Yaxchilán, the beautiful and mighty Usumacinta capital of the Maya

It is 80 kilometres (50 mi) downriver from the Maya site Altar de Sacrificios. The site lies in Ocosingo Municipality in the state of Chiapas, on the Mexican side of the international border with Guatemala, which follows the line of river. The site is 40 kilometres (25 mi) upriver from the ruins of Piedras Negras, its major rival. Epigraphers think that the ancient name for the city was probably the same as that of its realm, Pa’ Chan. Architectural styles in subordinate sites in the Usumacinta region demonstrate clear differences that mark a clear boundary between the two kingdoms. Yaxchilan (pronounced ʝaʃtʃiˈlan) is an ancient Maya city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in the state of Chiapas, Mexico.

It was discovered during excavations of the structure in 1984. Lintel 50 is set into Structure 13 in the Central Acropolis. The king is shown preparing for a battle that took place in 755, his wife is offering him his spear, she is Lady Wak Jalam Chan Ajaw from the site of Motul de San José in the Petén Lakes region of Guatemala. Lintel 41 was set above the south doorway of Structure 42 in the West Acropolis.

Hieroglyphic stairways

  • Stela 3 stands on a platform in the middle of a plaza by Structure 20.
  • Yaxchilan has long been difficult to reach other than by river.
  • The site contains impressive ruins, with palaces and temples bordering a large plaza upon a terrace above the Usumacinta River.
  • The structure has a surviving perforated roof comb and is believed to date to the Early Classic.
  • Leading up to the front of Structure 33 from the plaza is a stairway, the top step of which is sculpted, this step is known as Hieroglyphic Stairway 2.

As the power and prestige of Yaxchilán grew during the classical era, the rulers of the city became emboldened and deployed troops to wage war. A great deal is known about the history of Yaxchilán thanks to the splendid preservation of a great many stelae and inscriptions on monuments. Epigraphists believe that in antiquity the city and its surrounding region was known as Pa’ Chan, meaning cleft or broken sky. In Mayan, Yaxchilán means green stones, a name given to the city by renowned archaeologist and explorer Teoberto Maler in the late 19th century.

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The events depicted on the lintel are described as having occurred “in front of the water of Siyan Chan”, a reference to the main plaza of the city being located on the shore of the Usumacinta River. The structure had a series if carved limestone lintels that depict Bird Jaguar IV’s efforts to consolidate power, emulating events carried out by his father Itzamnaaj B’alam II. The structure overlooks the plaza and the river and would have been prominent to river traffic in the 8th century. This structure also had doorways facing both the river and the Main Plaza. The doorways that open onto the plaza were blocked up in antiquity and new doorways were cut into the sides of the structure.

It was originally set above the southeast doorway of the central room. Lintel 14 is set above a doorway in Structure 20 and is particularly well preserved. It had fallen when the roof of the building collapsed but has since been reset. Lintel 12 was originally set into Structure 20 in the Central Acropolis. It depicts K’inich Yat Ahk II of Piedras Negras as a captive of Yaxchilan king K’inich Tatbu Skull IV. It depicts 8th-century king Bird Jaguar IV accompanied by his wife Lady Great Skull Zero.

Structures

Yaxchilán was an important player in classical Mesoamerican geopolitics and commanded the loyalty of several other city-states in the region. Yaxchilán is an ancient Maya city on the western banks of the Usumacinta River, which serves as the border between the Mexican state of Chiapas and Petén in Guatemala. Channels will lose monetization when they violate any of the YouTube channel monetization policies. If you’ve met the threshold and applied for YPP, we’ll still review your channel for YPP suitability. Our team will review your channel as a whole to check whether your channel meets our YouTube channel monetization policies.

Yaxchilan: Verstecktes Juwel der Maya-Kultur

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  • As the power and prestige of Yaxchilán grew during the classical era, the rulers of the city became emboldened and deployed troops to wage war.
  • In 514, Knot-eye Jaguar I was taken captive by Ruler C of Piedras Negras, as depicted on Lintel 12 from that city, where he is shown kneeling before the enemy king with his wrists bound.

