Ruler of the Mayan city of Tikal from 379 to c. 404
Yax Nuun Ahiin I
, also known as
Curl Snout
and
Curl Nose
(died 17 June 404?), was a 4th-century ruler of the
Maya
city of
Tikal
. His name, when transcribed, is
YAX-?-AH:N
, translated "First ? Crocodile". He took the throne on 12 September 379 and reigned until his death.
[N 1]
[1]
He is referred to by the Mayan title
ajaw
, meaning
lord
.
Biography
[
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]
Yax Nuun Ayiin I was a son of
Spearthrower Owl
, a lord of
Teotihuacan
(probably that city's king) in central Mexico. The installation of a Teotihuacano noble on the throne of Tikal marks a high point of Teotihuacan influence in the central Maya lowlands. Yax Nuun Ahiin I may have been a child or youth at the time of his coronation, and the early years of his reign seem to have been dominated by one of his father's generals,
Sihyaj K'ahk'
, in a sort of regency.
[2]
Sihyaj K'ahk' is recorded as having entered Tikal on 15 May 378, the same date as the death of the previous ruler,
Chak Tok Ich'aak I
; it appears that this event may have been a conquest in which Yax Nuun Ayiin I was installed by force.
[3]
Two monuments at Tikal, Stela 4 and Stela 18, are associated with Yax Nuun Ahiin I. Both stelae depict him in Mexican rather than Mayan attire, demonstrating his Teotihuacano origins. He is also depicted on Stela 31, erected by his son
Sihyaj Chan K'awiil II
, as a Teotihuacano warrior with a plated helmet, spearthrower, and square shield decorated with the face of Central Mexican deities. His wife's titles indicate that she may have been a Mayan woman, presumably chosen to integrate his bloodline with the local elites.
[2]
It is unclear when Yax Nuun Ayiin I died. Stela 31's text indicates that his burial occurred in 404, though the text from another sculpture known as the Hombre de Tikal suggests that he may have still been alive in November 406. On the other hand, the
K'atun
ceremony of May 406, which would ordinarily be presided over by the ruler, is recorded as having been presided over by an otherwise unknown individual called Sihyaj Chan K'inich. This suggests that there may have been an
interregnum
, possibly with Sihyaj Chan K'inich governing temporarily as a regent, before Sihyaj Chan K'awiil II was enthroned in November 411.
[2]
Tomb
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The tomb of Yax Nuun Ayiin I, known as "Burial 10", was discovered by
University of Pennsylvania
archaeologists in the 1950s.
[4]
It was found deep within a temple built at the foot of the
North Acropolis
and represents one of the most spectacular and complete Mayan burials yet discovered. The ruler's body had been placed on a wooden funerary bier surrounded by the bodies of at least nine sacrificed youths ranging in age from about six years old to young adulthood. At least one of the sacrificial victims appears to have died inside the funerary chamber.
[5]
A headless crocodile was also interred with the dead ruler, probably alluding to his name.
[2]
Numerous offerings were deposited around the chamber, including pottery vessels decorated with Mexican motifs and images of Mexican deities. Among the artefacts were a Maya-style
censer
in the shape of an elderly deity seated on a stool made from human
long bones
, turtle carapaces that had been arranged to form a kind of
xylophone
and a jade ornament in the form of a curl-snouted crocodile.
[2]
Notes
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]
- ^
These are the dates indicated on the Maya inscriptions in
Mesoamerican Long Count calendar
, Accession: 8.17.2.16.17 5 Kaban 10 Yaxk'jn and Death: 8.18.8.1.2 2 Ik' 10 Sip, Martin & Grube 2008, p. 32
- ^
Martin & Grube 2008, p. 32
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Martin & Grube 2008, pp. 32?33
- ^
Martin & Grube 2008, p. 29
- ^
Tiesler & Cucina 2007, p. 276
- ^
Fitzsimmons 2010, p. 93
References
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External links
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