1. The eastern abstract serpent panel, Structure VI, Chicanná
There are two serpent masks in this photo, one underneath the other. The serpents face toward the right with their spiral eye in the upper left square area.
An upturned nose with tiny fangs below can be seen in the middle of the design. The right side of the design features either flames or vegetation which sprout from the figure's forehead and drape down in front of the face. In the upper mask, these sprouts are terminated with two circular upside-down Ahau heads.
Because of the forehead appendages, this design is harder to "read" than the other two designs in the series.
Similar abstract serpent motifs can be seen at Hochob, Ek Balam, elsewhere at Chicanná, Xpujil, and many other places.
In the central panel, the serpent looks to the left. At the bottom of the photo we see the serpent jaw with its small pair of fangs (or a forked tongue). Above is his rather curvy nose, while the rectangle above contains an eye and protruding eyelashes.
Serpent panels were conventionalized stone sculptures which were covered with a finishing plaster coating (now gone). These panels are common across buildings at Chicanná and equally common throughout the whole Chenes region.
There are two serpent masks in this photo, one underneath the other. The serpents face toward the right with their spiral eye (complete with eyelashes) in the upper left square area. They have open mouths with an up-curved lower jaw. Inside the mouth a forked tongue or pair of fangs can be seen.
Even though these serpent motifs are extremely abstract, with a little practice the eye can be trained to make out the patterns.