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Cast of Lintel 24, Yaxchilan
Object Number 92-50-20/C1106
Display Title Cast of Lintel 24, Yaxchilan
Descriptions
Object Description Cast of lintel 24 - Yaxchilan. Yaxchilan, Lintel 24 Maya, early eighth century A.D. Yaxchilan, Chiapas, Mexico In a vivid depiction of a bloodletting ceremony, the king Itzamnah Balam stands above his kneeling wife, Lady K'abal Xook, as she passes a thorny rope through her tongue. The date, written in the caption above the king, is A.D. October 28, 709. The ruler holds a torch above the queen, perhaps indicating a nighttime setting for the ritual. In the accompanying inscription, the ceremony is called ch'abil, "creating," a reference to the renewing and life-giving power of both fire and offerings of royal blood. [D. Stuart, 2001]
Inventory Description Cast of lintel 24 - Yaxchilan, light brown, rectangular
Cast Name YAX_Lnt_24
Classification
  • Cast
Department Archaeological
Date early 8th century AD
Artist Désiré Charnay
Culture
  • Maya
Geography/Provenience/Site Name
Central America / Mexico / Chiapas / <County> / <City> / Yaxchilan
Intrasite Funerary building of Lady K'abal Xook
Materials Plaster, Wood, Burlap, Pigment
Dimensions Overall: 117 x 81 x 10 cm (46 1/16 x 31 7/8 x 3 15/16 in.) Weight: 68 lb. (30.845 kg)
Quantity 1
Label on object C1106
Credit Line Museum Purchase, Huntington Frothingham Wolcott Fund, 1890-1892

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