XXVI Congreso Internacional de Americanistas

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before or around 10IV stone columlls, ~et
cases, in ni ches in the rear wall.
ill the temple floor or, In mall)'
POSSIBLE FUNCTION .
It seems clear that tbese builclillgS ,¡re 1l0t domiciliary.
It Seel115
strahge that if they are temples o11ly Ol1e of the eight occupies a commanclingposition
on the city plan; that none "vere ever placed 011 pyramids,
none were dignified with associated stelae; and that the arrangements
for interior fires differ so markedly from those in buildings known,
from their situatiolls on high pyramids, to ha ve been temples.
Dr. Morley has suggesled that the fUTlction of two somewhat similar
structures at Chichen Itza, to be referred to briefly below, w as that ol
s\Veat-baths, and that these at Piedras Negras served the same purpose.
In this connection it is of interest to quote a description of a modern
i\Iexican vapor ball! a t T epoztlan '\\"hich, so far as it gces, might :.~ e
applied to our central chambers with little qualifica tion.
The svveat house
" is made of stone set in mortar. It is rectangular, approximately square,
and about five feet high at the center. The roof is low-peaked. The one
entrance is barely la rge enough to pennit entrance of aman on hands
¿¡nd krKes" (3).
It seems to lhe writer that Dr. Morley's slíggestion is to be accepted
as the best available and in all probability the conect explana tion of
these buildings. The Maya noble 01' priest who desired purification or
:1 cure \\ould have tound the outer rOOlll S cOllvenient for disrobing and
perhaps for resting after his enervating experience. \Vith a fire burning
in the fire-chamber the central chamber would be extremely warm. The
former was \vel! designed to withstand long continued fires, with it3
monolithic jamb stones and heavy lintel. The overhanging rear wall
woukl tend lo lhro lV heat out through th e fire-chamber doorway, an1­
its facing of potsherds in lieu of limestone insured that it would not calcine
and collapse. Limestone is the only stone here available for building
purposes. The roof of the fire-chamber seems to have been constructed
of stone slabs. In excavating further units it will be interesting to try to
~'; lin further knowleclg ó.' of this roof. Jt '"vas sürely within the powers
of Maya architects lo design it so that certain stones, perhaps loooe ancl
rep1aceable, \"rould become heated qu;ckly. Waler poured on these in the
traditional ma nller to generate steam could run out the sunken passage.
as is suggested by Dr. Mason.
This passage IVould also be very COI1­
el) RoUcrl.A.. . Hedfield: Tepoz tlan, a Jvlexican Village; University of Chicago
Publications in AnthropoJogy, Ethnological Series, University o f Chicago Press,
Chicago.