Why are the lintels at Yaxchilan important?
Yaxchilán: a significant Maya center Many of the exteriors had elaborate decorations, but it is the carved stone lintels above their doorways which have made this site famous. These lintels, commissioned by the rulers of the city, provide a lengthy dynastic record in both text and image.
Who made Yaxchilan lintel 24?
Itzamnaaj Bahlam II (Lord Shield Jaguar) acceded to the throne at Yaxchilan in October AD 681 and commissioned a series of magnificent buildings. Lady K’abal Xook, his most prominent wife, initiated three extraordinary sculptures for the front doorways of structure 23: lintels 24,25 and 26.
What is the purpose of structure 40 in yaxchilan?
Bird Jaguar IV also had Structure 40 built as part of his political campaign to secure his rulership.
What is yaxchilan made of?
Lintel 24 is the designation given by modern archaeologists to an ancient Maya limestone carving from Yaxchilan, in modern Chiapas, Mexico….Yaxchilan Lintel 24.
| Lintel 24 | |
|---|---|
| Material | Limestone |
| Created | Estimated to be 709 AD |
| Present location | British Museum, London, England |
What empire built the Yaxchilan?
Maya
Definition. Yaxchilan, located on the banks of the Usumacinta River in the Yucatán peninsula of Mexico, was an important Late Classic Maya centre. The Maya dated the founding of their city to 320 CE, but Yaxchilan flourished between c. 580 and c.
What is Lady Xoc doing in the Yaxchilan carving?
In Lintel 24 Lady Xoc performs a blood sacrifice (or bloodletting ritual) by threading a thorned-rope through a hole in her tongue. In Yaxchilan, blood sacrifices were a way for kings to seek help or advice from departed ancestors.
Why did the Mayans do bloodletting?
Ritual bloodletting, along with fasting, tobacco smoking, and ritual enemas, was pursued by the royal Maya in order to provoke a trance-like state (or altered state of consciousness) and thereby achieve supernatural visions and communicate with dynastic ancestors or underworld gods.
What and where is lintel 25 What does the image depict?
Lintel 25 from Structure 23 depicts a scene from a bloodletting ritual and conjuring event. Hieroglyphic inscriptions describe that the ritual was performed by Lady Xoc, the queen and primary wife of Shield Jaguar (Itzamna B’ahlam II), the ruler of Yaxchilán.
What empire built the yaxchilan?
Who built Yaxchilan?
Definition. Yaxchilan, located on the banks of the Usumacinta River in the Yucatán peninsula of Mexico, was an important Late Classic Maya centre. The Maya dated the founding of their city to 320 CE, but Yaxchilan flourished between c. 580 and c.
What happened to the yaxchilan?
In 726, Yaxchilan was defeated by its rival Piedras Negras, an event described on Piedras Negras Stela 8.
Who was Shield Jaguar and Lady Xoc?
As Shield Jaguar was a warrior king, Lady Xoc hands him a jaguar helmet for battle. In Maya civilization the jaguar was a symbol of power. She also appears to be handing Shield Jaguar a spear.
What are the lintels of Yaxchilán?
The lintels exemplify the skilled carving of Maya artists at Yaxchilán—and the Maya more generally. The scenes are carved in high relief with carefully incised details decorating the raised surfaces. A beautiful diamond pattern decorates Lady Xook’s huipil, for instance, in Lintel 24 (below).
Where is Lintel 25 in the Mayan ruins?
Lintel 25, Structure 23, Yaxchilán (Maya) (The British Museum) ( view a diagram of this relief and locate this relief on a map) Lintel 25 (left)—from the central doorway—also focuses on a bloodletting ritual carried out by Lady Xook.
Where is the Lintel 26 now?
Lintel 26, the third in the series, is in the Museo Nacional de Antropología, in Mexico City. This limestone lintel, considered one of the masterpieces of Maya art, is one of a series of three panels from Structure 23 at Yaxchilán, where it was set above the left (south-east) doorway.
Where is Yaxchilán located?
Yaxchilán is located on the south bank of the Usumacinta River, in Chiapas, Mexico. It was a significant Maya center during the Classic period (250–900 C.E.) and a number of its buildings stand to this day. Many of the exteriors had elaborate decorations, but it is the carved stone lintels above their doorways which have made this site famous.