he was apparently worshipped throughout the peninsula, was particularly popular on the east coast of Yucatán. In the Genin collection in the Palais du Musée Cinquantenaire in Brussels is a vessel that almost exactly duplicates the diving god censer on the puma (?) base from Str. Q-208 (J.E.S. Thompson 1954, Fig. 2e,g) except that the Brussels vessel is slightly larger and thicker-walled. Unfortunately, it lacks provenience. An effigy censer of Mayapán type of the diving god and smaller pottery vessels with figures of the same deity have been found in the general region of Chetumal (Gann 1918:133; 1926, frontispiece [original in Merida Museum, but no known provenience]; CIW negative 38-8-89 from Aguada Carolina, Campeche). In treating of the religious implication of the effigy incense burner, it is essential to bear in mind the importance of the rise of the family oratory as a rival to the communal center of worship (D. E. Thompson and J.E.S. Thompson 1955:238–242). This change in religious habits, with its wide social implications, doubtless led to a great increase in the use of the effigy censer and to a marked development of the portraiture of individual gods. In summary, this study of effigy censers confirms sixteenth-century accounts of the strong Mexican influences at Mayapán, and increases the number of Mexican deities now known to have been worshipped in Yucatán. There are hints, however, that these alien cults reflect the outlook of a small governing class, urban and somewhat foreign in outlook, who exalted these non-Maya elements at the expense of the local religion, particularly the dominant worship of the Chacs, the gods of the great mass of agriculturalists. Indeed, resentment against the preferment of such foreign cults at the expense of the well-loved local gods of the soil may have been a factor in the revolt that led to the fall of Mayapán. At least, it could have been a good rallying cry. The occurrence of such huge quantities of censers in family oratories, and their assembly-line production, surely are indicative of the rise of secular forces at the expense of sacerdotal control, a vulgarization of the spiritual aspects of religion. One wonders whether such a shift may not have given rise to the statement that there was no idolatry in Yucatán until Kukulcan came.

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Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 41 August 1957

Notes on Vertebrate Animal Remains from Mayapán H.E.D. Pollock and Clayton E. Ray

The collections of animal bones discussed in this paper come from four seasons (1952–1955) or archaeo­ logical excavations at the ancient Maya city of Maya­ pán in Yucatán, Mexico. Short accounts of this work have appeared in Carnegie Institution Year Books nos. 51–54 (1952–1955), under the sections dealing with the Department of Archaeology, and in previ­ ous Current Reports. Final results of this program of archaeological researches will be brought out in monograph form over the next few years. The pre-Columbian ruins of Mayapán are located in northern Yucatán, approximately 75 km from the north coast and 100 km from the west coast of the peninsula. For the most part the ruins presum­ ably date from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries of the Christian era, and the skeletal remains may consequently be expected to represent the present-­ day fauna of the region. It should be noted that remains of man are excluded from consideration in this paper.

Although several people have contributed to the identification of the skeletal remains, final responsi­ bility rests with C. E. Ray. Not only has Ray made the original identification of by far the greater part of the material, but also he has re-examined all previ­ ously identified specimens, making a few changes. These changes, which are not important to the pres­ ent paper, will be noted in a check list to be pub­ lished by him. More than 2,600 identifications were made on mammals, more than 1,100 on birds, over 2,200 on reptiles, 28 on amphibians, and 155 on fish; a total well above 6,000. A detailed listing of these identi­ fications will remain in the files of this Department and in the archives of the library of the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard University. A con­ siderable portion of the collections, moreover, will be preserved in that museum. The disposition of the material, museum numbers, and further comments will appear in the forthcoming check list.

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H.E.D. Pollock and Clayton E. Ray Identifiable bones, excluding artifacts, come from 145 lots of material, well distributed over Mayapán. The inclusion of artifacts of identifiable bone raises the total to 172. Remains from civic and religious buildings, from elaborate and simple dwellings, and from natural sinks are present. The bones are chiefly from maddens, construction fill of buildings, tombs, casts, simple burials, and depos­ its of mixed origin; a few, we assume, accumulated from natural causes. Whereas the great majority of the specimens presumably date from the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, there is undoubt­ edly some admixture of earlier and later remains. In spite of the seemingly widespread and repre­ sentative nature of our sample, analysis shows that 90 percent of our specimens come from in or around the ceremonial center of the city. This concentration is due to the intensive excavation in that area and to the fact that our 4 largest lots or groups of lots from single locations, which account for nearly 84 percent of all material, come from there. Conversely, it is due to the paucity of material from our widely scattered excavations in dwelling-type structures throughout the rest of the city. All this simply means, we think, that our sample is heavily weighted on the side of animals used or consumed by the aristocracy and priesthood as against those consumed by the plebe­ ian population. As was just noted, four lots or groups of lots from single locations together yielded by far the mayor part of our sample. Constituting the most informative collections we have, as far as the food habits of the ancient inhabitants of Mayapán are concerned, they are tabulated below as to the total number of bones and minimum number of individ­ uals. Incidentally, the check list to be published by Ray will include minimum numbers of individuals as determined from our entire body of material from Mayapán. In the present paper minimum numbers, where given, are determined on the basis of single lots or groups of lots from a single location. The minimum number of individuals of any animal rep­ resented in a collection is determined by the count of some recognizably distinctive bone that is found most frequently in the collection; obviously, the particular bone of this sort that appears with maxi­ mum frequency in all collections may not be the same bone that appears with maximum frequency in any one lot or group of lots from a single location. Consequently, the results of the two procedures are not directly comparable. In the table, only the common name of each ani­ mal, with the exception of one of the turtles, is given. The scientific name can be found in succeeding sec­ tions of this paper. The numbers in each column rep­

resent: total number of bones/minimum number of individuals. Bone that has clearly been worked or for other reasons has been set apart as an artifact is not included in the table. Considerable amounts of highly fragmentary remains, mainly from whitetailed deer, ocellated turkey, and iguana, and a few fragments of turtle and fish, not further identifiable, are omitted. Lots A-213, 216, and 217 are from a madden deposit beside a large and important group of resi­ dential buildings, Strs. R-85 to R-90, that may prop­ erly be termed a palace (see Proskouriakoff and Temple 1955). Lying just outside a room identified as a kitchen, this deposit yielded what is probably our best example of a kitchen midden. The sample comes from a trench with an area of approximately 15 square meters, the depth of midden deposit vary­ ing from about 0.20 to 0.75 meters. Our excavation by no means included the entire deposit. Lots C-90 and 107 are from a deposit of madden material and building debris between the rear wall of a colonnaded hall, Str. Q-151, and the substruc­ tural platform of a temple, Str. Q-152 (see Shook and Irving 1955). One suspects, but cannot be certain, that the madden remains are largely from the colon­ naded hall. A relatively small part of the deposit is represented by our sample. Lots D-26 to 29, 33–34, 36–47, 50–51, 53–55, 57– 67, 69–71, 73–74, and 76 are from extensive trench­ ing in the debris and refuse on the floor of Cenote Ch’en Mul (R. E. Smith 1954). They presumably rep­ resent a mixed deposit, in that the location is open to natural deposition as well as to deposition by the hand of man. Other than noting that the cenote is in the heart of the ceremonial center of the city and is surrounded by civic and religious buildings, noth­ ing can be said of the source of the faunal remains found here. The occurrence of cow and of horse will be commented upon later, under the section dealing with mammals from Mayapán. Lot C-30 is from a sealed, natural chamber in the bedrock directly below a vertical shaft that pen­ etrates the substructural platform of a temple, Str. Q-95 (Shook 1954). On the floor of the chamber were two human burials covered by what appeared to be midden refuse, included in which were the skel­ etal remains of two children. This lot is perhaps our most interesting one, for it contained a greater range of faunal remains than any other single lot, and as great a range, omitting horse and cow, as the many lots grouped under D-26, etc. We cannot be certain, of course, what part of the animal remains repre­ sents strictly midden material, what part represents offerings with the dead. Indeed, in all the material listed in the table we cannot be sure what proportion

Notes on Vertebrate Animal Remains from Mayapán resulted from the offering or sacrifice of animals in contrast to that from food. Although the table needs no further explanation, the distortion in the proportion of the number of bones of any animal to the total bones that is caused by a particularly large number of remains of some one animal should be mentioned. It is most notice­ able in the Lot C-30 column, where the amount of iguana bones is overwhelming. If iguana bones are excluded, the relation of other remains to the total number of bones in the lot is quite different. A some­ what similar situation is seen in the preponderance of ocellated turkey remains in the second column.

Vertebrate Animals From Mayapán In the following notes on faunal remains from Maya­ pán the animals represented are grouped under mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. At the end of each such section, artifacts of bone belonging to the particular group are listed. Only those bones than can be identified with reasonable certainty (about one-third of all artifacts of bone) are included. Ray was able to examine and identify only a small part of the artifact material; the remaining identifications are by archaeologists. Not all the bones listed here as artifacts have been altered by man. For one reason or another, how­ ever, such specimens appear to have served as tools or ornaments, or in some way to be set apart from the majority of animal remains. A definitive study of the artifacts of Mayapán is now in preparation. Mammals The present native (pre-Colombian, post-Pleisto­cene) mammalian fauna of the Yucatán Peninsula includes 42 genera, including manatee, but exclusive of the bats and of man (Hatt et al. 1953; Miller and Kellogg 1955). Of these 42 genera, 20 are recognized in the col­ lections, exclusive of armadillo (see below). Of the 26 genera of bats occurring on the Yucatán peninsula, 2 are identified in the collections. The qualitative sample of the fauna is even better than these figures suggest, since the 42 genera include a number of rain-forest forms not found near Mayapán. Quantitatively, an overwhelming majority of the bones are distributed among the 2 deer, dog, and the 2 peccaries. Remains of horses were noted in 4 lots, A-130, D-13, D-50, and D-73. Lots A-130 (Proskouriakoff and Temple 1955) and D-13 (R. E. Smith 1953) are surface material. Lots D-50 and D-73, which include fragmentary horse teeth, are from the bottom stra­ tum of black earth in Cenote Ch’en Mul (R. E. Smith

1950). The teeth are heavily mineralized, unlike any other material in the collections. They are thought to be of pre-Colombian horse (Ray 1957). Cow remains are found in Lots A-13, D-13, D-81, D-83, and D-89. Ruppert and Smith (1952) describe Lot A-13 as partly sealed but open to the surface. Lot D-13, as explained above, is from near-surface, and the occurrence of cow causes no serious difficulty. Lot D-81 includes a poorly preserved fragment ten­ tatively identified as cow. Lot D-81 does come from considerable depth (R. E. Smith 1950), but we con­ sider the identification to be too uncertain for the establishment of a record of Bos. A fragmentary cow tooth was found in Lot D-83, a near-surface deposit (R. E. Smith 1950). Lot D-89, an unsealed, surface lot, includes a considerable number of bones and teeth of Bos. In summary, owing to shallow stratigraphic position, uncertain identification, and/or absence of mineralization, all the cow remains can be attributed to intrusion. The remains of one mammal present at Maya­ pán, a few plates of the armor of an armadillo, were not included in the collections seen by Ray. The specimens were unfortunately lost, and their pre­ cise provenience is unknown. That there were not more remains of an animal so common in Yucatán is remarkable. In the paragraphs that follow, the more plentiful animals (deer, dog, peccary are presented first, in the order of greatest frequency. Less plentiful remains are grouped according to order and farily. White-Tailed and Brocket Deer (Odocoileus virginianus and Mazama gouazoubira) By far the most common remains of any mammal at Mayapán are those of deer. No less than 118 of our 145 lots, exclusive of those containing only artifacts, with identifiable animal bones contained the remains of one or both species of deer, the white-tailed being three times as frequent as the brocket. The frequency of deer remains is even more impressive when it is noted that only 3 of the 27 lots in which deer was not represented had over three bones. In other words, remains of deer occurred, almost without exception, wherever our sample was at all adequate. Although it is well known that deer were used for sacrifice and offerings to the gods, there can be little doubt that this animal played the largest part of any in the food supply of the inhabitants of Mayapán (see Tozzer 1941:247–249, and footnotes 993) for sources dealing with the use of animals by the ancient Maya). Other remains of deer are noted below under Artifacts.

541

Table 41.1. Collections From Residential Palace (A-213, etc.), Ceremonial Structures (C-90, 107), Natural Sink (D-26, etc.), and Burial Chamber (C-30). Mammals

A-213, 216, 217

C-90, 107

D-26, etc.

C-30

Total

White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) 337/30 215/19 352/26 35/2 28/3 26/5 36/2 Brocket Deer (Mazama gouazoubita) 37/5 Dog (Canis familiaris) 6/1 107/5 414/37 1/1 13/2 42/4 37/3 Peccary (2 species) (Pecari tajacu; Tayassu pecari) 34/5 Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus floridianus) 5/2 15/3 4/1 22/2 Opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) 1/1 1/1 2/1 1/1 Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) 1/1 Puma (Felis concolor) 3/1 2/1 Weasel (Mustela frenata) 23/2 Little Spotted Skunk (Spilogale angustifrons) 1/1 Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) 1/1 Squirrel (Sciurus spp.) 1/1 Rice Rat (Oryzomys rostratus) 7/2 White-Footed Mouse (Peromyscus ?leucopus) 2/1 Shrew (Cryptotis mayensis) 2/2 American Leaf-Nosed Bat (Mormoops megalophylla) 2/1 Pre-Columbian Horse (Equus “?caballus) 2/1 Domestic Cow (Bos pp.) 4/1 Total

939/77 127/15 528/44 126/14 46/8 5/4 1/1 5/2 23/2 1/1 1/1 1/1 7/2 2/1 2/2 2/1 2/1 4/1

Birds

Total

A-213, 216, 217

C-90, 107

D-26, etc.

C-30

Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris spp.) 735/143 315/32 117/12 101/9 Pigeon and Dove (Columbidae spp.) 1/1 1/1 6/2 Chalchalca (Ortalis vetula) 5/3 Great Curassow (Crax rubra) 3/2 Olive Throated Parakeet (?Aratinga astec) 8/2 Total 738/145 316/33 123/16 115/13 Reptiles

A-213, 216, 217

C-90, 107

D-26, etc.

C-30

Iguana (Ctenosaura similis) 45/12 318/55 100/16 1,698/140 Terrapin (Pseudemys scripta) 9/2 4/1 Box Turtle (Terrapene mexicana) 1/1 3/1 Mud Turtle (Kinosternon spp.) 9/1 River Turtle (Dermatemys mawii) 4/1 Total 49/13 319/56 112/19 1,711/142 Amphibians

A-213, 216, 217

C-90, 107

D-26, etc.

Giant Toad (Bufo marinus) Nebulous Toad (Bufo valliceps) Total Fish

A-213, 216, 217

C-90, 107

D-26, etc.

C-30 13/1 13/1 26/2 C-30

Sea Drum (Pogonias spp.) 2/1 11/2 63/13 Sea Cat (Galeichthys felis) 14/5 4/1 8/4 Mullet (Mugil spp.) 7/2 Sergeantfish, Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) 2/1 Sheepshead (Archosargus ?aries) 1/1 Grouper (Epinephelus spp.) 1/1 Cichlid (Cichlasoma spp.) 1/1 27/18 Total 2/1 29/10 5/2 105/37 Total

1,210/204

1,043/132

1,094/118

2,125/213

1,268/196 8/4 5/3 3/2 8/2 1,292/207 Total 2,161/223 13/3 4/2 9/1 4/1 2,191/230 Total 13/1 13/1 26/2 Total 76/16 26/10 7/2 2/1 1/1 1/1 28/19 142/50 5,472/667

Notes on Vertebrate Animal Remains from Mayapán Dog (Canis familiaris).

Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus)

Next to deer the most common mammal remains at Mayapán are those of dog. Bones of dog appear in 57 of our 145 lots. They come from all kinds of loca­ tions, simple houses, dwellings of the aristocracy, colonnaded halls, temples, and natural sinks. Many of the lots are represented by a single bone of dog, teeth and jaws being the most common. By far the greatest amount of dog remains comes from Lots C90, 107, and D-26, etc., listed in the table. Only two other locations, one a midden, the other a surface deposit in a cenote, provided more than a handful of bones. Possibly worthy of note is a single tooth from a tomb containing the skeletons of three chil­ dren (Ruppert and Smith 1954:32, Lot A-125). Oddly enough, the large collections of midden material in Lots A-213, 216, 217, and Lot C-30, shown in the table, contained very few remains of dog. The dog was, of course, domesticated, and was used for sacrifice and was eaten. Why its remains should be so prominent in cenote deposits at Mayapán and in midden material adjacent to a col­ onnaded hall and temple, but all but absent in our large palace midden, is difficult to explain. One won­ ders if the eating of this animal, at least at Mayapán, was more a matter of ceremony than of taste. Two specimens of dog are noted under Artifacts.

Of the less abundant remains of mammals at Mayapán those of rabbit are the most common. They appear in 17 lots with the same wide range of loca­ tion as noted for the more plentiful mammals but with a high proportion coming from madden, or what seems to be madden, deposits. Remains from cenote deposits are surprisingly few.

Collared and White-Lipped Peccary (Pecari tajacu and Tayassu pecari).

Puma (Felis concolor)

Remains of the two peccaries are the third most common of the mammals. Bones of this animal are present in 40 lots, which come from the same variety of locations as noted for the dog. Peccary remains seem particularly frequent in association with dwell­ ings of the aristocracy. Like deer and dog, the peccary was used for sacrifice and religious offering as well as for food. There is nothing in the literature to indicate that this animal was domesticated, although it is occasion­ ally made a pet of today. It is the writers’ impres­ sion that at present the peccary is not at all common in the Mayapán area. If this impression is correct, the possibility must be considered that the envi­ ronment was less intensively cultivated in ancient times, or that the carcass, or parts of it, were trans­ ported considerable distances. The well known passage from Landa (Tozzer 1941:26) describing an elaborate system of food supply for the “lords” of Mayapán by the “toxins” over which they ruled may be recalled. Several specimens of peccary are listed under Artifacts.

Opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) Bones of opossum are in 8 lots from a simple dwelling, a palace, ceremonial structures, and deposits in natural sinks. By far the most interest­ ing find was the remains of at least 3 individuals in a vaulted tomb beneath a dwelling. The tomb contained 3 human burials, 2 adults and 1 infant (Ruppert and Smith 1952:46, Lot A-1). As the tomb was not sealed, we cannot be certain that the ani­ mals were not intrusive. Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) A single bone, a femur, of the spider monkey comes from the palace midden (Lot A-213) listed in our table. Mayapán is well outside the present range of this monkey.

There are 7 bones of puma, 5 of them phalanges and all of them from the feet, that are found in Lot C30 (see table) and in 2 lots from deposits in cenotes. Phalanges of puma and jaguar have previously been found in tombs and caches (A. L. Smith 1950, Table 6; Thompson 1931:274). More specimens of puma are listed under Artifacts. Jaguar (Felis onca). Two bones, a jaw and a vertebra, of jaguar are in a lot from a wall of the basal platform supporting a group of structures that presumably formed the resi­ dence of a member of the aristocracy. Other remains of jaguar are noted under Artifacts. Weasel (Mustela frenata). Twenty-three bones of at least 2 weasels come from Lot C-30 and are listed in our table. Little Spotted Skunk (Spilogale angustifrons). A single skull of this skunk comes from the cenote deposit listed under Lots D-26, etc., in the table.

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544

H.E.D. Pollock and Clayton E. Ray Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata). A total of 6 bones of agouti come from 4 lots. The lots are from a simple dwelling, a large man­ sion, a house by a colonnaded hall, and the debris in a cenote. Agouti is reported to have been an impor­ tant food (Roys 1931:333), but there is nothing in our findings to indicate this. Spotted Cavy (Cuniculus paca). A single bone, a vertebra, of this relative of the agouti comes from the surface of an accumula­ tion of debris in a terrace corner near ceremonial buildings.

American Leaf-Nosed Bat (Mormoops megalophylla), and Molossidae (genus and species indeterminate). Two bones of the leaf-nosed bat come from the cenote deposit (Lot D26, etc.) listed in the table. A single bone of the other bat was in Lot C-20 from an open shaft in a temple (Shook 1954:273). Both locations are such as to attract bats, and there is no particular reason to think that these remains were deposited by man. It should be noted, however, that the bat had a place in the Maya pantheon, and that representations of this animal, particularly the leafnosed bat, occur frequently among Maya remains. Tapir (Tapirus bairdii).

Pocket Gopher (Heterogeomys hispidus). Only two bones of gopher are present in the collections. One, a tooth, comes from the tomb mentioned above in connection with opossum. The other, a jaw, comes from a tomb in an oratory, which held the burials of two old adults (A. L. Smith and Ruppert 1956:481, Lot A-587).

Tapir remains consist of two teeth, one from a cast in a simple bench like construction in a house group (Ruppert and Smith 1952:49, Lot A-5), the other from midden like deposits near a colonnaded hall and its associated dwelling-type structure (Bullard 1953:261–262). Mayapán is, of course, well outside the range of tapir, and these teeth must have been imported. A tapir tooth with a hole drilled in it is noted below under Artifacts.

Squirrel (Sciurus sp.). A femur of a squirrel is included in the remains from the cenote deposit listed under Lots D-26, etc., in our table.

Horse (Equus ?caballus) See above. Domestic Cow (Bos sp.)

Rice Rat (Oryzomys rostratus). Seven bones of at least 2 rice rats appear in Lot C-30. It may be suspected that these animals were present as scavengers. Although Lot C30 was a sealed deposit, the midden refuse presumably included many bones before the debris was placed in the burial chamber.

See above. Armadillo See above. Manatee (Trichechus manatus) See below.

White-Footed Mouse (Peromyscus ?leucopus). A skull and a femur of the white-footed mouse are in Lot C-30. This animal also is a scavenger. Shrew (Cryptotis mayensis). Two skulls of shrew are in Lot C-30 (see table). Although the shrew may act as a scavenger, the extraordinary parallel of two skulls of this animal in an infant burial at Uaxactun (A. L. Smith 1950, Table 6, Burial A21) suggests some ceremonial significance (also see A. L. Smith 1950:45).

Artifacts Artifacts of mammal bone come from 33 lots, 19 of which were not included in the general lots of bone referred to above. Deer As might be expected, owing to the relatively large size of the bones, the usefulness of the antler, and the apparent abundance of the animal, there are more artifacts of deer bone and antler than of the bone of any other animal. Thirty specimens from 20

Notes on Vertebrate Animal Remains from Mayapán lots are clearly identifiable as coming from deer. A good number of other artifacts probably are of deer bone, though identification is not certain. Fourteen of the 30 identifiable specimens are of bone, 16 are of antler. Interestingly, only 8 of the 118 lots with remains of deer, exclusive of artifacts, had any antler, there being but 1 piece of antler in each of 7 lots and 2 pieces in the eighth. Obviously, antler was prized and saved, presumably for implements. Dog There are 2 perforated canine teeth of dog, each from a separate lot. Peccary Five perforated or otherwise worked canine teeth of peccary comes from 5 different lots. That only 3 peccary incisors are found among the general lots of bone is noteworthy; these teeth were appar­ ently valued and saved as ornaments. Puma and Jaguar The head of a femur, cut from the shaft, and a perforated canine of puma, come from separate lots. The perforated canine of a jaguar comes from another lot. Besides these teeth there are 6 other canines of puma or jaguar, each from a separate lot: 4 perforated, 1 notched near the base of the root, 1 seemingly unworked. We know from Maya sculp­ ture and mural painting that large canine teeth, such as those of puma, jaguar, and peccary, were worn as ornaments, frequently in the form of necklaces. Tapir There is a single perforated tooth of tapir. It will be remembered that the only remains of this animal are teeth. Manatee The carved rib of a manatee represents the only bone of this animal in our collections. Birds At least 8 birds are represented in the collections. As is shown below, ocellated turkeys are present in great abundance. We have used the generic name Meleagris rather than Agriocharis, following Paynter (1955:84–85). The distinction is of no importance in regard to identification.

Other large edible birds are peculiarly lacking. The crested guan (Penelope purpurescens) is entirely absent, the great curassow (Crax rubra) is repre­ sented by only 2 fragmentary coracoids, and the chachalaca (Ortalis vetula) by some 9 bones indica­ tive of 3 individuals. The occurrence of the heron (Ardea herodias), the hawk (Accipitridae), the parakeet (?Aratinga astec), and the motmot (Eumomota superciliosa) would seem to be fortuitous, since none of these could have been important articles of diet. The small collection of bird skeletons in the Museum of Comparative Zoology limited the num­ ber of identifications that could be made. Lots C107, D-20, and D-38 contain bones that should readily be identifiable given adequate comparative material. Several artifacts almost surely are of bird bone, but none has been identified as to species. They probably are from turkey. Ocellated Turkey (Meleagris ocellata). Far and away the most common bird remains at Mayapán are those of the ocellated turkey. Such remains are represented in 54 of our 145 lots with identifiable animal bones. Although these 54 lots come from the same wide range of locations and kinds of deposits as were noted in connection with the most plentiful remains of mammals, by far the heaviest concentrations come from deposits that seem to be associated with activities of the aristoc­ racy and priesthood; in the palace midden listed in our table (Lots A-213, 216, 217), the proportion of turkey remains is overwhelming. It has been men­ tioned earlier, however, that our sample is heav­ ily weighted in favor of animals consumed by the nobility and priesthood, and perhaps we should not lay too much stress on the relatively small number of turkey remains from simple dwellings. The turkey was used for sacrifice and as an arti­ cle of tribute, in which connection the reader will recall the statement by Landa (1941:640) previously cited. The quantity of the remains and their location in middens (e.g., Lots A-213, 216, 217) leave little doubt that this bird was one of the primary food ani­ mals in Mayapán. Of particular interest is the ques­ tion of the domestication of the turkey. The presentday domestic turkey in Yucatán is derived from the northern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), the native ocellated turkey occurring only in the wild state. Moreover, the pre-Columbian domesticated turkey is generally thought to have been the northern form and not the ocellated turkey. The amount of turkey remains at Mayapán, all presumably of the ocellated variety, raises the question, unanswerable from our

545

546

H.E.D. Pollock and Clayton E. Ray evidence, whether the ocellated turkey may not have been domesticated in pre-Columbian times. Chachalaca (Ortalis vetula). Nine bones of chachalaca, all but 1 from cenote deposits, are included in our collections. This bird is often tamed and kept around houses today, and there is good reason to believe that the same was true in ancient times (Noyes 1932:308, 325). It is surprising that more remains were not found at Mayapán. Great Curassow (Crax rubra). Two bones of the great curassow, representing 2 individuals, come from the palace midden (Lots A213, 216 217) listed in our table. The Motul Dictionary (1929:495 states that the Indians domesticated this bird (kanbul), but there is nothing in our material to confirm that statement. Pigeon and Dove, Columbidae (genus and species indeterminate) Eight bones of pigeon and dove, 6 from Lot C30y are included in the table. Doves were presum­ ably domesticated by the ancient Maya, but again there is nothing to indicate this in the Mayapán remains. Olive-Throated Parakeet (?Aratinga [Conurus] astec) Eight bones of at least 2 individuals of the olivethroated parakeet are in Lot C-30. Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) A single bone of great blue heron comes from a midden-like deposit near a colonnaded hall and its associated dwelling-type structure (Bullard 1953: 261–262). Turquoise-Browed Motmot (Eumomota superciliosa). The mandible of a turquoise-browed motmot is from one of the cenote deposits. This bird frequents cenotes, and the presence of the mandible would appear to be fortuitous. Hawk, Accipitridae (genus and species indeterminate) A single bone of a hawk comes from a madden deposit (Strömsvik 1953:139–140, Lot C-50).

Reptiles Represented in the collections are one lizard and five, possibly six turtles. Identification of the lizard (Ctenosaura similis) is based an extensive study of many museum skeletons. That all, or virtually all, the bones belong to this single species is certain. The turtles are identified to genus on the basis of mor­ phology, but to species on geographical evidence only, skeletons of most of the relevant species not being present in the collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. Of the 16 genera of lizards recorded from Yuca­ tán, only Ctenosaura similis is recognized in the Maya­ pán collections. It is the largest lizard, and hence most suitable for food, in Yucatán. Small individuals are, nevertheless, well represented in the material. No snakes were identified from the collections. All 5 genera of land and fresh-water turtles reported from Yucatán are represented. It is not possible to deter­ mine which species, possibly both, of Kinosternon is present. Lizards Surprisingly, the remains of only 1 species of lizard occur in our collections. A good number of lizards, other than iguanas, frequent the ruins today and must have been present in past times. The fortuitous occurrence of their remains would be expected. Bones of the smaller lizards are minute and fragile, and so their absence may be due to their being over­ looked in collecting. Iguana (Ctenosaura similis). Iguana remains occur in 45 of our 145 lots with iden­ tifiable animal bones. They thus follow only deer, dog, and turkey in their ubiquity. An overwhelming proportion of the remains comes from the lots listed in our table; indeed, only about 50 bones scattered among 20 lots are from elsewhere. The tendency of the iguana to burrow between the loose stones of the ruins and to inhabit cenotes raises the ques­ tion of what proportion of the remains may have been deposited through natural causes rather than by man. A large number of the bones from Lots D26, etc., in our table certainly are to be suspected as occurring fortuitously. Those from the other lots in the table, on the other hand, seem to have been deposited largely by man. Iguanas were used by the ancient Maya for sac­ rifice, as offerings to the gods, and for food. The remains from Lots A-213, 216, and 217 (see table) suggest food refuse. Some of those from Lots C-90

Notes on Vertebrate Animal Remains from Mayapán Dermatemys mawii.

and 107 might be from food, others a product of cer­ emonialism. We do not know how to interpret the extraordinary concentration of remains in Lot C-30, largely because the deposit appears to be partly pri­ mary, partly secondary, in origin.

There are 3 lots with remains of this turtle; all are from dwellings.

Turtles

There are 2 artifacts, each from a separate lot, made of bone of reptiles. Both are of turtle shell.

Remains of turtles come from 31 lots, 3 of which contain turtle bones not identifiable as to species. In contrast to the iguana, turtle remains are not con­ centrated in the lots listed in our table, but are much more evenly spread throughout the lots represented. The majority of the remains come from dwellings. There is a good representation from cenotes, but rel­ atively few remains are associated strictly with cer­ emonial buildings. All the remains, with the excep­ tion of a single humerus, are from the shell. Remains of turtles at Mayapán are of particular interest on account of the numerous effigies of these animals, carved in stone or modeled in clay, found throughout the ruins. There seems little doubt that the turtle played an important part in the ceremo­ nial life of Mayapán, though its precise significance is obscure. We are told that it was sacrificed by the ancient Maya, and that it was associated with the constellation of Gemini and certain other stars. We also know that the carapace was used as a musi­ cal instrument. As for the remains of the animal at Mayapán, they may best be thought of as primarily food refuse. Two specimens of turtles are noted below under Artifacts. Terrapin (Pseudemys scripta). These are much the most plentiful of the turtle remains. They come from 19 lots: 7 from dwellings, 7 from cenotes, 2 from ceremonial structures, the remainder from locations of ambiguous association. Box Turtle (Terrapene mexicana). Remains of this turtle come from 5 lots: 3 from dwellings, 1 from a ceremonial structure, 1 from a cenote. Geomyda areolata. There is a single fragment of this turtle from a cenote deposit. Mud or Musk Turtle (Kinosternon sp.). These remains come from 4 lots: 1 from a dwell­ ing, 1 from a burial chamber beneath a temple (see Table, Lot C-30), 2 from a cenote.

