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193 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 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. 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 C u r r e n t R e p o r t s Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Archaeology No. 17 September 1954 Excavations in House Mounds at Ma yapán III Karl ruppert and a. ledyard Smith Karl ruppert and a. ledyard Smith 194 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...

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