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| The Xaman Trail begins at the marked sign
of Plaza Faisan, past the main entrance sign on El Pilar Road. Plaza
Faisan is named after the Cola de Faisan
(Spanish for pheasant tail) or Bird's Nest fern that grows throughout
El Pilar. The Xaman Trail focuses on the private domains of El Pilar.
This area is made up of tightly enclosed plaza spaces surrounded by
temples and palace structures. The plazas have restricted entrances
and gradually increasing elevations. This was a very exclusive and
private area. |
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| Plaza Faisan is the last of the large public plazas
as you travel north. One important visual reminder of this change
is the long building that closes off the southern edge of Plaza Faisan
and prevents direct access from Nohol Pilar to Xaman Pilar. To get
from Nohol Pilar to this point the ancient Maya would have exited
Plaza Duende down a ramp to the east, walked north through Plaza Escoba
(where El Pilar Road is now), and entered Faisan from the northeast
corner. There is a pyramid across El Pilar Road as one departs from
Plaza Duende that controls public access and another pyramid in Plaza
Rosa marking the turn into Faisan. These are visual clues used by
the Maya to reinforce a sense of exclusiveness. |
| Surrounded by low platforms and mounds, Plaza Faisan is the largest
plaza of the north, covering approximately 1 acre (70 x 57 meters
or 230 x 187 feet). Many of these platforms would have supported thatched
structures. Like other plazas at El Pilar, Faisan seems to have been
designed with water collection in mind. The surface is noticeably
slanted to the west where water drains off into a large aguada
or reservoir. We will visit it later on this trail. |
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| As you continue north you cross the expanse of the plaza
and ascend a wide platform into Plaza Gumbolimbo. |
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