Item Size:  14" High     Type:  Wall Plaque

Material:  Casting Stone, with Antique Stone Finish

Original:  From the Temple of the Foliated Cross, Palenque, Mexico, 692 C.E.

Current Location of Original:  Temple of the Foliated Cross, Palenque, Mexico

The name Chan Bahlum means "Snake-Jaguar." He was born in 635 C.E. and ascended the throne in 684 C.E. at the age of 48. This sculpture is a fragment of a larger scene that shows one of the ascension rituals of Chan Bahlum, as he prepares to take the throne of the city of Palenque. In accord with Maya beliefs, Chan Bahlum is shown presenting the Tialoc, a symbol of ritual bloodletting, to the tree of life. On the other side of the tree is his father, the deceased King Pacal, who is seen transferring the powers of kingship to his son. This scene takes place in Xibalba, the Maya underworld. Chan Bahlum and his father Pacal were undoubtedly the greatest kings of Palenque. Their reigns can be considered Palenque's golden period. Under their rule, the city became the most important religious and political center in the Yucatán. It was they who built all the important temples and buildings of the city. For example, Chan Bahlum erected the three temples of the Group of the Cross, from which this relief originates. Also under father and son, art reached new heights of technical sophistication. Chan Bahlum died in 702 C.E.