Artifacts

Terrapin. The anterior part of the plastron of a terrapin is cut along one edge. Box Turtle. There is the almost complete shell of a box turtle with holes drilled at the front ends of the carapace and of the plastron. Amphibians Of 11 genera of frogs reported from Yucatán, 2 are identified from Mayapán. They include the giant toad, the nebulous toad, and the leopard frog. The identification of the frog bones is well established. Skeletons of the relevant species were prepared from museum materials. Giant Toad (Bufo marinus) The skull and skeleton of a single giant toad come from Lot C-30, listed in our table. It is impossi­ ble to say whether their presence in that lot is fortu­ itous or whether they were purposely placed there. Nebulous Toad (Bufo valliceps) The bones of at least 2 nebulous toads also occur in Lot C-30. Their presence can be accounted for no better than those of the giant toad. Leopard Frog (Rama ?pipiens) Two bones of this frog comes from Lot C-20, taken from the open shaft in the substructure of a temple (Shook, 1954:273). It is probable, but not cer­ tain, that their presence is fortuitous. Fish Ten fish are identified in the collections, exclusive of sting ray. Two are sharks, and 8 are bony fish. Only 1 of the 10 is a cenote fish, Cichlasoma, which is also

547

548

H.E.D. Pollock and Clayton E. Ray present in the brackish cienaga. This fish, a cichlid or mojarra, probably belongs to the species Cichlasoma urophthalmus, reported as a common food fish among the Indians. The identification of the cichlids is based on comparison with skeletons of Heros, which is in part synonymous with Cichiasoma. The range in size of preserved specimens of Cichlasoma urophthalmus overlaps that of the Mayapán remains. The most striking feature of the fish remains is the preponderance of salt-water forms in deposits no less than 70 km from the nearest salt water. The shark teeth were quite likely trinkets or implements, but the other remains must represent food fish. Galeichthys felis, the sea cat, is not strictly marine, having been collected from the Rio Champoton. Rhamdia guatemalensis, the common cenote catfish, is conspicuous by its absence. To our knowledge the following fish are here reported from Yucatán for the first time: Chaetodipterus, Centropomus, Pogonias, Galeocerdo, and Carcharodon. All these, however, fre­ quent the Gulf of Mexico and may well be expected from the coasts of Yucatán. Much of the fish material from Mayapán remains unidentified. Most of it is highly fragmentary or postcranial and therefore not readily or accurately identifiable. We feel sure that additional identifications could be made, given time and a comprehensive museum collection of skel­ etonized modern fish. The remains of one fish present at Mayapán were not among the collections seen by Ray, namely, spines of sting rays. They are included below under Artifacts. Remains of fish come from 40 lots, 13 of which contain bones not identifiable as to species, and 10 contain only specimens listed as artifacts. The heavi­ est concentrations and greatest variety of remains are in Lot C-30 and Lots C-90, 107, listed in our table. There is good evidence that fishing was an impor­ tant industry its aboriginal Yucatán. The catch was reportedly salted, sun dried, or roasted [smoked?], depending on the kind of fish, and traded over con­ siderable distances, particularly when roasted (Toz­ zer 1941:190), The quantity of salt-water fish bones at Mayapán is thus not altogether surprising. We also are told that fish were used for sacrifice, as food offerings to the gods, and as tribute. Sea Cat (Galeichthys felis) Remains of the sea cat are in 10 lots from resi­ dences, ceremonial buildings, and a cenote deposit. Along with the sea drum and the cichlid (see below) this is one of the most common fishes in our collections.

Sea Drum (Pogonias sp.) Bones of the sea drum come from 8 lots from a palace and from ceremonial structures. In total num­ ber of bones and in minimum number of individu­ als this is the most common fish in our collections from Mayapán. It should be mentioned, however, that the highly characteristic and nearly indestruc­ tible pharyngeal teeth of the sea drum favor its identification. Cichlid or Mojarra (Cichlasoma sp.) Remains of the cichlid are found in 2 lots (see table). Owing to the number of individuals repre­ sented in Lot C-30, this fish is second only to the sea drum in minimum number of. individuals. It will be remembered that this is the only freshwater fish in our collections. Sergeantfish, Snook, or Robalo (Centropomus undecimaiis) Bones of the sergeantfish come from 2 lots from a single location (see table). Grouper (Epinephelus sp.) Mullet (Mugil sp. Sheepshead (Archosargus ?aries) Spadefish (Chaetodipterus sp.) Remains of each of these fish come from a single lot and, with the exception of the mullet, each is rep­ resented by a single bone. The first and last are from a cenote deposit and a house, respectively; the other two are listed in our table. Leopard or Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) See Artifacts below. White Shark or Maneater (Carcharodon corollaries) See Artifacts below. Sting Ray See Artifacts below.

Notes on Vertebrate Animal Remains from Mayapán Artifacts Artifacts of fish bone come from 13 lots, 6 of which were not included in the general lots of bone with which we have been dealing. Five barbules of fish, unidentified as to species but almost certainly catfish, that may have been used as pins or small awls come from 3 lots. Shark Two teeth of shark, unidentified as to species, are from separate lots. We are told by Landa that “very sharp teeth of fishes” (Tozzer, 1941:121 were used for arrowheads. The teeth of certain sharks might serve this purpose. Leopard Shark Two teeth of the leopard shark come from a sin­ gle lot. White Shark A single tooth of the white shark occurs in our collections. Sting Ray Spines of sting ray come from 7 lots, a question­ able example occurring in an eighth. The majority of the specimens are cut or shaped in one way or another, and all of them, with a single exception that comes from the floor of an oratory, are associated with burials or caches. Stingray spines were used by the ancient Maya for ceremonial blood-letting (Tozzer, 1941:191), and they have previously been found in graves, usually near the pelvis of the skel­ eton, and in caches (Tozzer 1941, Footnote 1003; A. L. Smith 1950, Tables 6 and 8). Summary Although our collections are sufficiently large and are from locations sufficiently well distributed over the site to suggest that we have a good sample of preColombian vertebrate animal remains in Mayapán, analysis shows that 90 percent of our material comes from in or around the ceremonial center of the city. This fact suggests that our sample is heavily weighted on the side of animals consumed or used by the aristocracy and priesthood as against those used by the plebeian population. By far the most common animals in Mayapán, judging from the skeletal remains, were the two

deer, the dog, the ocellated turkey, and the iguana. Comparatively common were the two peccaries, the cottontail rabbit, the sea drum, the sea cat, and the cichlid. The relative frequency of these animals can be seen in our table, which includes nearly 84 per­ cent of all animal bones recovered from Mayapán. Reviewing the mammalian remains, which rep­ resent 24 native species (excluding pre-Columbian horse), it appears that the white-tailed deer was probably the most important single animal in the food supply of the ancient inhabitants of Mayapán. Deer also supplied more artifacts of bone and ant­ ler than any other animal. The provenience of the remains of dog, the second most common mammal, suggests that its use was more a matter of ceremony, either eaten or sacrificed, than as a strictly dietary item. The relative frequency of the remains of pec­ cary raises the question of a less cultivated environ­ ment near Mayapán in ancient times or the possibil­ ity of the importation of the animal, presumably the carcass, from other regions. Peccary teeth seem to have been valued as ornaments. Of the less frequent mammals, the remains of at least three opossums in a tomb are worthy of note, but we cannot be certain that the animals are not intrusive. As might be expected, bones of puma and jaguar are scarce. They are mostly bones from the feet, which may have been of ceremonial impor­ tance, and teeth, which were prized as ornaments. The finding of two skulls of shrew with infant buri­ als parallels a similar find at the ruins of Uaxactun. Three teeth of tapir, a single bone of spider monkey, and a single rib of manatee are obvious imports to Mayapán. Horse and cow remains can all be attrib­ uted to intrusion with the exception of two heavily mineralized teeth from the lower layers of a cenote deposit that are thought to be from pre-Columbian horse. Remains of birds, of which there are at least eight species, are numerically completely domi­ nated by the remains of ocellated turkey, all other bird bones occurring in trifling amounts in spite of there being several other large edible birds native to Yucatán. The ocellated turkey seems clearly to have been one of the primary food animals in Mayapán. The provenience of turkey remains suggests that this bird was especially available to the aristocracy, but our sample is not good enough to draw distinc­ tions between the diet of a member of the upper class and that of the commoner. The quantity of bones of ocellated turkey and the apparent absence of remains of the northern turkey raise the question of the pre-Columbian domestication of the former. In spite of references in early sources to the domes­ tication by the ancient Maya of the great curassow

549

550

H.E.D. Pollock and Clayton E. Ray and of doves, and to the taming of the chachalaca, there is nothing in our collections to suggest this at Mayapán. Reptiles are represented by the remains of one species of lizard and five or six species of turtle. No remains of snakes or of the many small lizards that frequent Mayapán today were identified in the col­ lections. The one lizard present, an iguana, is the largest, and the most suitable for food, in Yucatán. Its remains are found in great numbers, but a good proportion is suspect of occurring fortuitously rather than by the agency of man. Remains of turtle are of particular interest because of the apparent impor­ tance of this animal in the religion and ceremonial­ ism of Mayapán. Unfortunately our material throws no light on this matter.

Amphibians are represented by the remains of three species of frog. Nothing of interest can at pres­ ent be said about the occurrence of these bones. Remains of at least eleven species of fish are present in our collections. The most interesting thing about this material, which is found in considerable quantity, is that all but one of the fish are salt-water forms. Remains of the common cenote catfish, more­ over, are completely lacking. These findings bear out Landa’s statement concerning the widespread trade in fish, and may have bearing on the system of trib­ ute he describes for Mayapán. Of some interest is the finding of shark teeth, some of which may have been used as arrowheads, and the association of sting-ray spines with burials and caches, a custom that has been reported from elsewhere in the Maya area.

Current Reports Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology December 1957

Editor’s Note H.E.D. Pollock

bered; gates in the city wall have been labeled. Less obvious is the inclusion of names for three more cenotes. In the matter of numbering, it should be noted that structures are numbered consecutively within each square. Any building is thus identified by the letter of the square in which it lies plus the number of the building, often followed by a lower-case letter (e.g., Str. A-1, or Str. A-2a). Generally speaking, a structure that is one of a group of dwellings carries a number with a terminal letter, the number without this letter designating the group (e.g., Group A-2 with Strs. A-2a, A-2b, and A-2c). Civic and religious buildings normally carry numbers without a terminal letter (e.g., Str. Q-162). There are exceptions to this general rule, however, as a few groups of dwellings are shown with structures numbered separately (e.g., Group R-85 to R-90), and some civic and religious buildings carry numbers with terminal letters. This inconsistency in our system was brought about by the discovery of additional buildings after num-

The revised edition of the Topographic Map of the Ruins of Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico, terminates this series of publications. A few words are needed about the map. The preliminary edition of this map was first issued in 1951 and reissued, without change, to accompany Current Report 1 in 1952. The text of that report describes the mapping procedures and indicates the relative reliability of the map. The present revised edition incorporates no changes in the basic survey, such alterations as appear being limited to individual structures and isolated natural features, and being the result of excavation and the detailed archaeological examination that have been carried on since the original topographic survey was completed. Other changes involve additions and deletions designed to make the map more uniform in the information it provides and more useful to the archaeologist. Certain changes in the revised edition of the map are obvious. The scale has been reduced to half that of the earlier edition; all structures have been num-

551

552

H.E.D. Pollock bers had been assigned, and by changes in our ideas about the functions of structures, a natural development following excavation and intensive study. Far and away the most frequent change in the revised edition of the map has been the inclusion of small, inconspicuous structures that were missed by the original survey. These total well over a hundred. Much less frequent are the correction in orientation of a mound, minor changes in plan, the combining of two or more structures to form a single one, and the separation of one mound into two or more structures. The relatively detailed plans of a large number of buildings outside the ceremonial groups represent an inconsistency in the map. Our information would allow detailed plans for a much larger number of house mounds. It was decided, however, that the value of such plans, in the light of the minute scale at which they would appear, would in no way compensate for the great amount of labor involved. Many plans of dwellings, shown at an adequate scale, have appeared in this series of Current Reports, and still others will appear in a monograph now in preparation. Ideally, it might have been better to change all house mounds to a conventionalized mound symbol, for consistency, but here again the value of the result did not seem to be commensurate with the effort required. With one or two rare exceptions, plans of ceremonial structures and of the larger residential

com­plexes have not been corrected. The scale of the map made it impracticable to attempt to do so. For that reason a certain number of structures that were found by excavation do not appear. Plans of the ceremonial groups, including those buildings not shown on the map, will appear at an adequate scale in the forthcoming monograph. Plans of residential complexes that were excavated have already appeared in earlier Current Reports. Boundary walls, believed to be pre-Conquest in origin, a number of which are shown on the preliminary edition of the map, have been deleted from the revised edition, and their symbol has been removed from the legend; such walls are found in great numbers all over the site, and the few that were shown gave a false impression of their relative frequency. Our data, on the other hand, did not allow the plotting of all, or even a substantial proportion, of these walls. The general pattern and numerous examples of boundary walls have been illustrated in earlier Current Reports. For similar reasons field walls (post-Conquest) have been deleted from the new edition of the map with the exception of those enclosing Rancho San Joaquin and the wall surrounding the principal ceremonial group, only the corners of which are shown on the earlier edition of the map. These walls have been left, as they are of considerable value in orienting anyone visiting the ruins. H.E.D. Pollock

Appendix Marilyn A. Masson

Inventory and Lot Descriptions from Carnegie Institution Current Reports on Mayapán (compiled by Marilyn A. Masson). See notes at the end of the appendix regarding descriptive terms.

553

554

Appendix No. of burials

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

J-131a

dwelling

A-1

tomb, vaulted in south bench

3

J-131a

dwelling

A-2

tomb in north bench

2

J-131a

dwelling

A-3

test unit in north bench

J-131a

dwelling

A-4

test unit in north bench

J-49a

dwelling

A-13

J-49a

single bench

A-8

cist

J-49a

single bench

A-22

test unit

J-49a

single bench

A-10

test unit

J-49a

single bench

A-12

test unit

J-49b

double bench

A-6

bench (above cist)

J-49b

double bench

A-7

cist

J-49b

double bench

A-11

cist

J-49b

double bench

A-9

test unit

J-50

dwelling

A-13

test unit east bench, midden beneath it and back room of structure

J-50

dwelling

A-14

test unit middle bench

J-50

dwelling

A-15

tomb west bench

J-50b

domestic bldg

A-16

test unit south section of bench

J-50b

domestic bldg

A-17

test unit north section of bench

J-50b

domestic bldg

A-21

test unit terrace

J-122c

small bench str

A-5

cist

I-94

dwelling

A-34

test unit east bench

I-94

dwelling

A-29

test unit middle bench

I-94

dwelling

A-27

cist middle bench

I-94

dwelling

A-30

test unit middle bench, below floor of cist

I-94

dwelling

A-28

test unit west bench, top 60 cm under bench

I-94

dwelling

A-31

test unit west bench

I-94

dwelling

A-32

test unit terrace

I-94

dwelling

A-33

test unit terrace

I-94

dwelling

A-35

test unit terrace

I-94

dwelling

A-36

cist terrace

I-94

dwelling

A-37

test unit terrace

I-94

dwelling

A-38

test unit terrace, contents of pit below A-35

Q-127a

temple

C-50

northeast edge of Q-127, northwest base of Q-127a–midden

1

Appendix Current Report number

Burial description

Other artifacts

2 adults, 1 infant under drum-shaped stone

drum-shaped stone, pottery whistle (seated monkey?), 1 obsidian piece, 1 bivalve (Spondylus?) double-perforated pendant, 1 oval biface, no sherds listed

CR #4

skulls, facing down, secondary burial

male and female figurines, deer antler tine, filed human tooth, 2 hexagonal shell ornaments (3 drill holes), 1 drilled marine gastropod pendant, no sherds listed

CR #4

sherds not classified

CR #4

sherds not classified

CR #4

Puuc pottery “predominated”

CR #4

6 obsidian pieces, 1 polished gray stone, 1 lithic tool fragment, sherds not classified

CR #4

4 obsidian pieces, 1 obsidian core, spindle whorl, worked limestone. 1 shell fragment, sherds not classified

CR #4

5 obsidian pieces

CR #4

1 obsidian piece, 1 ceramic figurine head

CR #4

1 obsidian piece, sherds not classified

CR #4

1 obsidian piece, 1 lithic “hatchet,” 2 flakes (one used, 4.4 cm), 1 shell bead, 1 shell fragment, sherds not classified

CR #4

4 obsidian pieces, 2 fossil shell fragments, sherds not classified

CR #4

sherds not classified

CR #4

30 obsidian pieces, 2 wedge-shaped bifaces, 2 pointed bifaces, 45 flakes, 13 worked and 1 unworked shell pieces, 9 bone awls, 2 bone needles, 1 perforated animal tooth, 30 perforated human teeth, 4 pieces worked deer antler, 12 pottery pellets, 3 pieces of coral, 1 bone disk (engraved), pottery figurine head, whistle, spindle whorl, greenstone celt, pottery turtle or lizard head, metate fragment, limestone smoother, sherds not classified

CR #4

1 obsidian piece, 1 lithic tool, 39 flakes, 2 shell fragments, sherds not classified

CR #4

2 “points” (or pointed bifaces), limestone mano, sherds not classified

CR #4

1 pointed biface, worked limestone pieces, some shell fragments, sherds not classified

CR #4

1 limestone hammerstone, sherds not classified

CR #4

sherds not classified

CR #4

11 obsidian pieces, 1 “flint blade,” 1 carved shell ornament (perforated shell tinkler), 3 shell fragments, animal pottery whistle, perforated animal tooth, sherds not classified

CR #4

2 fragments human bone

jaw and leg bone

fragment of human bone fragment of human bone

8 obsidian pieces, 4 shell fragments, sherds not classified

CR #4

1 obsidian piece, 1 shell fragment, worked bone, sherds not classified

CR #4

1 obsidian piece, 1 shell fragment, sherds not classified

CR #4

1 flake, 1 shell bead, sherds not classified

CR #4

1 small oval biface, sherds not classified

CR #4

14 obsidian pieces, 1 lithic perforator/drill, 1 shell tinkler, 3 shell fragments, 2 limestone smoothers, engraved limestone “nose plug,” greenstone axe fragment, perforated animal tooth, perforated bone, fish spine (perforator?), sherds not classified

CR #4

5 obsidian pieces, sherds not classified

CR #4

3 obsidian pieces, sherds not classified

CR #4

1 obsidian piece, sherds not classified

CR #4

sherds not classified

CR #4

sherds not classified

CR #4

8 obsidian pieces, 2 shell fragments, 1 worked antler, sherds not classified

CR #4

7,524 sherds, 329 animal/bird bones, 9 obsidian blades, 3 flakes, 1 point, 1 carved and 3 unworked shells; Lot C-50 had only 4.5% censers (and 56.8% unslipped vessels), other lots around temple had 50% censers; this lot lumped with C-51–52 in description

CR #8

continued on next page

555

556

Appendix No. of burials

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-127

portal vault

C-50

northeast edge of Q-127, northwest base of Q-127a–midden

Q-127

portal vault

C-51

vault and east court of portal Q-127, southeast base of Q-127a

Q-127a

temple

C-51

vault and east court of portal Q-127, southeast base of Q-127a

Q-127a

temple

C-52

above terrace and room floors of Q-127a

Q-127a

temple

C-53

core rubble under floor

Q-164

colonnaded hall

C-1

cache in central altar (described only in Figure 22.7m caption)

Q-79 north trench

shrine next to Hall Q-81

C-6

preliminary pit near burials to north of plaza, top 30 cm

Q-79 north trench

shrine next to Hall Q-81

C-7

preliminary pit near burials to north of plaza, lower 30 cm

Q-79 north trench

shrine next to Hall Q-81

C-8

surface debris above Floor 3 burials north of plaza

6

Q-79 north trench

shrine next to Hall Q-81

C-9

upper half of fill below Floor 3 burials north of plaza

7

Q-79 north trench

shrine next to Hall Q-81

C-9a

upper half of fill below Floor 3

Q-79 north trench

shrine next to Hall Q-81

C-10

lower half of fill below Floor 3 in trench

Q-79 north trench

shrine next to Hall Q-81

C-11

surface debris north of Floor 3 and east of Floors 1 and 2, down to Floor 3 level

Q-79 north trench

shrine next to Hall Q-81

C-12

surface debris including fall from Q-79, south of Floor 3 area to same depth as Floor 3

Q-79 north trench extension

shrine next to Hall Q-81

C-13

surface to Floor 2 in north extension

Q-79

shrine next to Hall Q-81

C-14

pit near wall from Floor 3 to bedrock

Q-71

shrine

C-22

ossuary cist

Q-71

shrine

C-23

surface debris

Q-71

shrine

C-24

area below intact floors near structure

Q-71

shrine

no lot

general area

Q-69

shrine

C-25

surface debris

Q-69

shrine

C-26

depression in bedrock southeast of structure

Q-69

shrine

C-27

fill from terrace/platform

Q-69

shrine

C-28

ossuary cist

see Lot C-9

1

1

7

7

Appendix

Burial description

Current Report number

Other artifacts see Lot C-50 above

CR #8

see Lot C-50 above

CR #8

see Lot C-50 above

CR #8

see Lot C-50 above

CR #8

Mayapán period sherds

CR #8

effigy face cup vessel, with two covers, 1 redware with lug handle, other unslipped pot fits inside orifice

CR #22

none

CR #9

1 obsidian piece, sherds not classified

CR #9

6 adult skeletons

1 obsidian piece, 1 shell bead, 1 small perforated snail shell, 1 bivalve shell with slit perforation, 1 worked shell, 3 flint knives (2 in ribs, 1 in pelvis), 1 flake, fragment of carved stone, stucco fragments, 3 animal bones, effigy censers including heads, sherds not classified

CR #9

1 child, 6 scattered adults

1 double-perforated bivalve pendant, 1 bivalve with cut edge, 8 obsidian blades, 1 obsidian core (small), 14 animal bones, 1 unworked tinkler, 3 unworked shells, sherds not classified

CR #9

the child burial mentioned for Lot C-9

CR #9

14 human bones

1 animal bone, sherds not classified

CR #9

human skull and femur

1 broken bone awl, sherds not classified

CR #9

5 human bones, 1 human tooth

1 broken mano fragment, 2 broken bone awls, 1 spindle whorl (baked clay), 1 obsidian notched blade, 1 utilized flake, 1 flake, 1 metate, 1 unworked shell, 31 animal bones including 1 antler, effigy censers including heads, sherds not classified

CR #9

cut human femur

1 cut human femur, 1 tinkler shell fragment, 1 shell fragment, 2 animal bones, sherds not classified

CR #9

CR #9 CR #9 6 adults, 1 adolescent

6 adults, 1 adolescent

3 obsidian pieces, 3 “chipped points,” 1 tool fragment, 1 greenstone celt fragment, 1 rubbing stone, 1 perforated bone needle, 3 round shell beads, 2 rectangular white shell beads, 2 tubular jade beads, 3 bone needles, painted stucco fragments, 8 unworked univalves, 1 fragment of unworked bivalve, 2 tripod Huhi Impressed vessels from cist, sherds not classified

CR #9

9 obsidian blades, 3 obsidian chips, 1 wedge-shaped biface, 4 flakes, 1 perforated human canine, 1 double-perforated bivalve shell pendant, 1 shell fragment, 1 tubular jade bead, fragments of stucco, 130 fragments of human, animal, and bird bone, 1 frog effigy vessel (complete), sherds not classified

CR #9

230 fragments of human, animal, and bird bone, midden fill, sherds not classified

CR #9

speleothem supports for modeled figs in terrace floor, nearby feline head and paws

CR #9

5 obsidian pieces, 3 flakes, 3 shell fragments, 2 fragments broken awl, fragments modeled stucco, sherds not classified

CR #9

1 obsidian piece, 3 animal bones, abundant Puuc period potttery sherds not classified

CR #9

1 greenstone celt fragment, painted/modeled stucco, cylindrical tripod vessel with Red-slip, sherds not classified

CR #9

fragments of painted and modeled stucco, sherds not classified

CR #9 continued on next page

557

558

Appendix No. of burials

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-69

shrine

no lot

general area

Q-90

shrine

C-36

surface

Q-90

shrine

C-37

ossuary cist

Q-90

shrine

C-38

fill between floor that predates structure and bedrock

Q-90

shrine

no lot

Q-77

platform

C-39

surface debris

Q-77

platform

C-40

fill between floors top to fourth in court adjacent to structure

Q-77

platform

C-41

fill from fourth to eighth from top floor in court

Q-77

platform

C-42

fill from eighth/ninth to lowest floor in court

Q-77

platform

C-43

fill from lowest floor to bedrock in court

2

Q-84

platform

C-44

surface debris, upper 20 cm platform (C-44–48 probably in trench in plaza toward Q-162)

1

Q-84

platform

C-45

fill sealed by floors, 30–60 cm

Q-84

platform

C-46

fill floors, 60–90 cm

Q-84

platform

C-47

fill, 90–120 cm

Q-84

platform

C-48

fill, lowest floor and bedrock

Q-84

platform

C-49

fill of Structure Q-84

no lot

the monument platform

Q-84

platform

Cenote X-Coton

cenote

Cenote X-Coton

platform in cenote

D-13

Cenote X-Coton

cenote

D-4/5/6

Pit 1 between floor and binding level with locks of rocks

Cenote X-Coton

cenote

D-18

Pit 1 extension including three strata together

Cenote X-Coton

cenote

D-8/11

Pit 1 strata 2, one below binding level to bedrock

5

2

Appendix

Burial description

3 adults, 2 adolescents

Current Report number

Other artifacts 3 standing human figures around this area, torso with parts of hands and feet holding a vessel with corn/copal, another torso, a stucco head

CR #9

none

CR #9

1 obsidian piece, 1 “flint point” 7 cm long (pointed biface), 1 painted/modeled stucco, charcoal

CR #9

1 obsidian piece, sherds not classified

CR #9 CR #9

3 obsidian pieces, 3 “point” fragments (pointed bifaces), 1 lithic scraper, 1 copper bell, 1 unworked olive shell, 1 stalactite, painted and modeled stucco/wall plaster, sherds not classified

CR #9

sherds not classified

CR #9

sherds not classified

CR #9

charcoal, sherds not classified

CR #9

2 nine- to ten-year-old children in niche in bedrock before the earliest floor laid contemporarily or predate platform scattered adult remains

at least 2 adults in cist, partly burned

CR #9

1 flint “point” or pointed biface (8.2 cm long), 11 shell fragments, 1 copper pellet bell clapper, 1 shell-burnishing tool, 1 spherical jade bead, 6 unworked bivalves, 5 unworked univalves, 1 censer cup noneffigy (Thul applique), sherds not classified

CR #9

1 obsidian piece, 1 shell fragment, 1 small cut stone, sherds not classified

CR #9

sherds not classified

CR #9

2 obsidian pieces, sherds not classified

CR #9

sherds not classified

CR #9

cluster of 98 obsidian blade fragments and chips, 7 obsidian blades, 1 obsidian core, 1 tubular shell nose plug with broadened end, 1 sculptured human head stone, 1 stone disk in cache, 1 obsidian knife in 4 pieces (cache), 1 chert knife in 3 pieces (cache), 1 chert knife in 2 pieces (cache), 1 chipped “point” (biface 11.4 cm long), 1 chipped flint biface with elongated tang, 2 broken chipped flint bifaces, 3 chipped flint biface fragments, 1 stalactite, painted/ modeled stucco, charcoal, 8 unworked bivalve shells, 4 univalve shells, 44 fragments of human and animal bone, two basal break bowls from cache with cylindrical round bottom feet and no vents, sherds not classified

CR #9

sherds

CR #5

1,392 sherds, 24.6% of these were unidentified, 16.9% were Puuc, and 56.8% were Mayapán period pottery which included 10% censers (unclear if effigy or noneffigy) and 3 Fine Orange sherds, “a few” Classic sherds were noted including some polychrome, mano fragment, 1 obsidian piece, 1 shell fragment

CR #5

lots of Mayapán period pottery, some earlier (see notes), a few obsidian blades, human and animal scattered bone, a cut animal long bone, and sherd spindle whorl **

CR #5

mainly Mayapán period, with fewer Puuc or Classic period polychrome sherds

CR #5

a few sherds

CR #5

CR #9

continued on next page

559

560

Appendix No. of burials

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Cenote X-Coton

cenote

D-15

Pit 1 extension stratum 2, upper level

Cenote X-Coton

cenote

D-17

Pit 1 extension stratum 1

Cenote X-Coton

cenote

D-16

Pit 1 extension stratum 2, lower level

Cenote X-Coton

cenote

D-10

Pit 2 taken to a depth of 152 cm without reaching bedrock

Cenote X-Coton

cenote

D-9

Niche 1

Cenote X-Coton

cenote

D-20

Niche 2

Cenote X-Coton

cenote

D-7

Cave 1, rock pile sealing cave

12

Cenote X-Coton

cenote

D-14

Cave 2

1

Q-119a

dwelling

A-41

north central bench

Q-119a

dwelling

A-42

north central bench, fill under floor below bench

Q-119a

dwelling

A-43

south bench, fill below floor below bench

Q-119a

dwelling

A-44

back room trenches, pits below floor level

Q-119a

dwelling

general

two linked subfloor looted chambers, one with a stairway and the other with a bench, four columns

Q-119a

dwelling

A-45

bench in rear subfloor chamber

Q-119a

dwelling

A-46

terrace to northeast of structure, trench, midden fill

R-100

dwelling

A-47

bench in rear shrine room

R-100

dwelling

A-51

floor in front of bench in rear shrine room

R-100

dwelling

A-49

center of back room

R-100

dwelling

A-48

in front of passage between central front benches and rear room

R-100

dwelling

A-50

in front of passage between central front benches and rear room (toward outside, adjacent to A-48)

K-52a

dwelling

A-72

stairway to structure

K-52a

dwelling

A-75

trench in south passageway, above floor

K-52a

dwelling

A-78

trench in south passageway, below floor

K-52a

dwelling

A-80-1

under stones of south-central bench

K-52a

dwelling

A-53

central passageway between Floors a and b

5

Appendix

Burial description

Current Report number

Other artifacts

CR #5 CR #5 CR #5 pottery mixed by level, stratum 4 had 59 sherds from mostly Mayapán period, stratum 3 had no sherds, stratum 2 had 24 sherds of Mayapán period and Puuc, and stratum 1 had 15 sherds of both periods; stratum 4 included a censer head, some animal bones, and a flint chip

CR #5

478 censer fragments and other sherds including a few Puuc, 1 stone human effigy wearing animal skin and holding offering

CR #5

only 1 censer fragment and a dog head effigy, 29 bird and animal bones

CR #5

at least 12 individuals, including adults and a child of six or seven years

Puuc vessel in chamber beyond rock pile, maybe some Mayapán period sherds in there too, 1,293 sherds, great majority pre–Mayapán period, 90% were jars, lots of Puuc here (81%), 12.8% Classic, 3.8% Mayapán period

