5 and 6 were followed northwards for a distance of 2.08 m from the doorway, at which point there seems to be a corner (expectable if the building platforms for Str. 7F-30-2nd and 1st were basically symmetrical; see Fig. 9). Assumed is that counterparts to U. 5 and 6 ran S of the doorway about the same distance, a hypothesis that accords nicely with the configuration of the ruin mound. The width of the stairs (U. 4) is reconstructed on the assumption that they were as wide relative to the structure as are the stairs to the building platform of Str. 7F-30-2nd and 1st. This seems to fit well with the presumed width of the structure doorway.
STRUCTURE 7F-31-1ST-A
This modification of Str. 7F-31-1st is nearly irrelevant; it was caused by the laying of Plat. 7F-1-1st:Fl. 1, which eliminated the bottom step of the U. 4 stairway.
Structure 7F-32
This is a range-type structure of four rooms on the S edge of Plat. 7F-1; as Op. 3G, three of its rooms (2, 3, and 4) were completely cleared, along with the major portion of the fourth (Rm. 1; Fig. 12–16). The substructure was tunneled along its front-rear axis down to base surface (Fig. 17); the bottom of its N wall was followed to its W end (Fig. 12), and supplementary probes revealed further details. Although Str. 7F-32 underwent numerous modifications, only two full-scale architectural developments have been defined (Table 2.4; see below).
STRUCTURE 7F-32-2ND-C
In its original form, 7F-32 was a large, range-type structure that faced S (Fig. 12). On the basis of the excavations through the centerline, construction may be divided minimally into four stages, although the size of the building platform suggests that it must have been erected in several parts. The first one known (CS. 4) saw a wall built on Plat 7F-1:U. 3, about 6.50 m N of the S edge of that floor; as masonry work proceeded, debris was dumped behind it (Fig. 17:21), ensuring its stability. To retain this fill on the S, a rough wall (U. 1), battered like the N one, was laid up 1.20 m S of the edge of Plat. 7F-1:U. 3 (Fig. 17). A major pause-line may be seen in the fill just over 1 m above the plaza floor level (Fig. 17:24), and two minor ones may also be seen (Fig. 17:22, 23).
To complete the building platform (CS. 3), workers piled up fill S of U. 1, widening the platform in that direction, and providing a base for the stairway. Little is known of this stairway, owing to its extremely poor preservation, but it may have been no wider than the doorway to which it led (see Fig. 17:25). It appears that, as each step was constructed, a layer of mortar for the tread was laid over fill, masonry for the next riser up was then set on this, following which the mortar in front was smoothed to provide a finished surface. The top three treads are quite narrow with low risers, while the two below were higher, with deeper treads. Perhaps the original stairway was subsequently rebuilt, and the original steps were all low with shallow treads (see discussion of 1st).
Excavations exposed portions of the N, E, and W building platform walls; the one on the N has a large center outset of 9 cm, with an apron molding 0.80 m above the surface of Plat. 7F-1:U. 3. On either side of this is a basal molding, 0.48 m in height and 0.09 m deep, from which the wall rises to an apron molding 0.93 m above Plat. 7F-1:U. 3. These moldings probably turn the corners onto the E and W faces, but there has been no excavation to confirm this. Each end wall does seem to have a center outset, though, so it is likely that they were smaller versions of the rear one. All these walls were battered, and were constructed of large, roughly shaped blocks of various sizes that were given a heavy coat of plaster. At the spring of the apron, masonry was installed as headers deep into the fill (Fig. 17).
The last act of CS. 3 was to pave over the entire top of the building platform (Fl. 1 of 2nd, described in Fig. 12). Although the N platform wall is as high as this floor, the E (and presumably the W) end wall is not; there, the floor drops 0.39 m to a lower level, which runs out 0.42 m to the wall top (Fig. 12:4). On the S is a plaster surface 1.30 m deep 19 m below the floor in Rm. 1 (Fig. 17:4). The wall at which this ends on the N was set into the pavement mortar, which was then smoothed off in front (similar to stair construction, as described above).
