It is located little more than one hundred meters to the north of the Palace after pass through the Ballgame and is part of the central zone of the city. It is conformed by one long platform that maintains five temples. The porches of all buildings watch towards south. The buildings have been numbered from east to west I to the V. Temples I and III are made up of a single crujilla of small dimensions, the II and IV are two parallel crujillas buildings with a porch of three entrances, temple V is longest of all and displays five entrances.

The first excavations conducted in the North Group were made by Alberto Ruz and Jorge Angulo in 1955 and 1956, although already they were counted with good done descriptions of the group made previously by Blom and Berlin.

At the end of the year 1992 and beginnings of 1993, as a part of the goals of the Proyecto Arqueologico Palenque excavations were made in this group with the objectives to stabilize these buildings and to deep in his constructive history. The archaeologists discovered 7 different constructive moments. Substructure V - later covered with Structure V- represents the oldest construction of the group and the fact that it was a small building of single crujilla and its ceiling was not made with the traditional false arc but with a flat ceiling with beams is a singular fact. It has three entrances oriented towards the south.

 

For a second stage, the Temple II is constructed. It is a building of much greater dimensions. It has two parallel crujillas with a three rooms division in the back displaying the classic palencan architecture of two and three accesses, in addition to a high projection vault. The third moment is characterized by some modifications in this same building.

The fourth constructive stage is distinguished by construction of temples I and III. For its construction, the platform of Temple II was extended both east and west sides, the new buildings were based on this. Temple I is to the east and III to the west.

The following stage is distinguished by creation of a new building that covers Substructure V. Structure V follows the constructive model of the Templo de las Inscripciones: it counts with five entrances porch and its dimensions and plans are similar.

During the sixth constructive moment part of the existing space between the temple III platform and the east flank of Temple V is filled up. Few traces of a small construction whose access was towards the south were located there. In addition one narrow stuccoed stairs of five steps that allowed the communication with Temple III was found too.

Temple IV corresponds with the last constructive stage and for its construction it was necessary to destroy the small building above-mentioned along with the small stairs. Its design was of single double parallel crujilla with just two rooms in the back. Perhaps at some time were three rooms and later modification gave the present form him.

In the course of explorations in the Temple V Alberto Ruz located an offering (Offering II) in front of the porch and he dated in year 384+-105d.C. which seems to match with the first constructive stages of the group. In addition, one second offering was located (Offering I) to the interior of the porch of Temple V. Dated between 625 and 700 d.C.

A large number of artifacts that indicate domestic uses were found at the inner of Temple IV . Pots, bowls, and a great amount of metates and manos were located on the platforms. Indoors, numerous prismatic blades, obsidian debris, silex and a furnace! Werw found too. This last is a very barely element seen on the excavations. Researchers think the domestic function of this temple happened around first half of Century VIII d.C.

Another important finding was the cylindrical censers burners like those found in the Groupo de la Cruz. These are smaller and not so elaborated. They show a human face instead the Jaguar God of the Infraworld. The use of these censers could be located to aims or after the government of Chan-Bahlum (first half of century VIII d.C. ).

Bibliography:

Alejandro Tovalin Ahumada and Gabriela Ceja. " Desarrollo Arquitectonico del Grupo Norte "

www.mesoweb.com.

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