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Yaxchilan lintel 16
Maya, Late Classic period (AD 600-900)
From Yaxchilán, Mexico
A scene of victory from a Maya temple
This limestone lintel is one of a series of three panels
commissioned by Bird Jaguar IV for Structure 21 at Yaxchilán and
was once set above the central doorway of the central chamber.
The figure of Bird Jaguar IV dominates the scene while his
captive sits at his feet. Bird Jaguar wears the same warrior
costume as his father did on Lintel 26 from Structure 23, and
carries a spear in his right hand. Bird Jaguar's captive was taken
in AD 752, probably in a battle spawned by inter-city rivalry, as
suggested by the first two glyphs at the upper-left corner of the
lintel. He carries a broken parasol in his right hand, an attribute
of defeated warriors.
Scenes representing the public display of captives occur
frequently in Maya art. They are often shown preparing for
bloodletting rituals. Here, beads of blood can be seen on the
captive's nose and cheek.
The capture of sacrificial victims was an essential aspect of
Maya warfare, as they were necessary for many rituals. Accession
rituals, for example, entailed the offering of dedicatory human
sacrifices to mark the enthronement of a new ruling lord.
L. Schele and M.E. Miller, The blood of kings (London, Thames & Hudson, 1986)
C. Tate, Yaxchilan: the design of a May (University of Texas Press, 1992)
C. McEwan, Ancient Mexico in the British (London, The British Museum Press, 1994)
S. Martin and N. Grube, Chronicle of the Maya kings an (Thames and Hudson, 2000)