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YAXCHILAN
A. Geography
1. Usumacinta region
2. Location
a) within a nearly-closed loop of the river on the Mexican side
B. History
1. Discovery
a) Maudslay
b) Maler
c) INAH
1) consolidation and preservation of center of site
C. Architecture and monuments
1. Laberinto
2. Str. 33
D. Chronology
1. emblem glyph appears in 9.4.0.0.0 (514)
E. Dynastic sequence
1. nature of record
a) inscriptions on stelae and lintels
b) nearly complete dynastic record on monuments
2. Early Classic
a) early rulers
1) Penis-Jaguar
a> lineage founder
2) Shield-Jaguar I
3) Bird-Jaguar I
4) Yax-Antler-Skull
5) 5th ruler
6) Tah-Skull I
7) Moon-Skull I
8) Bird-Jaguar II
9) Knot-Eye Jaguar
10) Tah-Skull II
b) records of visits from El Peru and Tikal
c) defeat of Lacanha in 564
3. Late Classic
a) rulers
1) 6-Tun-Bird-Jaguar
a> accedes ca. 630
b> wife is Lady Pacal
1> mother of Shield Jaguar
2) Shield-Jaguar
a> must have been named as heir at an early date
1> mention at Palenque that a brother of Shield Jaguar
participated in a war event led by Pacal
b> accedes to power on October 23, 681
1> accedes at same time as Chan Bahlum
c> rules for about 50 years
1> many monuments recording captures
a: Ah Ahaual
1: captured in 9.12.8.14.1 (680), prior to accession
b: Ah Zac-Chi-Pa-Ta
c: Ah Kan
1: captured twice
d: Ah Chuen
e: Na-Cauac-Manik
2> may have led military alliance of primary Lowland centers
d> lives for at least 93 years
1> still taking captives at age 84
e> constructed Strs. 44 and 23
1> Str. 23
a: house sculpture dedicated on August 5, 723
1: Shield Jaguar was 72 years old
b: temple dedicated on June 26, 726
c: Lintels
1: part facing outward contained pure text
2: text and details of clothing indicates that these events
occurred on at least three different occasions
3: Lintel 24
A. accession of Shield Jaguar
B. this event took place exactly 28 years after accession
1. October 28, 709
C. occasion was alignment of Jupiter and Saturn
1. frozen at stationary points less than 2 degrees apart
2. near the constellation of Gemini
3. same type of event commemorated on Palenque's Tablet of the
Cross
D. event occurred 62 days after birth of son to Sheild Jaguar
1. child's birth on August 24, 709
4: Lintel 25
A. Lady Xoc's vision
1. communicates with Yat-Balam, founding ancestor of the
Yaxchilan dynasty
2. Yat-Balam identified by crossed-torch glyph
a) used to indicate lineage founder
3. Lady Xoc never ruled the kingdom
5: Lintel 26
A. Shield Jaguar receives battle gear from wife
1. dated Feb. 12, 724
B. jester god headband
C. handed a water-lily jaguar headdress
D. blood marks on wife's face
1. has just finished ritual from Lintel 24
E. seeking captives to be used in dedication rites that took
place on Feb. 12, 724 or June 26, 726
F. T-shaped frame may indicate Str. 23
6: Lintel 23
A. all glyphic lintel mounted over door on eastern end of
temple
1. records Shield Jaguar's 25 anniversary as ruler
2. also records Lady Xoc's dedication of this temple
3. gives Lady Xoc's genealogy
a) daughter of Shield Jaguar's mother's father's sister
1) maternal first cousin of his mother
b) status
c) emphasizes importance of Shield Jaguar's royal marriage
7: Reasons for lintel dedication
A. late marriage to Lady Eveningstar
1. name contains infixed "ik" sign for Venus
2. foreigner of high rank
a) described as Lady Ahau of Calakmul
b) Stela 10 shows female head with Calakmul emblem glyph
3. bore son to Shield Jaguar when he was 61
4. never mentioned on his own monuments
