Lintel 16 of Yaxchilán Structure 21

3D Model

Lintel 16 of Yaxchilán Structure 21

16°53‘57.51”N, 90°57‘52.13”W

Carved from limestone, this scene was once the lintel f Yaxchilán’s Structure 21. It depicts the ruler Bird Jaguar IV (Yaxun B’alam IV) standing above a recent captive, a prominent sublord ( sajal ) from Pay Lakam Chahk in the year 752 CE. It is uncertain if the captive is being depicted as beaten and bloody, of if a blood letting ceremony is being depicted. Bird Jaguar IV was one of Yaxchilán’s most prolific builders, constructing or remodelling at least a dozen major structures during his reign. The lintel is thought to have been created between 755-770 CE.

Currently on display at the British Museum

Translations from Harvard Peabody