CR #5

adult burial covered with rocks

147 sherds, mainly Mayapán period

CR #5

21 Mayapán period, 1 unidentified, 1 Puuc (23 total sherds)

CR #10

animal bones, human tooth, polishing stone, and 7 sherds of Mayapán period

CR #10

120 sherds, all Mayapán period (including 1 unidentified, 1 Fine Orange, 10 censer fragments), 3 shell fragments

CR #10

48 sherds, 43 Mayapán period (including 4 censers), 5 unidentified

CR #10 CR #10

10 Mayapán period sherds

CR #10

6 obsidian pieces, 5 flakes, 23 shell fragments, 5 animal bones, 2 bone awls, one tubular clay ornament, 1 square iron nail, and 1,283 sherds, 946 are Mayapán period, (including 106 censers, 14 Fine Orange, 1 Puuc, 6 Peten polychrome, 337 unidentified)

CR #10

1 lithic flake, 82 sherds 1 Fine Orange, 11 censers, sherds: 16 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #10

stone disk, 7 sherds, all Mayapán period

CR #10

3 obsidian pieces, 1 lithic biface, 1 flake, 2 shell fragments, 1 animal bone, 83 sherds, 4 censers sherds, 14 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #10

2 fragments of human long bones

131 sherds, 7 censers, sherds: 42 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #10

skulls, 3 with long bones near crania

1 obsidian piece, 1 flake, 1 pottery figurine of woman, 89 sherds including 3 censer sherds, 20 unidentified

CR #10

small tripod vessel

CR #10

1 obsidian piece, 43 sherds, 12 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period including 4 censers

CR #10

1 obsidian piece, 1 lithic flake, animal bones, 101 sherds (20 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period)

CR #10

1 obsidian piece, “nest” of pottery vessels, 580 sherds of crushed jars of Mayapán period

CR #10

1 obsidian piece, 76 sherds (9 unidentified, remainder unspecified)

CR #10 continued on next page

561

562

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

K-52a

dwelling

A-54

below Floor b to bedrock

K-52a

dwelling

A-76

trench of north passageway and extension to back room, top to floor

K-52a

dwelling

A-79

trench of north passageway and extension to back room, floor to bedrock

K-52a

dwelling

A-60

south bench, top to 50 cm

K-52a

dwelling

A-63

south bench, 50cm to bedrock

K-52a

dwelling

A-82

south central bench, from Floor a to bedrock

K-52a

dwelling

A-81

north-central bench, from top to Floor b

K-52a

dwelling

A-83

north central bench, from Floor b to bedrock

K-52a

dwelling

A-70

north bench

K-52a

dwelling

A-59

back room in line with central passageway, above Floor a

K-52a

dwelling

A-62

back room in line with central passageway, Floor a to bedrock

K-52a

dwelling

A-74

north end of inner room, late partition in back room, next to A-59/62, surface to Floor a

K-52a

dwelling

A-77

north end of inner room, late partition in back room, next to A-59/62, Floor a to bedrock

K-52a

dwelling

A-52

shrine room, surface to Floor a

K-52a

dwelling

A-55

shrine room, Floor a to Floor b

K-52a

dwelling

A-58-1

shrine room, Floor b to bedrock

K-52a

dwelling

A-71

bench in shrine room

K-52b

two-bench dwelling

no lots given

K-52c

altar shrine

A-64

bench

K-52c

altar shrine

A-65

area between two floors

K-52c

altar shrine

A-67

within the shrine beneath Floor b

K-52c

altar shrine

A-68

burial vault

K-52c

altar shrine

A-66

bench in addition to shrine

K-52c

altar shrine

A-69

bench in addition to shrine, below the bench to bedrock

No. of burials 1

3

1

7–9

1

Appendix Current Report number

Burial description

Other artifacts

child

1 bone spindle whorl, nearly whole pottery ladle, incense burner with olla at end of ladle, nearly whole human or animal effigy jar, pedestal base, restricted orifice vessel, 42 sherds (8 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period including 9 censers)

CR #10

half of Mama Red tripod bowl with solid supports, pounding stone, 1 small piece slate, 2 flint polished stones, 154 sherds (23 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period including 24 censers)

CR #10

1 shell fragment, 4 animal bones, 89 sherds (13 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period including 2 Fine Orange)

CR #10

36 sherds (11 unidentified, 25 Mayapán period)

CR #10

1 obsidian piece, 2 animal bones, 66 sherds (6 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period)

CR #10

1 shell fragment, 2 pounding stones, 1 shark vertebra, 128 sherds of Mayapán period

CR #10

1 obsidian piece, 1 worked shell, 1 animal bone, 54 sherds (7 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period)

CR #10

1 conch shell cup, animal bone, 12 sherds (all Mayapán period)

CR #10

1 whole conch shell, 165 sherds (14 unidentified sherds, remainder Mayapán period including 4 censers and 1 Fine Orange)

CR #10

1 obsidian piece, 31 sherds (all Mayapán period including 14 censer sherds)

CR #10

17 obsidian pieces, 1 rubbing stone, 1 carved tinkler shell, 89 sherds (6 unidentified, 1 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period including 1 Fine Orange and 4 censers)

CR #10

53 sherds (1 recent, 4 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period including 10 censer sherds)

CR #10

1 obsidian piece, 1 rubbing stone, 1 small stone disk, 1 shell fragment, 2 animal bones, 56 sherds (6 censers, others all Mayapán period)

CR #10

1 obsidian piece, 2 rubbing stones, 1 fragment of stone ring with tenon, mano fragment, lava-footed metate fragment, 279 sherds (30 unidentified, 1 recent, remainder Mayapán period including 151 censers)

CR #10

1 lava-footed metate fragment, 540 sherds (20 unidentified, 3 recent, remainder Mayapán period including 346 censers)

CR #10

1 obsidian piece, 1 pottery jar neck (set into Floor B, a makeshift pedestal), 1 shell pendant, 161 sherds (5 unidentified, 1 Puuc, remainder are Mayapán period including 94 censers)

CR #10

119 sherds (8 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period including 94 censers)

CR #10

adult skull with long bones, adult skeleton, elderly adult mandible

adult

1 adult skull with long bones, 1 adult skeleton with side-lying skull with long bones, 1 adult skull and vertebrae, 1 adult skull, 1 adult mandible, 1 partial child skull, 1 young adult skull

CR #10

adult skelelton

12 sherds (2 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period including 5 censers)

CR #10

12 sherds (2 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period including 2 censers)

CR #10

1 Olmec stone face (6.5 × 7 cm nonlocal greenstone), 8 sherds (3 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period including 1 censer)

CR #10

1 pottery vessel fragment, 14 sherds (all Mayapán period)

CR #10

21 sherds (7 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period including 3 censers)

CR #10

15 sherds (3 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period)

CR #10

continued on next page

563

564

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

K-52c-K52a

trench between K-52a and K-52c

A-72

inter-structure trench, fill/midden fill over bedrock

K-52d

two- bench structure

A-57

platform directly west of terrace supporting north bench

K-52d

two-bench structure

A-73

trench at east edge of platform, in line with passageway between benches

T-72

temple

C-2

shaft/ossuary

T-70

temple

C-3

surface of temple

T-70

temple

C-3

surface of temple

T-70

temple

C-4

sealed fill

T-70

temple

C-4

sealed fill

T-70

temple

C-4a

trench through substructure fill

T-70

temple

C-4a

trench through substructure fill

T-70

temple

altar

Cenote chen mul

cenote

D-29

section B of trench

Cenote chen mul

cenote

D-30

section C of trench

Cenote chen mul

cenote

D-69

not shown in excavation profiles published for cenote

Q-58

temple

C-21

fill of late pyramid

Q-58

temple

C-18

fill under floor below pyramid thought to have made level space for its construction, earliest construction

Q-58

temple

C-20

shaft/ossuary

Q-58

temple

C-17a

temple floor, shrine room

Q-58

temple

Q58/59/60

plaza floor

C-17

surface and unsealed construction fill at east base of Q-58 and from Structures Q-59/60

No. of burials

no. not given

4+

Appendix

Burial description

charred and fragmentary adult and children, plus animal bones

more than 4 children and adults, plus animal and bird bones

44 fragments of human and animal bones

Current Report number

Other artifacts 1 shell fragment, 1 mini tripod cup, 90 sherds (33 unidentified, 1 Fine Orange, 1 fine gray, remainder Mayapán period including 15 censers)

CR #10

60 sherds (4 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period including 9 censers)

CR #10

265 sherds (159 unidentified, 1 Fine Orange, remainder Mayapán period including 33 censers)

CR #10

2 obsidian pieces, 17 flakes, 1,264 total sherds of which 710 were unidentified (including 140 red-slipped and 570 unslipped sherds), and 554 were identified, consisting of 97.1% Mayapán period (19.3% unslipped jars, 19.8% effigy censers, 4.8% ladle censers, 41.3% redslipped, 2.9% Puuc, 11.9% other)

CR #11

11 obsidian pieces, 1 obsidian projectile point (side-notched concave base), 18 flakes, 2 worked shells, 1 polished pebble, 1 greenstone celt, 5 jade beads/pendants (1 jade pendant looks like a Late Classic heirloom), 2 shell beads, 1 stucco fragment, 1 miniature Navula Unslipped vessel tecomate, 1 plumbate sherd (of the only 2 plumbate sherds found at Mayapán out of the total of 100,000 sherds)

CR #11

4,901 sherds (3,536 unidentified), 1,365 are 87.2% Mayapán period (20.6% unslipped, 52.4% effigy censer, 13.8% red slipped, 0.4% Fine Orange), 6.4% Puuc, 6.4% miscellaneous unidentified slipped (including 1 Early Classic polychrome, 1 Tohil plumbate)

CR #11

2 worked shells, 1 small sculpture (possibly a fish head), 1 dark brown stone bead, 5 jade beads, 1 jade ornament, 2 shell beads, 2 redware vessels, 1 Fine Orange tripod vessel fragment, Mama Red collared bowl and Fine Orange vessel fragment, incised redware bowl

CR #11

319 sherds, 75% Mayapán period (13.7% unslipped jars, 2.2% noneffigy censer, 39.2% redware, 5.6% Black-on-Cream or coarse paste slate, 6.2% miscellaneous), 25% Puuc

CR #11

3 obsidian pieces, 1 fragment of stone turtle

CR #11

355 sherds: 20.5% Puuc, 79.5% Mayapán period (10.4% unslipped jars, 32.4% effigy censers, 28.2% redware, 2.5% Black-on-Cream or coarse paste slate, 6% unidentified)

CR #11

human modeled stucco seated figure

CR #11

sculptured human tenon head

CR #12

sculptured animal-like head, animal femur with jaguar head on femoral ball

CR #12

projectile point (side-notched square-based)

CR #12

174 sherds: 23% unidentified; of identified, 10.3% Puuc, 89.7% Mayapán period (6.3% unslipped jars, 16.1% effigy censers, 34% Mayapán red-slipped ware, 8.6% Black-on-Cream, 1.7% Fine Orange)

CR #14

2 obsidian pieces, 16 animal bones, 1 perforated stone, 226 sherds: 7.1% unidentified; of identified, 4.4% Puuc, 95.6% Mayapán period (23.9% unslipped jars, 3.1% ladle censers, 55.7% Mayapán red-slipped ware, 4.9% Black-on-Cream, 0.9% Fine Orange)

CR #14

12 obsidian pieces, 2 shell fragments, 1 jade bead, 466 sherds: 9% unidentified; of identified, 3% Puuc, 97% Mayapán period (15.5% unslipped jars, 24.7% effigy censers, 0.4% ladles, 46.6% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.4% Black-on-Cream, 0.4% Fine Orange)

CR #14

1 obsidian piece, lots of censers at surface, 2,057 total sherds: 16% unidentified; of identified, 0.4% Puuc, 99.6% Mayapán period (1.8% unslipped jars, 71.9% effigy censers, 1.1% ladle censers, 7.7% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.6% Red-on-Cream, 0.4% Black-on-Cream, 0.1% Fine Orange)

CR #14

rattle tail, serpent heads

CR #14

6 obsidian pieces, 1 small obsidian core, 2 projectile points (side notch, round base), 1 stone object, 15 sculpture fragments, 2 cache vessels

CR #14

continued on next page

565

566

Appendix No. of burials

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q58/59/60

plaza floor

C-17

surface and unsealed construction fill at east base of Q-58 and from Structures Q-59/60

Q-58

temple

unclear

plaza floor at base of stair

Q-58

temple

unclear

debris at foot of stairway

Q-58

plaza floor

C-16

below second plaza floor, above bedrock or primary floor

Q-59

altar/shrine, rectangular with shrine room

unclear

first shrine to the east from Q-58 stair

Q-59

mini altar

C-17

off mound to west, only 36 cm across, with cache

Q-59a

altar/shrine, circular shaft on top

C-15

second shrine to the east from Q-58 stair

3

Q-59a

altar/shrine, circular shaft on top

C-15

Q-59b

altar/shrine, earlier round platform inside Q-59

C-19

burial cist, first shrine to the east from Q-58 stair, circular platform earlier with circular burial cist

1

Q-60

altar/shrine

third shrine to the east from Q-58 stair, altar is square-shaped with north and south staircases

1

Q-82

temple

Q-82

temple

Q-82

C-34

debris midden/midden fill under plaza floor beneath building, sealed

temple

C-32

surface debris within temple and over final phase, down to corners of stairway, lots of charcoal and ash

Q-82

temple

C-32

surface debris within temple and over final phase, down to corners of stairway

Q-82

temple

C-32?

surface debris within temple in front of altar thought to be from cist (its cist was looted at time of abandonment or just after, under roof debris)

Q-82

temple

C-33

fill of benches, below floors, and stairway

Q-82a

shrine

not provided

mini shrine built off southwest corner of temple, late, facing Castillo court

1

Appendix

Burial description

Current Report number

Other artifacts 3,577 sherds, 28.9% unidentified; of identified, 2.7% Puuc, 97.3% Mayapán period (6.1% unslipped jars, 27.7% effigy censers, 0.7% ladle censers, 33.2% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.4% Fine Orange, 0.2% Black-on-Cream)

1 male skeleton missing skull, jaw bone by the elbow; probably slain enemy warrior

CR #14

CR #14

several fragments of sculpture, 1 zoomorphic tenon head

CR #14

1 obsidian piece, 646 sherds: 18% unidentified; of identified, 9.4% Puuc, 90.6% Mayapán period (23.2% unslipped jars, 4.5% effigy censers, 0.3% ladle censers, 43.4% Mayapán redslipped, 1.2% Black-on-Cream); most effigies from trench along north stair wall of Q-58.

CR #14

fragments of stucco figure likely from shrine room

CR #14

Cache, 2 Navula Unslipped vessels (1 olla, 1 miniature tecomate bowl); part of larger plaza Lot C-16

CR #14

1 obsidian piece, 8 ladle censer vessels, 2 tripod dishes (interior is red-slipped, exterior is unslipped or cream, perhaps Tecoh Red-on-Buff), 1 jade bead, copal, charcoal, stucco from modeled human figure

CR #14

653 sherds: 10.8% unidentified; of identified, 98.2% Mayapán period, 1.8% Puuc (Mayapán sherds include 11.8% unslipped jars, 20.1% effigy censers, 32.3% ladle censers, 22.1% Mayapán red-slipped ware, and 1.1% red on cream)

CR #14

adolescent, tightly flexed

1 obsidian piece, 1 stone basin, 3 fragments of painted stucco, 193 sherds: unidentified 5.2%; of identified, 2.1% Puuc, 97.9% Mayapán period (6.2% unslipped jars, 43.5% noneffigy censers, 43% Mayapán red-slipped)

CR #14

adult male in rectangular cist

no grave offerings

CR #14

2 lithic flakes, 72 animal bones, 1 bone implement, sealed early debris, 785 sherds: 14.5% unidentified; of identified, 5% Puuc, 95% Mayapán period (10.5% unslipped jars, 0.4% noneffigy censers, 49% Mayapán red-slipped, 20% Black-on-Cream, 0.6% Fine Orange)

CR #14

1 perforated stone disk, 3 serpent heads, a stone human torso

CR #14

16 obsidian pieces, 1 flint point or pointed biface, 1 lithic flake, 9 worked shells (including 3 tubular beads and 4 shell tinklers), 1 small carved stone, 1 stingray spine, 1 bone awl, 20 animal bones, 1 miniature tripod cup (probably from looted altar, see below), 1 pot cover, 3 jade beads (1 unusually large spherical bead from looted altar) thousands of censer sherds (8,300 sherds), 80% censers, but 96% of censers within temple itself

CR #14

8,364 sherds: 3.2% unidentified; of identified, 0.1% Puuc, 99.9% Mayapán period (1.9% unslipped jars, 80.2% effigy censers, 0.4% ladle censers, 13.5% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.2% red on cream, 0.4% Black-on-Cream, 0.1% Fine Orange)

CR #14

jade bead and tripod cup

CR #14

1 obsidian piece, 399 sherds: 1.5% unidentified; of identified, 2% Puuc, 98% Mayapán period (22.6% unslipped jars, 12.3% effigy censers, 1.5% ladle censers, 52.4% Mayapán red-slipped, 7.3% Black-on-Cream, 0.2% Fine Orange)

CR #14

3 fragments of human bone

3 articulated seated flexed adults, superimposed; second one burned, partial cremation or burning in the cist; other two not burned; three separate burial events

CR #14

continued on next page

567

568

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-95

temple

C-29

shaft/ossuary

Q-95

temple

C-29

shaft/ossuary

Q-95

temple

C-30

subterranean chamber dug into bedrock, predating temple, at center of its base

Q-95

temple

C-30

Q-95

temple

C-31

Q-95

temple

C-31

Q-81

colonnade

Q-81

colonnade

C-70

fill over early construction, between Floors 1 and 2

Q-81

colonnade

C-70

fill over early construction, between Floors 1 and 2

Q-81

colonnade

C-71

fill, between Floors 2 and 3

Q-81

colonnade

C-71a

cache under altar

Q-81

colonnade

C-72

general excavation in colonnade and shrine

Q-81

colonnade

C-72

general excavation in colonnade and shrine

Q-143

serpent temple, east side of small court to the east of Castillo

C-101

Q-143

serpent temple, east side of small court to the east of Castillo

C-101

Q-143

serpent temple, east side of small court to the east of Castillo

C-101

Q-146

shrine platform

C-102

Q-146

shrine platform

C-102

Q-146a

shrine

not provided

surface/general excavations of substructure and temple

in front (south of) Q-80 Serpent Mask Temple

debris inside temple

debris on surface of platform

shrine 1 associated with Q-143

No. of burials 41+

4

Appendix Current Report number

Burial description

Other artifacts

male and female adults, children, and animals

44 obsidian pieces (including 1 obsidian scraper), 2 pointed bifaces, 8 lithic flakes, 21 worked shells (including 3 perforated and 1 small tinkler, 2 shell pendants, 1 mini shell axe, 14 small shell beads), 3 shell fragments, 2 jade beads, 5 bone beads, 1 fragment gold, 1 copper disk, 50% censers in upper levels (effigy), absent in lower levels

CR #14

2,211 sherds: 19.1% unidentified; of identified, 0.1% Puuc, 99.9% Mayapán period (10.5% unslipped jars, 41.7% effigy censers, 2.3% ladle censers, Mayapán red-slipped 24.2%, hard redware 0.8%, Red-on-Cream 0.5%, Black-on-Cream 0.4%, Fine Orange 0.4%)

CR #14

12 obsidian pieces, 1 spherical hammerstone, 2 worked shells (including probable Spondylus pendant), 5 shell fragments, 2 oven footed tripod grater bowls, abundant animal bone, charcoal, ash, 1 jade bead, 3 limestone manos, 1 perforated animal tooth

CR #14

657 sherds: 1.1% unidentified; of identified, 0.3% Puuc, 99.7% Mayapán period (50% unslipped jars, 45.7% Mayapán red-slipped, 1.1% hard redware, 0.5% Black-on-Cream, 1.3% Fine Orange)

CR #14

charcoal, copal, 1 jade object, 1 bark beater, 1 polishing tool of fine hard limestone, 5 shell ornaments (including 1 bivalve), 2 shell fragments, 1 cut deer bone, fragments of painted wall plaster polychrome

CR #14

2,072 sherds: 4.7% unidentified; of identified, 0.3% Puuc, 99.7% Mayapán period (5.3% unslipped jars, 66.2% effigy censers, 0.5% ladle censers, 21.7% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.2% Red-on-Cream, 0.5% Black-on-Cream, 0.5% Fine Orange)

CR #14

2 elderly adults (skeletons), 2 children disarticulated with deformed skulls, female, and children with cranial deformation (male uncertain)

CR #31 5 obsidian pieces, 2 flakes, 2 shell fragments, 1 pestle of fine-grained limestone, 66 animal bones

CR #31

765 sherds: 76 Puuc sherds, 689 Mayapán period sherds (300 unslipped Mayapán, 290 redslipped, 2 hard redware, 4 Fine Orange, 93 Black-on-Cream)

CR #31

2 obsidian pieces, 9 animal bones, 47 sherds, 7 Puuc sherds, 40 Mayapán period (13 unslipped, 4 human effigy censers, 21 Mayapán red-slipped, 2 Black-on-Cream)

CR #31

1 bluish stone subspherical bead (under turtle effigy bowl), 2 cache vessels (1 red-slipped olla missing neck and loop handles), 1 ceramic human figure atop an anthropomorphic turtle, no sherds listed

CR #31

6 obsidian pieces, 1 lithic flake, 7 animal bones, 1 limestone pot lid, 1 disk-shaped pink shell bead (Spondylus?), limestone turtle with Itzamna face, 1 red-slipped grater bowl, 4 speleothems, 7 effigy censers, 1 lidded jar with diving god figure

CR #31

3,993 sherds: 22 Puuc sherds, 3,971 Mayapán period sherds (265 unslipped, 3,472 effigy human, 221 Mayapán red-slipped, 2 Red-on-Cream, 4 Fine Orange, 7 Black-on-Cream)

CR #31

serpent sculpture elements

CR #32

1 obsidian piece, 1 greenstone bead (subspherical)

CR #32

3 Puuc sherds, 1,336 Mayapán period sherds (11 unslipped, 16 noneffigy, 1,285 effigy, 21 Mayapán red-slipped, 1 Fine Orange, 2 Black-on-Cream)

CR #32

1 obsidian piece, 2 animal bones, 1 stucco face (Itzamna), 16 speleothems, 8 fragments of modeled stucco

CR #32

641 Mayapán period sherds (284 unslipped, 241 human effigy, 114 Mayapán red-slipped, 1 Fine Orange, 1 Black-on-Cream)

CR #32

base of limestone sculpture, feet, stone ring

CR #32 continued on next page

569

570

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-146a

central room associated with Q-146a

not provided

Q-218/217

serpent temple

C-99

juncture (alley?) between structures; small test

Q-218/217

serpent temple

C-99

juncture (alley?) between structures; small test

Q-218

serpent temple

C-98

Q-218

serpent temple

C-95

Q-218b

shrine associated with Q-218

not provided

Q-159

serpent temple

C-66

debris in front of altar

Q-159

serpent temple

C-66

debris in front of altar

Q-159

serpent temple

not provided

Q-159

serpent temple

not provided

Q-159

serpent temple

C-66

Q-218

serpent temple

C-95

fill over buried structure

Q-218

serpent temple

C-96

debris on summit of pyramid

Q-218

serpent temple

C-96

debris on summit of pyramid

Q-218

serpent temple

C-96a

fill in buried temple room

Q-218

serpent temple

C-96b

contents of cache vessel

Q-218

serpent temple

C-97

surface material north terraces

Q-218

serpent temple

C-97

surface material north terraces

Q-218

serpent temple

C-98

surface from base of stairs, plaza, platform on west of structure

Q-218

serpent temple

C-98

surface from base of stairs, plaza, platform on west of structure

Q-218

serpent temple

C-98a

surface to bedrock at base of stairway, mainly below plaza floor

Q-218/217

serpent temple

C-99

northwest corner of substructure at juncture with southeast corner of Q-217, mostly ashy midden

Q-168

dwelling

A-250

surface

Q-168

dwelling

A-250

surface

Q-168

dwelling

A-252

sealed lot below floors of second structure, to below floors of first structure in north passage

No. of burials

Appendix

Burial description

Other artifacts

Current Report number

4 stucco figure platforms with speleothems, Itzamna face

CR #32

large quantity of human and animal bone in ash deposit

1 human skull fragment

CR #32

92 human and animal bones and shell fragments, 1 bone awl fragment, 831 Mayapán period sherds (including 265 unslipped, 76 noneffigy, 93 miscellaneous censers, 104 effigy censers, 282 Mayapán red-slipped, 1 hard redware, 2 Red-on-Cream, 2 Black-on-Cream, 3 Fine Orange, 3 Cream ware)

CR #32

serpent sculpture elements with hands projecting from them, truncated sacrificial stone at base of stair, spade-shaped element in front of altar, 2 interlocking scroll-sculpted fragments

CR #32

concentration of obsidian chips, blades, scraper in front of temple

CR #32

speleothems on surface of sculpture platform and possibly sculpted legs, 2 frog pottery effigies in cache

CR #32

1 limestone turtle, 1 jade bead, 2 limestone hammerstones, modeled stucco

CR #32

653 Mayapán period sherds (1 unslipped, 631 human effigy censers, 21 Mayapán redslipped)

CR #32

serpent sculptures, 2 stucco earth monster crouching figures thought to have ridden serpents, limestone turtle with a human head and hole in back, columned stone with holes at either end, columnar altar with itz/star motifs

CR #32

large female stucco figure, animal “banner holder” (published by Proskouriakoff in later 1962 volume)

CR #32

jade bead, small tripod cup, abundant censers in temple debris

CR #32

43 obsidian pieces, 1 flint blade tip (pointed biface?), 3 shell fragments, 15 animal bones, 6 Puuc sherds, 805 Mayapán period (308 unslipped, 8 noneffigy, 40 human effigy, 420 Maya­ pán red-slipped, 1 hard redware, 2 Fine Orange, 20 Black-on-Cream, 6 unclassified)

CR #32

24 obsidian pieces, 1 lithic flake, 1 obsidian scraper, spade-shaped limestone object

CR #32

205 Mayapán period sherds (11 unslipped, 14 noneffigy censers, 163 effigy censers, 17 Mayapán red-slipped)

CR #32

15 Puuc sherds, 9 Mayapán period sherds (5 unslipped, Mayapán red-slipped 4)

CR #32

vessel in altar (Itzamna), 2 disk-shaped shell beads, one rectangular shell bead

CR #32

4 obsidian pieces, 4 speleothems

CR #32

288 sherds: 1 Puuc sherd, 287 Mayapán period sherds (90 unslipped, 1 noneffigy censers, 79 human effigy censers, 109 Mayapán red-slipped, 8 Black-on-Cream)

CR #32

6 obsidian pieces (including one green), 4 stalactites

CR #32

685 sherds: 10 Puuc sherds, 675 Mayapán period sherds (including 168 unslipped, 1 noneffigy censer, 325 effigy censers, 174 Mayapán red-slipped, 3 Fine Orange, 4 Black-on-Cream)

CR #32

106 sherds: 5 Puuc, 101 Mayapán period (including 37 unslipped, 2 effigy censers, 56 Mayapán red-slipped, 6 Black-on-Cream)

CR #32

831 sherds, all Mayapán period (265 unslipped, 76 noneffigy censers, 93 miscellaneous censers, 104 human effigy censers, 282 Mayapán red-slipped, 1 hard redware, 2 Red-on-Cream, 2 Black-on-Cream, 3 Fine Orange, 3 cream ware)

CR #32

17 obsidian pieces, 2 hammerstones, 10 lithic flakes, 3 shell fragments, 14 animal bones, 1 piece of coral, 3 broken manos

CR #33

1,068 sherds: 8 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 39 effigy censers, 23 Fine Orange, 1 Red-on-Buff, 354 unidentified)

CR #33

2 obsidian pieces, 2 shell ornaments (including 1 white disk bead), 9 animal bones

CR #33

continued on next page

571

572

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-168

dwelling

A-252

sealed lot below floors of second structure, to below floors of first structure in north passage

Q-168

dwelling

A-254

north passage above second set of floors and below upper floor level

Q-168

dwelling

A-255

trench in transverse room, from latest to lowest floor

Q-168

dwelling

A-256

central bench in front room, above floor under bench

Q-168

dwelling

A-257

south passage upper level, above second set of floors below top floor level

Q-168

dwelling

A-258

south passage below Lot 257, between lowest and second sets of floors

Q-168

dwelling

A-259

inside exterior construction (bench?) at rear of building

Q-168

dwelling

A-260

in northeast bench, transverse room

Q-168

dwelling

A-261

fill in front of south bench in front room, down to lowest floor

Q-168

dwelling

A-262

in central bench, back room

Q-168

dwelling

A-263

combined with Lot 265, inside southwest bench, transverse room and area around burial

Q-168

dwelling

A-264

in south bench, front room

Q-168

dwelling

A-265

combined with Lot 263, inside southwest bench, transverse room and area around burial

Q-168

dwelling

A-265

combined with Lot 263, inside southwest bench, transverse room and area around burial

Q-168

dwelling

A-266

trench parallel to front of north bench in front room, down to lowest floor

Q-168

dwelling

A-267

trench in front of central bench, front room

Q-168

dwelling

A-268

trench in transverse room, parallel to e bench

Q-168

dwelling

A-269

trench in front of north bench in front room

Q-166/167

outbuilding/kitchen

A-251

surface

Q-166/167

outbuilding/kitchen

A-253

below floor level in upper part of structure

No. of burials

1

Appendix

Burial description

1 human skull fragment

1 bone fragment, might be human

Other artifacts

Current Report number

333 sherds: 2 Puuc, 48 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period including 1 Black-on-Cream

CR #33

2 obsidian pieces, 3 lithic flakes, 1 shell fragment, 5 animal bones, 257 sherds: 5 Puuc, 21 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (including 1 effigy censer, 11 Black-on-Cream)

CR #33

2 obsidian pieces, 5 shell fragments, 16 animal bones, 1 mano, 383 sherds: 39 unidentified, 4 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 1 effigy censer, 4 Black-on-Cream, 3 Fine Orange)

CR #33

1 fragment greenstone celt, 1 worked redware smoothing sherd, 120 sherds: 14 unidentified, 1 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 1 Red-on-Buff)

CR #33

31 sherds: 4 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #33

1 shell fragment, 120 sherds: 3 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (including 2 Fine Orange)

CR #33

1 obsidian piece, 2 shell fragments, 1 polished burnishing stone, 89 sherds: 7 unidentified, 5 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 2 Black-on-Cream)

CR #33

3 obsidian pieces, 1 lithic flake, 1 shell fragment, 77 sherds: 17 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (including 6 effigy censers)

CR #33

1 broken mano, 31 sherds: 7 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #33

1 lithic flake, 131 sherds: 34 unidentified, 1 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 2 Red-on-Buff, 1 Fine Orange)

