Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Mural, Jaguar Palace
Center
Palace of Quetzalpapalotl
Right
Mural of a parrot-like bird
Quetzalpapalotl Palace Complex
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Plaza of the Moon
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Decorative Merlons
One of the sacred ceremon-
ial areas in the city, the plaza lies
between the Pyramid of the
Moon and the Avenue of the
Dead. The entrance to the
Quetzalpapalotl Palace Complex
is reached from the southwest
corner of the plaza.
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Entrance to the Palace of
The top inner rim of the
portico in the Patio of Pillars
features numerous ornately
carved stone merlons (battle-
ments) decorated with bas-relief
symbols of the calendar.
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Temple of the Feathered
Conches
This temple, located on a level
below the palace, features an
ornately carved stone façade and
pillars decorated with bands of
feathered conches and borders
of four-petal flower motifs.
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Mural of Parrot-like Bird
Quetzalpapalotl
A wide stone staircase leads
from the Plaza of the Moon up
to the covered east portico
supported by large columns. The
portico opens into a great
antechamber that leads into the
main palace complex.
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Stone Serpent's Head
On the staircase leading to
the three-sided courtyard in front
of the Temple of the Feathered
Conches is a brilliantly
colored mural of a
parrot-like bird watering
a flower with its beak.
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Jaguar Palace
Near the top of the
broad stone staircase
leading to the portico, a
huge carved stone
serpent's head emerges
from the wall in a position
of prominence.
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Palace of
The palace consists
of a large open plaza in
front of the middle temple.
The nearby staircases have
ramps shaped like snakes, while
the sloping walls have murals of
jaguars in various poses.
)
Jaguar Murals
Stone
serpent's head
Quetzalpapalotl
The largest and most elegant
structure in the palace complex,
this is believed to have been the
high priest's residence. The origi-
nal roof burned in the fires that
swept the city in about AD 750.
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Patio of the Pillars
Murals of jaguars, blowing
feathered conch shells and with
seashells on their flanks, adorn
the sloping walls of a few rooms
in the palace. In other murals,
jaguars are seen lying in nets in
a woman's arms.
The Palace of Quetzalpapalotl
is named after the carved bird-
butterfly figures that adorn the
pillars of the inner portico.
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