As CS. 2, a building was erected on Fl. 1 of 2nd, the N and S walls about 0.30 m in from the edge of the substructure. The E (and probably W) walls were set on the very edge of this pavement, but there was an exposed ledge at a lower level just outside (see above). The building itself has two large rectangular rooms, tandemly placed, with their long axis running E-W; a smaller rectangular room is located at each end. Thus, the outside walls form a rectangle, and the partition an “I” shape. This same arrangement of rooms is seen in the Early Classic Str. SE-423 at Navahuelal, and the lower story of Str. 5D-46 at Tikal (also Early Classic). Each room of 32-2nd has a centrally placed doorway to the outside, even though the only steps were on the S, but from Rm. 1 (the S one), small vaulted doorways gave access to Rm. 2 on the W and Rm. 3 on the N (Fig. 19 and 39b–d). Similar doorways connected Rooms 2 and 3, and 3 and 4 (Fig. 41a, 42a); Rm. 2 and 3, then, could be entered directly from Rm. 1, but Rm. 4 could be entered only via Rm. 3.
Used in building wall construction was a veneer of small stones, irregular in shape and size, which were given a heavy coat of plaster. This turns down onto the floor of the building platform. In Rm. 1, a small vent at floor level penetrates the S wall near its W end (Fig. 12:6), with perhaps another one to match it on the E. At a height of 2.70 m, the walls were topped by specially shaped spring stones (Fig. 17:26) installed as stretchers, above which vaults were built for each room (as CS. 1). These vaults have long since collapsed completely, but the stones were shaped into long, thin headers with bevels averaging an angle of 112 degrees.
There is evidence that the plaster of room walls and floors was painted red. This was particularly prominent in Rm. 1, where red paint was seen on the plaster of Fl. 1 of 2nd and the walls where they were protected by later construction. In addition, there were burned patches on Fl. 1 of 2nd in the W end of Rm. 3, and in Rm. 4 near its outside doorway.
STRUCTURE 7F-32-2ND-A AND B
Structure 7F-32-2nd underwent two minor modifications, the first of which was the walling up of the doorway between Rm. 1 and 3 (Fig. 12:7 and 39b,c). The masonry used for this duplicates that of the building walls, so perhaps this took place not long after construction of 1st-C. It rests directly on Fl. 1 of 2nd and, in Rm. 3, rises without a break to the top of the doorway. In Rm. 1, however, there is a square niche 0.40 m deep and 1.30 m above Fl. 1 of 2nd (see Fig. 19a:1; 39c and 40a). Both faces of the doorway masonry were plastered.
Later, an interior platform (U. 3) was built in the NW corner of Rm. 1 against the masonry in the doorway. Based on Fl. 1 of 2nd, from which there is a secondary turnup (Fig. 12 and 19a), its walls abut those of the building. Although the top of U. 3 was paved, this was torn out in the course of later construction.
STRUCTURE 7F-32-1ST
The only major modification of 7F-32 seems to have come after an extended period of use, judging from the amount of debris that accumulated against its N wall (Fig. 17:30, 31). Actually, there were several alterations, which are best to examine room by room, following discussion of external changes. The discussion will conclude with a “summing up” of the sequence of events.
With the addition of a stairway along its N side, a major change was effected in structure orientation; previously, it could be entered only from the S but now it could be entered directly from Plat. 7F-1 (Fig. 16). For this, a series of broad, deep steps were built, the end walls of which abut the old N face of 2nd, concealing all but 0.75 m of the original wall at either end. The masonry used for this construction consists for the most part of well-dressed rectangular blocks installed as stretchers and is quite different from that of the earlier walls, including that which seals the doorway between Rm. 1 and 3, or that of U. 3. At least three steps were built, leading up from the level of Fl. 1 of Plat. 7F-1-1st. A wall (U. 2)
