Labná Arch: less ornate east side

Photo of Labna Arch, east side

Paul Gendrop describes the east façade of the Labná arch as possessing "great sobriety...the principal motif is large stepped frets that stand out in strong relief over a background of colonnettes strongly underlined by the projection of the moldings."

Paul Gendrop, Rio Bec, Chenes and Puuc Styles in Maya Architecture, p. 190.



The pattern in this fretwork suggests a stylized chaac mask to some

Detail from east side of Labna Arch

The two stepped frets which meet in a "V" in this detail on the east side of the Labná Arch suggest an extremely stylized mask to George Andrews, author of Pyramids & Palaces, Monsters & Masks: The Golden Age of Maya Architecture.



Labná Arch: east side showing damaged portions of the connecting building

East side of Labna Arch, Showing Ancient Mayan Construction Techniques

In this photograph it is easy to see how Puuc construction techniques utilizing interior rubble fill surfaced with well cut plain and mosaic stonework was used to build the Labná arch. These are very solid buildings.



For comparison, this is a view of the more ornate western side of the arch

View from Palace