A dance ancient

A dance ancient

Today we want to share a fascinating archaeological work that transports us to the ancient city of PaChan, today known as the archaeological site of Yaxchilan.

This lintel, known as the lintel 43 of Yaxchilan, is an exceptional example of the skill of the artists mayans during the Classic period, especially in the basin of the Usumacinta, where he lived an intense artistic production. Its beauty and detailing leave us breathless and we invite you to explore its history.

The lintel shows us a scene in a sacred dance that occurred on the 17th of October, in the year 752 AD. In the scene, we can see the supreme ruler of Yaxchilan, the lord Yaxuun Bahlam IV (image 2), dancing next to a woman named Ix Mut Bahlam (image 3), which came from the neighboring site Hix Witz (the Mountain of the Jaguar). The inscriptions reveal to us that this dance is called the Dance of the chakat’ and is related to a spear with a basket on the end that contains an effigy of the god K’awiil, a god closely linked to lineages noble maya. In the image four, we can see this spear in detail.

This dance has a great political significance for the nobles of Yaxchilan. With this dance was inaugurated a period of peace and collaboration between the state of Pa Chan and the state of Hix Witz.

The dances and the dances were the heart of the maya political. The vast majority of stelae that survived until our days we show noble people doing dances and celebrations. We can call, without a doubt, the maya kings as the kings dancers of the past.

Swipe to see more details of this stunning piece.

© Photograph by Jorge Pérez de Lara (available in mesoweb), details of the inscription partially based on the work as ‘Monuments of Yaxchilan: Lintel 43’ by Angel A. Sánchez Gamboa and Guido Krempel.