CR #33 CR #33

1 obsidian piece, 1 hammerstone, 1 lithic flake, 88 sherds: 4 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 1 Fine Orange)

CR #33

incomplete child skeleton, age eleven or twelve, mainly upper body and skull

with burial: 9 perforated cowrie shells, 1 whole cowrie shell, 1 shell tinkler, 1 shell pendant, 1 bone carving of serpent head, 2 bone awls (1 fragment), 1 obsidian projectile point (side notch, concave base), 1 flake; not necessarily with burial: 1 flint point, animal bones, 1 drilled flint chip, obsidian core, other obsidian pieces

CR #33

see burial listing above for Lot A-265

20 obsidian blades, 1 obsidian core, 1 lithic “point,” 43 animal bones, 635 sherds: 77 unidentified, 9 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 36 effigy censers, 5 Black-on-Cream, 1 Red-on-Buff, 3 Fine Orange)

CR #33

1 obsidian piece, 1 lithic flake, 1 small limestone carving (monkey head?), 339 sherds: 62 unidentified, 8 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 21 effigy censers, 1 Black-onCream, 1 Red-on-Buff, 4 Fine Orange)

CR #33

1 obsidian piece, 1 flint “point,” 1 lithic flake, 1 shell fragment, 87 sherds: 9 unidentified, 2 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 5 effigy censers)

CR #33

2 shell fragments, 11 animal bones, 467 sherds: 50 unidentified, 4 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 19 effigy censers, 2 Fine Orange)

CR #33

1 obsidian piece, 1 lithic flake, 1 jaguar tooth, 2 shell tinklers, 61 sherds: 5 unidentified, 2 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period

CR #33

29 obsidian blades, 2 cores, 1 lithic “tool,” 10 lithic flakes, 6 shell fragments, 72 animal bones, 1 limestone polishing stone, 1 spherical stone, 1 mano, 2 worked pieces of pottery, 3,389 sherds: 806 unidentified, 16 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (69 effigy censers, 19 Black-on-Cream, 12 Red-on-Buff, 7 red-and-black-on-buff, 27 Fine Orange)

CR #33

699 sherds: 44 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (including 1 Black-on-Cream, 1 Fine Orange)

CR #33

fragments of human bone

continued on next page

573

574

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

see lots below

between long colonnaded hall Q-164 and residential group Q-166–168, both rooms had burials, one in a cist, one in a bedrock cave and also in floors

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-440

exterior surface

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-441

interior surface of west room (smaller “kitchen,” one also had burials including some in cave chamber)

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-441

interior surface of west room (smaller “kitchen,” one also had burials including some in cave chamber)

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-441

same as above floor in southern part of west room

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-442

interior surface of larger shrine room

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-443

under poor floor in west room

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-444

level in west room deeper than A-441 surface but not sealed

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-444

level in west room deeper than A-441 surface but not sealed

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-445

ossuary cist in front of dais in shrine room

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-445

ossuary cist in front of dais in shrine room

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-446

below floor level of shrine room

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-447

small depression in bedrock in west room

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-448

deep cave in west room

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-448

deep cave in west room

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-449

surface by rear terrace wall

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-450

under dais behind ossuary cist in shrine room

No. of burials

1

5

2 3+

Appendix

Burial description

Current Report number

Other artifacts

CR #33

14 obsidian pieces, 1 lithic hammestone, 10 lithic flakes, 4 shell fragments, 68 animal bones, 1 spindle whorl (with incised geometric design), 1,984 sherds: 412 unidentified, 12 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (100 effigy censers, 33 Black-on-Cream, 36 Red-on-Buff and redand-black-on-buff, 14 Fine Orange)

CR #33

8 obsidian blades, 1 obsidian core, 4 lithic hammerstones, 2 lithic flakes, 4 shell ornaments (including 1 tinkler, 1 conch trumpet, 2 fragments of conch trumpets), 5 shell fragments, 1 metate, torso of pottery figuine, 1 figurine head, 1 worked long bone, 1 bone awl, 6 mano fragments, 2 bark beaters, 1 stone pendant fragment, 1 polishing stone, 1 stucco pendant, 1 antler fragment

CR #33

2,177 sherds: 339 unidentified, 11 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (63 effigy censers, 14 Black-on-Cream, 9 Red-on-Buff, and red-and-black-on-buff, 5 Fine Orange)

CR #33

no grave goods

CR #33

1 obsidian piece, 1 hammerstone, 2 animal bones, 1 fragment rocker stamp, 2 mano fragment, 259 sherds: 70 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (17 effigy censer and 1 Fine Orange)

CR #33

87 sherds: 3 unidentified, 2 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (2 Black-on-Cream)

CR #33

1,371 sherds: 132 unidentified, 21 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (13 effigy censer, 37 Black-on-Cream, 1 Red-on-Buff, 21 Fine Orange)

CR #33

45 obsidian pieces, 1 obsidian scraper, 1 lithic side scraper, 4 hammerstones, 1 lithic flake, 4 shell fragments, 36 animal bones, 1 drilled pig tusk, 1 shell pendant, 1 egg-shaped stone, 1 rubbing stone

CR #33

2 fully extended, 3 disturbed individuals

7 obsidian pieces, 4 animal bones, 1 pot, 2 figurines, 1 bone awl and needle found under burials in Lot A-451

CR #33

see burial list above

910 sherds: 111 unidentified, 6 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (54 effigy censer, 9 Blackon-Cream, 6 Red-on-Buff, 5 Fine Orange)

CR #33

207 sherds: 30 unidentified, 7 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (4 effigy censer, 2 Black-onCream, 1 Fine Orange)

CR #33

both badly disturbed, presumably adults

possible grave goods: 1 jade bead, 1 shell bead, 2 olive shells, 1 drilled shell; not grave goods: 7 sherds, all Mayapán period

CR #33

cremated human and animal bones in bowl, plus 1 disturbed, 2 flexed, with heads to the north and northwest

Mayapán red-slipped restricted orifice bowl with lid

CR #33

see burial list above

473 sherds: 29 unidentified, 6 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (6 effigy censers, 6 Blackon-Cream, 2 red-and-black-on-buff, 4 Fine Orange)

CR #33

2 obsidian pieces, 3 lithic flakes, 65 animal bones, 1 tinkler fragment, 2 stone balls, 1,769 sherds: 398 unidentified, 1 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (70 effigy censers, 2 Black-onCream, 3 Red-on-Buff, 17 Fine Orange)

CR #33

1 obsidian piece, 1 lithic flake, 52 sherds: 6 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (including 7 effigy censers)

CR #33

continued on next page

575

576

Appendix No. of burials

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-165

burial shrine room and a kitchen room

A-451

lowest 10–20 cm of cave in east room, presumably refers to the cist and not the cave (cave is in the west room)

H-18

Itzmal Chen shrine

surface

crude three-sided crypt facing west associated with earlier (second) shrine

H-18

Itzmal Chen shrine

C-126

crypt associated with second structure

4

H-18

Itzmal Chen shrine

C-126

crypt associated with second structure

11

H-18

Itzmal Chen shrine

H-18

Itzmal Chen shrine

C-131

substructure debris

H-18

Itzmal Chen shrine

C-131

substructure debris

H-18

Itzmal Chen shrine

C-132

sealed Lot inside substructure, between inner floor and plaza floor, below Lot C-124

H-18

Itzmal Chen shrine

C-131

fill of outer substructure

H-18

Itzmal Chen shrine

C-124

fill between floor of round temple under altar and floor inside substructure

H-18

Itzmal Chen shrine

C-126

burial crypt

H-18

Itzmal Chen shrine

C-116

surface of temple and substructure

H-18/17 plaza

trench

C-134

between Structures H-18 and H-17 (main temple), below plaza floors

H-18/17 plaza

trench

C-129

between Structures H-18 and H-17 (main temple), above plaza floors

H-18/16 plaza

trench

C-136

between Structures H-18 and H-16 (east colonnaded hall), below plaza floors

H-18/16 plaza

trench

C-135

between Structures H-18 and H-16 (east colonnaded hall), above plaza floors

H-18a

sculptured shrine

H-18a

sculptured shrine

C-137

under sculptured slab in shrine

H-18a

sculptured shrine

C-122

surface of shrine

H-18a/15

trench

C-125

between Structures H-18a and H-15 (south colonnaded hall), above plaza floors

H-18a/15

trench

C-130

between Structures H-18a and H-15 (south colonnaded hall), below plaza floor

latest, circular shrine

south of south stairway of H-18

Appendix

Burial description

Current Report number

Other artifacts 1 bone awl, 1 bone needle, 89 sherds: 1 unidentified, 1 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 43 Black-on-Cream)

CR #33

8 obsidian pieces

CR #34

4 associated with first layer, complete but for 2 skulls and 3 mandibles, lower 2 vertabrae associated with skulls

conch shell trumpet in layer 1, sherds of Mayapán period (including incomplete grater bowl)

CR #34

11 (10 adults and 1 adolescent boy, loosely flexed) associated with second layer, complete but skulls not in place, only 1 mandible associated w a skull

animal bones, painted plastered speleothem fragment, broken stone sculpture fragment, 5 modeled plaster fragments (not clearly grave goods)

CR #34

noneffigy censer and monkey carving, round banner altar, polished jade bead; probably looted prior to investigations

CR #34

3 obsidian pieces, 2 stone rings, stone turtle with glyphs on back

CR #34

345 sherds: 1 unidentified, 8 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 86 human effigy censers, 2 Black-on-Cream)

CR #34

1 obsidian piece, 1 lithic tool, 43 sherds: 4 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 6 Black-on-Cream)

CR #34

2 obsidian pieces, 118 sherds: 16 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 4 Black-onCream)

CR #34

27 obsidian pieces, 2 shell fragments, 2 bird bones, 1 jade bead, 1 mano, 234 sherds: 9 unidentified, 15 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (52 human effigy censers, 13 Black-onCream)

CR #34

human, fish, and bird bones, 132 sherds: 3 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (2 Tulum incised redware, 1 Black-on-Cream)

CR #34

1 stone turtle, 2 stone ring fragments, 1 stone monkey, 345 sherds: 1 unidentified, 8 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (86 human effigy censers, 2 Black-on-Cream)

CR #34

52 sherds: 11 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 16 effigy censers)

CR #34

46 sherds: 1 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 22 human effigy censers)

CR #34

56 sherds: 5 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (14 human effigy censers, 1 Black-on-Cream)

CR #34

49 sherds: 1 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (27 human effigy censers, 1 Red-on-Cream, 3 Black-on-Cream)

CR #34

jade beads, shell beads, stone sculpture, effigy censers, plastered speleothems, miniature vessels, pottery box

CR #34

2 jade beads, 1 fragment of copper

CR #34

2 stone turtles, 2 stone ring fragments, 4 jade beads, 3 shell beads, 1 shell ornament, 660 sherds: 6 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (341 belong to a small unpainted human effigy censer); effigy censer sherds not collected from foot of stucco figure but were numerous

CR #34

59 sherds: 2 unidentified, 3 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (17 human effigy censers)

CR #34

1 obsidian piece, 55 sherds: 2 unidentified, 4 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (14 human effigy censers, 1 Black-on-Cream)

CR #34

see burials described above

continued on next page

577

578

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

A-1

shrine

A-595

A-1

shrine

A-595

J-71a

dwelling? (atypical)

A-545

northeast corner of north room surface; structure destroyed by fire

J-71a

dwelling? (atypical)

A-542

surface of structure

J-71a

dwelling? (atypical)

A-549

trench between central room passageway and on either side of it, between floor and bedrock

J-71b

dwelling

A-547

floor of possible shrine room (rear east room) surface; structure destroyed by fire

J-71b

dwelling

A-548

front room just to side of central doorway, set into floor

J-71b

dwelling

A-543

surface of structure

J-71b

dwelling

A-543

surface of structure

J-71b

dwelling

A-548

below floor east pssageway and front and back rooms down to bedrock

J-71d

altar

A-546

in center of court, below court floor level under structure

J-71d

altar

A-546

in center of court, below court floor level under structure

K-67 group

sascabera

A-541

test unit in sascabera south of K-67a

K-67a

dwelling

A-539

tomb in doorway

K-67a

dwelling

A-539

tomb in doorway

K-67a

dwelling

A-538

cache in pit in front of doorway, outside structure

K-67c

dwelling

A-540

under lowest floor in passageway

A-536

location in group not provided

K-67 group

Description

K-67c

dwelling

A-537

pits in west bench of K-67c

P-14a

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-590

altar cache, altar in recess in back wall

P-14a

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-585

tomb in center of room

P-14a

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-584

surface

No. of burials

2

5

Appendix

Other artifacts

Current Report number

small tripod vessel, from under floor with 6 beads (2 jade and 4 shell)

CR #36

2 obsidian pieces, 160 sherds: 63 unidentified, 2 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 46 censers)

CR #36

“several” reconstructed vessels on floor of possibly burned roof structure (only one shown), Mama Red jar with strap handles, 858 sherds: 131 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (including 1 Fine Orange)

CR #36

1 flint biface, 1 shell tinkler, 629 sherds: 131 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 11 censers)

CR #36

3 obsidian pieces, 2 lithic flakes, 2 shell fragments, 3 animal bones, 155 sherds: 11 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #36

2 whole pots (1 shown is a Mama Red jar), 149 sherds, all Mayapán period

CR #36

1 obsidian piece, 1 hammerstone, 1 lithic flake, 4 animal bones, 1 olla neck set into floor, 1 greenstone celt fragment, 170 sherds: 7 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 4 censers)

CR #36

1 hammerstone, 1 stone alligator head, worked manatee rib, rubbing stone, figurine head, mano

CR #36

865 sherds: 203 unidentified, 1 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 1 Fine Orange, 47 censers)

CR #36

1 obsidian piece, 1 pointed biface, 1 hammerstone, 1 greenstone celt fragment, 170 sherds: 7 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (including 1 Fine Orange, 4 censers)

CR #36

1 jade bead, 2 shell beads, 1 segment of cut bone, 4 projectile points (1 has side notch, round base), small pottery turtle with human face

CR #36

87 sherds: 15 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #36

69 sherds: 17 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 3 censers)

CR #36

1 male adult, extended, cranial deformation; 1 extra adult mandible only

2 pieces of coral, 1 fragment of bivalve, 2 stone disks, 2 pottery feet standing on animals, pottery serpent figurine head, pottery human figurine heads, 6 animal bones.

CR #36

see burials aboe

795 sherds: 9 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (510 censers)

CR #36

2 ceramic turtles with human heads in mouths, 2 sherds, both Mayapán period

CR #36

12 sherds, all Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange)

CR #36

4 obsidian pieces, 1 pointed biface or projectile point, 6 lithic flakes, 1 shell ornament, 1 shell fragment, 6 animal bones, 1 effigy censer face (Itzamna), 1 grooved rubbing stone, 1 rubbing stone, 1 mano fragment, 2,500 sherds: 555 unidentified, 1 plumbate, remainder Mayapán period (11 Fine Orange, 122 censers)

CR #36

1 shell, 151 sherds: 1 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange)

CR #36

2 small pottery bowls and lids, 1 conch shell trumpet, 1 pounding stone, 1 shell bead in each bowl, no sherds listed

CR #36

4 obsidian pieces, 1 bifacial projectile point (or drill/perforator), 1 lithic “point” fragment, 1 copper tweezer (under skull of old male), carved deer antler, deer antler, 3 stingray spines, 1 shell ornament, 1 shell fragment, pottery disk, 135 sherds: 14 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange)

CR #36

3 obsidian pieces, 1 pointed biface, 2 lithic flakes, 3 conch shell fragments, 1 bark beater, 1 greenstone celt, 765 sherds: 233 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (3 Fine Orange, 15 censers)

CR #36

Burial description

elderly male on right side facing north with flexed legs, adult female bones burned, elderly female lying on left side with legs flexed, a very old female, adult male

continued on next page

579

580

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

P-23c

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-583

surface

P-23c

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-586

bedrock cavity used for tomb in front of altar

P-28b

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-588

surface material of structure

P-28b

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-594

material in burial cist

P-28b

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-593

shaft inside altar

Q-37a

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-587

burial in front of altar

Q-37a

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-587

burial in front of altar

Q-37a

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-591

altar above lowest floor

Q-37a

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-592

below lowest floor below altar

Q-37a

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-582

surface of structure

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-500

floor of rear shrine room, Room 3 above floor

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-500

floor of rear shrine room, Room 3 above floor

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-501

surface

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-501

surface

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-503

below floor of west end of Room 2

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-521

cist broken through floor into fill of Room 1

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-521

cist broken through floor into fill of Room 1

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-526

southern extension of pit with Lot A-521 cist broken through floor into fill of Room 1, below floor to bedrock

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-523

inside most eastern terrace of structure

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-524

trench center-north side of structure, between top terrace floor in front of Room 1 and floor just above bedrock

No. of burials

3

1

2

7

Appendix

Burial description

Current Report number

Other artifacts 1 obsidian piece, 1 perforated and notched shell disk, 3 metates, 284 sherds, 69 unidentified, 1 Puuc slate, remainder Mayapán period (4 Fine Orange)

CR #36

1 modified deer antler tine

CR #36

3 lithic flakes, 1 animal bone, 171 sherds, 40 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (4 Fine Orange, 10 censers)

CR #36

jar with stone lid, 1 hammerstone, 2 bone/antler earplugs, mini pottery vessel

CR #36

spiral shell, 237 sherds: 24 unidentified, 1 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 14 censers)

CR #36

elderly female, very old male, disturbed

1 drilled turtle plastron and carapace, 1 limestone metate, wetstone of exotic material, 2 hammerstones, 1 notched projectile point, 1 flint biface, 4 lithic flakes, 5-sided rubbing stone, 1 rubbing stone, 2 deer antlers, 1 drilled shell disk, 1 worked shell, 1 small shell, 2 animal (jaguar?) teeth, agouti jaw fragment, 1 bone spindle whorl, 1 stingray spine fragment, bone tube, bone awl

CR #36

see burials above

647 sherds: 42 unidentified, 4 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (83 censers)

CR #36

1 perforated shell tinkler, 1 shell fragment, 20 sherds: 8 Puuc, 2 probably Puuc, remainder Mayapán period

CR #36

8 sherds: 2 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange)

CR #36

3 obsidian pieces, 109 sherds: 25 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 3 censers)

CR #36

stone turtle with hole in its back and ahau glyphs on outer carapace, stone human face with turban headdress, small stone crouching human, abundant censer sherds

CR #36

488 sherds: 100 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 151 censers)

CR #36

33 obsidian pieces, 1 obsidian core, 1 obsidian arrow point (atypical), 4 pointed bifaces, 1 possible projectile point, 15 lithic flakes, 1 perforated shell tinkler, 1 shell bead, 4 perforated shells, 4 shell fragments, 14 animal bones, limestone metate and 2 manos (Room 2), 4 other mano fragments (1 grooved, 1 volcanic), small crouching stone figure (apart from the one found in Room 3), lava metate fragment, bone with four perforations, drilled sherd (possible spindle whorl), pottery plate with pedestal base (heirloom?), stone diving figure fragment

CR #36

6,062 sherds: 1,491 unidentified, 7 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (46 Fine Orange, 648 censers)

CR #36

1 obsidian projectile point (side notched concave base), 1 pointed biface, 1,059 sherds: 79 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (5 Fine Orange, 152 censers)

CR #36

2 adult males, 2 adult females, 2 adults, 1 infant

5 obsidian pieces, 2 pointed bifaces, 1 biface, 1 hammerstone, 1 shell fragment, 4 pottery figuines (3 female, 1 male), 1 jade tubular bead, 1 jade bead (not shown)

CR #36

see burials above

231 sherds: 23 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (3 Fine Orange, 34 censers)

CR #36

see burials above

8 obsidian pieces, 1 hammerstone, 1 lithic flake, lower deposit of copal, pottery vessel, lid, 1 stone bead, 1 small blue greenstone object, 309 sherds, 17 unidentified, 2 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (4 Fine Orange, 21 censers)

CR #36

4 obsidian pieces, 1 pointed biface, 1 biface, 3 lithic flakes, 2 shell tinklers, 2 shell fragments, 45 animal bones, 1 obsidian thumbnail scraper, 646 sherds: 35 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (6 Fine Orange, 11 censers)

CR #36

2 obsidian pieces, 1 pointed biface “spear point,” 8 lithic flakes, 1 pottery mask (perforated pectoral element, crude face), 1 bone ring, 37 sherds: 2 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (6 censers)

CR #36

maybe 2 males and one female

adult male

7 human bones

continued on next page

581

582

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-527

pit through terrace east of Room 6

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-529

bench in Room 3

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-530

pit in center Room 2, top floor to bedrock

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-531

between floor of Room 6 and upper floor

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-532

below floor of Room 3

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-533

below floor of Room 5

Q-244b

dwelling–elite

A-534

from lowest plaza floor and bedrock off north side of structure

Q-244 group

dwelling–elite

A-506

pit off west side of Group Q-244 before trench into west wall of platform that supports group, 30 cm below surface soil to bedrock, surface material is in Lot A-501

Q-244 group

dwelling–elite

A-507

west wall of platform supporting Group Q-244

Q-244 group

dwelling–elite

A-515

pit off of west side platform supporting Group Q-244

Q-244 group

dwelling–elite

A-518

pit into west side platform supporting Group Q-244

between Q-244b elaborate residence and d altar

dwelling–elite

A-535

burial in court

Q-244d

altar

A-525

cist and cache just south of altar cut into bedrock

Q-244c

one-room structure

A-519

south end of structure, surface to bedrock

Q-244c

one-room structure

A-520

north end of structure, surface to bedrock

Q-244c

one-room structure

A-522

pit in center

Q-244c

one-room structure

A-522

pit in center

Q-244d

altar

A-528

central area, surface to bedrock

R-30b

altar

R-30f

c-shaped one-room oratory

pit in center A-557

rear altar

No. of burials

2

1

Appendix

Burial description

Current Report number

Other artifacts 3 obsidian pieces, 3 lithic flakes, 30 animal bones (including turtle plastron fragment), 919 sherds: 180 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 19 censers)

CR #36

1 obsidian piece, 2 lithic flakes, 1 stone pot lid, 1 perforated bivalve shell, 251 sherds: 15 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 19 censers)

CR #36

1 obsidian piece, 1 bifacial projectile point, 2 lithic flakes, 1 stone disk pot lid, 1 pottery vessel (Thul applique, pedestal base olla/noneffigy censer), 108 sherds: 5 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (13 censers)

CR #36

1 lithic flake, 72 sherds: 9 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (6 censers)

CR #36

3 lithic flakes, 1 tubular jade bead, 1 bivalve shell bead, 86 sherds: 10 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (7 censers)

CR #36

1 hammerstone, 105 sherds: 4 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (5 censers)

CR #36

1 obsidian piece, 66 sherds, all Mayapán period (3 censers)

CR #36

209 sherds: 86 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 8 censers)

CR #36

sherd collection lost

CR #36

1 obsidian piece, 1 olive shell, 2 animal bones, 389 sherds: 89 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 32 censers)

CR #36

10 obsidian pieces, 1 lithic scraper, 3 lithic flakes, 4 shell fragment (conch and bivalve), 39 animal bones, 1 drilled sherd (spindle whorl?), 3 antler fragments, 1,264 sherds: 92 unidentified, 2 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (10 Fine Orange, 332 censers)

CR #36

bone awls (deer metapodials) and 1 obsidian in burial, no sherds reported

CR #36

2 pottery vessels (Navula Unslipped tripod cup inside of a Navula olla), 1 shell and 1 jade bead inside sealed vessel, 24 sherds, all Mayapán period

CR #36

7 obsidian pieces, 1 wedge-shaped axe, 1 hammerstone, 1 scraper, 17 lithic flakes, 1 conch shell fragment, 49 animal bones, 895 sherds: 53 unidentified, 1 Classic period, remainder Mayapán period (4 Fine Orange, 31 censers)

CR #36

3 obsidian pieces, 1 pointed biface (parallel sided), 1 lithic flake, 2 shell fragments, 297 sherds: 30 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 31 censers)

CR #36

two-year-old child

8 obsidian pieces, 1 obsidian thumbnail scraper, 1 flint thumbnail scraper, 1 round scraper, 1 utilized flake, 8 lithic flakes, 1 large tubular jade bead, 1 bone awl, 1 perforated jaguar tooth, 1 perforated shell tinkler figure, 1 carved bone fragment, drilled sherd (possible spindle whorl), 1 smoothing sherd, 4 conch fragments, 2 coral pieces, miscellaneous animal bones

CR #36

see burials above

1,514 sherds: 57 unidentified, 2 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (13 Fine Orange, 116 censers)

CR #36

tripod redware olla (oven-shaped supports, olla with high neck), 108 sherds: 2 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #36

no artifacts reported

CR #36

1 small stone monkey, 75 sherds: 4 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (3 Fine Orange)

CR #36

1 adult (female?) and 1 child, four years old

continued on next page

583

584

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

R-30f

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-555

surface of structure

R-91

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-571

surface

R-91

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-580

altar cache

R-91

c-shaped one-room oratory

surface

altar surface

R-91

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-579

front of altar on floor

R-91

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-580

altar cache

R-91

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-581

below floor inside and in front of structure

R-126a

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-562

trench under floor

R-126a

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-562

trench under floor

R-126a

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-559

surface material of structure

R-126a

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-559

surface material of structure

R-126a

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-562

below floor inside structure to bedrock

R-142c

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-544

surface

R-142c

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-550

front of altar on floor

R-142c

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-550

front of altar on floor

R-142c

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-552

below floor under altar

R-142e

altar

A-551

pit in center

R-171b

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-569

surface of structure

R-171b

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-572

between Floors 1 and 2

R-171b

c-shaped one-room oratory

A-573

between Floor 2 and bedrock

S-133a

dwelling? (atypical)

A-553

surface

No. of burials

3

Appendix

Burial description

Current Report number

Other artifacts 1 spindle whorl, 887 sherds: 283 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (3 Fine Orange, 5 censers)

CR #36

shell axe-shaped pendant, 1 rubbing stone, 1 animal bone, 609 sherds: 70 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 403 censers)

CR #36

tripod pottery dish (12 cm diameter), 1 pottery effigy vessel (large pedestalled face cup); 1 jade bead, 1 small shell bead, and a few animal bones were all found in the cup

CR #36

2 feet belonging to a seated stucco figure, legs were supported by large speleothems

CR #36

between pair of feet in front of altar: 1 tripod face cup (mat symbol descends from forehead between eyes and over nose), 1 jade and 2 shell beads in the cup, no sherds listed

CR #36

15 sherds, all Mayapán period

CR #36

1 stone bark beater, 30 sherds, all Mayapán period

CR #36

1 tripod cup (noneffigy?) that is nearly identical to that in Lot A-559, 1 cut antler, 1 bone awl (deer metapodial)

CR #36

105 sherds: 4 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #36

1 obsidian piece, 1 pointed biface, 1 polished biface, 1 hammerstone, 3 lithic flakes, 1 incised shell tinkler, 5 shell fragments (including conch and bivalve), 1 stone cube, 1 pottery mold (not shown), 2 rubbing stones, 1 mano fragment, 1 tripod vessel (small tripod cup, noneffigy), 1 pottery vessel stand (pedestalled with vertical gadrooning or paint and a mat applique oriented vertically)

CR #36

162 sherds: 32 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (8 Fine Orange, 10 censers)

CR #36

1 bone awl, 1 cut antler, 1 small tripod cup (Navula Unslipped like example on surface in Lot A-559), 105 sherds: 4 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #36

1 greenstone celt, 116 sherds: 23 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (Fine Orange, 1 censer)

CR #36

1 male center (extended), 1 female (extended), 1 female (side flex facing north); all adults

2 obsidian pieces, 4 copper rings (one with a human head), 1 jade bead

CR #36

see burials above

262 sherds: 13 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange)

CR #36

64 sherds: 5 unidentified, 2 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange)

CR #36

6 lithic flakes, 1 utilized Mayapán red-slipped sherd, 99 sherds: 13 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (3 Fine Orange, 5 censers)

CR #36

1 obsidian piece, 1 rubbing stone, 1 stone disk, 3 lithic flakes, 1 shell fragment, 3 animal bones, 163 sherds: 39 unidentified, 1 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (5 censers)

CR #36

1 obsidian piece, 2 animal bones, 28 sherds, all Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 2 censers)

CR #36

2 obsidian pieces, 1 obsidian core, 1 biface fragment, 3 lithic flakes, 4 shell fragments, 1 animal bone, 194 sherds: 31 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (9 censers)

CR #36

1 pointed biface, 2 lithic flakes, 3 conch fragments, 137 sherds: 60 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (5 Fine Orange, 5 censers)

CR #36

2 fragments of human femur

continued on next page

585

586

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

S-133a

dwelling? (atypical)

A-556

burial north of platform supporting structure

S-133a

dwelling? (atypical)

A-558

below floor in trench in front room extending into west passageway

S-133a

dwelling? (atypical)

A-560

below floor in trench in front room between benches at east end

S-133a

dwelling? (atypical)

A-565

between top of central bench and floor to 40 cm in cist

S-133a

dwelling? (atypical)

A-566

below floor 40 cm below top of central bench in cist

S-133a

dwelling? (atypical)

A-567

inside west bench front room

S-133b

dwelling? (atypical)

A-554

surface

S-133b

dwelling? (atypical)

A-554

surface

S-133b

dwelling? (atypical)

A-561

above floor south of altar in Room 2

S-133b

dwelling? (atypical)

A-564

stone lined cist under south bench in Room 1

S-133b

dwelling? (atypical)

A-563

tomb under central bench in Room 1

S-133b

dwelling? (atypical)

A-568

inside bench at south end of Room 3

S-133b

dwelling? (atypical)

A-575

pottery neck in floor of Room 2 north of altar

Y-2d

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-505

tomb under passageway between benches in front room

Y-2d

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-502

surface

Y-2d

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-504

below level of secondary construction and above Floor 1 between benches of front room and leading into back room

Y-2d

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-508

under Floor 1 in back room and under this level under bench at south end back room down to floor of cist

Y-2d

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-509

from bench along back wall in back room

Y-2d

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-510

below top bench at south end back room down to Floor 1

Y-2d

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-511

inside south bench front room

Y-2d

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-512

inside north bench front room to bedrock

No. of burials 1

5

2

Appendix

Burial description

Other artifacts

Current Report number

flexed skeleton of adult female

1 stingray spine, 31 sherds: 3 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 censer)

CR #36

1 obsidian piece, 90 sherds: 10 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (5 censers)

CR #36

52 sherds: 2 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 censer)

CR #36

29 sherds: 5 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #36

127 sherds: 14 unidentified, 7 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (8 censers)

CR #36

71 sherds: 7 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (6 censers)

CR #36

1 biface, 1 shell ornament (Marginella labiata), 1 miniature stone temple, 1 basalt tool or metate leg, 1 basalt mano fragment, 3 other mano fragments (1 of foreign material), 1 stone crouching figure, 1 miniature stone altar (with circular knob), 1 polishing pebble, 4 stone cord holders, 1 pottery mold (not shown), 5 rubbing stones (1 fragment)

CR #36

1,635 sherds: 426 unidentified, 14 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (16 Fine Orange, 75 censers)

CR #36

rubbing stone, 689 sherds: 16 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (including 344 censers)

CR #36

1 pointed biface, 77 sherds: 2 unidentified, 2 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (2 censers)

CR #36

1 complete pottery puppet, 1 copper ring, 1 jade bead, 28 sherds, all Mayapán period (4 censers)

CR #36

1 metate of foreign stone (with 3 supports), 1 shell bead, no sherds

CR #36

1 pottery neck in floor of Room 2, 4 sherds, all Mayapán period.

