CHICKEN ITZA. 27 



court was a temple *, and at midnight on a lucky day two Idols — one of the game and 

 one of the ball — were placed on the top of the lower walls with certain ceremonies and 

 witchcraft; and in the middle of the floor they sang songs and performed other 

 ceremonies ; then a priest from the great temple with other holy men came to bless 

 the court. Certain words were said, the ball was thrown four times, as in the 

 game, and after such ceremonies the court became consecrated and fit to play in, but 

 not before." 



At the south end of the east wall of the Court the foundation is carried out to the 

 eastwards for the distance of about 16 feet, so as to give space for the erection of 

 Temple A, Plate XXVI., of which an enlarged plan and section is given on Plate XXVII. 

 The surface of the sloping sides of this foundation is so much broken away that the 

 form of it cannot now be satisfactorily made out. The rounded stones at the corners 

 can still be seen and are marked in the plan. 



From the general appearance of the ruined masonry on the south side, it may be 

 supposed that a stairway here gave access to the terrace (d) on the top of the wall, 

 and such a stairway (Plate XXVII., c) has been marked in broken lines on the plan, 

 although no trace of the steps themselves now remains. 



The approach to the Temple must have been by the two small stairways, e, e ; but 

 no trace of the steps remains on the surface of the rough sloping rubble, and the 

 probable position of the steps is shown in broken lines. The more important stair- 

 way,^ which runs along the front of the building, could not possibly have given access 

 to it, as the steps commence at the top of the lofty wall of the Court, and I can 

 attribute no other purpose to them than that they may have been used as seats by 

 spectators of the game. This stairway, f, has a broad balustrade ornamented with a 

 design which is repeated on the outside wall of the chamber E, and will be figured 

 when that building is described. 



The walls of the Temple are rather more than 4 feet thick, and on the outside are 

 strengthened by a buttress (g, g) which rises to the height of 4 feet 7 inches. 



Beams of wood were doubtless used as architraves to span the open front of the 

 temple, and were supported where they joined the side walls by two square pilasters 

 (h, h) and in the intervening space by two massive columns (j,j). 



The pilasters h, h are ornamented on three sides with carvings of human figures 

 and grotesque masks (Plate XXXVIIL, h 1-6). The top stone of each pilaster is 

 missing ; but the original height is easily ascertained, as a square notch cut in each 

 wall shows where the ends of the beams were fixed which lay evenly above the tops of 

 the pilasters and columns. 



The columns (j,j) are 3 feet 4 inches in diameter, and the bases, which measure in 

 total length 7 feet, are fashioned into the resemblance of huge serpents' heads. (See 



* The smaller courts appear to have had the ends closed. 



e2 



