Color reproduction by Ann Axtell Morris of Pilaster D, Temple of the Chac Mool, Chichen Itza (Morris et al. 1931:Plate 34). The Temple of the Chac Mool at Chichen Itza is described by Earl H. Morris, writing in The Temple of the Warriors at Chichen Itzá, Yucatan by Earl H. Morris, Jean Charlot, and Ann Axtell Morris (Morris et al. 1931): "...the Temple of the Chac Mool...lies beneath ground within the [Temple of the] Warriors Pyramid. That portion of it extant is in an almost phenomenal state of preservation, owing to the fact that it was completely encased and enclosed within a solid mass of masonry. For centuries, first while the pyramid remained in finished condition and later during the gradual crumbling of its slopes, there was no discernible indication of the existence of the buried temple. Eventually erosion of the northwest corner proceeded to the degree that, after the tangle of vines and leaves had been pulled away from a stump on the northern slope, there was visible beneath it a narrow band of sculptured stone. It was a portion of a column block in situ which provided a clue that led to the most difficult excavation so far encountered at Chichen Itzá. Now that the fossil temple has been freed to the necessary extent from the surrounding matrix it reveals many features of suprising magnificence."