An Unexplored Realm in the Heartland of the Southern Gulf ... - Famsi

The western third of the platform has been artificially raised to a height of up to 6 m. The
south side of the platform takes advantage of the natural rise of the land; thus, minimizing
the fill and labor required to level that portion of the structure.
A substantial architectural structure that sits atop this platform is Structure 77, a
U-shaped mounded building that bounds the western limits of the complex. For
descriptive purposes, this structure is designated 77a, b, c, and d (see Figure 4.13). The
north (77a and 77b) and south (77d) arms of the structure define the northern and
southern limits and 77c the west boundary of the Throne Complex. Each of these
constructions has elevations that rise 2 to 5 m from the enclosed court floor. The opposite
or exterior portion of Structure 77 range from 1 to 6 m above the surrounding ground
elevation. Figure 4.14 is a view from the southwest corner of the structure looking north
along the top of the west mound and offers an example of the nature of the earthworks
that compose the structure. The line of trees at the upper right of the photo obscures the
north wall of this structure.
Figure 4.13. Outlines of Throne Complex structures superimposed over
topographic map. Coordinates withheld by author.
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