Biologia Centrali-Americana, or, Contributions to the knowledge of the fauna and flora of Mexico and Central America . 0 affords the only example I have metwith where it can be confidently asserted that some material other than stone mustof necessity have been used for roofing. It seems most probable that wooden archi-traves connected the columns, and that beams sloping downwards from the outsidewalls rested on these architraves, the central patio being left open. The intersticesbetween the beams were probably filled with rubble and cement, as in the modernhouses in the Spanish-American towns.
Biologia Centrali-Americana, or, Contributions to the knowledge of the fauna and flora of Mexico and Central America . 0 affords the only example I have metwith where it can be confidently asserted that some material other than stone mustof necessity have been used for roofing. It seems most probable that wooden archi-traves connected the columns, and that beams sloping downwards from the outsidewalls rested on these architraves, the central patio being left open. The intersticesbetween the beams were probably filled with rubble and cement, as in the modernhouses in the Spanish-American towns. Stone-roofing of the type invariably found in Central-American ruins must havepresented great difficulties to the builders when a large space had to be covered withcolumns alone as a support. CHICHEN ITZA. 43 If, for instance, the colonnade No. 28 were roofed with stone (judging from theconstruction of buildings still standing) a section at Y-Z would have presented theappearance of the following figure, and it is hardly possible that over a large spacethe columns alone could have supported such a However, at No. 28 the columns are buried almost up to their capitals in debris,and this by itself would suggest that the usual system of roofing had been hope of finding some explanation I made a careful examination of the surface ofthe ground, and dug into it here and there to see if traces of any other supports couldbe found, and was successful in making out part of the remains of three narrow walls,r, r; and such walls have already been mentioned as occurring in the colonnadesNos. 16 and 20. I am therefore inclined to believe that such added walls were foundto be a necessity, and were freely used wherever the weight was found to be too greatfor the column to uphold it. However, even with this additional support, such roofs must have been veryunstable; and this may account for the complete ruin of all the buildings wherecolumns have been freely used, wh
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