Yat Ahk I

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Yat Ahk I
King of Piedras Negras
Yat Ahk I.svg
Yat Ahk I's glyph
Predecessor Piedras Negras Ruler B
Successor Piedras Negras Ruler C
Father unknown
Mother unknown
Religion Maya religion

Yat Ahk I [1] was the third king of Mayan city-state Piedras Negras in Guatemala. He is also known as Ah Cauac Ah K'in, and by the English translation of his name, Turtle Tooth. [2]

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.

Piedras Negras (Maya site) ruined city of pre-Columbian Maya civilization in Guatemala

Piedras Negras is the modern name for a ruined city of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization located on the north bank of the Usumacinta River in the Petén department of northeastern Guatemala. Piedras Negras is one of the most powerful of the Usumacinta ancient Maya urban centers. Occupation at Piedras Negras is known from the Late Preclassic period onward, based on dates retrieved from epigraphic information found on multiple stelae and altars at the site. Piedras Negras is an archaeological site known for its large sculptural output when compared to other ancient Maya sites. The wealth of sculpture, in conjunction with the precise chronological information associated with the lives of elites of Piedras Negras, has allowed archaeologists to reconstruct the political history of the Piedras Negras polity and its geopolitical footprint.

Guatemala republic in Central America

Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, Belize and the Caribbean to the northeast, Honduras to the east, El Salvador to the southeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south. With an estimated population of around 16.6 million, it is the most populated country in Central America. Guatemala is a representative democracy; its capital and largest city is Nueva Guatemala de la Asunción, also known as Guatemala City.

The first mention of Yat Ahk I comes in the inscriptions of Yaxchilan when one of his sublords is captured by Knot-eye Jaguar I. [3] However, it is likely that Piedras Negras had gained some degree of ascendancy over Yaxchilan.

Yaxchilan human settlement

Yaxchilan is an ancient Maya city located on the bank of the Usumacinta River in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. In the Late Classic Period Yaxchilan was one of the most powerful Maya states along the course of the Usumacinta River, with Piedras Negras as its major rival. Architectural styles in subordinate sites in the Usumacinta region demonstrate clear differences that mark a clear boundary between the two kingdoms.

It is possible that he is depicted on Panel 2.

His successor was Piedras Negras Ruler C. He could be his son.

Piedras Negras Ruler C was a king of that Maya city-state. He was the fourth ruler of Piedras Negras, successor of Turtle Tooth, who could be his father.

The eleventh and final ajaw of Piedras Negras, K'inich Yat Ahk II, appears to have taken his name in memory of Yat Ahk I. [1]

Kinich Yat Ahk II

K'inich Yat Ahk II, also known as Ruler 7, was the last ajaw of Piedras Negras, an ancient Maya settlement in Guatemala. He ruled during the Late Classic Period, from 781 to roughly 808 AD. Possibly a descendant of Itzam K'an Ahk II, K'inich Yat Ahk II ascended the throne upon the death of his brother, the sixth ajaw of the site, Ha' K'in Xook. While K'inich Yat Ahk II presided over the destruction of the rival Maya site Pomona, his reign likely ended with K'inich Tatbu Skull IV of Yaxchilan capturing and subjugating Piedras Negras. Itzam K'an Ahk II left behind several monuments, including stelae at Piedras Negras, a stone seat known as Throne 1 which records either the death or abdication of Ha' K'in Xook, and Panel 3 which recounts the exploits of Itzam K'an Ahk II.

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Itzam K'an Ahk I, also known as Ruler 2, was an ajaw of Piedras Negras, an ancient Maya settlement in Guatemala. He ruled during the Late Classic Period, from AD 639-686. The son of K'inich Yo'nal Ahk I, Itzam K'an Ahk I took the throne when he was only 12 years old. His reign was marked by several wars, and he seems to have had a special connection with Calakmul. Itzam K'an Ahk I died just a few days before the marriage of his son, who succeeded him as ajaw of Piedras Negras and took on the name K'inich Yo'nal Ahk II. Itzam K'an Ahk I left behind several monuments, including eight stelae stelae, three panels, a throne, and a short stela-like column; this made him the most active of Piedras Negras's leaders in regards to erecting monuments.