Circa 790 CE, Yaxchilan’s king Shield Jaguar III oversaw the installation of Chan Muwaan II in Bonampak, and hired Yaxchilano artisans to commemorate it (and the previous Chan Muwaan) in “Structure I”‘s murals. If Yopaat B’alam II was king of Yaxchilan at this time, this would indicate that he was subordinate to the king of Piedras Negras. This victory over Lacanha is compared to the earlier victory of Knot-eye Jaguar II against the same city.

Structure 12 is a small structure in the Central Acropolis, close to the river. The architectural remains extend across the higher terraces and the hills to the south of the river, overlooking both the river itself and the lowlands beyond. Maudslay ordered several lintels to be removed, and the British Museum acquired lintels 24 in 1932. This event, together with the other victories of Itzamnaaj Balam II’s reign, is described both in the hieroglyphic texts of Structure 44 and also on a series of stelae near Structure 41. During his reign, the kingdom of Yaxchilán extended to include the nearby sites of La Pasadita and El Chicozapote to the northwest of the city. In 514, Knot-eye Jaguar I was taken captive by Ruler C of Piedras Negras, as depicted on Lintel 12 from that city, where he is shown kneeling before the enemy king with his wrists bound.

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Lintel 38, Lintel 39 and Lintel 40 have been reset in their original positions in Structure 16 in the Central Acropolis. It was sculpted from limestone in the 6th century under the rule of K’inich Tatb’u Skull II and records a series of victories including that over the great city of Calakmul. Lintel 29 is set into Structure 10 in the Central Acropolis. It was carved from limestone during the reign of king Itzamnaaj B’alam II and shows Lady Xook invoking the Vision Serpent to commemorate the accession of her husband to the throne.

Once you arrive at the banks of the river you will board a small motorboat that will take you to the archaeological site. But for all of their piety, inscriptions on the temples of Yaxchilán are not shy about hyping https://pin-up-download.in/ up the achievements of their kings. The city itself was quite large, but the majority of its remains still lay unrestored bellow the thick jungle. The ruins of Yaxchilán are impressive and feature several large plazas built atop artificial platforms. The city managed to capture the lords of several cities including Bonampak, Piedras Negras, and even the powerful Tikal.

It has plain lower walls with three doorways, each of which supports a well-preserved lintel (Yaxchilan Lintels 1 to 3). This series of lintels are among the finest relief sculpture surviving in the Maya region. The three doorways to this structure once supported sculpted Lintels 12, 13 and 14, although only two now remain. It contained eight lintels dating to the early 6th century.

Knot-eye Jaguar I was a warlike king who was recorded as capturing nobles from Bonampak, Piedras Negras, and the great city of Tikal. Before the rule of king Itzamnaaj Balam II, who reigned from 681 to 742, the city was relatively small. The city waged war with other major city-states such as Palenque, Tikal, and its chief rival, Piedras Negras, 40 kilometers downriver on what is now the Guatemalan side of the Usumacinta River. If a channel is inactive and has not uploaded or posted posts for 6 months or more, YouTube reserves the right to remove its monetization. Note that a channel needs to complete all the YPP signup steps (which currently include signing the contract and associating an AdSense for YouTube account) before they will be reviewed.

Yaxchilan is known for the large quantity of excellent sculpture at the site, such as the monolithic carved stelae and the narrative stone reliefs carved on lintels spanning the temple doorways. This king is notable for the series of carved lintels he commissioned, including a dynastic list that provides information on the early kings of the city. Lintel 30 is part of the lintel series carved with a continuous hieroglyphic text set into Structure 10.

Yaxchilan has long been difficult to reach other than by river. Explorers Alfred Maudslay and Désiré Charnay arrived here within days of each other in 1882, and they published more detailed accounts of the ruins with drawings and photographs. Professor Edwin Rockstoh of the National College of Guatemala visited in 1881 and published another short account.

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