CHAPTER OF ANCIENT AMERICAN HISTORY 



25 



Northwest of the Castillo lies the Ball 

 Court Group with the famous Temple 

 of the Jaguars which has already been 

 described for readers of the Journal by 

 Mr. Thompson.^ The South Temple of 

 this group is a plain building of little 

 interest but the 

 North Temple is 

 very interesting be- 

 cause its entire inner 

 surface, including the 

 sloping surfaces of 

 the vault and the 

 round columns in 

 front is a mass of 

 sculptured detail in 

 low relief. The carv- 

 ings deal with pro- 

 cessions of priests 

 and w^arriors similar 

 to those on the wall 

 of the Lower Cham- 

 ber of the Temple of 

 the Jaguars. The 

 Temple of the Jag- 

 uars is situated at 

 the southern end of 

 the parallel stone 

 walls of the court. 

 The inner chamber 

 of this temple has 

 excellent frescoes in 

 low relief while the 

 lower chamber at the 

 base of the wall has 

 painted sculptures. 

 The last group of 

 buildings which we 

 have time to con- 

 sider is the group of 

 the Columns in the western part of the 

 city. In this extensive ruin there are great 

 rows of columns on platforms as well as 

 several interesting temples. It has been 

 suggested that this part of the city was a 



» " The Temple of the Jaguars " by Edward H. 

 Thompson. American Museum JounNAL, Octo- 

 ber, 1913, Vol. XIII, pp. 267-282. 



market but nothing that really confirms 

 such a belief has come to light. The 

 temples are mostly of the same general 

 type as the Castillo, with sculptured 

 door jambs and serpent columns. Sev- 

 eral of these temples have been only 



View of the North Temple of the Ball Court, showing the two cylindrical 

 columns. The figures on the sculptiu-ed walls have never been drawn or 

 carefully studied. In general the carvings show processions of warriors 

 and priests similar to those of the lower chamber of the Temple of the Jaguars 



partly excavated. One of the most in- 

 teresting is the Temple of the Tables 

 which takes its name from a table-like 

 altar supported on the uplifted arms 

 of small Atlantean figures. So much 

 for the buildings of Chichen Itza: let 

 us now examine the question of history. 



