XXVI Congreso Internacional de Americanistas

An Unusual Type of Building
In the Maya Old Empíre
BY
UNTON SATTERTHWAITE JR.
University Museum, University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia, PelUl.
Since 1931 the University Museum, University of Pennsylvania,
through its Eldrige R. John50 n and subceql1ent expedi tions, has beell
excavating annually at the Maya site Piedras Negras, on the right bank
of the U.;umacinta river, in the Department of Peten, Guatemala. Th~
writer has been priviledged to act a5 fi led assistant to Dr. J. Alden
Mason during the first two seasons, and, during the three seasons since,
to prosecute the museum's progressthere under his direction. Following
is a btief account of a type of building there found which we believe has
hitherto been unreported from the southern or "Old Empire" region,
and which, we think, may prove to have a wide distribution.
In brief, the type consists ess.entially of a small low chamber (he1e
called the "Central Chamber") with a single wry ·low ilnd narrow frOlll
doorway. This houses a smalI box-Jike milsonry construction in which
have been found evidences of hot 01 Jong-cuntinued fire. This is reached
by a passage sunk below the level of the ch;lmber floor, and we call it
the "Fire-chamber". It has been info1mally suggested to the writer by
Dr. Sylvanus G. Morley of the Carnegie Institution of 'Washington, that
these buildings served as sweilt-bilths.Whether this functional interprttation
survives the light of further research or not, there are so many
peculiar e:ements associated together in the buildings of the group to be
discussed that they form a distinct type which, it is believed, wil! be oí
interest to the Mayanist members of the Congress.
The type was first revealed by Dr. Mason's excavation of Structure