with the Temple of the Warriors rather than the Chac Mool Temple, although as Tozzer points out this figure occurs at the base of almost 500 column faces at Chichén Itzá (1957:71).
consistent with the other lines of evidence that the altar in the Northeast Colonnade is either contemporaneous with or later than the altars in the two structures mentioned by Tozzer, rather than an earlier example.
The masks in the minor panels at the top of these two columns are the best single line of evidence for the relative dating of the Northeast Colonnade (Ricketson 1927, Tozzer 1957:Fig. 343). These cursive, stylized forms, seen also at the Xtoloc Temple (Ruppert 1952:Figs. 134-136, Tozzer 1957:Fig. 340), are almost certainly the latest examples of forms of a saurian deity seen earliest in the sculptural art of Chichén Itzá in the Lower Jaguar Temple (Tozzer 1957:Figs. 345, 338). Other forms at the Great Ball Court follow (Tozzer 1957:Figs. 335-337), and later in time are examples from the Chac Mool Temple and the Mercado (Tozzer 1957:Figs. 341, 339). Given the rather secure trend thus established, which almost certainly reflects chronological change, the examples from the Northeast Colonnade and the Xtoloc Temple can only be the latest forms of the sequence.
The various lines of sculptural evidence from the Northeast Colonnade indicate that it was constructed subsequent to the major constructions on the main plaza. The superimposed mask elements of the upper facade were possibly derived from the Temple of the Warriors, and the disc elements from the facade are similar to larger forms from the facade of the North Colonnade. The main figures on the four sculptured columns, similar to the column sculpture from the Xtoloc Temple, can be compared to individual column sculptures from the Chac Mool Temple, the Temple of the Warriors, and the Northwest Colonnade. The evidence from the minor panels and the altar suggests that the latest rather than the earliest possibility is the most likely. A date sometime after the completion of the Temple of the Warriors is the best estimate for the time of construction of the Northeast Colonnade. Because of the clear trend seen in the minor panels and the close association of this structure with the North Colonnade, it is highly unlikely that the Northeast Colonnade was an early structure from which were derived similar traits in other buildings.
The massive altar built around columns 3 and 4 provides the final evidence concerning the possible time of construction of the Northeast Colonnade. The altar is contemporaneous with the carvings on the columns, or earlier, because the base of the two columns that are set into the altar are not carved below the level of the top of the altar. The procession on the side of the altar is most similar to the sculptures on the altars from the Northwest and North Colonnades (Tozzer 1957:182). It is most
Little Tables Group The Temple of the Little Tables (3D8) and the two adjacent structures form the central portion of the eastern side of the Court of the Columns. 72