Hatz is the Mayan name for "Jack-in-Bush," a flowering medicinal shrub for which this Plaza is named. You are about to enter the most restricted and private domain of ancient Pilar, a place we acknowledge as H'mena, Mayan for "place of the priests." The H'mena is made up of four adjoining plazas (Hatz, Jobo, Kibix, and Manax) that cover only 96 square meters (about 1000 square feet). Standing on the landing at Plaza Hatz, you will notice that the trail splits; on your right is a sign marked "Zotz Na" that points to the room below, opening onto Plaza Subin. Subin is Mayan for the acacia tree.
Trail to Zotz Na
Bat Glyph
Bat Glyph
 Zots Na (Mayan for bat house, recalling the last inhabitants of this room) is a passage that initially connected Plaza Ixim to Plaza Subin. The Maya created this passage to maintain access between plazas without having to go up and through the acropolis. Ultimately, however, the remodeling of the main temple of Plaza Ixim sealed the access route.
Entrance to Passageway
The top of the corbel arch was visible even though the temple collapsed and obscured the entrance. Our team cleared the front and then the 10.3 meters (34 feet) of debris from this tunnel floor, reopening it once again. Once you go down our access stairs to the door of the tunnel, you will be standing on the original plaster floor of Plaza Subin. The masonry and plaster you see in this excavation is original; stone lines of the wall mark consolidated areas that were damaged by looters. The southern wall is partially slanted because it is actually part of an earlier version of the pyramid (EP 19) next door. If you look closely at the top of this slanted part you will see the thick plaster floor of this platform. Please remember to latch the screen door as you leave Zotz Na. This will ensure that the area is not reoccupied by bats!
Passageway