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326 advancement, such as Palenque, the front is often broken by a series of doorways so close together that the wall becomes little more than a series of square pillars (Fig. 75, d). Round columns are found only in Yucatan, especially at Chichen Itza, associated with those buildings which are attributed to a later date (Pl. XXIX). It is interesting to note that, while in the Old World the column is based for the most part on vegetal forms, in this country the animal world has been laid under contribution. The Chichen columns are carved to represent feathered serpents, with their heads upon the ground and their tails elevated in the air, exactly similar to the columns which have been found at Tulan in Mexico. Stone was employed for lintels, especially at Menché,where they are elaborately carved, but wood was used almost more frequently. The carved lintels of Tikal (see Fig. 48; p.225), of the durable zapote wood, are among the finest examples of Maya art, and have survived owing to the solidity of the buildings and their single doorways. At Palenque and in Yucatan the wooden lintels, being less well protected, have vanished, and their decay has often contributed to the downfall of the structure; at the same time the fact that many of the buildings have not suffered to any extent from the removal of the lintels emphasizes the monolithic character of the Maya building. Windows are practically non-existent, though openings in the walls between chambers are common, especially at Palenque (Fig. 77; p. 329). As stated above, the typical Maya building is a simple rectangular chamber, as shown in the plan, Fig. 76, 1. But it was capable of considerable elaboration, and the succeeding plans show some of the variations produced by the addition of subsidiary chambers and the breaking of the wall by means of doorways. The highest degree of complexity is seen at Palenque, where the main building contains a specially-built cell, furnished with a separate