16 CHICKEN ITZA. 



Before describing the east wing and the detached structures which form part of this 

 group of buildings, it will be as well to follow out the evidence of the curious growth 

 of the main building ; this can be most conveniently done by working backwards from 

 its present condition. It has already been shown that the upper chamber and the 

 stairway by which it is approached must have been built after the first range of chambers 

 was completed, and could not have formed part of the original design. Turning now 

 to the west end of the basement, it can be clearly seen in the photograph (Plate VI.) 

 that, where a large portion of this basement has been removed, a well-built wall with 

 ornamental frieze has been revealed ; and that this inner foundation could not have 

 been intended for the basement of the present range of chambers is evident from the 

 fact that the chamber at the west end, and probably that at the east end also, would 

 not have been accessible. At the present time, owing to the removal of the 

 masonry of the basement, the western chamber can only be entered by climbing 

 along the narrow projection of the cornice. The northern corners of this second 

 basement can be seen on examining carefully the front view of the building (Plates 

 IV. and V.), and its limits are marked with a dotted red line in the ground-plan 

 (Plate III.). 



Where the breach has been driven in on the west side of the great stairway a con- 

 siderable portion of the second basement has been removed, and about 12 feet from the 

 outer surface a third basement is met (about 7 feet less in height), which has been 

 ornamented with a plainer cornice. The corner of this third basement can just be seen 

 in Plate V., and its extent is marked by the inner dotted red line on the ground-plan. 

 The tunnels which have been driven in from the breach are bordered on one side by 

 the outer surface of this third basement, so that its direction is easily traced. The 

 opposite sides of the tunnels are marked by a dotted blue line. 



It is curious to note that this third basement is divided at about half its height by a 

 projecting course of stone, which appears to have been the cornice of a still earlier 

 foundation. 



It is not probable that these numerous basements were built up for any other pur- 

 pose than that of supporting some roofed buildings containing either single chambers 

 or ranges of chambers ; and thus we are led to the curious conclusion that when one 

 of these buildings was found too small for the needs of the population or had failed 

 to gratify their sense of propriety to the purpose for which it was designed, it was not 

 left standing and additions made to it, but the buildings on the top were destroyed, 

 and the basement used as a core for a larger foundation, on which new buildings were 

 raised. The process of destruction and rebuilding may account for the many odd 

 pieces of carved stone which can be found built up into what were intended to be flat 

 wall-surfaces, where the plaster coating which once covered up their inequalities has 

 now fallen away and left them open to view. 



This method of enlarging the Casa de Monjas must at last have been partly aban- 



