AD 681 – 768
Shield Jaguar and Bird Jaguar
Itzamnaaj Bahlam III (Shield Jaguar) becomes king of Yaxchilan on 23 October AD 681. The city stands in a loop of the Usumacinta River, 40 km upriver from its old rival Piedras Negras. Inscriptions record his captures of Aj Sak Ichiy Pat in 689, of the lord of B'uktuun in 713 and of the lord of Lacanha in 729. Piedras Negras Stela 8 records the capture of one of his sajals, or subordinate lords, in 726.
Lintel 24 of Structure 23 at Yaxchilan: Lady K'abal Xook draws a rope through her tongue before Itzamnaaj Bahlam III, British MuseumWikimedia Commons, Michel wal, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Yaxchilan Lintel 24.jpg)
In the last third of his reign the king rebuilds the centre of Yaxchilan with carved lintels, hieroglyphic stairways and stelae. Structure 23 belongs to his principal wife and aunt, Lady K'abal Xook. Its Lintel 24 shows her drawing a rope through her tongue while the king holds a torch above her, in a rite dated to 28 October 709. At times Lacanha and Bonampak, to the south, are under his rule.
Itzamnaaj Bahlam III dies on 15 June 742, in his nineties, and no accession is recorded at Yaxchilan for the next ten years. In 749 Yopaat B'alam II of Yaxchilan attends a ceremony for the king of Piedras Negras, and no record of his reign survives at Yaxchilan itself.
Lintel 16 from Yaxchilan: Yaxun B'alam IV, spear in hand, stands over a seated captive, British MuseumWikimedia Commons, Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 3.0 (British Museum Yaxchilan lintel 16.jpg)
Yaxun B'alam IV (Bird Jaguar IV), son of Itzamnaaj Bahlam III and Lady Eveningstar of Calakmul, takes the throne on 3 May 752. He raises stelae that show him with his father, and Stela 11 credits him with at least 21 captives. He builds Structure 33 and dies in 768.
Sources
- Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube, Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens (2000), pp. 116 to 129.
- Robert J. Sharer and Loa P. Traxler, The Ancient Maya (6th ed. 2006), pp. 421 to 435.
- Carolyn E. Tate, Yaxchilan: The Design of a Maya Ceremonial City (1992).
Prev: Tikal defeats CalakmulNext: Quiriguá captures the king of Copán