Biologia Centrali-Americana, or, Contributions to the knowledge of the fauna and flora of Mexico and Central America . ribed. The walls of the Temple are rather more than 4 feet thick, and on the outside arestrengthened by a buttress (g, g) which rises to the height of 4 feet 7 inches. Beams of wood were doubtless used as architraves to span the open front of thetemple, and were supported where they joined the side walls by two square pilasters(h, h) and in the intervening space by two massive columns (j,j). The pilasters h, h are ornamented on three sides with carvings of human figuresand gro
Biologia Centrali-Americana, or, Contributions to the knowledge of the fauna and flora of Mexico and Central America . ribed. The walls of the Temple are rather more than 4 feet thick, and on the outside arestrengthened by a buttress (g, g) which rises to the height of 4 feet 7 inches. Beams of wood were doubtless used as architraves to span the open front of thetemple, and were supported where they joined the side walls by two square pilasters(h, h) and in the intervening space by two massive columns (j,j). The pilasters h, h are ornamented on three sides with carvings of human figuresand grotesque masks (Plate XXXVIIL, h 1-6). The top stone of each pilaster ismissing; but the original height is easily ascertained, as a square notch cut in eachwall shows where the ends of the beams were fixed which lay evenly above the tops ofthe pilasters and columns. The columns (j,j) are 3 feet 4 inches in diameter, and the bases, which measure intotal length 7 feet, are fashioned into the resemblance of huge serpents heads. (See * The smaller courts appear to have had the ends closed. e2 28 CHTCHEN ITZA. i i ft 1. Plates XXX. to XXXIV., a.) A forked tongue, carved on a separate stone, projected for a distance of 2 feet 6 inches in front of each head. These tongues are not now in position, but were found amongst the debris at the foot of the wall. The southern column, including the serpents head, is formed of two blocks of stone, the northern column of three blocks. These columns rise to a height of only 7 feet 6 inches, and were surmounted by a most extraordinary form of capital, consisting of two limbs nearly at right angles one to another, cut from a single block of stone: one limb covered the top of the column and formed the capital supporting the wooden architrave, and the other turned up in front of the building and was carved on its sides and face to represent the rattles of the rattlesnake. The effect gained from this arrangement is well shown in the restoration of the b
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