5. erected monuments to support her son
a) Temple 23 erected when Bird Jaguar was 13
b) honored Lady Xoc, who represented alliances to two local
lineages
c) represented a great compromise
1) built local alliance
a> supported matriline through inscriptions
b> supported patriline through honoring Lady Xoc
2) supported child of foreign alliance
a> at the same time, said nothing about his mother
d) shows act of extraordinary piety and prestige
1) one of only representations of thorn-studded rope
e) because of his age, it was necessary to choose a young heir
1) Bird Jaguar's rivals may have had claim to the throne
2) ten years without official king
a> may have been required by Bird Jaguar to defeat enemies
f> flapstaff events
1> Stela 16
a: Shield Jaguar's first display of staff
1: June 27, 736
2: Shield Jaguar was 88
b: erected in front of Temple 41
2> Lintel 50
a: Bird Jaguar's retrospective of father's flapstaff event
3> Stela 11
a: erected by Bird Jaguar soon after accession
1: placed in front of Str. 40 on top of hill
b: image of flapstaff ritual on June 26, 741
1: exactly five years after earlier event
2: emphasizes sharing of ritual with father
3: took place four days before tun ending
g> died in 9.15.10.17.14 (June 19, 742)
h> Lady Xoc dies on April 3, 749
3) Bird-Jaguar III
a> succeeds father in 752
1> ten year period before he accedes
2> entered office at age 32
b> bloodletting event on 9.15.10.0.1 4 Imix 4 Mol (July 1, 741)
1> Temple 20
a: Lintel 14
1: depicts Lady Great Skull Zero, wife to be
2: also shows her brother Lord Great Skull Zero
3: both holding a vision serpent
4: name of ancestor is Lady Ahau of Yaxchilan, Lady Yaxhal
b: New stela
1: shows bloodletting of Lady Eveningstar
A. text states that "fish-in-hand" event occurred in the land
of the sky lords
B. actor is Lady Eveningstar, mother of 3 katun lord, Bird
Jaguar, Holy Lord of Yaxchilan, Bacab
2: emphasizes importance of ritual undertaken by Bird Jaguar's
mother
3: date is 4 Imix 4 Mol
2> Structure 16
a: Lintel 39
1: central door of Str. 16
2: Bird Jaguar supports Serpent Bar
3: emits GII in materialized vision
4: date is again 4 Imix 4 Mol
c> Str. 21 (deliberate parallels Str. 23)
1> events leading to Bird Jaguar's accession
a: Lintel 16
1: capture of Yax-Cib-Tok'
A. took place on Feb. 10, 752
B. cahal of unidentified king
C. seventy five days later he was made king
1. accedes at about the same time as Kuk II
b: Lintel 17
1: bloodletting to celebrate birth of son
2: son was born eight days later, on Feb. 18, 752
A. named Chel-Te-Chan Ma-K'inah
B. later known as Shield Jaguar II
c: Lintel 18
1: vision rite of Lady 6-Tun
2: took place on March 28, 755
d> Stucture 20
1> Lintel 12
a: Bird Jaguar with captives
b: date and captive names are eroded
2> Lintel 13
a: bloodletting rite by Bird Jaguar and Lady Great Skull Zero
for birth of Chel-Te on Feb. 18, 752
3> Lintel 14
a: bloodletting at end of Shield Jaguar's life
b: date was 9.15.10.0.1
e> Structure 33
1> accession monument
2> Staircase
a: depiction of captive bouncing down hieroglyphic stairs
1: date of monument is October 21, 744
b: text associates events with mythical past
c: flanking panels show father and grandfather playing
3> Lintel 1
a: May 3, 752
b: portrait of Bird Jaguar at accession
c: Bird Jaguar in accession rites with God K scepter
d: Lady Great Skull holds bundle in preparation for vision rite
1: verb over head indicates she will soon let blood
4> Lintel 2
a: April 7, 757
b: rites for 5-tun anniversary of accession
