Edzná - El Edificio de los Cinco Pisos

The east side of the plaza is dominated by Edzná's most interesting easily accessible monument, El Edificio de los Cinco Pisos (Five-Storeyed Building). From the almost square base, measuring 60 3 58 m (197 3 190 ft), an external "flying" stairway mounts the pyramid's four lower tiers, each 4.6 m (15 ft) in height. The fifth storey consists of a 5 m (17 ft)-tall temple building crowned by a 6 m (19 ft) roof-comb. The top of the comb reaches 31 m (102 ft) above the ground.

The four, chambered, lower storeys are thought to have been priests' quarters, the temple with its altar comprising the actual shrine. The lowest storey is adorned with masonry columns reminiscent of the Río Bec style, while the fourth in contrast boasts the kind of monolithic columns with capitals commonly found in the Puuc region. On the first floor, a passageway with corbel vaulting leading inwards from underneath the stairway gives access to the inner chamber.

This impressive structure perfectly illustrates the rather austere style of building typical of Edzná, with plain cornices and unadorned façades. The contrast with the architecture of the Classic Chenes or Puuc sites is very marked. Only the roof-comb could be described as at all ornate, being richly embellished with stucco figures.