K'inich Kan Bahlam II

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K'inich Kan Bahlam II
Ajaw of Palenque

K'inich Kan Balam II. Tablero XVII.jpg

K'inich Kan Bahlam II on tablet from the Temple XVII.
Reign January, 684 – February, 702
Predecessor K'inich Janaab Pakal I
Successor K'inich K'an Joy Chitam II
Born May, 635
Died February, 702 (aged 66)
Father K'inich Janaab Pakal I
Mother Lady Tz'akbu Ajaw
Religion Maya religion

K'inich Kan Bahlam II [N 1] (Mayan pronunciation:  [k’ihniʧ kan ɓahlam] ), also known as Chan Bahlum II, (May, 635 - February, 702) was ajaw of the Maya city-state of Palenque. He acceded to the throne in January, 684, several months after the death of his father and predecessor, K'inich Janaab Pakal I and ruled until his death. [N 2] [1]

Ajaw

Ajaw or Ahau ('Lord') is a pre-Columbian Maya political title attested from epigraphic inscriptions. It is also the name of the 20th day of the tzolkʼin, the Maya divinatory calendar, on which a king's kʼatun-ending rituals would fall.

Maya civilization Mesoamerican civilization

The Maya civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization developed by the Maya peoples, and noted for its logosyllabic script—the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in pre-Columbian Americas—as well as for its art, architecture, mathematics, calendar, and astronomical system. The Maya civilization developed in an area that encompasses southeastern Mexico, all of Guatemala and Belize, and the western portions of Honduras and El Salvador. This region consists of the northern lowlands encompassing the Yucatán Peninsula, and the highlands of the Sierra Madre, running from the Mexican state of Chiapas, across southern Guatemala and onwards into El Salvador, and the southern lowlands of the Pacific littoral plain.

Palenque former city state in Central Amrica in present-day southern Mexico

Palenque, also anciently known as Lakamha, was a Maya city state in southern Mexico that flourished in the 7th century. The Palenque ruins date from ca. 226 BC to ca. AD 799. After its decline, it was absorbed into the jungle of cedar, mahogany, and sapodilla trees, but has since been excavated and restored. It is located near the Usumacinta River in the Mexican state of Chiapas, about 130 km (81 mi) south of Ciudad del Carmen, 150 m (164 yd) above sea level. It averages a humid 26 °C (79 °F) with roughly 2160 mm (85 in) of rain a year.

Contents

Biography

K'inich Kan Bahlam II's glyph K'inich Kan B'alam II.svg
K'inich Kan Bahlam II's glyph

He continued the ambitious project of adorning Palenque with fine art and architecture begun by his father; his most important addition to the city of Palenque was the Temple of the Cross which is the center piece of the Temple of the Cross Complex. He was succeeded by his younger brother, K'inich K'an Joy Chitam II, another brother was probably Tiwol Chan Mat. [2] [3] The monuments and text associated with K'inich Kan Bahlam II are: Tablets and Alfardas of the Temples of the Cross, Sun and Foliated Cross; tablets and facade of the Temple of the Inscriptions; Temple 17 Panel; Death's Head; Jonuta Panel; Temple of the Cross Stela. [4] [5]

Temple of the Cross Complex

The Temple of the Cross is the largest and most significant pyramid within a complex of temples at the Maya ruins of Palenque in the state of Chiapas in Mexico. It is located in the south-east corner of the site and consists of three main structures, the Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Cross, and the Temple of the Foliated Cross. The temple is a step pyramid containing bas-relief carvings inside. The temple was constructed to commemorate the rise of Chan Bahlum II to the throne after the death of Pacal the Great. The bas-relief carvings reveal Chan Bahlum receiving the great gift from his predecessor. The cross motif found at the complex allude to the names given to the temples, but in reality the cross is a representation to the World Tree that can be found in the center of the world according to Mayan mythology.

Temple of the Inscriptions

The Temple of the Inscriptions is the largest Mesoamerican stepped pyramid structure at the pre-Columbian Maya civilization site of Palenque, located in the modern-day state of Chiapas, Mexico. The structure was specifically built as the funerary monument for K'inich Janaab' Pakal, ajaw or ruler of Palenque in the 7th century whose reign over the polity lasted almost 70 years. Construction of this monument commenced in the last decade of his life, and was completed by his son and successor K'inich Kan B'alam II. Within Palenque, the Temple of the Inscriptions is located in an area known as the Temple of the Inscriptions’ Court and stands at a right angle to the Southeast of the Palace. The Temple of the Inscriptions has been significant in the study of the ancient Maya, owing to the extraordinary sample of hieroglyphic text found on the Inscription Tablets, the impressive sculptural panels on the piers of the building, and the finds inside the tomb of Pakal.

Notes

  1. ↑ The ruler's name, when transcribed is K'INICH KAN[BAHLAM]-ma, translated "Radiant Snake Jaguar", Martin & Grube 2008, p. 168.
  2. ↑ These are the dates indicated on the Maya inscriptions in Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, Born: 9.10.2.6.6 2 Kimi 19 Sotz', Acceded: 9.12.11.12.10 8 Ok 3 K'ayab and Died: 9.13.10.1.5 6 Chikchan 3 Pop, Martin & Grube 2008, p. 168.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Skidmore 2010, pp. 74-76.
  2. ↑ Lounsbury 1976, pp. 211-224.
  3. ↑ Lounsbury 1985, p. 45–58.
  4. ↑ Skidmore 2010, p. 74.
  5. ↑ Martin & Grube 2008, pp. 168-170.

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References

Lounsbury, Floyd G. (1976). A Rationale for the Initial Date of the Temple of the Cross at Palenque. In The Art, Iconography, and Dynastic History of Palenque, Part III: Proceedings of the Segunda Mesa Redonda de Palenque, ed. Merle Greene Robertson, 211-224. Pebble Beach, Ca.: Robert Louis Stevenson School. 
Lounsbury, Floyd G. (1985). The Identities of the Mythological Figures in the "Cross Group" of Inscriptions at Palenque. In Fourth Round Table of Palenque, 1980, vol. 6, gen. ed. Merle Greene Robertson; vol. ed., Elizabeth P. Benson, 45-58. San Francisco: Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute. 
Martin, Simon; Nikolai Grube (2008). Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya (2nd ed.). London and New York: Thames & Hudson. ISBN   9780500287262. OCLC   191753193. 
Skidmore, Joel (2010). The Rulers of Palenque (PDF) (Fifth ed.). Mesoweb Publications. Retrieved 12 October 2015. 


Regnal titles
Preceded by
K'inich Janaab Pakal I 		Ajaw of Palenque
January, 684 – February, 702 		Succeeded by
K'inich K'an Joy Chitam II
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