CR #36

1 obsidian piece, 1 projectile point (side notched), 1 bone spindle whorl, 2 copper ring, 1 conch shell fragment, 78 sherds: 4 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (3 Fine Orange, 37 censers)

CR #36

1 small conch shell, 3 stone pot lids, 1 obsidian arrow point (triangular, not side notched, concave base), 1 stone ring (with eroded turtle? face and notched flange and possibly painted black stripes down sides), 1 stone cord holder, 1,134 sherds: 43 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (16 Fine Orange, 889 censers)

CR #36

386 sherds: 7 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 297 censers)

CR #36

1 biface, 1 limestone vessel fragment (not shown), 2 rubbing stones, 2 stone disks, 1 perforated bivalve, 393 sherds: 37 unidentified, 1 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (12 Fine Orange, 50 censers)

CR #36

1 shell bead, 1 perforated shell (bivalve), 34 sherds, all Mayapán period (24 censers)

CR #36

1 human pottery figurine (atypical, projecting face and mat symbols on limbs), 1 rubbing stone, 33 sherds, all Mayapán period (20 censers)

CR #36

11 sherds, all Mayapán period (4 censers)

CR #36

70 sherds: 2 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 7 censers)

CR #36

few long bones recovered, 3 adults and 2 children (1 old male skull burned black)

1 young adult female, side flexed with head to east, 1 baby skull

continued on next page

587

588

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Y-2d

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-516

below floor of cist under bench at south end back room

Group Y-2

terrace

A-513

trench rock fill in center of group along outer face east side of early terrace inside larger supporting one, to bedrock

Y-2a

terrace

A-514

trench cut to about 40 cm below broken floor level, found only on east side of Structure Y-2a

Y-8b

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-574

surface in main room

Y-8b

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-570

surface of shrine room

Y-8b

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-578

below floor in shrine room

Y-8b

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-577

inside altar

Y-8b

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-576

burial deposit below floor in main room to east of central doorway

Y-8b

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-576

burial deposit below floor in main room to east of central doorway

Z-50b

oratory or dwelling?

C-139

sealed deposit in fill of altar

Sacbe– southern terminus

C-140

soil layer above bedrock under sacbe

Sacbe– southern terminus

C-141

fill of sacbe

Z-50 group

sacbe hall group

C-142

unsealed debris in niche in basal platform of northern principal staircase

Z-50 group

sacbe hall group

C-143

surface and general excavations unsealed

Gate D

gate in city wall

not provided

Gate EE

gate in city wall

not provided

fill of west platform

A-131

surface to 50 cm

Sacbe– northern terminus

No. of burials

8

Appendix

Burial description

long bones and skulls scattered through fill, disturbed positions

skull fragments, right half of mandible

Other artifacts

Current Report number

18 sherds, all Mayapán period (1 censer)

CR #36

3 obsidian pieces, 1 shell spiral, 68 sherds: 4 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (5 Fine Orange, 1 censer)

CR #36

3 lithic flakes, 189 sherds: 105 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (21 censers)

CR #36

3 obsidian pieces, 1 thumbnail scraper, 2 lithic flakes, 3 conch shell fragments, 1 human molar, 279 sherds: 88 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (4 Fine Orange, 6 censers)

CR #36

5 obsidian pieces, 1 lithic flake, 1 tripod vessel (Navula Unslipped olla with rounded vented feet), 2 effigy censer heads (including well-known depiction of merchant god and another merchant god with bulbous nose), 857 sherds: 112 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 494 censers)

CR #36

1 hammerstone, 3 lithic flakes, 313 sherds: 40 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 42 censers)

CR #36

1 shell disk, 40 sherds: 7 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (21 censers)

CR #36

14 obsidian pieces, 2 projectile points (side notched, square base), 1 pointed biface, 29 lithic flakes, 1 perforated shell, 2 shell fragments, 2 worked stingray spines, 1 perforated stingray spine, 1 curved bone with spines, cylindrical shaped piece of gum of tree/plant, tripod grater bowl, pottery vessel with a pedestal base, ladle censer (missing ladle), 1 jade bead

CR #36

537 sherds: 77 unidentified, 3 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 16 censers)

CR #36

1 miniature tripod cup (Navula Unslipped), 1 jade bead, 1 animal-head support of Red-onCream or Red-on-Buff dish, no sherds listed

CR #37

1 projectile point or pointed biface, 1 lithic flake, 104 sherds: 7 unidentified, 2 Puuc, 95 Mayapán period (including 1 effigy censer, 1 Black-on-Cream, 3 Fine Orange)

CR #37

11 obsidian pieces, 7 lithic flakes, animal bones, 1 pottery spindle whorl or bead, 634 sherds: 32 unidentified, 602 Mayapán period (including 87 effigy censers, 1 Red-on-Cream or Buff, 5 Tulum Red, 3 Fine Orange)

CR #37

1 biface (pointed?), 5 lithic flakes, 1 olive shell with long groove and perforation, 1 small stone crouching jaguar with creature on its back, 1 small stone turtle with receptacle on back, 474 sherds: 7 unidentified, 467 Mayapán period (90 effigy censers, 19 Red-on-Cream or Buff, 7 Mayapán Red and Black on Orange, 2 Tulum Red)

CR #37

14 obsidian pieces, 1 flint “hatchet,” 3 lithic tool fragments, 1 hammerstone, 18 lithic flakes, animal bones, 4 limestone disks (pot lids or bee-keeping lids), 2 limestone manos, 1 stone turtle, 1 painted bird bone, 2,504 sherds: 56 unidentified, 2,448 Mayapán period (187 effigy censer, 100 Red-on-Cream or Buff, 1 Black-on-Cream, 4 Tulum Red, 17 Fine Orange)

CR #37

cache vessel with ash outside Gate D (miniature turtle effigy and small flat cover of Navula Unslipped), hollow moldmade figuine head also from Gate D

CR #2

Navula Unslipped vessel

CR #2

1 obsidian projectile point and 1 chert projectile point (side notch, round base), lithic flakes, obsidian chips, animal bones, 1 wedge-shaped axe, 1 shell fragment, 8 chipped limestone disks, more than 1,000 sherds: 25% unidentified, 1 Puuc, mostly Mayapán period (75 effigy censers, maybe 30 more effigy-censer large body sherds, 22 Red-on-Buff, 1 Black-on-Cream, 2 Fine Orange)

CR #15

continued on next page

589

590

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Sacbe– northern terminus

Lot

Description

A-131

50 cm to bedrock

No. of burials

Q-214

round temple

C-73b

brown earth and rocks over bedrock beneath structure, soil predating construction

Q-214

round temple

C-73a

two strata associated with construction of Q-214; homogenous earth, small stones and refuse, laid down prior to construction

Q-214

round temple

C-75

burned area at floor of rear chamber and surface of interior round temple chamber in general

Q-214

round temple

C-73

midden sealed below lime floor, accumulated in corner while colonnade Q-213 was in use; ash, charcoal, several hearths

Q-214

round temple

C-74

later midden over floor that seals C-73 into which graves were placed

Q-214

round temple

C-76

surface and general excavation of substructure on east and south sides

A-3c

dwelling

A-86

material above secondary floor extending to niche in cist under southwest bench in outer room

A-3c

dwelling

A-87

between floors extending to niche in cist under southwest bench in outer room

A-3d

dwelling

A-3e

circular alignment of stones

A-91

trench for pottery samples

Q-62

dwelling

A-114

trench directly south of structure in line with central passageway (off structure) on platform

3

Q-62

dwelling

A-125

tomb under central bench in front room

3

Q-62

dwelling

A-115

surface material

Q-62

dwelling

A-118

from pit below floor to bedrock

Q-62

dwelling

A-119

east bench to floor level

Q-62

dwelling

A-120

below Lot A-119 to bedrock

2

Appendix

Burial description

adults, flexed, no grave goods, 2 skulls, 18 fragments of human and animal bones

Current Report number

Other artifacts 1 perforated shell tinkler, lithic flakes, animal bones, 600 sherds: 25% unidentified, mostly Mayapán period (20 effigy censers, plus 27 body sherds that might also be effigy censers, 6 Red-on-Buff)

CR #15

2 obsidian pieces, 10 animal bones, 156 sherds, all Mayapán period (40.4% unslipped, 0.7% noneffigy censers, 53.8% Mayapán red-slipped, 5.1% Black-on-Cream; no effigy censers)

CR #16

6 obsidian pieces, 1 cut deer bone, 46 animal bones, 537 sherds: 0.6% Puuc, 99.4% Mayapán period (31.6% unslipped, 1.5% noneffigy censers, 59.4% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.9% Fine Orange, 6% Black-on-Cream)

CR #16

489 sherds: 0.2% Puuc, 99.8% Mayapán period (4.7% unslipped, 1.2% noneffigy censers, 82.4% human effigy censers, 10.3% Mayapán red-slipped, 1% Red-on-Cream, 0.2% Blackon-Cream)

CR #16

4 obsidian pieces, roughly carved limestone human head, 54 animal bones, 546 sherds: 0.4% Puuc, 99.6% Mayapán period (41.8% unslipped, 9.3% noneffigy censers, 45.9% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.2% Fine Orange, 2.4% Black-on-Cream)

CR #16

2 obsidian pieces, 1 lithic flake, 1 unworked shell, 3 speleothems from stucco figures, red plaster, animal bones mixed with human bones, 1,647 sherds: 0.3% Puuc, 99.7% Mayapán period (22%unslipped, 2.5% noneffigy censers, 35.7% human effigy censers, 38.1% Mayapán red-slipped, 1% Red-on-Cream, 0.2% Fine Orange, 0.2% Black-on-Cream)

CR #16

4 lithic flakes, 31 animal bones, 1 cache (effigy censer warrior in corner of south stairwall and platform), cache of tripod effigy censer cup (human face) in shrine floor in front of female statue (which contained 3 jade beads, 1 jade fragment, and 2 shell beads), 2 speleothems, 1,749 sherds: 0.1% Puuc, 99.9% Mayapán period (13.3% unslipped, 2.6% noneffigy censers, 56.1% effigy censers, 27% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.3% Red-on-Cream, 0.3% Fine Orange, 0.3% Black-on-Cream

CR #16

40 sherds: 5 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #17

6 sherds: 1 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #17 CR #17

311 sherds: 154 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (3 possibly effigy censers)

CR #17

adults

14 obsidian pieces, 2 obsidian cores, 1 projectile point (side notch, round base), 4 lithic flakes, 1 whetstone, 1 polishing stone, 1 shell tinkler, 1 piece worked shell, 1 shell fragment, 1 mano fragment, 3 effigy censer heads (1 bearded/merchant god, 2 youthful face entities, one with snake headdress and one with turban headress), 1,876 sherds: 313 unidentified, 4 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 1,059 censers, 1 Fine Orange)

CR #17

children’s skeletons

3 obsidian pieces, 1 tinkler shell, 3 small seashells, 22 shell beads, some grave goods that look like toys (pottery whistles include iguana, dove, monkey, bird, owl, 2 jaguars, 1 female, 1 human figure), 3 effigy censers, 2 pottery cups (1 spiked), 16 sherds, all Mayapán period

CR #17

42 obsidian pieces, 3 obsidian cores, 1 obsidian projectile point (double side notch, concave base), 2 lithic “blades” (pointed biface?), 2 bifaces, 3 hammerstones, 20 lithic flakes, 2 polishing stones, 1 bark beater, 1 metate, 1 stone disk, 1 mano (nonlocal material), 1 shell bead, 7 shell tinklers, 1 speleothem, 9 shell fragments, 1 bone awl, animal bones, 3047 sherds: 684 unidentified, 11 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (including 228 censers, 23 Fine Orange)

CR #17

1 obsidian piece, 1 lithic flake, 1 bone awl (deer metapodial), 1 perforated human tooth, 2 perforated shell tinklers, 1 olive shell, 2 polishing stones, 245 sherds: 8 unidentified, 13 Puuc, 224 Mayapán period (5 Fine Orange, 16 censers)

CR #17

69 sherds: 5 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (4 censers)

CR #17

1 lithic flake, 94 sherds: 5 unidentified, 89 Mayapán period (10 censers)

CR #17 continued on next page

591

592

Appendix No. of burials

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-62

dwelling

A-121

pit in east back room, floor level to bedrock

Q-62

dwelling

A-122

in central bench

Q-62

dwelling

A-123

below floor of central bench to depth of 1.15 m (bedrock not encountered)

Q-62

dwelling

A-124

from shrine room bench to 25 cm below floor

Q-62

dwelling

A-126

west back room to depth of 1.15 m (no bedrock)

Z-4b

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-148

sub-bench rectangular chamber

Z-4b

c-shaped two-room oratory

A-149

passageway (doorway) to sub-bench rectangular chamber

AA-13c

dwelling

A-134

surface above cist

AA-13c

dwelling

A-135

from cist below Lot A-135 in central bench

AA-31d

dwelling

A-137

above floor

AA-31d

dwelling

A-138

floor level to bedrock

AA-37

dwelling

A-140

tomb under central passageway/bench

AA-37

dwelling

A-139

surface

AA-60a

dwelling

A-144

cist and passageway of sub-bench chamber

AA-60a

dwelling

A-145

material between floor and bedrock of cist and passageway of sub-bench chamber

AA-94

dwelling?

A-146

top of bench to depth of 60 cm

AA-94

dwelling?

A-147

base of Lot A-146 (60 cm) to bedrock

AA-103a

dwelling

A-127

tomb in platform to south of exterior bench

2

AA-112a

dwelling

A-141

tomb in west part of platform, upper room

1

Q-208

dwelling–elite

A-110?

front room floor

Q-208

dwelling–elite

A-95

cache in central doorway of central dividing wall leading to rear shrine room

2

Appendix

Other artifacts

Current Report number

103 sherds: 6 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (22 censers)

CR #17

1 olive shell, 17 sherds: 2 unidentified, 15 Mayapán period (2 censers)

CR #17

1 olive shell, 278 sherds: 7 unidentified 1 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (5 censers)

CR #17

70 sherds: 9 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (10 censers)

CR #17

4 obsidian pieces, 1 shell tinkler, 3 shell fragments, animal bones, 185 sherds: 10 unidentified, 2 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (2 Fine Orange, 20 censers)

CR #17

3 obsidian pieces, 1 obsidian core, 1 hammerstone, 7 lithic flakes, 2 shell fragments, 1 ceramic puppet, 1 copper bell, 1 basalt metate fragment, 1,022 sherds including 90 unidentified, 1 Puuc striated ware, 1 Black on Red, 1 Polychrome Veracruz type, and 929 Mayapán period (Mayapán period sherds include 41 censers, 2 Fine Orange)

CR #17

2 lithic flakes, 4 animal bones, 1 greenstone axe, 1 pounding stone, 1 rectangular stone with central hole, 1 speleothem, 1 oval polishing stone, 1 grooved metate fragment, 1 stone disk, 256 sherds: 30 unidentified, 226 Mayapán period (26 censers)

CR #17

1 obsidian piece, 1 animal bone, 75 sherds: 7 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange effigy foot in form of human head)

CR #17

animal bones, 125 sherds: 11 unidentified, remainder Mayapán period

CR #17

1 obsidian piece, 1 obsidian end scraper, 12 sherds: 5 unidentified, 7 Mayapán period

CR #17

4 obsidian pieces, 1 lithic projectile point or pointed biface, 2 lithic flakes, 1 shell fragment, 1 copper ring, 175 sherds: 13 unidentified, 7 Puuc, remainder Mayapán period (1 Fine Orange, 15 censers)

CR #17

1 pottery puppet torso, 1 female pottery figurine, 61 sherds: 10 unidentified, 35 Puuc, 16 Mayapán period

CR #17

1 obsidian piece, 1 projectile point or pointed biface, 3 lithic flakes, 1 basalt metate fragment, 43 sherds: 4 unidentified, 3 Puuc, 36 Mayapán period

CR #17

133 sherds: 25 unidentified, 108 Mayapán period (3 censers)

CR #17

3 sherds, Mayapán period

CR #17

40 sherds: 6 unidentified, 34 Mayapán period (8 censers)

CR #17

1 lithic flake, 1 metate, 1 bone awl (deer metapodial), 4 manos, 3 rubbing stones, 4 stone pounders, 2 animal bones, 14 sherds, all Mayapán period

CR #17

1 male, 1 female, both young adults; right side and left side, respectively; legs partly flexed, his arms extended, hers flexed, faced west and east, respectively (faced out from each other, not toward each other)

1 obsidian piece, 2 animal bones, 3 copper rings (all on 1 phalange of female burial), 1 copper tweezer and 1 shell bead (each with same burial), 1 basalt footed metate fragment, 235 sherds: 56 of this total were unidentified and 179 were of the Mayapán period (which included 8 censer sherds)

CR #17

no details given; presumably adult, poorly preserved

2 “flints” or “flint fragments” (presumed to be lithic tools), no sherds listed

CR #17

1 obsidian piece, 2 obsidian projectile points (side notch, square base), 1 greenstone celt, 1 polished stone (chert) celt, 1 pointed biface, oval bark beater (mortar residue on it), 1 shell tinkler,1 grooved pebble polisher, 1 piece of mother of pearl

CR #19

2 pottery diving effigies, 1 incomplete ladle censer

CR #19

Burial description

human vertebra

1 adult, 1 adolescent

continued on next page

593

594

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-208

dwelling–elite

A-95

on step in front of bench in rear shrine room

Q-208

dwelling–elite

A-95

on bench of rear shrine room

Q-208

dwelling–elite

A-110

dedication cache in front of central door to front room

Q-208-sub

dwelling–elite

A-110

burial between benches under floor of central passageway

Q-208-sub

dwelling–elite

A-110?

construction fill below floor of Str. Q-208-sub

Q-162/Q77 trench

trench in main plaza

C-61

surface debris in area of trench, minor amount of fill from between Floors 13 and 19

Q-162/Q77 trench

trench in main plaza

C-61

surface debris in area of trench, minor amount of fill from between Floors 13 and 19

Q-162/Q77 trench

trench in main plaza

C-62

sealed fill between Floors 9 and 8

Q-162/Q77 trench

trench in main plaza

C-62

sealed fill between Floors 9 and 8

Q-162/Q77 trench

trench in main plaza

C-63

sealed fill between Floors 8 and 4

Q-162/Q77 trench

trench in main plaza

C-63

sealed fill between Floors 8 and 4

Q-162/Q77 trench

trench in main plaza

C-64

sealed fill between Floor 3 and bedrock

Q-162/Q77 trench

trench in main plaza

C-64

sealed fill between Floor 3 and bedrock

Q-162

Castillo

C-65

surface and general excavation of Castillo temple

Q-162

Castillo

C-65

surface and general excavation of Castillo temple

Q-162

Castillo

C-65

sides of masonry altar at base of north stair of Castillo, built with eleventh floor

Q-162

Castillo

C-65

buried in cist and covered by later floors in temple of Castillo

Q-162

Castillo

C-65

two rear altars (sequential) looted from inner Castillo temple sanctuary

No. of burials

4

Appendix

Burial description

children, 1 ten years old 1 less than six months, others not mentioned

3 fragments of human bone

Other artifacts

Current Report number

1 stone diving effigy, 1 vessel with 5 compartmented cups

CR #19

2 shark teeth

CR #19

1 obsidian point (side notch, concave base), 1 projectile point (side notch, broken base), 1 pottery effigy (seated figure), 1 small cowry shell

CR #19

Burial 1 (ten year old): associated with a large hollow pottery figurine (lightly fired, easily crumbled); lower infant skeleton (less than six months old) had cotton bands around each ankle threading 5 copper bells on each leg and one section had intervening shell beads; Burial 3 had moldmade figurines (rumbled), 1 polished antler tip, small pottery whistle (spiker monkey), pedestalled pottery vase with long-nosed god, tripod vase with face of long-nosed god, deposit of 1,800 censer fragments over burials (including 4 faces, 6 feet, and 7 arms belonging to Xipe Totec)

CR #19

animal bones (miscellaneous species but also 13 iguana skulls), 1 bone awl fragment, half an incised and cut jaguar tooth, 1 musical rasp made of human femur (none shown)

CR #19

4 obsidian pieces, 3 lithic flakes, more than 100 fragments modeled/painted stucco, speleothems from stucco figures, 2 small sculpture fragments, 1 carved and 1 uncarved olive shell tinklers

CR #20

982 sherds: 0.2% Puuc, 99.8% Mayapán period (12.2% unslipped, 6.2% noneffigy censers, 68.4% human effigy censers, 11.7% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.2% Red-on-Cream, 0.1% Fine Orange, 1% Black-on-Cream)

CR #20

1 obsidian core, 1 lithic flake, 23 human and animal bones, 1 perforated human tooth, 1 cache included a miniature tripod cup containing 2 shell beads, 1 unworked shell

CR #20

413 sherds: 17.15% Puuc, 82.85% Mayapán period (34.4% unslipped, 2.9% noneffigy censers, 3.8% human effigy censers, 39% Mayapán red-slipped, 2.7% Black-on-Cream)

CR #20

5 obsidian pieces, 1 lithic flake, cache of a Mayapán red-slipped jar that contained an animal tooth, burned shells, coral, and other marine objects (below circular masonry altar in front of Castillo associated with Floor 6)

CR #20

313 sherds: 3.5% Puuc, 96.5% Mayapán period (26.2% unslipped, 2.3% noneffigy censers, 0.9% human effigy censers, 60.4% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.3% Fine Orange, 6.4% Black-onCream)

CR #20

2 obsidian pieces, 2 projectile points (1 has side notch, broken base), 1 hammerstone, 1 flint “blade” (pointed biface), 4 lithic flakes, 3 shell fragments, a few human bones, charcoal, ash, fragments of a miniature sculpted figure (human face, eyes closed), 1 bone awl, 1 cache of 2 bowls (lower one was cream-slipped and contained ash beneath inverted tripod grater bowl); cache is near Q-77

CR #20

5,510 sherds: 5.9% Puuc and earlier, 94.1% Mayapán period (26.8% unslipped, 10% noneffigy censers, 40.4% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.3% Fine Orange, 16.6% Black-on-Cream)

CR #20

13 obsidian pieces, 4 pointed bifaces, 1 eccentric, 8 lithic flakes, fragments of pointed plaster, 6 bird bones, charcoal, ash, copal, 1 limestone mano, 13 univalve worked shells, 3 discoidal beads, 5 shell ornaments, 2 unworked shells

CR #20

1,907 sherds: 100% Mayapán period (1.8% unslipped, 1.2% noneffigy censers, 63.5% human effigy censers, 31.5% Mayapán red-slipped, 2% Red-on-Cream)

CR #20

a tapered sacrificial block and a carved columned altar

CR #20

stone puffed-cheek human figure (broken fragments buried in a cist, covered by later floors)

CR #20

obsidian blades, flint blades/chips, shell beads, tinklers and ornaments, fragments of pottery figurines and vessels, animal and human effigies (some from censers), and many restorable miniature tripod bowls (of Mayapán red-slipped and Red-on-Cream; appear to have been used to burn copal)

CR #20

continued on next page

595

596

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-153

Cenote Temple

not provided

surface of temple, cache, altar, rubbish at northwest corner of platform

Q-149

shrine

not provided

surface of shrine 10 m east of Cenote Temple, facing east

Q-148

shrine

C-81?

material under stepstone to altar, shrine 12 m from Q-151 hall, facing north

Q-148

shrine

C-81

altar cache, shrine 12 m from Q-151 hall, facing north

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35

surface and general excavation

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35a

unsealed fill of terrace pertaining to second phase Q-97

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35b

unsealed fill of shrine room floor of Q-97 to early plaza floor

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35c

sealed fill below early plaza floor to bedrock under shrine room

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35d

sealed fill below terrace floor of early phase of colonnaded hall Q-97

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35e

from below plaza floor to bedrock, rear center of Q-97

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35f

from postconstruction midden and building debris above plaza floor east side of Q-97

C-58

surface to bedrock in north-south trench, between stairway of Shrine Q-88a and rectangular platform Q-88b

Trench between Q-88a and Q-88b Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-59

surface excavation in passage behind Q-151 at southeast corner of Caracol platform

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-84/84a/85

sealed fill of primary colonnaded hall Q-151, between floor and bedrock in central trench

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-85a

unsealed fill in altar of colonnaded hall Q-151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-85b

cache in unsealed fill in altar of colonnaded hall Q-151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-85c

unsealed fill in altar of colonnaded hall Q-151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-85d

unsealed and disturbed fill of front terrace Q-151

Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-86/87

from base of colonnade wall to bedrock in passage between 151 and 152, Level 6, most predates construction of 151

No. of burials

Appendix

Burial description

some human skull fragments

Current Report number

Other artifacts 1 anthropomorphic stone turtle (in two separated halves), Cache in Altar 2 included 2 small redware tripod bowls (lip-to-lip) with ball of partly burned copal inside, trash deposit at cenote rim with abundant animal bone, utilitarian vessels and effigy censers, small turtle of green jadelike stone was found

CR #21

limestone human head with conical headdress, stone hand and leg, Puuc carved stones and mask elements

CR #21

1 gray shell bead, small iron pyrite flake, 1 lump of copal, several censer and other pottery sherds

CR #21

altar surface had been destroyed; 1 small square flake of gold with a faint stamped design, 1 small copper bell, 1 shell bead; looters overlooked a small effigy vase (God B) between two altar stones (2 jade beads, 3 shell beads, 1 copper fleck, 1 jade flake from possible mosaic were within the vase); 1 broken pointed biface, 1 obsidian arrowhead (side notch, concave base), 1 limestone hand, 1 mano

CR #21

2 obsidian pieces, 2 lithic flakes, 1 shell ornament, 15 animal bones, fragments of painted/ modeled stucco (1 with textile imprint), 2 speleothems from modeled stucco, stone Ehecatl effigy, 1 alabaster vessel fragment, 1 miniature tripod cup (from floor of shrine room), 1 Fine Orange tripod bowl (supports missing, from surface of bench and floor)

CR #22

4 obsidian pieces, fragments of modeled/painted stucco, 1 carved stone

CR #22

252 sherds: 0.8% Puuc, 99.2% Mayapán period (27.4% unslipped, 4% noneffigy censers, 19% human effigy censers, 45.6% Mayapán red-slipped, 3.2% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

5 obsidian pieces, 1 lithic flake, 34 animal bones, 4 fragments of bone rasp, cache: sacrificed, burned animal in unslipped pottery olla covered by inverted vessel

CR #22

2 obsidian pieces, 86 sherds: 3.5% Puuc, 96.5% Mayapán period (13.8% unslipped, 3.4% noneffigy censers, 44.8% Mayapán red-slipped, 1.2% Fine Orange, 33.3% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

3 obsidian pieces, 24 fragments of human skull, animal and bird bones, 3 fragments of painted plaster, 1 speleothem from modeled stucco figure

CR #22

15 obsidian pieces, 5 lithic flakes, 90 animal bones, 1 perforated animal tooth, 1 peccary tusk, 1 limestone mano, 12 fragments of painted plaster/modeled stucco

CR #22

1 obsidian piece, 2 lithic flakes, 5 animal bones, 1 shell ornament incised with glyphs

CR #22

1 obsidian piece, 1 projectile point (side notch, round base), 1 pointed biface, 1 shell ornament, fragments of human and animal bones, burned and unburned copal, charcoal ash, 1 limestone mano fragment, 1 basalt metate fragment

CR #22

2 obsidian pieces, 17 human and animal bone fragments, 1 speleothem from modeled stucco figure

CR #22

7 obsidian pieces, 1 obsidian biface, 1 shell tinkler, 7 animal bones

CR #22

1 obsidian piece, 1 obsidian tool, 2 animal bones, cache in altar with 2 Mayapán red-slipped vessels (1 with long bulbous feet, 1 incurving-rim bowl), 1 stingray spine, 1 non-perforated cylindrical jade ornament

CR #22

sherds

CR #22

100 sherds: 5% Puuc, 95% Mayapán period (21% unslipped, 25% effigy censers, 39% Maya­ pán red-slipped, 1% Fine Orange, 9% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

3 obsidian pieces, 1 lithic flake, 1 shell ornament, 9 animal bones, 1 speleothem from modeled figure, sherds include 1 fragment Tohil Plumbate

CR #22

continued on next page

597

598

Appendix No. of burials

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-88

from Level 5 in passage between 151 and 152

Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-89

from Level 4 in passage between 151 and 152

Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-90

from Level 3 in passage between 151 and 152

5

Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-91

from Level 2 in passage between 151 and 152

see Lot C-90

Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-92

from Level 1 in passage between 151 and 152

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-93/93a/b

from surface debris above floors in interior of Q-151, material heavily concentrated in and around shrine

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-94

general surface of terraces, stairway, and substructure of 151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-104

sealed midden/ fill under Floor 2 to bedrock at northwest side of 151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-105

sealed midden fill between Floors 1 and 2 at northwest side of 151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-106

unsealed midden fill of bench at northwest side of 151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-107

general surface above bench at northwest side of 151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-108

fill in lower half of excavation at west end of 151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-108a

unsealed upper fill of excavation at west end of 151

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35

surface and general excavation

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35a

unsealed fill of terrace pertaining to second phase Q-97; text refers to this as a surface lot along front and within colonnaded hall

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35b

surface lot along front and w/in colonnaded hall

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35c

sealed fill below early plaza floor to bedrock under shrine room

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35d

fill below earliest terrace

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35e

from below plaza floor to bedrock, rear center of Q-97

1

Appendix

Burial description

Current Report number

Other artifacts 14 obsidian pieces, 2 hammerstones, 1 flint blade (pointed biface?), 4 lithic flakes, 1 shell fragment, 10 human or animal bone fragments, 2 speleothems, 2 fragments of modeled stucco (painted), 1 stone sculpture fragment, 1 pottery mold fragment

CR #22

a few vertebrae, a mandible, some tarsal bones

7 human/animal bone fragments, 404 sherds: 4.75% Puuc, 95.25% Mayapán period (28.7% unslipped, 15.3% noneffigy censer, 1% effigy censer, 42.6% Mayapán red-slipped, 1% Fine Orange, 6.7% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

beheaded, dismembered individuals in Levels 2 and 3 (including C-91)

15 obsidian pieces, 2 obsidian end scrapers, 1 flint “point,” 1 utilized flake, 5 lithic flakes, 118 human/animal bone fragments, 1 shark tooth, 1 bone bead, 3 fragments pointed wall plaster, 1 stucco human head and hand, 2 speleothems from modeled stucco, 1 unworked and 1 perforated shell ornaments, 1 shell disk, 1 pottery spindle whorl, 1 redware jar

CR #22

see Lot C-90

5 speleothems and fragments of modeled/painted stucco, 4 lithic flakes, 14 animal bones

CR #22

3 obsidian pieces, 1 hammerstone, 1 projectile point, 3 lithic flakes, 2 animal bones, 7 speleothems from modeled stucco figure

