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At the top of the stairs, turn and look out over Plaza
Copal. Can you envision how imposing this high building would have
looked from the stairs between Plazas Duende and Copal? Xakah is important
for two reasons: (1) It is at the head of Plaza Copal at the center
of attention, and (2) It helps enclose the private palace and temple
area of Plaza Axcanan. Excavations have
revealed no other way in or out of Plaza Axcanan except for the passageway
in which you are currently standing. This makes Axcanan a very exclusive
space. |
| Turning back to the south, look carefully at this passageway,
paying particular attention to the more fully excavated east wall.
The first low wall you see at the top of the steps is the remains
of the front wall and door-jamb of the palace. The other wall is somewhere
beneath the tree roots on the opposite side. The space between the
outer wall and the thick plastered wall in the middle represents the
width of the front room. The middle wall continues along the length
of the building and forms the backbone of the structure. Here you
can see the entire width of the excavated passageway. |
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The plaster visible on these walls has not been repaired since
the abandonment of El Pilar. It is original and nearly 1000
years old! Please treat it with the respect due to a treasured
ancient relic. Another set of low walls and the excavated half-room
show you what the inner southern rooms looked like. The rubble
that fills the unexcavated portions of the rooms is collapse
from the roof vault above. You can recognize some of the faced
vault stones by their angles and their surface plaster. |
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| Stepping out from under the protective roof, you enter
Plaza Axcanan, which stands 4 meters (13 feet) above Plaza Copal and
is 700 square meters (7542 square feet) in area. |
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