. The Civil engineer and architect's journal, scientific and railway gazette. Architecture; Civil engineering; Science. 1850.] THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 75 the building on tlie highest terrace 320 feet in length. The steps do not always ascend in a direct line I'roni the ground to the prin- cipal entrance of tlie building, but sonietinies tlje first terrace is ascended by steps to the northern side,âwliile to arrive at the second the lower terrace has to be traversed lialf-way round, the next flight of stairs being found to the soutli: whetlier tliis plan was adopted for grea
. The Civil engineer and architect's journal, scientific and railway gazette. Architecture; Civil engineering; Science. 1850.] THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 75 the building on tlie highest terrace 320 feet in length. The steps do not always ascend in a direct line I'roni the ground to the prin- cipal entrance of tlie building, but sonietinies tlje first terrace is ascended by steps to the northern side,âwliile to arrive at the second the lower terrace has to be traversed lialf-way round, the next flight of stairs being found to the soutli: whetlier tliis plan was adopted for greater securitj', or from an idea of giving greater importance to the temple or palace by difficulty of access, it is hard to say. Occasionally, figures of great size, sculptured in bas-relief, have been found at each side of the steps. The princi- pal flight of steps at Zayi is 32 feet in width. The different cities would seem to have formed one great king- dom, from the similarity in architecture and the close resemblance of the sculptures and hieroglyphic inscriptions. The buildings are of stone, sometimes of one story, sometimes of two or tliree; when this latter is the case, each story recedes from the one below it, so as to give a pyramidal form to the structure. The facade is perfectly plain up to the moulding that runs along the top of the doorway; above this it is elaborately ornamented with carved work relieved on a painted ground. The style of decoration being bar- barous and fantastic, the drawing of a portion of the fajade of the Casa del Gobernador may serve to give an idea of the style: the grinning Gorgon's head in the centre calls to mind some of those on tlie antique Etruscan bronzes. Sometimes no general design has been adopted, but the facade covered with a kind of sculp- tured mosaic. In one instance, at Uxmal, the front of the build- ing is divided into compartments by a bas-relief representing huge serpents intertwined like a rope; the compartments are occu
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