Abstract

GONZALEZ AUSTRIA NOGUEZ, Liliana. Narratives behind the portraits of a Mayan ruler: Yuhkno^ʔm Yihch’aak K’ahk’, Calakmul. LiminaR [online]. 2023, vol.21, n.1, e947.  Epub Jan 20, 2023. ISSN 2007-8900.  https://doi.org/10.29043/liminar.v21i1.947.

In this essay I discuss an interpretation of the portraits of one the most important rulers of the Kaanuʔl dynasty of the Late Classic: Yuhknoʔm Yihch’aak K’ahk’, currently also known as “Jaguar Paw,” who ruled from 686 to 695 in Calakmul and died in 697. His portraits are found on a stela, three ball court panels, and a vessel that are inscribed with discourses that legitimized and immortalized him. To interpret these, I examine the text in each portrait and, if there is no nominal hieroglyph, I posit a possible reference to him. With his ties to central Mexico, Yuhknoʔm Yihch’aak K’ahk’ is portrayed wearing the patron god of the dynasty and generating the movement of the cosmos.

Keywords : Maya portraits; Maya rulers; Kaanu^ʔl dynasty; Late Classic; Mayan iconography.