16.5

An elite residential compound or palace has been identified on the summit of Cerro Baúl in Sector A. The shaded areas were excavated over four field seasons from 2001 to 2007. The current map is an educated guess of wall placement in unexcavated areas. Unit 25 appears to have been an entrance hall, Unit 40A contains activities associated with ceramic production, and Unit 40B is not labeled and is a narrow corridor leading from Unit 25 to 41E. Unit 40C appears to have been a garden space because we found the stumps of three trees, which would never have grown on the summit of Cerro Baúl without human care. This space also lacked a floor of any kind. Units 41A, 41B, and 41C were small rooms built on descending terraces; all were accessed from the adjacent patio (41D), which was partially excavated, and 41E appears to be a very large open space with evidence of ritual activity and productive activities such as lapidary work, the grinding of ceramic tempers and pigments, and weaving.