Yaxchilán

Identification (title, culture/period, place, date, material)

yaxchilan, Maya, Chiapas, Mexico, 725 CE, limestone

Lintel 24 - Structure 23

• bloodletting ritual - king Shield Jaguar the Great and Lady Xook

• Lady Xook pulls a thorned rope through her tongue

• Blood flowing for ritual communication with gods and spirits

• Sacrifice mirrored Maya history of creation - gods let their blood to create human race

• In ritual, the queen demonstrated her physical and moral strength to her people and her suitability as a royal

• Queen kneels in front of King

• Bloodletting was essential for rulership and public rituals

• Glyphs

• King wanted to promote lineage and power through wife

Lintel 25 - Structure 23

• Bloodletting ritual by queen

• shed blood to honor and feed gods - maintain cosmos

• Maya’s believed ruler was a descendant of the gods - bloodletting crucial for ruler to maintain power and order

• Bloodletting connected to rebirth and rejuvenation

• Lady Xook kneels in front of vision serpent (figure protruding out of it)

• Queen holds bowl w/ blood stained paper in it - paper is burned to let blood ascend to gods and bring vision serpent

• Figure out of serpents mouth has shield, spear, and helmet and wears headdress, breastplate, and ear spools - believed to be Shield Jaguar II or Lady Xook

• Lady Xook wears huipil, headdress, and jewelry

• Glyphs

Structure 33

• Built by Bird Jaguar IV (Shield Jaguar II’s son)

• Legitimizes his position as king

• Stucco ornamentation

• Roof-comb (wall to make building look taller) - has friezes, niches, and sculptures

• One sculpture is a human - could be Bird Jaguar IV

• Lintel 1 & 3 - Bird Jaguar IV in royal Maya clothes

• Lintel 2 - Bird Jaguar IV w/ his son Shield Jagaur IV

• Hieroglyphic stairway - 13 carved limestones blocks depict Bird Jaguar IV playing ballgame w/ his father Shield Jaguar II, and his grandfather Bird Jaguar II - playing against enemies Lord Jeweled Skull and Bird Jagaur defeats him

Structure 40

• Bird Jaguar built it for political campaign to secure his rulership

• stuccoed roof combs

• Stela 11 - Bird Jaguar IV towering over war captives w/ his parents - advertise dynastic lineage to prove he had the right to rule