Looking west from within the Great Plaza, across the stelae recounting the deeds of many Tikal kings, the view is interrupted by Temple II, also known as the Temple of the Masks on account of its upper frieze once having been adorned with gigantic stone and stucco masks. Although somewhat squat in appearance, particularly when compared with its slender and more famous mate, Temple I, this structure once rose over forty meters from the Plaza floor and, given its location, must have been central in the city's civic life.