plaster masks, once painted in bright colors. at the center of this mask we have what's called god "d", also known as itzam 'na, which was a principal deity of the maya cosmos. he is coming out of the mouth of a bird which is probably the celestial bird. and as we move into the upper register, we have another complex scene. basically, we have two snakes, and into the mouth of the one that's facing up is descending the representation of keene or the sun. reflecting, i think, also that we are on the west side of the building, and therefore this is the side where the sun descends into darkness at the end of every day. keach: so far, all the imagery uncovered on the building has some kind of religious message. the king is telling his subjects that he has special access to the supernatural world of gods and revered ancestors. archaeologists believe religion and the control of religious symbols was a major source of royal power. but this power lacked coercive force, like the aztecs used, to back it up. maya royal power relied heavily on faith, a faith that needed constant reinforcement. one way in which maya kings reinforced their connect