CR #22

2 obsidian pieces, 1 hammerstone, 1 projectile point (side notch, square base), 1 pointed biface, 1 triangular axe, 8 lithic flakes, 2 shell fragments, 21 human/animal bones, 1 charred corncob, 1 speleothem and modeled/painted stucco, 1 stone turtle (containing 2 obsidian blades), stingray spine fragments, 1 limestone mano, 1 polishing stone, 1 miniature tripod (noneffigy) cup (on bench), 1 noneffigy censer, 1 unslipped coarse paste/tan painted plate

CR #22

15 obsidian pieces, 1 core, 2 obsidian projectile points (distal portions), 10 lithic flakes, 71 human/animal bones, 9 speleothems, modeled/painted stucco, 1 shell tinkler, 1 stone censer fragment, 1 pottery spindle whorl, 1 hollow cylindrical seal

CR #22

8 obsidian pieces, 19 animal bones

CR #22

60 obsidian pieces, 100 animal bones, 1 shell bead

CR #22

5 obsidian pieces, 135 animal bones, 1 fragment modeled/painted stucco, 1 limestome mano

CR #22

21 obsidian pieces, 1 wide triangular projectile point (side notch, round base), 11 lithic flakes, 1 shell fragment, 155 animal bones, charcoal, ash, copal, 2 speleothems, modeled/ painted stucco fragments, 1 stone head

CR #22

16 obsidian pieces, 50 animal bones, charcoal

CR #22

14 obsidian pieces, 20 animal bones, 1 fragment limestone mano

CR #22

2,505 sherds: 0.7% Puuc, 99.3% Mayapán period (14.6% unslipped, 1.8% noneffigy censers, 56.5% effigy censers, 22.4% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.4% Red-on-Cream, 0.8% Fine Orange, 2.8% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

177 sherds: 100% Mayapán period (9.6% unslipped, 1.8% noneffigy censers, 39.4% effigy censers, 39.0% Mayapán red-slipped, 10.2% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

child’s skull

CR #22 605 sherds: 0.8% Puuc, 99.2% Mayapán period (44% unslipped, 1.3% noneffigy censers, 33.2% Mayapán red-slipped, 1.5% Fine Orange, 19.2% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22 CR #22

570 sherds: 0.4% Puuc, 99.6% Mayapán period (39.6% unslipped, 1.2% noneffigy censers, 51.1% Mayapán redware, 0.4% Fine Orange, 7.3% Black-on-Cream) continued on next page

CR #22

599

600

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-97

colonnaded hall

C-35f

from postconstruction midden and building debris above plaza floor east side of Q-97

C-58

surface to bedrock in north-south trench between stairway of Shrine Q-88a and rectangular platform Q-88b

Trench between Q-88a and Q-88b

No. of burials

Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-59

surface excavation in passage behind Q-51 at southeast corner of Caracol platform, described as a pottery dump

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-84/84a/85

sealed fill of primary colonnaded hall Q-151, between floor and bedrock in central trench

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-85a/b/c

unsealed fill in colonnaded altar Q-151

Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-86/87

from base of colonnade wall to bedrock in passage between 151 and 152, Level 6, most predates construction of 151

Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-88

from Level 5 in passage between 151 and 152

Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-89

from Level 4 in passage between 151 and 152

Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-90

from Level 3 in passage between 151 and 152

5

Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-91

from Level 2 in passage between 151 and 152

see Lot C-90

Q-151/152 passage

colonnaded hall/templo red

C-92

from Level 1 in passage between 151 and 152

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-93/93a/b

from surface debris above floors in interior of Q-151; material heavily concentrated in and around shrine

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-94

general surface of terraces, k stairway, and substructure of 151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-104

sealed fill under Floor 2 to bedrock at northwest side of 151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-105

sealed fill between Floors 1 and 2 at northwest side of 151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-106

unsealed fill of bench at northwest side of 151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-107

general surface above bench at northwest side of 151

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-108

fill in lower half of excavation at west end of 151

Appendix

Burial description

Current Report number

Other artifacts 1,587 sherds: 0.4% Puuc, 99.6% Mayapán period (35.5% unslipped, 1.2% noneffigy censers, 3.6% effigy censers, 53.9% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.4% Red-on-Cream, 0.8% Fine Orange, 4.2% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

957 sherds: 2.4% Puuc, 97.6% Mayapán period (25.2% unslipped, 1.7% noneffigy censers, 29% effigy censers, 34.7% Mayapán red-slipped, 7% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

1,839 sherds: 0.2% Puuc, 99.8% Mayapán period (8% unslipped, 1.5% noneffigy censers, 72.8% effigy censers, 16.2% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.9% Red-on-Cream, 0.1% Fine Orange, 0.3% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

795 sherds: 17.5% Puuc, 82.5% Mayapán period (28.8% unslipped, 0.3% noneffigy censers, 36.3% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.6% Fine Orange, 16.5% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

126 sherds: 3.2% Puuc, 96.8% Mayapán period (23.8% unslipped, 3.2% noneffigy censers, 3.2% effigy censers, 64.2% Mayapán red-slipped, 2.4% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

1,393 sherds, 20.6% Puuc, 79.4% Mayapán period (31.9% unslipped, 1.2% noneffigy censers, 38.3% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.3% Fine Orange, 7.7% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

1,517 sherds: 2.4% Puuc, 97.6% Mayapán period (27.5% unslipped, 26% noneffigy censers, 1.8% effigy censers, 39.1% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.4% Fine Orange, 2.8% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

a few vertebrae, a mandible, some tarsal bones

404 sherds: 4.7% Puuc, 95.3% Mayapán period (28.7% unslipped, 15.3% noneffigy censers, 1% effigy censers, 42.6% Mayapán red-slipped, 1% Fine Orange, 6.7% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

beheaded, dismembered individuals in Levels 2 and 3 (including C-91)

2,968 sherds: 1.5% Puuc, 98.5% Mayapán period (15.9% unslipped, 44% noneffigy censers, 7.8% effigy censers, 29.5% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.1% Red-on-Cream, 0.2% Fine Orange, 1% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

see Lot C-90

9,102 sherds: 0.1% Puuc, 99.9% Mayapán period (4.7% unslipped, 1.4% noneffigy censers, 80.3% effigy censers, 12.6% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.7% Red-on-Cream, 0.1%Fine Orange, 0.1% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

8,231 sherds: 0.1% Puuc, 99.9% Mayapán period (1.5% unslipped, 0.2% noneffigy censers, 93.4% effigy censers, 4.6% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.1% Red-on-Cream, 0.1% Black-onCream)

CR #22

17,915 sherds: 0.2% Puuc, 99.8% Mayapán period (2.9% unslipped, 0.3% noneffigy censers, 90.7% effigy censers, 5.3% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.2% Red-on-Cream, 0.1% Fine Orange, 0.3% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

4,441 sherds: 0.3% Puuc, 99.7% Mayapán period (4.9% unslipped, 0.6%noneffigy censers, 77.5% effigy censers, 15.3% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.6% Red-on-Cream, 0.1% Fine Orange, 0.7% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

247 sherds: 5.3 Puuc, 94.7 Mayapán period (40.5% unslipped, 0.4% noneffigy censers, 40.1% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.8% Fine Orange, 12.9% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

499 sherds: 3.4% Puuc, 96.6% Mayapán period (28.3% unslipped, 5.6% noneffigy censers, 0.8% effigy censers, 57.9% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.8% Fine Orange, 3.2% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

422 sherds: 0.5% Puuc, 99.5% Mayapán period (33.8% unslipped, 1.9% noneffigy censers, 17.7% effigy censers, 44.5% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.2% Red-on-Cream, 1.4% Black-onCream)

CR #22

4,628 sherds: 0.2% Puuc, 99.8% Mayapán period (10.5% unslipped, 1.3% noneffigy censers, 55% effigy censers, 31.9% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.3% Red-on-Cream, 0.3% Fine Orange, 0.5% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

219 sherds: 5% Puuc, 95% Mayapán period (21.9% unslipped, 2.8% noneffigy censers, 60.7% Mayapán red-slipped, 0.9% Fine Orange, 8.7% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

continued on next page

601

602

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-151

colonnaded hall

C-108a

unsealed upper fill of excavation at west end of 151

Q-169

dwelling–elite

Q-169

dwelling–elite

A-417

dedicatory cache in front of the center of main entrance

Q-169

dwelling–elite

A-418

tomb in front of doorway between front and rear rooms, central axis

Q-169

dwelling–elite

A-421

materials below floor of tomb, midden/fill contains no late Mayapán period pottery, no pottery earlier than Mayapán period

Q-169

dwelling–elite

A-408

surface materials

Q-172

two-room residence

A-416

dedicatory cache

Q-172

outbuilding in elite residential group

A-413

cist in Room A

Q-172

outbuilding in elite residential group

Q-172

outbuilding in elite residential group

A-406

above altar of Room A

Q-172

outbuilding in elite residential group

A-406

in doorway of Room A

Q-172

outbuilding in elite residential group

A-406

floor of Room A

Q-172

outbuilding in elite residential group

A-406

in roof fall of Room A

Q-172

outbuilding in elite residential group

A-415

inside altar of Room A

Q-172

outbuilding in elite residential group

A-402

surface of Room B

Q-173

outbuilding in elite residential group

A-430

south bench

A-400–437

lot inventory not provided, some are mentioned in text

Q-169 group

No. of burials

altar in rear room

façade of Room A

Q-126

round temple

C-110ab

sealed fill below oldest plaza Floor 1 to bedrock in central trench

Q-126

round temple

C-110c

sealed fill below floor of round temple and front terrace

Q-126

round temple

C-109

deposit along west base of substructure and from surface and general excavation of temple/substructure

1

Appendix

Burial description

supine skeleton, head to the east, left forearm across body

Current Report number

Other artifacts 62 sherds: 1.6% Puuc, 98.4% Mayapán period (32.3% unslipped, 4.8% noneffigy censers, 9.7% effigy censers, 46.8% Mayapán red-slipped, 3.23% Fine Orange, 1.6% Black-on-Cream)

CR #22

stucco foot and fragments, probably from an altar figure; altar likely looted before building collapse

CR #25

2 jaguar effigy figures, seated, one red and white and one yellow

CR #25

12 tripod bowls, 1 ladle censer, 1 copper bell (in knee area)

CR #25

CR #25

cremation

8 obsidian pieces, 1 conch shell fragment, pot lid, broken metate

CR #25

kneeling pottery figure with lip plug (looks like ballplayer)

CR #25

1 death-god head from effigy censer, 1 copper tweezer with twisted handle, incense burner fragments, 1 small shell bead (disk), 1 worked shell rectangular piece, 1 worked bone fragment

CR #25

stone carved with 2 glyphs

CR #25

tripod unslipped jar, noneffigy

CR #25

limestone ornament (banner stone with hollow hole at top), originally covered in stucco

CR #25

6 obsidian pieces, 1 core, 2 projectile points (1 is side-notched), 3 stone disks

CR #25

pottery vessel of turtle with human head, hole in carapace

CR #25

pottery jar that held cremation, unslipped olla strap handle, pottery tripod dish with human effigy supports, served as lid for olla

CR #25

3 obsidian pieces, 1 projectile point (side-notched), 4 broken pointed bifaces, 1 copper bell, 1 diving figure stone sculpture, 1 pot lid, 1 broken mano, 1 antler fragment, 1 coral, 1 conch shell fragment, 1 rubbing stone, 6 animal bones

CR #25

1 obsidian piece, 30 animal bones, sherds not classified

CR #25

sherds indicate late activity in Mayapán period history

CR #25

6 obsidian pieces, 134 animal bones, almost all Mayapán period pottery, 218 sherds: 0.4% Puuc, 99.6% Mayapán period (29.4% unslipped, 1.8% noneffigy censers, 61% Mayapán redslipped, 2.8% Fine Orange, 4.6% Black-on-Cream)

CR #27

burned copal, fragments of stucco (yellow and red paint), 1 cache of 2 flint blades (pointed bifaces), 1 animal bone, 317 sherds: 0.6% Puuc, 99.4% Mayapán period (2.9% unslipped, 17.3% noneffigy censers, 72.9% effigy censers, 6.3% Mayapán red-slipped)

CR #27

34 obsidian pieces, 1 flint “point,” 1 scraper, 26 lithic flakes, 1 shell tinkler, 1 worked shell, 4 shell fragments, 1 perforated bone ornament, 50 fragments modeled/painted stucco figures/ornaments, 2 small stone sculptures (Puuc mask nose element, tenoned stone ring), 1 limestone mano fragment, 1 greenstone celt fragment, 1 tubular jade bead, 1 spherical pottery bead, 1 copper ring, 148 animal bones; 90% of sherds and artifacts represent materials swept from temple,

CR #27

continued on next page

603

604

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Q-126

round temple

C-109

deposit along west base of substructure and from surface and general excavation of temple/substructure

Q-126

round temple

H-17a

shrine

C-114

shrine in front of Itzmal Ch’en Temple H-17 area north of platform near L-shaped wall segment

H-17a

shrine

C-115

shrine in front of Itzmal Ch’en Temple H-17 benches to south of east platform and debris covering this area

H-17 altar

Itzmal Chen Temple

C-120

surface debris around altar

H-17 altar

Itzmal Chen Temple

C-123

beneath floor under altar

Q-80

Temple of Serpent Masks

C-67

general excavation along south, west, and north sides of structure

Q-80

Temple of Serpent Masks

C-67

general excavation along south, west, and north sides of structure

Q-80

Temple of Serpent Masks

C-68

debris in Room 1

Q-80

Temple of Serpent Masks

C-68

debris in Room 1

Q-80

Temple of Serpent Masks

C-69

excavated to bedrock in passage between Q80 and Q-81 colonnade

Q-80

Temple of Serpent Masks

C-69

excavated to bedrock in passage between Q80 and Q-81 colonnade

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

general lot

all excavations

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-130, 152, 153, 157–159, 165, 166, 171, 201, 203, 206, 209, 211, 220, 221, 234, 238, 241

surface accumulation of debris at various locations in the group

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-130, 152, 153, 157–159, 165, 166, 171, 201, 203, 206, 209, 211, 220, 221, 234, 238, 241

surface accumulation of debris at various locations in the group

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-133, 151, 154, 205, 222

mixed lots of debris and material on floors of rooms

No. of burials

1

Appendix

Burial description

skeleton of adolescent, above fill of passageway to Q-81 colonnade but beneath masonry fall

Current Report number

Other artifacts 10,374 sherds: 0.2% Puuc, 99.8% Mayapán period (21.9% unslipped, 0.5% noneffigy censers, 41.3% effigy censers, 34.5% Mayapán red-slipped, 1% Red-on-Cream, 0.5% Fine Orange, 0.1% Black-on-Cream)

CR #27

stone human head (in mouth of a bird), 6 plain and carved stelae

CR #27

1 limestone face (old man’s face with snake headdress emerging from shell), 1 limestone turtle, 2 limestone snakes, 2 altar stones with balls on top

CR #28

tenon, 3 snake heads, sacrificial stone, footed stucco figures, at least 2 censers

CR #28

3 squared stones supporting seated plaster figures with arms and heads holding up table altar, another stone without preserved figure, 4 limestone turtles, crouching figure with snake on back, 1 human face

CR #28

jade pendant (carved human face)

CR #28

1 obsidian piece, 1 limestone disk, 1 shell tinkler, 2 shell fragments, 61 animal bones, 4 speleothems

CR #30

2,900 sherds: 7 Puuc, 2,893 Mayapán period (217 unslipped, 260 noneffigy censers, 1 figurine fragment, 2,030 effigy censers, 358 Mayapán red-slipped, 22 Red-on-Cream, 4 Fine Orange, 1 Black-on-Cream)

CR #30

5 obsidian pieces, 1 shell bead (Spondylus?), 1 triangular shell pendant, 3 burned stone beads, 3 greenstone beads, copal from censers, turtle bowl pot with human hands

CR #30

2,077 sherds: 3 Puuc, 2,074 Mayapán period (24 unslipped, 770 noneffigy censers, 1,087 effigy censers, 15 effigy censer bowls, 153 Mayapán red-slipped, 22 Red-on-Cream, 2 Fine Orange, 1 Black-on-Cream) [Totals corrected from original lot description in Current Report 30.]

CR #30

2 obsidian pieces, 26 animal bones, copal from censers

CR #30

787 sherds, 11 Puuc, 776 Mayapán period (114 unslipped, 58 noneffigy censers, 328 effigy censers, 264 Mayapán red-slipped, 1 Fine Orange, 11 Black-on-Cream)

CR #30

42,287 sherds: 2,557 unidentified, 2 Tohil Plumbate, 1 Fine Orange, 59 slateware, 3 other Classic period wares, 95 post conquest, 39,570 Mayapán period (19,340/48.9% effigy censers, 8,848/22.3% unslipped, 10,198/25.8% slipped redwares, 708/1.8% Red-on-Buff with or without black design, 247/0.6% Fine Orange, 6/0.0002% Black-on-Cream, 223/0.6% miscellaneous wares probably Mayapán period)

CR #29

7,604 sherds: 1,314 unidentified, 20 miscellaneous, 2 plumbate, 13 slateware, 3 Classic period, 95 post conquest, 6,157 Mayapán period (1,109/18% effigy censers, 1,652/26.7% unslipped, 3,102/50.2% redware, 232/3.8% Red-on-Buff, 61/1% Fine Orange, 1/0.0002% Black-on-Cream) [Totals corrected from original lot description in Current Report 29.]

CR #29

13 obsidian pieces, 1 obsidian core, 7 hammerstones, 2 pointed bifaces, 1 bifacial projectile point (side notch, square base), 5 flake scrapers, 3 thumbnail scrapers, 22 flint bifaces (in various stages of reduction), 9 lithic flakes, 4 limestone disks, 1 grooved stone, 3 metates, 4 manos, 3 basalt metates, 3 granite metates, 1 honing stone, 1 greenstone celt fragment, 1 pottery ring, 1 modified olive shell, 2 shell fragments, 1 wrought iron hasp (modern?), 2 copper bells, animal bones

CR #29

1,788 sherds: 351 unidentified, 3 slateware, 1,434 Mayapán period (721 effigy censers, 196 unslipped, 414 redware, 18 Red-on-Buff, 9 Fine Orange, 76 miscellaneous) [Totals corrected from original lot description in Current Report 29.]

CR #29

continued on next page

605

606

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-133, 151, 154, 205, 222

mixed lots of debris and material on floors of rooms

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-175, 202, 207, 223, 225, 228, 231

material on floors, sealed by roof debris

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-175, 202, 207, 223, 225, 228, 231

material on floors, sealed by roof debris

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-160–163, 167, 174, 204, 215, 219, 230, 232, 235, 239, 240, 242

material sealed between floors of Phase III and Phase II

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-160–163, 167, 174, 204, 215, 219, 230, 232, 235, 239, 240, 242

material sealed between floors of Phase III and Phase II

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-155, 168, 169, 172, 224, 226, 233

material above Phase I floors, sealed by floors of Phase II or Phase III

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-155, 168, 169, 172, 224, 226, 233

material above Phase I floors, sealed by floors of Phase II or Phase III

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-213, 216, 217

ash midden outside vaulted passage

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-213, 216, 217

ash midden outside vaulted passage

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-164, 170, 173, 194, 195, 214, 214a, 218, 218a, 227, 227a, 236, 237

material under earliest floors in earth layer on fill of early platforms and under ash midden

Group R85 to R-90

dwelling–elite

A-164, 170, 173, 194, 195, 214, 214a, 218, 218a, 227, 227a, 236, 237

material under earliest floors in earth layer on fill of early platforms and under ash midden

R-86

dwelling–elite

A-193

burial Cist 1, tomb in fill under structure, later reopned and plundered (not sure if at abandonment or earlier)

R-86

dwelling–elite

A-176–191

burial Cist 2, cist in fill of structure

No. of burials

1 but looted 1

Appendix

Other artifacts

Current Report number

1 obsidian piece, 3 hammerstones, 1 limestone disk, 1 olive shell

CR #29

4,625 sherds: 288 unidentified, 19/0.5% miscellaneous, 4,337 Mayapán period (161/3.7% effigy censers, 2,194/50.6% unslipped, 1,874/3.2% redwares, 69/1.5% Red-on-Buff, 20/0.5% Fine Orange); high proportion of unslipped is due to large water jars left in situ in shrine rooms of R-86/87; low count of censers may be due to their removal to burial Cist 2 in R-86

CR #29

4 obsidian pieces, 1 hammerstone, 1 pointed biface, 1 projectile point (bifacial, side notch, broken base), 1 lithic flake, 1 mano, 1 pestle, 8 chips of red limestone, 2 fragments of unidentified red limestone implements, 1 obsidian thumbnail scraper, 1 carved shell pendant, 1 shell ornament, fragments of modeled/painted stucco, 2 deer phalanges

CR #29

2,003 sherds: 4 slateware, 118 unidentified, 1,881 Mayapán period (181/9.6% effigy censers, 560/29.8% unslipped, 1,060/56.4% redwares, 19/1% Red-on-Buff, 44/2.3% Fine Orange, 4/0.2% Black-on-Cream, 13/0.7% miscellaneous)

CR #29

8 obsidian pieces, 1 pointed biface, 1 wedge-shaped axe, 1 lithic flake, 2 shell fragments, animal bones, 1 pot lid, 1 mano, 10 chips of red limestone, speleothem fragments

CR #29

1,548 sherds: 75 unidentified, 3 slateware, 1,470 Mayapán period (92/6.2% effigy censers, 660/44.9% unslipped, 632/43% redwares, 21/1.4% Red-on-Buff, 16/1.1% Fine Orange, 49/3.4% miscellaneous)

CR #29

10 obsidian pieces, 1 obsidian core, 1 hammerstone, 1 pointed biface, 7 lithic flakes, 5 limestone pot lids, 1 copper fragment, 1 perforated rectangular shell fragment, 12 shell fragments, animal bones, shark tooth, 4 perforated human teeth, 1 deer antler

CR #29

4,507 sherds: 328 unidentified, 3 pre-Mayapán, 4,176 Mayapán period (138 effigy censers, 2,224 unslipped, 1,754 redware, 28 Red-on-Buff, 14 Fine Orange, 18 miscellaneous)

CR #29

1 mano fragment, 1 hammerstone, 1 pointed biface, 2 lithic flakes, abundant animal bone, 1 pestle, 3 used potsherds

CR #29

1,255 sherds: 34 pre-Mayapán, 52 unidentified, 1,169 Mayapán period (36 effigy censers, 531 unslipped, 575 redware, 6 Red-on-Buff, 6 Fine Orange, 1 Black-on-Cream, 14 miscellaneous)

CR #29

2 obsidian pieces, 1 obsidian core, 1 hammerstone, 1 lithic flake, 1 shell fragment, animal bone, 2 manos, 2 worked potsherds

CR #29

skull fragments

jar with modeled death-god face on the side (earth and fiber in jar)

CR #29

disarticulated skeleton bones

5 small tripod bowls (with vented, effigy, conical supports; accompanying figure shows 9 bowls, some put in at a later time), modeled/painted stucco fragments, 90% effigy censers (25 faces, at least 4 God D, 2 God B, 1 mask of Xipe, 1 bearded god, and 1 “eagle knight”), 1 Fine Orange tripod effigy foot bowl, 1 red-and-black-on-buff tripod bowl with hollow animal effigy feet, a Pele Polychrome plate (with painted fish)

CR #29

Burial description

continued on next page

607

608

Appendix

Structure

Type of structure

Lot

Description

R-86

dwelling–elite

A-176–191

burial Cist 2, cist in fill of structure

R-86

dwelling–elite

A-192

Cache 1, under central altar, cavity hollowed in plaster layer on which altar was built

R-87

dwelling–elite

A-212

Cache 2, in altar, probably looted at time buildings were abandoned

R-87

dwelling–elite

A-208

Cache 3, in dais in front of altar, formerly excavated and refilled with turtle on top

R-87

dwelling–elite

A-210

Cache 4, southwest corner of central rear room, into latest floor sealed by plaster patch, carefully looted before collapse of building and refilled

R-87

dwelling–elite

A-229

Cache 5, refilled excavation in bench east of stairway to structure

R-90

shrine

A-142

Cache 6, probably Phase III, edge of excavation just in front of structure

R-90

shrine

A-204

Cache 7, under plinth of structure in fill covering north end of original stairway to Terrace A

R-89

shrine

A-243

Cache 8, in front of structure, looted when areaway of shrine built

R-86b

shrine

A-156

Cache 9, in hole in floor of chamber at juncture of substructures of R-86 and R-85

R-86a

kitchen

A-223

west bench of structure

R-87

dwelling–elite

A-215

central rear room drain

R-86

dwelling–elite

A-174

rear room

R-86a

kitchen

A-223

No. of burials

Notes on descriptive terms: Pottery types provided above are those given in the original reports, with a few exceptions where the author inserted current terminology based on photographic recognition of types. The original types given above correspond rather easily with types now used; Mayapan red-slipped is Mama Red, Mayapán period Unslipped is Navula Unslipped, Black-on-Cream is Peto Cream, Red-on-Cream or Redon-Buff is Tecoh Red-on-Buff, and effigy and noneffigy censers fall in the Navula Unslipped group with various types according to variation in decorative technique. More liberty was taken with the lithic tool types where descriptions could be improved by looking at the photos; most non-obsidian lithic tools were described as points but are listed here as either projectiles or pointed bifaces (a much larger and common knife form for the site). All obsidian artifacts are labelled as such, and any other lithic tools listed (that are not labelled as “obsidian,” “limestone,” or another specific material) are of chert or chalcedony; both are common at the site.

Appendix Current Report number

Burial description

Other artifacts

see burials above

6 obsidian pieces, 1 stemmed triangular pointed biface, 1 narrow bipointed biface, 1 narrow pointed biface, 1 wedge-shaped axe, 1 projectile point (bifacial side notch, round base), 1 narrow small biface/drill, 1 stone carving of zoomorphic figure with human on back, 1 stone temple, 1 anthromorphic stone axe, 3 jade beads, 1 rectangular piece of perforated iron pyrite, 2 copper bells, 2 shell beads, 2 perforated shell disks, 1 perforated human tooth, 1 stingray spine, 1 shark tooth, 18,433 sherds, all Mayapán period (16,795/91.1% effigy, 733/4% unslipped, 624/3.4% redwares, 206/1.2% Red-on-Buff, 75/0.4% Fine Orange)

CR #29

rabbit effigy vessel with 2 jade beads inside

CR #29

small unslipped tripod pottery jar, 29 Mayapán period sherds (8 effigy censers, 5 unslipped, 16 redware)

CR #29

1 pointed biface, 1 stone turtle with hole in its back, 1 redware sherd with painted glyph of God D (Itzamna), 7 fragments of paper-thin gold (some perforated), 196 sherds: 25 unidentified, 171 Mayapán period (43 effigy, 4 ring stand base of unslipped jar, 108 redwares, 2 Red-on-Buff, 2 Fine Orange, 12 reddish brown very thin sherds)

CR #29

1 obsidian piece, 1 red-on-buff jar (black grecas on rim), 1 limestone pot lid inside jar (too small for cover), 10 fragments of paper-thin gold (some perforated), 173 sherds, all Maya­ pán period (41 effigy censers, 24 redwares, 107 Red-on-Buff cache bowl, 1 thin black sherd)

CR #29

animal bones, 31 sherds: 4 unidentified, 27 Mayapán period (6 effigy censers, 6 unslipped, 14 redwares, 1 thin black sherd)

CR #29

1 obsidian piece, 1 effigy turtle bowl (with cover) containing 1 pointed obsidian blade, 12 sherds (2 unidentified and 10 redware)

CR #29

1 obsidian piece, 1 turtle effigy bowl (with human face emerging from mouth) containing 2 fragments of burned animal bone and a pointed obsidian blade

CR #29

82 fragments of effigy bowl (with human face)

CR #29

1 chipped stone disk

CR #29

redware jar with oval opening in side-strap handle, redware jar strap handle, and small effigy lug handles

CR #29

gray unslipped jar used as drain (base missing)

CR #29

plaster-coated water jar

CR #29

Red-slipped water jar, Black-and-Red-slipped tripod jar, 2 small vessels (one tripod unslipped, 1 Red-slipped jar), 2 fragments of Tecoh Red-on-Buff pottery, 1 small unslipped tripod jar

CR #29

1 copper bell

CR #29

609

Glossary

Fine Orange: pottery of fine-grained paste and little temper from the western Maya lowlands, probably near Laguna de Terminos, the lower Usumacinta and Grijalva rivers region.

Acxomocuil: according to Sahagun, a deity honored by Aztec merchants. Cacique: a tribal chief in Latin America, deriving from the sixteenth century. The term is a Spanish variation of the Taíno word cacike or the Arawak word kassequa, both meaning “chieftain.”

Hacha: a thin-bladed axe thought to have had a ritual or ceremonial function for the Maya, with a possible connection to the ball game.

Cenote: the name given in Central America and southern Mexico to a type of freshwater-filled limestone sinkhole. The name derives from the Mayan word dz’onot. Cenotes have long been major sources of water in much of the Yucatán peninsula, most of which lacks other water that is easily accessible year-round.

Incensario: a pottery vessel, or censer, in which incense is burned, especially during religious services. Itzamna: paramount deity of the colonial Yucatec Maya; in Postclassic Yucatec codices, Itzamna appears as the aged deity known as God D.

Chac (also Chaac or Chaak): an important deity in the pantheon of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Mesoamerica. Chac was the god associated with rain and thunder and was also significant in rites and observances associated with fertility and agriculture.

Ixtlilton: (“Little Black One”): the Aztec deity of medicine and healing often alluded to as the brother of Macuilxochitl. Kancab (also Kankab or Chac kancab): red earth, often found in cenotes, used as a slip for pottery and, with sascab (marl) and grass, in house construction.

Chalchihuitlicue (also Chalciuhtlicue or Chalcihuitlicue; “She of the Jade Skirt”): the Aztec deity of lakes and streams in Aztec. She is also a patroness of birth.

Kinich Ahau Itzamna: see Itzamna.

Cochimetl (Cocochimetl): the Aztec deity of commerce and merchants.

Mano: a handstone used in conjunction with metates and other grinding slabs to grind grain and other substances.

Cowrie: marine snails of the genus Cypraea (family Cypraei­ dae), which are found mainly in tropical regions.

Metate: a stone artifact used for processing grain and seeds. It consists of a large stone with a smooth depression worn into the upper surface. Plant materials are ground in this depression using a smooth hand-held stone known as a mano.

Ehecatl (“Wind”): the Aztec deity of wind, an aspect of Quet­ zal­coatl. He had no known permanent physical form.

Mictlantecutli: a death god.