c: Chel-Te helping father in bird-staff rite
5> Lintel 3
a: rituals celebrating the end of 5 tuns
1: 9.16.5.0.0 or April 12, 756
b: Bird Jaguar displaying God K scepter
c: cahal Ah-Mac-Kin-Mo'-Ahau on left
f> Stela 11
1> shows events preparatory to accession
2> Shield Jaguar enacts "flapstaff rite" with his son
3> opposite side shows presentation of victims for sacrifice
while wearing a mask of Chac-Xib-Chac (GI)
a: parents shown up above
g> Structure 13
1> located across the plaza from Structure 23
2> focus is on retrospective history
3> Lintel 50
a: Shield Jaguar's original flapstaff ritual
4> Lintel 32
a: retrospective portrait of Bird Jaguar's parents
b: Lady Eveningstar participating in bundle ritual with Shield
Jaguar
c: assertion that mother's role on this occasion was as
important as that of Lady Xoc
5> Lintel 33
a: Bird Jaguar's flapstaff ritual on June 25, 747
h> Structures 1 and 42
1> form group with Str. 33
a: document accession and related events
2> Structure 42
a: Lintel 41
1: May 9, 755
A. same day as on Str. 1, Lintel 8
2: dons ritual attire before departure for battle
3: shown with Lady 6 Sky Ahau
b: Lintel 42
1: June 12, 752
A. same day as Str. 1, Lintel 5
2: Bird Jaguar holds manikin scepter before cahal Kan Toc
A. Kan Toc is armed for battle
c: Lintel 43
1: October 16, 752
A. same day as Str. 1, Lintel 6
2: Bird Jaguar displays basket-staff with wife, Lady Balam
3> Structure 1
a: Lintel 5
1: June 12, 752
A. 40 days after Bird Jaguar's accession
B. same day as on Str. 42, Lintel 42
2: Bird Jaguar displays bird scepter
3: wife holds bundle
b: Lintel 6
1: Oct. 16, 752
2: same day as on Str. 42, Lintel 43
3: displays basket-staff with cahal Kan Tok
c: Lintel 7
1: October 18, 752
A. two days after event on Lintel 6
2: wife displays bundle
d: Lintel 8
1: Bird Jaguar on right, Kan Toc on left
2: takes two captives on May 9, 755
A. Jeweled Skull
B. most important capture of reign
3: positions of captives symbolize capture and defeat
i> Structure 54
1> Lintel 57
a: Chel Te stands before mother Lady Great Skull Zero on the
occasion of the period ending
2> Lintel 54
a: April 12, 756
1: same day as Str. 33, Lintel 3
2: celebration of period ending 9.16.5.0.0
b: Bird Jaguar holds God K scepter while wife holds bundle
3> Lintel 58
a: Chel Te appears with mother's brother, Great Skull Zero
j> Structure 55
1> new temple built upriver
2> Lintel 51
a: Lady Great Skull on zoomorphic altar
3> Lintel 52
a: Feb. 19, 766
b: Bird Jaguar performs period-ending rites with Chel-Te on
9.16.15.0.0
4> Lintel 53
a: October 29, 709
1: one day after Lady Xoc's bloodletting
b: Shield Jaguar holds God K scepter before Lady Eveningstar
1: she holds a large bundle
c: assertion of legitimacy of his mother
k> Structure 2
1> building on terrace just below Str. 1
2> last monument erected by Bird Jaguar
3> Lintel 9
a: June 20, 768
b: shows Bird Jaguar in the flapstaff ritual with Great Skull
Zero, brother of his wife
c: composition recalls that of Stela 11
1: earlier stela was 32 years earlier
d: this was done to insure son's bid for the throne
1: Great Skull Zero named "yichan ahau" or mother's brother of
ahau
l> may dominate regional centers of Usumacinta
m> why so many accessory individuals?
1> status tied to families, rather than actions of individuals
4) Shield-Jaguar II
a> captures Bat
b> captures three lords
5) Tah-Skull III
b) marital connections with Bonampak and El Peru
c) defeat by Dos Pilas
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