Yax Ahk’ as captive impersonating jaguar deity, Maya (700 A.D.)

I. IDENTIFIERS

Artist/Attribution: Unidentified ancient Maya master sculptor(s)

Date: Circa 700 A.D. (Classic Period)

Medium: Carved sandstone

Location: Museo de Sitio de Toniná (Chiapas, Mexico)

Culture/Period: Classic Maya culture

II. HISTORICAL CONTEXT

During the Classic Maya Period (c. 700 A.D.), the Maya were rooted in aggressive territorial expansion and regional rivalries between distinct Maya city-states. The powerful city-state of Toniná was ruled by K’inich B’aaknal Chaak, a warrior who became king. Toniná had a massive powerhouse built onto a modified mountainside, distinguishing it from other contemporary Maya cities which had scattered plazas. There are seven monumental terraces that together stand at 74 meters (243 feet) high, being one of the tallest individual structures in Mesoamerica, surpassing Teotihuacan’s Pyramid of the Sun.

Classic Maya culture had a belief known as the concept of sacred debt. They believed that the gods had sacrificed their own blood in order to create humans and the earth. Because of that, humans had a perpetual debt to the gods. Blood (ch’ich’) was viewed as the ultimate life-force energy, a fluid viewed as a holy substance, without it, the sun would stop rising every morning. Mayas had a complete fascination with maize, and they had white and yellow corn dough which they harvested. 

III. SUBJECT MATTER

To understand the subject matter of this scene, one must keep in mind that there were multiple military campaigns and wars. Yax Ahk (Green Turtle) is the central figure who is a high-ranking lord from the city of Anaayte which was a city with whom they had a hostile relationship. Anaayte had a river that facilitated economic trade and commerce. Because of that King K’inich B’aaknal Chaak invaded to ultimately conquer the city state of Palenque. In the carving Yax Ahk is depicted in a posture of defeat, his body is in a submissive position, which emphasizes his loss of power and autonomy.  His name and title (Yax Ahk Anaay Te' Ajaw) are carved directly onto his thigh functioning as a permanent label of ownership and conquest. The purpose of this piece was to be part of an architectural altar complex known as the Altar Rojo (red altar), which was a gallery showing the defeated people whom they conquered.

IV. ABOUT TONINÁ’S LONGEVITY

      This piece was carved during Toniná’s golden age. However, after the Classic Maya Collapse in which almost every other major Maya city such as Tikal, Palenque, and Copán fell, Toniná remained. Archaeologists and historians claim that its isolated and mountainous location allowed them to survive for prolonged periods. The last traditional hieroglyphic date that was carved by the Classic Maya is a stone that archaeologists found on the acropolis at Toniná. The calendar has the long count date of 10.4.0.0.0 which translates to January 15, 909 A.D.

V. PERSONAL CONNECTION

          This work was chosen as the representation of Maya culture in Iliostacio because of its sobriety, beauty and accurate depiction of a common moment (a conquest). Most Maya artworks are funerary masks, calendars, or jade jewelry. However, an important reality of the Maya is that they were a culture that found its pride in winning battles, an aspect that represents civic pride. This work encompasses all those details and accurately portrays the importance of battles, reminding me that people ultimately seek status; many portray it in different ways such as the Mayas who showed it through humiliation and defeat of rivaling city-states.