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Chan Chak Kaknal Ajaw

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Kan Ahk II

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Kinich Yonal Ahk I

K'inich Yo'nal Ahk I, also known as Ruler 1, was an ajaw of Piedras Negras, an ancient Maya settlement in Guatemala. He ruled during the Late Classic Period, from 603–639 AD. It has been proposed that he began a new dynasty at Piedras Negras, following years of ineffective kings. As to how K'inich Yo'nal Ahk I came to power, a consensus has not yet been reached, although it is known that he waged several successful wars against Palenque and Sak Tz'i'. He was succeeded by his son, Itzam K'an Ahk I, in 639 AD and left behind several monuments, including stelae at Piedras Negras and a large mortuary temple now known as Pyramid R-5.

Kinich Yonal Ahk II

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Itzam Kan Ahk II

Itzam K'an Ahk II, also known as Ruler 4, was an ajaw of Piedras Negras, an ancient Maya settlement in Guatemala. He ruled during the Late Classic Period, from 729–757 AD. Itzam K'an Ahk II ascended to the throne following the death of K'inich Yo'nal Ahk II. Itzam K'an Ahk II may have fathered the following three kings of Piedras Negras: Yo'nal Ahk III, Ha' K'in Xook, and K'inich Yat Ahk II. Following Itzam K'an Ahk II's demise, he was succeeded by Yo'nal Ahk III in 757 AD. Itzam K'an Ahk II left behind several monuments, including stelae at Piedras Negras and a large mortuary temple now known as Pyramid O-13. In addition, the details of his life and his K'atun-jubilee were commemorated on Panel 3, raised by K'inich Yat Ahk II several years following Itzam K'an Ahk II's death.

Yonal Ahk III

Yo'nal Ahk III, also known as Ruler 5, was an ajaw of Piedras Negras, an ancient Maya settlement in Guatemala. He ruled during the Late Classic Period, from 758 to 767 AD. Yo'nal Ahk III ascended to the throne upon the death of Itzam K'an Ahk II, who may have been Yo'nal Ahk's father. He was succeeded by his probable brother, Ha' K'in Xook in around 767 AD. Yo'nal Ahk III left behind two surviving stelae at Piedras Negras, namely Stelae 14 and 16, the former of which has been called one of the finest niche stelae, according to Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube.

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Ha Kin Xook

Ha' K'in Xook, also known as Ruler 6, was an ajaw of Piedras Negras, an ancient Maya settlement in Guatemala. He ruled during the Late Classic Period, from 767–780 AD. Ha' K'in Xook was a son of Itzam K'an Ahk II, and he ascended the throne following the death of his brother, Yo'nal Ahk III. Ha' K'in Xook's reign ended with either his death or his abdication in favor of his brother K'inich Yat Ahk II; archaeologists and Mayanists have not arrived at a clear consensus. Ha' K'in Xook left behind several monuments, including stelae at Piedras Negras and a stone fragment from El Porvenir. In addition, a stone seat known as Throne 1 and erected by K'inich Yat Ahk II records either the death or abdication of Ha' K'in Xook.

El Porvenir is the modern name for a ruined city of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization located in the Petén department of Guatemala. Ron Canter, in his paper "The Usumacinta River Portages in the Maya Classical Period" argues that El Porvenir was the first point at which the ancient Maya portaged to avoid the unnavigable portions of the Usumacinta River. A fragment of stone found at the site and aptly called the "El Porvenir Fragment" was also discovered that bore the name of Ha' K'in Xook, the sixth ajaw of Piedras Negras, suggesting a connection to the site.

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Lady K'atun Ajaw of Namaan, was the queen and consort of K'inich Yo'nal Ahk II, the king of Piedras Negras, Maya city in Guatemala. Coming from the city of Namaan, Lady K'atun Ajaw married K'inich Yo'nal Ahk on November 19, 686 CE, when she was just 12 years old. She would go on to have a child with him, Lady Juntaan Ahk, who was born on March 19, 708 CE, and the trio celebrated the closing of the 14th K'atun together on December 3, 711 CE.

References

  1. 1 2 O'Neil 2014, p. 9.
  2. ↑ Turtle Tooth
  3. ↑ Martin and Grube 2008:141

Bibliography

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