PALENQUE. 35 



the galleries are only 4 feet 6 inches in width. There are three doorways through the 

 main wall. The east wall and part of the roof has fallen. The exterior of the roof 

 has been ornamented with a decorative frieze moulded in stucco, and on the summit 

 there are traces of stone lattice-work which has supported stucco decoration as in the 

 more important Temples. 



The mound marked A (section-lines) on the west side of the Palace is one of the 

 highest mounds shown on the Plan. 



No trace of a building could be found on its summit. 



The Northern Temples. 



This group is composed of six Temples. One Temple, standing on a detached mound 

 (cut by the section-line T-C), faces the east ; the other five Temples all face the south, 

 and are ranged in a line on the summit of one long foundation-mound which borders 

 the northern limit of the plateau. 



The detached Temple has been built on the usual plan, the principal variation being 

 a deep niche in the back wall opposite the middle doorway. There are traces of a 

 hieroglyphic inscription in stucco on the piers, and of a decorative frieze on the 

 exterior of the roof. The doorways in the main wall are square-topped, and must 

 have had wooden lintels. 



The westernmost of the five Temples on the long foundation-mound was built of 

 sandstone, like the Southern Temple described on page 34, and is almost completely 

 ruined. There were apparently five doorways through the outer and three through 

 the main wall. 



The next Temple towards the east stands at a slightly higher elevation. There are 

 traces of large stucco figures on the piers, and also of stucco ornamentation on the 

 exterior of the roof. There is a stone with the remains of a hieroglyphic inscription 

 on the inner face of the main wall. This carving is partly hidden by a transverse 

 partition-wall which has been built up against it. 



The third building in the row contains one single small chamber. There are traces 

 of stucco figures on either side of the doorway. 



The fourth Temple is in a somewhat better state of preservation than the others. 

 The piers and outside of the roof show traces of stucco decoration. This is almost 

 the only Temple at Palenque of which the floor has been left untouched by excavators. 

 The plaster coating of the floor is in almost perfect condition and retains its polished 

 surface. On the back wall there are traces of colouring. 



