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397 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. 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. C u r r e n t R e p o r t s Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 31 December 1955 Excavation of a Colonnaded Hall at Ma yapán Howard D. Winters Howard D. Winters 398 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 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...

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