22 COPAJST. 



Plate VIII.). A carved ornament (Plate VII., a) made up of several stones let into the 

 wall, rises from this step on each side of the doorway and reaches to the top of the 

 wall. This carving is, I believe, meant to represent a huge serpent's head without a 

 lower jaw ; but the design is executed in a conventional form, and its meaning can only 

 be made out by comparison with many other sculptures of a similar kind. 



The effect of this ornament must have been considerably marred by the continuation 

 of the wall of the passage to the face of the step at E. 



Above this curious ornament, and extending to a distance of seven feet on each side 

 of the doorway (and probably continued over the doorway itself, although all trace of 

 it has disappeared), ran an elaborate cornice, ornamented with seated human figures 

 and hieroglyphs carved in medium relief (Plate V1L, b and c). The height of the wall 

 from the floor to the cornice is about nine feet. Ornaments similar to the serpent's 

 head already mentioned occur where a step descends into the southern porch at C to D ; 

 but in this case the face of the step is ornamented with a row of teeth, and it forms an 

 under jaw common to the serpent's head on each side. Unfortunately no copy of this 

 design could be made, as the carved stones comprising it were so much broken and 

 displaced by the pressure from above and the growth of the roots of trees that they 

 fell to pieces as the excavation proceeded. 



The interior walls of both the outer porches were ornamented with hieroglyphic and 

 other carvings ; but here also the stones were so much worn and displaced by the roots 

 of trees that nothing could be preserved or copied. 



The walls of the house are built of blocks of stone averaging in measurement 1 foot 

 Xl foot X 6 inches. 



The wall-surfaces retained traces of a coating of plaster which had probably been 

 ornamentally coloured, and the floor was covered with several layers of cement. 



On the south side of the temple the slope from the porch down to the level of an 

 inner court, which may be called the Western Court, is so much broken up by roots of 

 trees, and so thickly covered with fallen stones, that no trace of a stairway can be made 

 out, although in all probability one formerly existed. 



There is a distinct flight of steps [No. 12] from the terrace on the west of the temple 

 leading down to the Western Court, the floor of which is about 30 feet above the level 

 of the Great Plaza to the north. 



An irregular square terrace [No. 13] projects into this court on the west side, and 

 the remains of three stone houses overlook the downward slope to the west, and form 

 the boundary of the court in that direction. 



Standing in this court are a tall carved monolith (P) and a square stone altar (Q) 

 which will be hereafter figured and described, and scattered around are numerous pieces 

 of broken sculptured stones, which no doubt formed part of the exterior ornaments of 

 the temples or of the slopes of the high foundations on which they stood. 



