ed to support the arches while building, and afterwards for the
suspension of hammocks.<46>

There are no openings for light and ventilation, consequently some of
the rear rooms are both damp and dark. The lintels over each doorway
were of wood. This was the common and ordinary material employed for
lintels in Yucatan, though in one or two instances stone was used. They
used for this purpose beams of zapote, a wood noted for its strength and
durability. Some inner lintels still remain in place. The one over the
central doorway of the outer wall was elaborately carved, the others
were plain.

The outside of the building is also of interest to us. By a careful
examination, we notice a cornice just above the doorway. The wall below
the cornice presents a smooth surface of limestone, no traces of plaster
or paint appearing; above the cornice the facade is one solid mass of
rich, complicated, and elaborately sculptured ornaments. This is not
stucco work, as at Palenque, but the ornaments are carved on stone. Mr
Stephens tells us, "Every ornament or combination is made up of separate
stones, each of which had carved on it part of the subject, and was then
set in its place in the wall. Each stone, by itself, is an unmeaning
fractional portion, but placed by the side of others, makes, part of a
whole which, without it, would be incomplete."

It is not possible to give a verbal description of all of the ornaments;
we can notice but few. Over each doorway was represented a person
apparently seated on a sort of throne, having a lofty head-dress, with
enormous plumes of feathers falling symmetrically on each side. Though
the figures varied in each case, in general characteristics they were
the same as the one here represented, which was the figure over the
central doorway of the building.

Illustration of Figure over the Doorway.---------

Illustration of Ornament over the Doorway.-------------

Among the most commonly reappearing ornaments at Uxmal, and at other
places, is one that has received the name of the "Elephant's Trunk," and
has given rise to no little discussion. One occurs immediately above the
figure. Part of this ornament is represented in this plate. The central
part of this figure, which appears as a plain band, is in reality
a curved projecting stone, which, when looked at sideways, has the
appearance given in this cut. Though requiring a little imagination,
the majority of travelers see in this some mons