Carved panel with the king of Yaxchilan,
a noble,
and captives
Yaxchilan, Chiapas, Mexico, 783, limestone, traces of pigment
Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas
Click on one of the images below for
in-depth information.
Carved panel with the king of
Yaxchilan,
a noble, and captives
Maya art often depicts kings engaged in political duties--greeting envoys, accepting tribute and waging war. On this panel, the curtains of a throne room have been rolled up to reveal a king seated on his throne engaged in the serious business of receiving captives.
This is the king of Yaxchilan, whose name
is Itzamnaaj B'ahlam.... The standing figure who is gesturing toward
the king is one of his...war captains...who presumably has taken...these
three prisoners.
The captives' arms are bound, and rags have been pulled through their earlobes, replacing fine jewelry. They are being offered as tribute to the Yaxchilan king by his captain, identified as "He of Red Monkey."
Captives...were really...very basic ...authority....
One of the earliest images we have of a Maya king is of the ruler
standing on top of this captive.... These were elemental symbols
of...power.
This panel probably came from one of Yaxchilan's satellite communities, where He of Red Monkey ruled as the local lord. That would explain why he is shown on the right, the usual position of power.
Narrations are by Earl A. Powell III, director
of the National Gallery of Art, and David Stuart, of Harvard
University and curator of Mayan hieroglyphs at the Peabody Museum.