611

612

Glossary Milpa: a crop-growing system in the Yucatán peninsula area of Mexico. The word is borrowed from the Aztec and means “field.” Based on ancient Maya slash-andburn methods, it produces maize, beans, lima beans, and squash. The milpa cycle calls for a period of cultivation and a period of letting the area lie fallow. Agronomists believe that at current levels of consumption the system is self-sustaining. Mixcoatl (“Cloud Serpent”): the Aztec deity of the hunt and identified with the Milky Way, the stars, and the heavens in several Mesoamerican cultures. Although Mixcoatl was part of the Aztec pantheon, his role was less important than that of Huitzilopochtli, who was their central deity. Municipio: Spanish for “municipality,” one of the two types of second-level municipality in Mexico. Each of Mexico’s thirty-one states is divided into a variable number of municipios. The Mexican municipio can be compared to the U.S. county, although the local municipal government (ayuntamiento), headed by a presidente municipal (municipal president), can be more usefully compared to that of a U.S. city mayor. Oliva shells (Olividae): a family of Gastropods found mostly in warm tropical seas. They secrete a mucus similar to that of the Muricidae, from which a purple dye can be made. Olla: Spanish term for a pottery jar with a flaring neck. Palma: protective gear worn during ball games; in stone form, it was probably a trophy or ritual object. Plumbate Ware: a pottery characterized by surface slips of high iron content fired at unusually high temperatures, resulting in a lustrous glaze-like finish; the only Mesoamerican semivitrified ware. Plumbate pottery was widely traded from Mexico to El Salvador, and its manufacture ceased at the beginning of the Late Postclassic period. Quetzalcoatl (“Feathered or Plumed Serpent”): the Nahuatl term for the Feathered Serpent deity of ancient Mesoamerican culture. Quetzalcoatl is also a mythical culture hero from whom almost all Mesoamerican peoples claim descent. He is often described as the divine ruler of the mythical Toltecs of Tollan. Many different Mesoamerican cultures—including the Maya, K’iche, Pipil, and Zapotec—claim to have been the only true lineage of Quetzalcoatl and thus of the mythical Toltecs. Sacbe (pl., sacbeob, “white ways”): elevated paved roads built by the ancient Maya. Most connect structures or groups of structures within centers or cities, although some longer roads between cities are also known. Sacbe is

Yucatec Maya for “white road”; white because they were originally coated with limestone stucco, which was put over stone and rubble fill. Sascab: a naturally occurring mineral material defined variously as “decomposed limestone,” “marl,” or “breccia.” It has been used as a building and paving material in Mesoamerica since antiquity. It was used by the ancient Maya in place of, or as a partial replacement for, lime in some applications. Spondylus shell: a red spiny or rock oyster shell (Spondylus princes) found in Pacific coastal waters. Tezcatlipoca (“Smoking Mirror”): the Aztec deity of the night, the north, temptation, sorcery, beauty, and war. He was known by several other descriptive names, such as Titlacauan, Ipalnemoani, Necocyaotl, Tloque Nahuaque, and Yohualli Èecatl. Sometimes the mirror was shown on his chest. In his right hand he carried four arrows, which he used to punish the sins of man. His hair was black and in the style of a warrior, and he carried a shield and weapon. According to the Aztecs, he was the god of discord, deceit, and robbers, but he was also the god of rulers, warriors, and sorcery. Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli (“Lord of the Star of the Dawn”; also spelled Tlahuizcalpantecutli and Tlahuixcalpantecuhtli): the Aztec personification of the morning star, which is the planet Venus as seen in the morning. Tlahuizcalpante­cuh­ tli was a manifestation of Quetzalcoatl. Tlaloc (Nuhualpilli): the deity of rain and fertility. He was greatly feared among the Aztecs, who supposedly drowned children to appease him. They believed that Tlaloc was responsible for both floods and droughts and that he had been created by the other gods. Tlazolteotl: central Mexican deity of filth; Aztec goddess of purification and curing, particularly of diseases caused by sexual misdeeds or excess. Toci (“Our Grandmother”): the Aztec patroness of mid­wives and curers, and closely identified with the sweatbath. Xipe Totec (“Our Lord the Flayed One”): an Aztec lifedeath-­rebirth deity; god of agriculture, the west, disease, spring, goldsmiths, and the seasons. He flayed himself to give food to humanity, symbolic of maize seed losing the outer layer of the seed before germination. Yacapecutli (“He Who Goes Before”; alternately, Yiaca­ tecuhtli): the Aztec patron deity of commerce and travelers, especially merchant travelers.

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615

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References Roys, Ralph L. 1943. The Indian Background of Colonial Yucatán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 548. Washington, DC. Roys, Ralph L. 1952. Conquest Sites and the Subsequent Destruction of Maya Architecture in the Interior of Northern Yucatán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Contributions to American Anthropology and History, 54. Washington, DC. Ruppert, Karl. 1943. The Mercado, Chichén Itzá, Yucatán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 546, Contribution 43. Washington, DC. Ruppert, Karl. 1952. Chichén Itzá: Architectural Notes and Plans. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 595. Washington, DC. Ruppert, Karl, Edwin M. Shook, and Robert E. Smith. 1954. Chichén Itzá, Dzibiac, and Balam Canche, Yucatán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Year Book 53:286–289. Washington, DC. Ruppert, Karl, and A. Ledyard Smith. 1951. Mayapán, Yucatán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Year Book 50:230–232. Washington, DC. Ruppert, Karl, and A. Ledyard Smith. 1952. Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 4. Cambridge, MA. Ruppert, Karl, and A. Ledyard Smith. 1953. Mayapán, Yucatán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Year Book 52:256–258. Washington, DC. Ruppert, Karl, and A. Ledyard Smith. 1954. Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán III. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 17. Cambridge, MA. Ruppert, Karl, J.E.S. Thompson, and Tatiana Proskouriakoff. 1955. Bonampak, Chiapas, Mexico. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 602. Washington, DC. Russell, Bradley W. 2008. Postclassic Maya Settlement on the Rural-Urban Fringe of Mayapán, Yucatán, Mexico. Doctoral dissertation, Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at Albany. Ruz Lhuillier, Alberto. 1945. Campeche en la arqueologia maya. Acta antropólogica 1:2–3. Mexico. Sahagún, Bernardino de. 1938. Historia de las cosas de Nueva España. Mexico. 5 vols. Sahagún, Bernardino de. 1950. Florentine Codex: General History of the Things of New Spain, trans. A.J.O. Anderson and C. E. Dibble. Santa Fe, School of American Research, and Salt Lake City, University of Utah. 13 vols. Salisbury, Stephen. 1879. Terra Cotta Figure from Isla Mujeres, Northeast Coast of Yucatán. Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society 71:71–89. Worcester, MA. Sanders, William T. 1955. An Archaeological Reconnaissance of Northern Quintana Roo. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 24. Cambridge, MA. Satterthwaite, Linton. 1943. Piedras Negras Archaeology: Architecture, Introduction 1(1). University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Schellhas, Paul. 1904. Representation of Deities of the Maya Manuscripts. Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Papers 4(1). Cambridge, MA.

Scholes, France V., and Eleanor B. Adams. 1938. Don Diego Quijada, alcalde mayor de Yucatán, 1561–65. Mexico, Antigua Libreria Robredo. 2 vols. Scholes, France V., and Ralph L. Roys. 1948. The Maya Chontal Indians of Acalan-Tixchel. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 561. Washington, DC. Seler, Eduard. 1887. Über die Bedeutung des Zahlzeichens 20 in der Mayaschrift. Zeitschrift fur Ethologie 19:237– 241. Leiden. Seler, Eduard. 1902–1923. Gesammelte Abhandlungen zur amerikanischen Sprach und Alterhurnskunde. Berlin, A. Asher. 5 vols. Seler, Eduard. 1915. Archaeologische Reise in Süd- und Mittelamerika 1910/1911. In Gesammelte Abhandlungen zur Amerikanischen Sprach- und Alterthumskunde, 5. Berlin, A. Asher. Shook, Edwin M. 1952a. The Great Wall and Other Features of Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Year Book 51:247–251. Washington, DC. Shook, Edwin M. 1952b. The Great Wall of Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 2. Cambridge, MA. Shook, Edwin M. 1953a. Excavations in Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Year Book 52:268–272. Washington, DC. Shook, Edwin M. 1953b. The X-Coton Temples at Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 11. Cambridge, MA. Shook, Edwin M. 1954a. Excavations in Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Year Book 53:271–273. Washington, DC. Shook, Edwin M. 1954b. A Round Temple at Mayapán, Yucatán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 16. Cambridge, MA. Shook, Edwin M. 1954c. Three Temples and Their Associated Structures at Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 14. Cambridge, MA. Shook, Edwin M. 1954. The Temple of Kukulcan at Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 20. Cambridge, MA. Shook, Edwin M., and William N. Irving. 1955. Colonnaded Buildings at Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 22. Cambridge, MA. Shook, Edwin M., and Tatiana Proskouriakoff. 1951. Yucatán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Year Book 50:236–240. Washington, DC. Smith, A. Ledyard. 1950. Uaxactun, Guatemala: Excavations of 1931–1937. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 588, Washington, DC. Smith, A. Ledyard, and Alfred V. Kidder. 1951. Excavations at Nebaj, Guatemala. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 594. Washington, DC. Smith, A. Ledyard, and Karl Ruppert. 1953. Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán II. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 10. Cambridge, MA. Smith, A. Ledyard, and Karl Ruppert. 1954. Ceremonial or Formal Archway, Uxmal. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Notes on Middle American Archaeology and Ethnology 5(116):1–3. Washington, DC.

References Smith, A. Ledyard, and Karl Ruppert. 1956. Excavations in House Mounds at Mayapán IV. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 36. Cambridge, MA. Smith, G. Elliot. 1927. The Elephant in Maya Art: Proofs of Asian-American Contact. Illustrated London News, January 15, p. 87. London. Smith, Robert E. 1936a. Ceramics of Uaxactun: A Preliminary Analysis of Decorative Techniques and Design. Manuscript. Smith, Robert E. 1936b. Preliminary Shape Analysis of Uaxactun Pottery. Manuscript. Smith, Robert E. 1952. Pottery of Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Year Book 51:251–256. Washington, DC. Smith, Robert E. 1953a. Cenote Exploration at Mayapán and Telchaquillo. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 12. Cambridge, MA. Smith, Robert E. 1953b. Cenote X-Coton at Mayapán. Carne­gie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 5. Cambridge, MA. Smith, Robert E. 1953c. Pottery of Mayapán and Vicinity. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Year Book 52:279– 282. Washington, DC. Smith, Robert E. 1954a. Cenote Exploration at Mayapán and Telchaquillo. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 12. Cambridge, MA. Smith, Robert E. 1954b. Exploration on the Outskirts of Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 18. Cambridge, MA. Smith, Robert E. 1955. Ceramic Sequence at Uaxactun, Guatemala. Middle American Research Institute, Tulane University, Publication 20. New Orleans. 2 vols. Smith, Robert E. 1971. The Pottery of Mayapán: Including Studies of Ceramic Material from Uxmal, Kabah, and Chichén Itzá. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Papers, 66. Cambridge, MA. 2 vols. Spinden, Herbert J. 1913. A Study of Maya Art. Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Memoirs, 6. Cambridge, MA. Stephens, John L. 1843. Incidents of Travel in Yucatán. New York, Harper Brothers. 2 vols. Stewart, T. Dale. 1953. Skeletal Remains from Zaculeu, Guatemala. In The Ruins of Zaculeu, Guatemala, by R. B. Woodbury and A. S. Trik, 295–311. New York, United Fruit Company. Strömsvik, Gustav. 1953. A Portal Vault and Temple at Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 8. Cambridge, MA. Tax, Sol. 1951. Panajachel Field Notes. Microfilm Collection of Manuscripts on Middle American Cultural Anthropology, 29. Chicago. Thompson, Donald E. 1955. An Altar and Platform at Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 28. Cambridge, MA. Thompson, Donald E., and J.E.S. Thompson. 1955. A Noble’s Residence and Its Dependencies at Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 25. Cambridge, MA. Thompson, Edward H. 1897a. The Cave of Loltun, Yucatán. Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and

Ethnology, Harvard University, Memoirs 1(2). Cambridge, MA. Thompson, Edward H. 1897b. The Chultunes of Labna, Yucatán. Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Memoirs, 1(3). Cambridge, MA. Thompson, Edward H. 1938. The High Priest’s Grave, Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico. Field Museum of Natural History, Anthropological Series, 27(1). Chicago. Thompson, J.E.S. 1931. Archaeological Investigations in the Southern Cayo District, British Honduras. Field Museum of Natural History, Anthropological Series, 17(3). Chicago. Thompson, J.E.S. 1939. The Moon Goddess in Middle America with Notes on Related Deities. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Contributions to American Anthropology and History, 29. Washington, DC. Thompson, J.E.S. 1948. An Archaeological Reconnaissance in the Cotzumalhuapa Region, Escuintla, Guatemala. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Contributions to American Anthropology and History, 44. Washington, DC. Thompson, J.E.S. 1950. Maya Hieroglyphic Writing: Introduction. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 589. Washington, DC. Thompson, J.E.S. 1954. A Presumed Residence of the Nobility at Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 19. Cambridge, MA. Thompson, J.E.S., H.E.D. Pollock, and Jean Charlot. 1932. A Preliminary Study of the Ruins of Coba, Mexico. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 424. Washington, DC. Torquemada, Juan de. 1723. Primera [segunda, tercera] parte de los veinte i un libros rituales i monarchia indiana, con el origen y guerras, de los Indios Occidentales, de sus poblaciones descubrimiento, conquista, conuersion, y otras cosas marauillosas de la mesma tierra. Madrid, N. Rodriguez Franco. 3 vols. Torre, Tomas de la. 1945. Desde Salamanca, España, hasta Ciudad Real, Chiapas; diario de Viaje 1544–1545; prólogo y notas por Franz Blom. Mexico, Editora Central. Tozzer, Alfred M. 1907. A Comparative Study of the Mayas and the Lacandones. Archaeological Institute of America, Report of the Fellow in American Archaeology, 1902–1905. New York, Macmillan. Tozzer, Alfred M. 1941. Landa’s Relacion de las Cosas de Yucatán; a Translation Edited with Notes. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Papers, 18. Cambridge, MA. Villagutierre Soto-Mayor, Juan de. 1933. Historia de la conquista de la provincia de el Itza, reducción, y progresos de la de el Lacandón, y otras naciones de indios bárbaros, de las mediaciones de el reyno de Guatemala, a las provincias de Yucatán, en la América Septentrional. Biblioteca Goathemala, 9. Guatemala, Tipográfia Nacional. Villa Rojas, Alfonso. 1945. The Maya of East Central Quintana Roo. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 559. Washington, DC. Wauchope, Robert. 1934. House Mounds of Uaxactun, Guatemala. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Contributions to American Archaeology 7(2). Washington, DC.

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References Wauchope, Robert. 1938. Modern Maya Houses: A Study of Their Archaeological Significance. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Publication 502. Washington, DC. Wauchope, Robert. 1948. Excavations at Zacualpa, Guatemala. Middle American Research Institute, Tulane University, Publication 14. New Orleans. Wauchope, Robert. 1965. Alfred Vincent Kidder, 1885–1963. American Antiquity 31(2):149–171. Weeks, John M., and Jane Hill, eds. 2006. The Carnegie Maya: The Carnegie Institution of Washington Maya Research Program, 1913–1957. Boulder, University Press of Colorado.

Willard, T. A. 1941. Kukulcan: The Bearded Conqueror, New Mayan Discoveries. Hollywood, CA, Murray and Gale. Winters, Howard D. 1955a. Excavation of a Colonnaded Hall at Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 31. Cambridge, MA. Winters, Howard D. 1955. Three Serpent Column Temples and Associated Platforms at Mayapán. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Current Reports, 32. Cambridge, MA. Wisdom, Charles. 1940b. The Chorti Indians of Guatemala. Chicago, University of Chicago Press.

Index

Acultzingo, 81 Acxomocuil, 530 Adams, R. McC., xxii, xxiii, 208 Adze, 270 Agouti, 544 Aguacatal, 78 Aguada Carolina, 537 Aguada Grande, 288, 292, 293, 304 Ah Lux Kat. See Ah Lux Ah Lux, 524 Ahualulcos, 66–69 Ak, 289, 297, 304 Alabaster, 267 Allende, 71 Alligator, 473 Alta Verapaz, 494 Altar, 127, 128, 131, 233, 234, 237, 241, 243, 245, 246, 253, 262, 268, 288, 309, 313–315, 332, 337, 339, 349, 354, 358, 383, 385, 399, 411, 417, 419, 426, 430, 440, 453, 457, 461– 464, 467, 471, 473, 485. See also Strs. K-52, Q-59, Q-60, Q-244, R-30 American leaf-nosed bat. See Bat Amphibians, 547 Amulet, 431 Andes, xx Andrews, E. W., xxi, 65, 78, 250

Animal bones. See Bone, animal Antler, 105, 223, 431, 461, 479. See also Deer Arenitas, 66, 73, 74 Armadillo, 544 Armillas, P., 80 Arrecife, 287, 294, 304 Arroyo Hondo, 81 Arroyo Verde, 67 Atasta, 78, 79 Atlantean figure, 257 Atlatl, 400, 403 Awl, 105, 114, 175, 177, 196, 223, 424, 426, 428, 431, 432, 455, 459, 467, 475, 479 Aztec, 381, 442

Bellote, 66, 68, 69 Bench, 32–38, 111–113, 116–118, 197, 201, 204, 219, 225, 253, 260, 309, 311, 314, 318, 337, 339, 358, 362, 365, 368, 399, 424, 426, 428, 438, 441, 442, 457, 461–464, 469, 471, 473, 476, 480, 486 Berendt, C. H., 65, 71, 73 Berlin, 271 Bird bones. See Bone Birds, 403, 545 Black-on-Cream (pottery type), 132, 136, 137, 139, 176, 177, 184, 190, 192, 237, 245, 246, 267, 268, 270, 321–328, 333, 335, 364, 369, 370, 374, 376, 378, 395, 396, 399, 404, 405, 421, 422, 426, 428, 429, 431, 432, 440, 441, 443, 491 Black on Medium Slate (pottery type), 323 Black-on-Red (pottery type), 198 Black Trickle on Medium Slate (pottery type), 323, 325 Black-on-Fine Orange (pottery type), 323, 326 Blasillo, 81 Blom, F., 65 Blood drawing, 318

Bachelor House. See Men’s House Balancan, 73 Ball game, 315 Bark, 524 Bark-beater (stone), 175, 196, 221, 426, 431, 473 Barrera Rubio, A., xiv Bat, 544 Bead, 105, 128, 131, 173, 175–177, 201, 237, 245, 268, 315, 333, 335, 383, 385, 392, 395, 421, 422, 438, 442, 461, 475, 479 Bell, 107, 245, 310, 316, 357, 383, 518. See also Copper Bellota (river), 71

619

Boca de Conil, 287 Bone: animal, 105, 113, 114, 117, 118, 131, 142, 177, 190, 192, 198, 199, 209, 223, 228, 230, 233, 243, 267, 268, 270, 315, 333, 335, 367, 370, 376, 378, 395, 396, 405, 421, 424, 426, 428, 429, 431, 432, 440, 455, 456, 458, 459, 461, 479, 489, 491, 539–550; bird, 50, 267, 268, 270, 333, 335, 370, 395, 396, 421, 426, 428, 429, 431, 432, 440, 455, 459, 491; fish, 196, 270, 333, 378, 426, 428, 440 Boqueron, 73 Boundary walls, 25–30, 143–155 Box turtle. See Turtle Brainerd, G., xxi, 43, 65 Brasseur de Bourbourg, C. E., xx, 187 Bricks, 73, 74 Brocket deer. See Deer Brown, C. T., xiv, xxiii Brussels, 537 Buenos Aires, 81 Bullard, W. R., xxii Burials, 32–39, 50, 69, 93, 105, 115, 117, 160–162, 173, 176, 196–198, 201, 206, 209, 221, 222, 310, 315, 348, 387, 395, 424,

620

Index 430, 437, 453, 455, 457, 459, 461, 463, 464, 471, 480, 493–506; child, 105, 107, 117, 176, 177, 196, 197, 222, 424, 428, 461, 464, 477; infant, 50, 208. See also Cenote Ch’en Mul; Cenote X-Coton; and Structures A-214, H-18, J-50, J-131, K67, P-23, Q-62, Q-69, Q-71, Q-79, Q-84, Q-90, Q-95, Q151, Q-165, Q-168, Q-244, S-133, Y-2, Y-8, Z-50 Burnishing stone, 428 Bush, V., xix, xx Cabo Catoche, 280 Cache, 103, 127, 129, 131, 175, 188, 189, 213, 221, 222, 233, 237, 245, 250, 251, 263, 267, 268, 310, 313, 315, 330, 333, 335, 347, 348, 355, 357, 360, 372, 381, 383, 385, 398– 400, 417, 422, 453, 467, 469, 479, 486, 522, 530 Cakchiquel, 317 Calendar, 524 Caleta de Ak, 296 Calotmul, 271 Caluac. See Overseer Cambridge, MA, xxi Campeche, 537 Cancun, 304, 305 Canizan. See Izancanac Caracol. See Chichen Itza; Structure Q-152 Cardenas, 81 Carillo, E., 53 Carnegie Institution of Washington, closing of, xxiii Carrillo Puerto, 271 Casa de Cascabeles. See Dzab-Na Castillo. See Structure Q-162 Catazaja, 74 Catherwood, F., xx Caucel, 187 Causeway. See Sacbe Cave, 50, 445–449 Cavy, 544 Celerain 1, 291, 298, 304 Celerain 2, 291, 304 Celt (stone), 107, 221, 222, 335, 358, 428; Core, 105, 173, 176, 196, 245, 265, 316, 358, 365, 455, 479, 461, 473; Disc, 107, 263, 376, 458, 461, 462 Cenote, 43–51, 125–142, 154, 212, 243; Cenote Ch’en Carro, 207; Cenote Ch’en Mul, 135–139, 228, 239, 497, 540, 541, 564; Cenote

Itza Ch’en, 445; Cenote Itzmal Ch’en, 125, 249, 433; Cenote Telchaquillo, 135, 139, 140; Cenote XCoton, 13, 23, 43–51, 125, 126, 135, 139, 497, 558–560 Cenote temple. See Structure Q-153 Censer, 46, 48, 50, 81, 92, 102, 113, 115, 117–119, 126, 131, 223, 330, 339, 342, 398, 403, 442, 459, 461– 463, 467, 471, 521–538 Centla, 81 Ceremonial structures, 91– 109, 239–248, 337–342 Cerritos, 78 Ch’en Uc, 512, 513 Chac kancab. See Kancab Chac, 223, 247, 381, 404, 522, 527, 529, 536 Chacaj, 73, 74 Chacchob, 53–63, 507, 518–520; Castillo, 57–60; house platforms, 60–61; wall, 54–57 Chachalaca, 50, 546 Chakalal, 289, 295, 299, 304 Chakhalal. See Chakalal Chalchihuitlicue, 535 Chalmeca woman, Chalmecaciuatl. See Tlazolteotl Champoton, 79, 80 Chan iglesia. See Oratory Chan Pixya, 511 Chapab, 14, 23 Chapel, 54 Chapultepec de Aguirre, 81 Charcoal, 47, 50, 107, 115, 177, 190, 228, 230, 250, 263, 335, 399, 453 Charnay, D., 65, 68 Chert, 105, 107, 184, 265, 378, 383, 385 Chetumal, 279, 280, 524, 537 Chichen Itza, xx, xxi, 9, 80, 135, 154, 155, 157, 179, 187, 228, 240, 277, 496, 507, 516–518, 524; Caracol, 524; High Priest’s Grave, 157, 524; Monjas, 524; Red House, 524; Sacred Cenote, 135; Temple of the Warriors, 529, 530 Chichen Thin Slate (pottery type), 323, 326 Chichicapa, 67 Child burials. See Burials Chile grinder, 405 Chinikiha, 84 Chiquila, 279, 286–288, 304 Chontalapa, 65, 66, 67, 80 Chorti, 317 Chotal, 81 Chowning, A., xxii

Christen, I. E., 80 Chultun, 319 Chumayel, 54 Chumul, 54 Chun Chakah, 291 Church, colonial, 272 Cichlid, 548 Cimatan, 66 Cinco Manos. See Las Grecas Cinnamon-Colored Ware (pottery type), 323, 325 Cintla, 71 Circular platform. See Platforms Cist, 32–37, 95, 96, 107, 176, 194, 198, 199, 204, 237, 241, 313–315, 348, 354, 358, 364, 376, 381, 385, 430, 432, 456, 462, 467, 477, 524; definition of, 31. See also Structures A-3, J-49, J-122, Q-59, Q-69, Q-71, Q-82, Q-90, Q-162, Q-165, Q-172, Q-244, R-86, S-133, AA-13, AA-60 Ciudad del Carmen, 79, 80 Classic period pottery. See Dichrome Gloss Ware; Oxkintok Coarse Monochrome Ware; Polished Brown Black Ware; Polychrome Gloss Ware; Pottery; Red and Black-onOrange Ware; Unslipped Gray Ware Coarse Redware. See Mayapan Red Coarse Paste Slate (pottery type), 132 Coarse Slate Ware. See Black-on-Cream; Peto Coba, 278 Cocal 1, 301, 304 Cocal 2, 295, 301, 304 Cochimetl, 530 Cocijos, 529 Codex Borgia, 532, 535 Codex Bourbon, 532 Codex Dresden, 526, 533 Codex Fejervary-Mayer, 529 Codex Laud, 529, 533 Codex Madrid, 526, 530 Codex TellerianoRemenensis, 532 Codex Vatican B, 535 Coffin, J., 67, 81 Cole, L. J., 43 Collared peccary. See Peccary Colonnaded hall structure, 249–270, 397–405; function of, 249, 250; historical description, 250. See also Structures Q-81, Q-88, Q97, Q-151, Q-152, Q-162, Q-164

Columns, 112, 234, 237, 252, 257, 259, 308, 371, 398, 464, 480, 486 Comalcalco, 67–69, 73 Conch, 263, 426, 431, 440, 455, 459, 461, 462, 479. See also Shell Conil, 287 Copal. See Incense Copper, 19, 107, 175, 177, 193, 196, 201, 206, 222, 245, 247, 310, 313, 315, 316, 333, 335, 357, 378, 383, 438, 441, 443, 455, 457, 461, 471, 475–477, 479, 518 Coral, 233, 237, 316, 426, 461 Core. See Stone Corncob, 263, 270 Corral, Nuevo, 81 Cortes, H., 299 Cottontail rabbit. See Rabbit Cow, 544 Cowrie, 222, 424, 426, 428 Cozumel, 277, 279, 280, 288–290, 304, 305, 537 Crania, 496; modification, 476; observations, 501–505 Cream Ware (pottery type), 422 Cremation, 126, 314–317, 319, 426, 432. See also Structure Q-58 Crematory jar, 314 Crypt, 437 C-shaped one-room oratory. See Structures P-14, Q-37, R-30, R-91, R-126, R-142, R-171 C-shaped two-room oratory. See Structures Y-2, Y-8, Z-4 Cunduacan, 66, 67 Curassow, 546 Current Reports, purpose, 1 Cuscuichapa (river), 67, 84 Cuyo Grande, 71 Cuyos de la Cañada. See Guerrero Dance platform. See Platform Dark Gray Ware (pottery type), 325 Death God, 267, 313, 528, 534, 535, 536 Dedicatory offering, 250, 310, 313, 315 Deer, 177, 190, 215, 333, 367, 378, 394, 455, 479, 541, 544, 545. See also Antler Delgado Ku, P., xiii Dentition. See Teeth Diaz del Castillo, B., 78 Dichrome Gloss Ware (pottery type), 321, 324 Dios Bocas (river), 66

Index Disc. See Stone Diving God, 219, 225, 316, 374, 381, 383, 399, 404, 458, 459 Dog, 543, 545 Domestic building. See Dwelling Domestic cow. See Cow Doughnut stone, 215 Dove, 546 Drain, masonry, 354, 362 Drucker, P., 66 Dwelling, 31–39, 193–206, 207–216, 423–432, 491, 507–520; Historical description, 31, 507. See also Strucures A-3, I-94, J-50, J-71, K-52, K-67, Q-62, Q119, Q-168, R-100, S-133, Z-50, AA-13, AA-31, AA37, AA-60, AA-94, AA103, AA-112 Dwelling, elite, 217–226, 307–319. See also Structures Q-85, Q-86, Q-87, Q88, Q-89, Q-90, Q-169, Q170, Q-171, Q-172, Q-173, Q-208, Q-244, R-86, R-87 Dzab-Na, 445–449 Dzonotchel, 271 Eagle Knight, 381, 383 Early Postclassic period pottery. See Black-on-Fine Orange; Fine Orange; Gouged-and-Incised Fine Orange Earplug, 313, 426, 455, 479 Earth Monster, 392, 442 Eccentric flint (stone), 237 Economic Foundations of Mayapan project, xiv, xxiii, xxiv Ehecatl. See Death God Ekchuah, 530 El Aguacatal, 69 El Cactus. See Punta Molas El Cajete, 71 El Cedral, 280, 290, 291, 304, 305 El Cerro de Dolores, 289 El Cerro de Vista Alegre, 287 El Coco, 71 El Diez, 279, 281, 286, 304 El Encanto, 66, 73 El Meco, 277, 295, 303–305 El Naranjeño, 80 El Observatorio, 294 El Pajartal, 81 El Partido de los Rios, 66 El Real, 286, 292, 294, 304 Elite dwelling. See Dwelling Encarnacion, 81 Escalona Ramos, 279–286, 292–295, 301

Escamilla Ojeda, B., xiii Escarcega, 78 Estapilla, 81 Fasting, 318 Fernandez, M. A., 78, 305 Figurine, 74, 80, 84, 115, 124, 198, 201, 223, 337, 426, 431, 459, 462, 471, 477 Finca Esperanza, 67 Finca Roma, 80 Fine Gray (pottery type), 120 Fine Orange (pottery type), 50, 113, 114, 117, 118, 120, 129, 131, 176, 177, 184, 190, 192, 195, 197, 198, 199, 237, 245, 246, 248, 267, 268, 270, 305, 323, 326, 335, 374, 376, 378, 383, 385, 395, 396, 404, 405, 421, 422, 426, 428, 429, 431, 432, 455, 456, 458, 459, 461, 462, 471, 479, 491. See also Classic period pottery; Early Postclassic period pottery Fish bone. See Bone Fish, 547, 548 FitzGerald, G., 3 Flake blade, 19, 105, 107, 114, 116–118, 131, 176, 177, 190, 201, 210, 237, 265, 267, 268, 330, 365, 367, 376, 385, 395, 405, 421, 431, 432, 443, 461, 467, 475 Flaky Dichrome. See Dichrome Gloss Ware Flint, 19, 115, 118, 123, 126, 131, 141, 142, 173, 177, 192, 196, 198, 201, 208, 210, 221, 237, 245, 247, 267, 270, 315, 316, 330, 335, 358, 365, 367, 376, 383, 385, 404, 415, 421, 426, 428, 429, 431, 432, 440, 443, 455, 456, 458, 459, 461, 462, 475, 489, 491, 518 Frog, 547 Frontera, 71, 73 Fry, E. I, xxii Galeana, 67 Gates, 11–24; Gate AA, 12, 15, 19; Gate B, 15; Gate D, 10–12, 19, 21, 588; Gate EE, 14, 588; Gate G, 10–12; Gate H, 10–12; Gate O, 14, 15, 19, 21; Gate T, 12, 13, 19, 21, 22; Gate U, 12; Gate X, 14 Genin Collection, 537 Giant toad. See Toad Glass, 184 God A. See Death God

