Chronicle of the Maya Kings and
Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties
of the Ancient Maya
Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube
2000
THE LOWLAND MAYA CIVILIZATION
SCRIBES, PRIESTS AND KINGS OF THE TROPICAL RAINFOREST
On the banks of the Usumacinta
River, just within Guatemalan
territory, lies Piedras Negras, one
of the most important cities of
ancient Maya Civilization. Here
scholars first discovered the
historical nature of Maya writing
and compiled the first authoritative
list of Mayan kings.
The majestic Maya city of Piedras
Negras rose to preeminence in the
Late Classic period (AD 600-900),
at which time it vied for control of
the upper reaches of the river with
its longtime rival Yaxchilan, 40
kilometers to the south.
The site is of special importance to
Maya epigraphers. It was here that
in 1960, the great Russian
architect and linguist Tatiana
Proskouriakoff succeeded in
determining the historical content
of the inscriptions, long thought to
be
solely
astronomical
or
mythological in nature.
In antiquity, the city was known as
Yokib "the entrance", possibly
because of a 100-meter-wide
sinkhole at the site. The Maya as
portals to the spirit world revered
“Entrances” such as caves and
sinkholes.
Piedras Negras
Reconstruction Drawing Tatiana
Proskouriakoff
During archaeological work in the
1930's, researchers from the
University
of
Pennsylvania
developed one of the first ceramic
sequences of the Maya region.
Trenches and pits helped establish
a more sophisticated understanding of how monumental
buildings were constructed,
modified and used by the Maya.
Maya archaeology as practiced
today
heavily
depends
on
discoveries and methods developed
at the Piedras Negras excavations.
Piedras Negras has two principal
architectural groups, which include
temple pyramids, ballcourts, and
numerous carved reliefs and stelae
that have been regarded as some
of the finest works of art in the
New World.
Looting, erosion, exposure to the
elements, threatens the site, which
have wrought havoc on the site,
causing a dramatic loss of detail in
carved
inscriptions
and
iconographic scenes and buildings
and walls to collapse. The site will
be at risk for flooding if the
Mexican government proceeds with
plans to build a series of
hydroelectric dams on the
Usumacinta.
ART AND ARTIFACTS
Piedras Negras
Reconstruction Drawing Tatiana Proskouriakoff
The Lowland Maya Civilization:
Scribes, Priests and Kings in the
Tropical Rainforest
From the second century CE onward, the
lowland Maya civilization, one of the most
spectacular of pre-Columbian America
developed in the tropical rainforests of
Guatemala, Honduras, and the Yucatán
peninsula. Kings, priests, royal scribes, and
their employees lived in centers with more
than 50,000 inhabitants. Artisans in workshops
produced deluxe ceramics and precious jewelry
of jade and shell. Temples, palaces, and ball
courts were decorated with elaborate
sculptures and mural paintings depicting kings,
ancestors, and gods. Scribes produced
handmade gatefold volumes of amate bark
paper on which they lavished aesthetic effort,
much as European scribes did in producing
illuminated manuscripts. Sophistication in
writing, mathematics, and astronomy
supported elaborate devotion to the religious
calendar, which achieved superb accuracy.
Mayans stored their books in libraries that
commemorated the prowess of their kings,
their astronomical counts, and their lists of
tribute. The Maya lords also honored their gods
with opulent feasts, human sacrifice, and
ballgames. Other artists carved images and
writings on stone as public monuments, now
called stelae. Stelae told the Maya world about
their kings’ dynastic history, their conquests,
marriages, ceremonies, and deaths. Today,
archaeologists have recovered enough of the
old script to reconstruct the Maya lords’ fame
as well as the high price they paid for it in
blood sacrifice and warfare.
Stela Six of Piedras Negras
Present Status
Drawing Linda Schele
Stela Six of Piedras Negras
The niched stela, once painted in bright colors,
was created to commemorate the accession of
King K’inich Yo’nal Akh II of Piedras Negras,
one of the most important lowland Maya cities.
K’inich Yo’nal Akh II was 22 years old when he
was enthroned in 687 CE. The stela shows the
young king sitting on a jaguar cushion. A band
representing the sky, and crowned by the
celestial bird, forms the canopy of his seat.
Celestial Bird
Drawing Linda Schele
The seat itself was reached by a ladder. Behind
it are water lilies, floating on the surface of the
water, representing the underworld. King
K’inich Yo’nal Akh II wears the insignia of the
sun god. His garments include bracelets and a
pectoral of jade, as well as a tall headdress in
the shape of the cosmic monster’s head. The
headdress is adorned with hundreds of green
quetzal feathers. The king carries a bag filled
with incense. Sitting between the sky and the
underworld, K’inich Yo’nal Akh II poses as the
master of the cosmos. On both sides of the
king, engraved columns of red glyphs tell
about his life. Seven artists created the stela
and signed their work at the base of the
monument. (Clados 2004)
Rosalila Cosmic Monster
Copan, Honduras
Ruler Sitting on a Cushion
Detail from a Ceramic Vase Rollout
Justin Kerr Rollout
Stela Six of Piedras Negras
85 cm x 130 cm
Oil and acrylic on paper
Painting Christiane Clados