Arch of Labná

From the Palacio [1], a sacbé (raised road) leads across a plaza of high flowing grass to the south side of the site to its most famous structure, the Arch of Labná. It’s an exquisitely constructed portal vault, with a smooth elliptical ceiling, forming a spacious 3- by 6-meter (10- by 20-foot) passageway—one of the largest and finest arches ever built by the Maya.

In its heyday, the arch most likely served as an elegant passageway between residential and administrative structures reserved for Labná [2]’s elite. Both sides are decorated, one with deep-relief spirals and checkerboard patterns (associated with clouds and rain) and the other with two na, or thatched Maya huts. The doors of the huts were used as niches, probably to display important figures, and red and blue paint is still visible there.

Remarkably, only the arch’s stairs and the roofcomb required significant restoration. The rest has stood, as is, for over 1,000 years.