God B. See Chac God D. See Itzamna God E. See Maize God God M. See Acxomocuil; Cochimetl; Quetzalcoatl; Tlazolteotl Yacapecutli; Yacapitzauac Gold, 19, 175, 177, 245, 247, 383 Gonzalez (river), 66, 69, 71 Gopher, 544 Gouged-and-Incised Fine Orange (pottery type), 323, 326 Gracias a Dios, 84 Great Curassow. See Curassow Great Platform. See Chiquila Great Wall. See Site Wall Green obsidian. See Obsidian; Stone Greenstone, 124, 131, 201, 221, 428, 455, 479 Grijalva (river), 65, 69, 71, 73 Group A-3, 193, 198 Group I-24, 152 Group I-26, 152 Group I-28, 152 Group I-40, 148, 152 Group I-67, 153 Group J-49, 32, 34, 39, 40 Group J-50, 35, 36, 39, 40, 41 Group J-71, 451–453 Group K-44, 151 Group K-52, 115–124 Group K-67, 451, 453–457, 475, 578 Group Q-169, 602 Group Q-244, 451, 458, 463–467, 475 Group R85–90, 604–606 Group T-18, 148 Group Y-2, 588 Group Z-50, 481–492, 500, 588 Grouper, 548 Guasave, 494, 495 Guerrero, 73 Gulf of Campeche, 65 Gutierrez, I., 67 Hacacoliuhqui. See Yacapecutli Hacha (stone), 72 Hacienda El Coco, 71 Hacienda El Encanto, 73 Hacienda Pixya, 509 Hacienda San Diego Max, 54 Hacienda Ukum, 54, 507, 520 Hacienda Xcanchakan, 4 Hall of the Sun Disks, xiv Hammerstone, 19, 23, 175, 177, 196, 201, 215, 268, 270, 367, 370, 376, 385,

421, 426, 428, 431, 455, 459, 462, 491 Hard Redware (pottery type), 404, 422 Hare, T., xiv, xxiii Harport, D. de, xxii Hartweg, N., 50 Hatt, R. T., 50 Hawk, 546 Hematite, 332, 335 Heron, 546 Hester, J. A, xxii Hieroglyphs, 54, 68, 72, 265, 275, 313, 381, 383, 440, 518 High Priest’s Grave. See Chichen Itza Hill, J. A., xv Hmen, 318 Hoal, 509–511 Holbox, 279, 280 Holmes, W. H., 304 Honing stone, 376 Horse, 50, 544, 545 House groups, 145, 154, 155 House lots, 143–155 House mound. See Dwelling House of Rattles. See Dzab-Na Huimango, 66, 67 Huimanguillo, 67, 81 Human remains. See Burials Hunting God, 530 Ichmul, 271–273, 275 Idols. See Sculpture Iguana, 50, 223, 394, 546 Incensario. See Censer Incense, 126, 230, 243, 247, 262, 263, 267, 330, 333, 392, 395, 396, 458, 463, 464 Incised Red on Orange type (pottery type), 323 Infant burials. See Burials Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia, xiii, xxi Iquinuapa, 66, 67 Iron pyrite, 245, 383 Iron, 114, 357, 376 Irving, W. N., xxii Isla Cancun, 279, 303 Isla de Francisco Chable, 69 Isla de Rendon, 68 Isla Holbox, 279 Isla Mujeres, 279, 280 Islote Celarain. See Punta Islote Itza, 317 Itzam Ch’en, 150, 151 Itzamna, 357, 381, 383, 403, 404, 526–529, 536 Itzamná. See Itzamna Itzin Can, 507, 512 Itzmal Ch’en, xxiii, 12 Itzmal Chen temple. See Structure H-17

621

622

Index Ixchel, 190, 532 Ixtlilton, 535 Izancanac, 81 Jaba, 509 Jade, 128, 129, 131, 132, 173, 176, 177, 188, 209, 215, 245, 247, 263, 268, 333, 339, 335, 365, 383, 385, 394, 419, 421, 432, 438, 441–443, 448, 455, 459, 461, 464, 475, 462 Jaguar, 77, 196, 210, 223, 233, 313, 428, 455, 459, 485, 491, 543, 545 Jalpa, 81 Jalpa-Comalcalco road, 67 Janan, 283, 293, 304 Jones, M., xiv, 10 Jonuta, 66, 74 Juarez, 71 Kabah, 154, 507, 515 Kancab, 136, 139 Kankab. See Kancab Kantunil Kin, 187, 278–281, 287, 304 Kidder, A. V., xxii Kilmartin, J. O., 3 Kilometer 14, 284, 287 Kilometer 43, 295, 299, 302, 303 Kilometer 461, 78 Kinich Ahau Itzamná. See Itzamna Kitchen. See Structures Q165, Q-166, Q167, R-86 Kukulcan. See Quetzalcoatl La Aguada. See Okop La Arena, 73 La Caleta, 295, 301, 302, 304 La Expedicion, 292 La Minas, 66 La Palma, 69 La Venta, 65, 66, 73, 81 Labna, 494 Lacandon, 317, 318 Laguna de Nisuc, 279 Laguna de Terminos, 66, 69, 78 Laguna de Yalahau, 279, 287 Laguna Machona, 66, 67 Laguna Mecoacan, 68, 69 Landa, D. de, xx, 9, 31, 92, 240, 250, 318 Las Casas, B. de, 317 Las Flores, 73 Las Grecas, 292–294, 304 Las Minas, 73 Las Tuxtlas, 524 Le Plongeon, A., xx Leona Vicario, 81, 279, 282, 283, 304, 305 Leopard frog. See Frog

Libertad, 81 Limestone, 19, 132, 176, 177, 184, 245, 267, 270, 313, 339, 358, 365, 376, 378, 383, 385, 395, 398, 404, 410, 419, 421, 428, 429, 441, 458, 473, 485, 489, 491 Lithic workshop, 365 Lithics. See Stone Little spotted skunk. See Skunk Liverpool Free Museum, 537 Lizard, 546 Long-Nosed God. See Chac Los Callejones, 84 Los Guarixes, 73 Lothrop, S. K., 43, 277, 295, 303 Lustrous Streaky Brown Ware (pottery type), 323, 326 Macuiltepec, 66 Macuspana, 81 Madero, 71 Madrid, 74 Mahau. See Bark Maize God, 524, 527, 533 Maler, T., xx, 65 Mam, 535 Mammal, 50, 541 Manatee, 544, 545 Maneater. See Shark Manhattan Project, xix Mani, 135, 509 Mano (stone), 46, 117, 123, 175–177, 196, 199, 204, 215, 247, 267, 270, 316, 335, 370, 376, 385, 426, 428–431, 449, 455, 456, 458, 461, 473, 475, 487 Mask, 260, 360, 374, 392 Masonry, 113, 114, 217–219, 308, 311, 313 Masson, M. A., xxiii Matamoros, 78 Mataya, 513 Matlalcue, 535 Maxtli, 400 May, E., 53 Mayapan, Crematory, xiv Mayapan, historical description, 9, 10 Mayapan Red Ware (pottery type), 22, 129, 131, 138, 139, 176, 177, 190, 208, 213, 233, 234, 237, 246, 248, 263, 267, 268, 270, 310, 313, 319, 335, 357, 367, 374, 376, 378, 381, 385, 395, 396, 398–400, 404, 405, 421, 422, 426, 428, 431, 432, 437, 459 Mayapán, Yucatan, Mexico, xv Mecatepec, 84

Mecoacan, 84 Medium Paste Slate (pottery type), 228 Medium Slate Ware (pottery type), 323, 325, 448, 449 Men’s House, 253 Mercer, H. C., 43 Merchant Gods, 530, 531, 536. See also Ekchuah Merida, xx, 4, 271 Merriam, J. C., xix Metate (stone), 19, 23, 61, 105, 117, 122, 123, 193, 196, 201, 263, 311, 358, 376, 385, 424, 426, 431, 449, 455, 458, 461, 473, 475 Midden, 189, 243, 253, 260, 265, 370, 378, 422, 458, 464. See also Group R85–90; and Structures K52, Q-127, Q-151, Q-217, Q-218, Q-214 Middle American Research Institute, Tulane University, xxiii Milbrath, S., xiv Minature altar. See Structure Q-59 Mixcoatl. See Hunting God Modeled plaster. See Stucco Mojarra, 548 Monjas. See Chichen Itza Monkey, 196, 223, 428, 440, 455, 475, 543; scribe effigy, xiv Mono Pelado, 84 Monte Bravo, 281, 304, 305 Moral, 66 Morley, S. G., xix, 403 Morning Star, 534, 561, 640. See also Venus God Morrell, A. R., 71 Mosaic, 245, 247 Mother-of-pearl, 221 Motmot, 546 Mouse, 544 Mud turtle. See Turtle Mulchi, 290, 295, 301, 302, 305 Murals, xiv. See also Stucco: painted Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 539 Mushroom stone, 447, 448 Musk turtle. See Turtle Nacxitl. See Quetzalcoatl Nahuatl, 531 National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, xix National Defense Research Committee, xix National Science Foundation, xi

Nebulous toad. See Toad Needle, bone, 310, 432 New River Lagoon, 524 Niche, 50, 113, 189, 194, 362, 388, 389, 392, 394, 426, 430, 455, 457, 461, 469 Nohna, 294 Norway, xxiii Noseplug, 107 Nuevo Progreso, 80 Oaxaca, 81 Obsidian, 19, 22, 46, 47, 105, 107, 114–118, 126, 131, 132, 142, 173, 176, 177, 184, 190, 196, 198, 199, 201, 210, 215, 221, 222, 237, 245, 263, 265, 267, 268, 270, 311, 316, 335, 358, 365, 367, 376, 378, 383, 385, 395, 399, 404, 405, 415, 421, 422, 424, 426, 428, 431, 432, 440, 441, 443, 456, 458, 459, 461, 462, 467, 473, 479, 491, 518 Ocellated turkey. See Turkey Ocuapan, 81 Office of Scientific Research and Development, xix Okop, 272, 273, 275 Old God with Cleft Chin, 528, 535, 536 Old God. See Itzamna Olive-throated parakeet. See Parakeet Olmec figure, 119 One-room structure. See Structure Q-244 Opossum, 50, 543 Oratory, 317. See also Structure Z-50 Orbita, Fr., 317 Ossuary, 131, 426, 430 Outbuilding in elite residential group. See Structure Q-172 Overseer, 319 Owl, 196 Oxkintok Coarse Monochrome Ware (pottery type), 321, 324 Oxlalunul, 280 Paalmul. See Palmol Painted plaster. See Stucco Palais du Musée Cinquantenaire, 537 Palizada (river), 66 Palmol Playa, 304 Palmol, 295, 298–300, 304 Paraiso, 67, 73, 81 Parakeet, 546 Parrot, 358 Patton, R. T., xxi, 4, 10, 187, 250

Index Peabody Foundation for Archaeology, xxiii Peccary, 267, 543, 545 Pectoral, 209 Peraza Lope, C. A., xiii, xiv, xxiii Pestle, 367, 370, 378, 404, 461, 477 Petenche. See Chacaj Peto, 271 Philadelphia, 71 Pichucalco, 67 Pigeon, 546 Pino Suarez, 81 Pital, 78 Pits, 32, 38–39, 117, 453 Plamol Playa, 295 Plaster. See Stucco Platform in cenote. See Cenote X-Coton Platforms, 97; Circular, 100, 104; Dance, 97, 98 Playa del Carmen, 278, 279 Plumbate (pottery type), 80, 376, 452, 456; Tohil, 132, 268, 374 Pocket gopher. See Gopher Polished Black (pottery type), 215 Polished Brown Black Ware (pottery type), 323, 324 Polishing stone, 113, 177, 196, 201, 316, 431, 461, 475 Pollock, H.E.D., xxii, xxiii, 4, 54, 187, 271 Polychrome Gloss Ware (pottery type), 323, 324 Ponce, A., 240 Population, xx Porous Brown (pottery type), 213 Porous Gray (pottery type), 210, 211, 392, 399, 403, 417, 430 Portal vault structure. See Structure Q-127 Post, wooden, 463 Pottery of Mayapan, xv, xxiii Pottery, 19, 21–23, 136, 137, 140, 142, 304, 321–328, 447, 457, 469, 521–538; definition, 521, 522; effigy, 117, 124, 126, 131, 137, 176, 190, 208, 221, 222, 233, 237, 243, 245, 253, 262, 267, 268, 270, 313, 315, 335, 364, 376, 381, 383, 385, 394–396, 399, 400, 404, 415, 419, 421, 422, 424, 426, 428, 431, 432, 438, 440, 441, 443, 461, 469, 486, 491, 521–538; ladle, 124, 131, 175–177, 221. See also various pottery types by name

Pounding stone, 123, 199, 201, 455 Preclassic period pottery. See Unslipped Cinnamon-Colored Ware; Waxy Pinkish Ware; Waxy Red Ware Progreso, 271, 280 Property wall. See Boundary walls Proskouriakoff, T., xxii, xxiii Puerto Ceiba, 65, 67, 68, 80, 81 Puerto Juarez, 279 Puerto Morelos, 278–280, 295 Puma, 543, 545 Punta Celerain, 280, 291 Punta Islote, 282, 291, 292– 294, 304 Punta Molas, 285, 292, 294, 304 Puuc Coarse Striated Ware (pottery type), 198, 215 Puuc Medium Slate (pottery type), 50, 139, 199, 208–210, 215, 245, 246, 248 Puuc pottery. See CinnamonColored Ware; Classic period pottery; Lustrous Streaky Brown Ware; Medium Slate Ware; Puuc Red Ware; Puuc Thin Slate Ware; Unslipped Gray Ware Puuc Red Ware (pottery type), 323, 326 Puuc Slate Ware (pottery type), 22, 374, 376 Puuc Streaky Brown (pottery type), 215 Puuc Thin Slate (pottery type), 323, 326 Puuc Thin Ware (pottery type), 118 Quarry, 142 Querul. See Xkerul Quetzalcoatl, 190, 400, 404, 530, 534 Quiche, 317 Quien Sabe, 81 Quinta San Antonio, 445 Quintana Roo, 271–306 Rabbit, 50, 360, 385, 543 Radiocarbon dating, xx Rain God. See Chac Ramonal, 81 Rancho San Joaquin, 4, 67, 143 Rasp, bone, 223, 265, 267 Rat, 544 Rattle snake, 237

Red and Black on Buff (pottery type), 357, 369, 385, 431, 432 Red and Black-on-Orange Ware (pottery type), 323 Red and Sepia on Buff (pottery type), 429 Red earth. See Kancab Red House. See Chichen Itza Red-on-Buff (pottery type), 186, 357, 369, 374, 376, 378, 383, 424, 426, 428, 429, 431, 432 Red-on-Cream (pottery type), 176, 177, 192, 233, 237, 267, 270, 395, 396, 405, 422, 426, 486, 491 Red-on-Orange (pottery type), 323 Red Slip over Striated (pottery type), 323 Regional settlement survey, Quintana Roo, 271–305 Relacion de las cosas de Yucatan, xx Relaciones de Yucatan, 217, 522 Reptiles, 50, 546 Residential and administrative structures, 217–226, 271–276, 307–320, 343– 386, 397–406, 423–432 Residential quadrangle, 343–386 Rice rat. See Rat Ring, 117, 123, 370, 376, 409, 417, 438, 443, 473, 477, 479, 518 Roads. See Sacbe Robalo, 548 Rock crystal, 263 Romero, P. H., 74 Roofing, 86, 197, 247, 292, 310, 313, 347, 371, 389, 398, 408, 415, 452, 462– 464, 487 Roosevelt, F. D., xix Round temple. See Structures Q-126, Q-214 Roys, L., xxi Roys, R. L., xxii, 4, 24 Rubbing stone, 117, 123, 199, 316, 426, 431, 456, 461, 462, 473 Ruppert, K., xxii, xxiii Russell, B., xv, xxiv Saban, 273 Sacbe, 151–154, 179–186, 272, 481–492; construction of, 180–183, 490 Sacred cenote. See Chichen Itza Sacrificial stone, 339, 411, 489

Sales, J. D., 54 San Fernando, 81 San Gervasio, 280, 294, 295, 297, 304 San Joaquin, 81 San Jose, Belize, 494 San Juan, 280 San Luis Potosi, 494, 495 San Miguel, 81, 295, 304, 305. See also Cozumel San Pablo River, 66, 73 San Pablo, 79, 80 San Pedro, 76, 79, 80; river, 66, 73 San Pedro Martir (river), 76 San Pedron Buenavista, 73 San Severo, 280, 294 Sanchez, 81 Sandals, 467 Sanders, W. T., xxii Santa Ana, 81 Santa Ana (river), 67 Santa Cruz de Bravo, 271, 273 Santa Cruz, 207–212, 321– 327; Platform A, 208–210; Platform B, 210; House Platform 1, 210; House Platform 2, 210, 211; Platform C, 211, 212 Santa Fe, New Mexico, xxiii Santa Margarita, 67 Santa Maria, 304, 305. See also Leona Vicario Santa Rita, 81, 280, 526, 529, 530 Sascab, 142, 215, 247, 253, 254, 265, 346, 353, 385, 453 Sayil, 154, 507, 515 Scraper (stone), 19, 177, 199, 215, 265, 335, 358, 365, 367, 376, 385, 415, 431, 459, 462, 475, 479 Sculpture, 62, 77, 81, 88, 132, 177, 188, 190, 221, 237, 245, 251, 253, 257, 265, 267, 268, 270, 275, 316, 319, 333, 335, 339, 349, 358, 376, 381, 410, 415, 417, 440, 441, 458, 463, 473, 475, 485, 487, 489, 518 Sea cat, 548 Sea drum, 548 Seco (river), 66 Seler, E., 65 Sergeantfish, 548 Serpent column, 408, 411, 415, 417, 419 Serpent temple. See Structures Q-143, Q-159, Q-217, Q-218 Settlement survey, Tabasco, 65–84 Shark, 221, 378, 383, 385, 548, 549

623

624

Index Sheepshead, 548 Shell trumpet. See Conch Shell, 33–38, 40, 41, 46, 105, 107, 115, 122, 123, 129, 131, 132, 142, 175–177, 184, 192, 196, 206, 208– 210, 215, 221, 230, 233, 237, 245, 247, 263, 265, 267, 268, 270, 311, 315, 335, 357, 376, 378, 383, 385, 392, 395, 399, 404, 421, 422, 424, 426, 428, 429, 431, 432; disc, 265, 438, 442, 443, 455, 456, 458, 459, 461, 462, 475, 479, 491 Shook, E. M., xx, xxii, xxiii, 4 Shrew, 544 Sigero, 81 Sinaloa, 494, 495 Site core, 85–90, 157–178, 187–192, 227–238, 329– 336, 387–396, 407–422, 433–444 Site peripheral dwelling structures, 31–37, 111–124, 451–480, 507–520 Site periphery, 53–63, 65–84, 207–216, 271–276, 277–306 Site plan, 3–7 Site wall, xiii, xxi, 9–24, 54–57; construction, 144 Sitio Nuevo, 81 Skunk, 543 Slipped Red Ware (pottery type), 132 Small bench structure. See Structure J-122 Smith, A. L., xxiii Smith, P. E., xxii Smith, R. E., xxi–xxiii, 310 Snail vessel, 72 Snake, 339 Solfarino, 279, 280, 283, 304, 305 Spadefish, 548 Spider monkey. See Monkey Spindle whorl, 105, 117, 123, 265, 431, 455, 458, 459, 467, 475–477, 491, 518 Spondylus. See Shell Spotted cavy. See Cavy Squirrel, 544 Stalactite, 107, 192, 196, 201, 267, 270, 339, 378, 405, 421, 422, 447, 467 Stamped Red on Medium Slate (pottery type), 323, 325 Stela, 78, 127, 329, 333 Sting-ray, 175, 177, 263, 268, 270, 383, 548, 549 Stirling, M. W., 65, 68, 79 Stone: anthropomorph, 48–50, 95, 101, 107; green,

422; zoomorph, 80. See also various stones and stone implements by name Stone circles, 29 Storer, R. U., 50 Strömsvik, G., xxiii, 4, 54, 193, 207, 271, 329 Structure A-1, 452, 455, 578 Structure A-3, 194, 195, 202, 204, 590 Structure G-8, 144 Structure H-17, 337–342, 433, 576, 604 Structure H-18, 433–443, 499–500, 576 Structure H-34, 153 Structure I-94, 37–38, 40, 554 Structure J-49, 554 Structure J-50, 497, 554 Structure J-71, 455, 475, 578 Structure J-122, 36–38, 554 Structure J-131, 32, 497 Structure K-52, 117–124, 560–564 Structure K-67, 500, 578 Structure P-14, 455, 457, 475, 578–580 Structure P-23, 455, 457, 500, 580 Structure P-28, 455, 462, 580 Structure Q-37, 455, 463, 475, 580 Structure Q-58, 157–161, 164, 166, 168, 176, 189, 233, 419–422, 564, 566 Structure Q-59, 157, 158, 160–162, 166, 175, 176, 566 Structure Q-60, 157–162, 166, 176, 566 Structure Q-61, 195 Structure Q-62, 193–197, 202, 203, 204, 498, 590–592 Structure Q-69, 92–98, 101, 105, 497, 556–558 Structure Q-71, 92, 95, 96, 98, 101, 105, 106, 497, 556 Structure Q-72, 95 Structure Q-77, 95, 97, 99, 100, 104, 107, 227–229, 234, 237, 558 Structure Q-79, 91–93, 105, 108, 497, 556 Structure Q-80, 387–397, 604 Structure Q-81, 253, 268, 387, 397–405, 568 Structure Q-82, 157, 162, 163, 166, 168, 169, 171, 175, 177, 189, 250, 251, 566 Structure Q-84, 99, 100, 103, 104, 106, 107, 253, 497, 558 Structure Q-88, 265, 267, 596 Structure Q-89, 250 Structure Q-90, 92, 94, 97, 107, 250, 497, 558 Structure Q-95, 157, 163, 164,

171, 173, 175–177, 189, 233, 250, 498, 540, 568 Structure Q-97, 250, 251–253, 257, 265–268, 596–598 Structure Q-99, 151 Structure Q-113, 247 Structure Q-119, 111–114, 120, 560 Structure Q-126, 329–336, 343, 602, 604 Structure Q-127, 85–89, 253, 329, 343, 556 Structure Q-129, 329 Structure Q-143, 407–410, 419–422, 568 Structure Q-146, 410, 411, 568–570 Structure Q-147, 240, 245 Structure Q-148, 240, 245– 248, 596 Structure Q-149, 240, 243, 245–247, 596 Structure Q-151, 243, 246, 251–262, 265, 267, 268, 270, 498, 499, 540, 596–602 Structure Q-152, 254, 257, 259, 263, 265, 268, 540, 596–600 Structure Q-153, 239–241, 243, 245, 246, 596 Structure Q-159, 417–422, 570 Structure Q-162, 157, 227– 237, 247, 249, 592–596 Structure Q-163, 257 Structure Q-164, 268, 556 Structure Q-165, 430–432, 499, 574–576 Structure Q-166, 428–430, 574 Structure Q-167, 428–430, 574 Structure Q-168, 423–428, 499, 572 Structure Q-169, 307–311, 602 Structure Q-170, 311 Structure Q-171, 311–313 Structure Q-172, 313–318, 602 Structure Q-173, 318, 319, 602 Structure Q-207, 217, 225 Structure Q-208, 217–225, 594 Structure Q-209, 217, 225 Structure Q-213, 189, 190 Structure Q-214, 188–192, 329, 590 Structure Q-217, 570 Structure Q-218, 188, 411– 417, 419–422, 570 Structure Q-244, 500, 580–584 Structure R-17, 461 Structure R-171, 473, 586

Structure R-30, 455, 467, 475, 584 Structure R-85, 343–386, 499 Structure R-86, 343–386, 499, 606–608 Structure R-87, 343–386, 499, 608 Structure R-88, 343–386, 499 Structure R-89, 343–386, 499 Structure R-90, 343–386, 499 Structure R-91, 455, 467–469, 475, 584 Structure R-95, 179–183, 343 Structure R-96, 179–183, 343 Structure R-97, 179–183, 343 Structure R-98, 179–183, 343 Structure R-99, 179–183, 343 Structure R-100, 114, 115, 560 Structure R-126, 461, 469, 475, 584 Structure R-142, 461, 469– 472, 584 Structure S-131, 554 Structure S-133, 461, 475– 477, 500, 586 Structure T-18, 144 Structure T-70, 126–133, 564 Structure T-72, 126, 129, 131, 133, 564 Structure Y-2, 461, 475, 477– 479, 500, 586–588 Structure Y-26, 204 Structure Y-8, 461, 475, 479, 480, 500, 588 Structure Y-92, 204 Structure Z-4, 197, 201, 204, 592 Structure Z-50, 485–490, 588 Structure AA-13, 198, 199, 592 Structure AA-24, 199 Structure AA-31, 199, 204, 592 Structure AA-37, 193, 198, 201, 204, 592 Structure AA-57, 204 Structure AA-60, 199, 201, 592 Structure AA-94, 199, 201, 204, 592 Structure AA-103, 201, 204, 592 Structure AA-112, 198, 206, 592 Structure EE-11, 148 Stucco, 105, 107, 176, 319, 408, 440, 442, 443, 458, 469, 476; modeled, 107, 231, 233, 251, 257, 267, 270, 333, 335, 367, 417, 421, 434, 438, 442, 489; painted, 107, 131, 161, 164, 176, 177, 190, 192, 233, 237, 245, 248, 252, 263, 267, 270, 313, 330,

Index 332, 335, 339, 350, 355, 358, 360, 378, 381, 387, 392, 410, 421, 437 Suytana, 513 Swing ray spine, 455, 462, 479 Tabasco, 65–84, 526 Talan Chaac, 513 Tamuin, 494, 495 Tamulte de las Sabanas, 67 Tancah, 277, 279, 295, 296, 304 Tapijulapa, 81 Tapir, 544 Tattoo, 447 Teabo, 54, 271 Teapa, 81 Tecoh, 207, 445 Tecolpa. See Tecolpan Tecolpan, 74 Tecominuacan, 81 Tecpan, 253 Teeth, 105, 113, 237, 494–496 Tekax, 53 Tekit, 54, 271 Telchaquillo, 4, 63, 207, 212–216, 271, 445, 509 Temple 1. See Palmol Temple 2. See Janan; Palmol Temple 3. See Kilometer 35 Temple A. See Aguada Grande Temple B. See Aguada Grande Temple C. See Aguada Grande Temple D. See Aguada Grande Temple of Kukulcan. See Structure Q-162 Temple of Kukulkan, xiv Temple of Serpent Masks. See Structure Q-80 Temple of the Fisherman, xiv Temple of the Four Directions. See Punta Islote Temple of the Warriors. See Chichen Itza Temple, 125–134, 157–177, 187–192, 227, 239–248, 282–286, 288, 388,

407–422, 433–444; round, 187–192, 329–336, 343, 433–444. See also Structures Q-58, Q-82, Q-95, Q126, Q-127, Q-151, Q-152, Q-214, T-70, T-72 Temple, C. R., xxii Tenosique, 66 Tepescuintle, 455, 456 Terrapin, 547 Teteoinnan. See Tlazolteotl Textile, 222, 223, 265, 266, 461 Tezcatlipoca. See Acxomocuil Thin Black (pottery type), 383 Thin Slate Ware (pottery type), 323, 399 Thompson, D. E., xxii Thompson, E. H., 157, 319 Thompson, J.E.S., xxii, xxiii Thompson, R. H., xxii Tichac, 509 Ticul, 53, 271 Tierra Blanca, 81 Tierra Nueva. See Sanchez Tikal Project, xx Tikal, xx, xxiii Tiradero, 66, 76 Tizimin, 278, 279 Tlaloc, 529 Tlauizcalpantecutli. See Venus God Tlazolteotl, 522, 524, 528, 530, 532, 533, 536 Toad, 547 Toci. See Tlazolteotl Toltec period pottery. See Early Postclassic period pottery Toltec, 277 Tomb, 32, 36, 91, 92, 197, 201, 206, 310, 313, 381, 383, 385, 430, 455–457, 476, 477; definition, 31. See also Structures J-50, J-131, K-67, P-14, Q-62, Q-169, AA-103, AA-112 Torre, T. de la, 78 Tortuguero, 74–76 Tozzer, A. M., 10 Tres Zapotes, 66

Tulum, 295, 296, 305, 526, 537 Tulum or East Coast Redware (pottery type), 491 Tulum Incised Red Ware (pottery type), 440 Tupilco, 67 Turkey, 545 Turquoise-browed motmot. See Motmot Turtle, 50, 190, 245, 263, 265, 313, 315, 319, 339, 358, 383, 385, 392, 398, 399, 405, 419, 421, 426, 429, 431, 432, 437, 453, 456, 458, 459, 463, 471, 479, 485, 491, 546, 547 Tweezer, 201, 206, 313, 315, 455, 457, 475, 476 Two-bench dwelling. See Structures J-49, K-52 Tzutujil, 317 U.S. Geological Survey, 3 Uaxactun, 154 Uaxactun Gloss Ware (pottery type), 323 Undecorated Red (pottery type), 323 University of Pennsylvania Museum, xx, xxiii Unslipped Cinnamon-Colored Ware (pottery type), 321, 325, 426 Unslipped Coarse paste (pottery type), 491 Unslipped Effigy Censer Ware (pottery type), 194, 196 Unslipped Gray Ware (pottery type), 321, 323–325, 357, 383, 385 Unslipped Light Gray Ware (pottery type), 22, 129 Unslipped Porous Gray (pottery type), 357, 383 Usumacinta (river), 64, 65, 74, 81 Uxmal, 154, 507, 514, 515 Valladolid, 278, 279 Van Tyne, J., 50 Vault, 119, 387–396 Venus God, 524, 533

Veracruz, 187 Veracruz Polychrome (pottery type), 198 Villahermosa, 65, 69, 74 Vista Alegre, 287, 288, 304, 305 Wall. See Site wall War of the Castes, 272 Wauchope, R., 154, 317 Waxy Pinkish Ware (pottery type), 321 Waxy Red Ware (pottery type), 321 Weasel, 543 Webb, M., xiii Weeks, J. M., xiv, xv Whetstone, 196 Whiskered God, 522, 531, 536 Whistle, 196, 223 White shark. See Shark White-footed mouse. See Mouse White-lipped peccary. See Peccary White-tailed deer. See Deer Willard, T. A., xxi Winters, H., xxii Wood: posts, 126, 197; statuette, 447, 448 Wrather, W. E., 3 Xaya, 54 Xelha, 280, 295, 296 Xicalango, 78 Xipe Totec, 223, 226, 381, 524, 528, 531, 532, 536 Xjujil, 513, 514 Xkerul, 272 Xochipilli, 315 Xtuki Ch’en, 509 Yacapecutli, 530, 531 Yacapitzauac, 530 Yucatec, 317 Yuukluuk, 282, 288, 304 Zacapa, 81 Zaculeu, 494, 496 Zapotal, 81 Zaragoza, 81 Zopo Cave, 84

625