Itzam K'an Ahk I

Itzam K'an Ahk I
King of Piedras Negras
Itzam K'an Ahk I's glyph
Reign 639-686
Predecessor K'inich Yo'nal Ahk I
Successor K'inich Yo'nal Ahk II
Born May 22, 626
Died November 15, 686
Consort Lady White Bird
Father K'inich Yo'nal Ahk I
Mother Lady Bird Headdress
Religion Maya religion

Itzam K'an Ahk I (Mayan pronunciation: [itsam kʼan ahk]), 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.

Biography

Reign of Piedras Negras

Itzam K'an Ahk I,[1] also known as Ruler 2,[2] was the son of K'inich Yo'nal Ahk I and Lady Bird Headdress. Born on May 22, 626 (9.9.13.4.1 6 Imix 19 Sotz' in the Long Count), he assumed the position of ajaw ("leader") of Piedras Negras on AD 639 (9.10.6.5.9 8 Muluk 2 Sip)—about two months after his father's demise and when he was only 12 years old.[3][4] The title k'inich translates to "red-faced", and is a reference to the settlement's rulers' belief that they were the "lords of the sun".[1] His name also included the auk ("turtle") element, identifying him as royalty.[4] His name was later appropriated by his eventual successor, Itzam K'an Ahk II, possibly to strengthen the latter's claim of legitimacy.[5]

Itzam K'an Ahk I reign was one marked by war and acts of aggression. Thanks to carvings on Stelae 35 and 37, it is known that he undertook two victorious military campaigns: one in AD 662 against Santa Elena (in which he may have captured either a "high-ranking girl" or a young man),[3][6] and another in AD 669 against a Maya polity whose name is now lost.[3] Further evidence of Itzam K'an Ahk I's military strength is suggested by Panel 2, which depicts an ajaw of Piedras Negras surrounded by leaders from nearby polities, like Bonampak, Lacanha, and Piedras Negras's perennial rival Yaxchilan. While it is likely that the ajaw depicted in this scene is Yat Ahk I (who ruled Piedras Negras well before Itzam K'an Ahk I's time), Mayanists Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube argue that Itzam K'an Ahk I might have carved the panel to emphasize similarities between him and his predecessor, namely their similar level of political prowess. The two scholars also note that Yaxchilan seems to have been in a bit of a dark age during Itzam K'an Ahk I's reign, lending more evidence to the idea that it was under Piedras Negras's control.[7]

However, despite all the bellicosity during his reign, Flora Clancy notes that his focus on taking care of his children "suggest[s] that [Itzam K'an Ahk I] also desired, and endeavored to achieve, peaceful conditions."[4]

Death

At the end of his life, Itzam K'an Ahk I's health began to fail him, and, recognizing that his demise was impending, he spent much of his remaining energy ensuring that his son, Kooj (meaning "Puma") was able to assume control of Piedras Negras. To do this, he arranged a wedding ceremony between Kooj and a Maya princess from the polity of Namaan named Lady K'atun Ajaw (whose name means "20-year Queen").[8][4] Although Itzam K'an Ahk I died on November 15, 686 (9.12.14.10.13 11 Ben 11 K'ank'in)—just five days before the ceremony could occur—his corpse seems to have been a "guest of honour" at the wedding.[8][9] Itzam K'an Ahk I was buried nine days after he died,[8] and while the location of his tomb is unknown, clues on Panel 15 (erected by his son) suggest that he was buried somewhere within the pyramid-like Structure J-4.[4] On January 2, 687, Kooj—donning the regnal name K'inich Yo'nal Ahk II—assumed control of the polity.[8]

Monuments

Itzam K'an Ahk I erected eight stelae, three panels, a throne, and a short stela-like column, making his tenure as ajaw "the most prolific in terms of royal patronage at Piedras Negras", according to Flora Clancy.[2]

Stelae

Stela 33 was the first erected and served as Itzam K'an Ahk I's ascension monument. Carved on December 1, 642, this stela depicts the ajaw sitting on an elevated cushion; a "plain band" is wrapped around his chest, which Clancy argues represents his being "bound to office".[10][11] The leader is uniquely shown in profile, looking towards his right at a woman who is offering him "royal regalia".[10][11] This woman is usually considered to be his mother, although Mark Pitts notes that she could be his wife.[1][10][12] O'Neil favors the former argument and writes that Itzam K'an Ahk I's mother was likely featured on the stela because she served for a time as her son's regent and was thus politically important.[11]

Itzam K'an Ahk I also raised up Stela 32 (November 5, 647),[13] Stela 34 (October 9, 652),[14] Stela 35 (August 18, 662),[15] Stela 36 (July 23, 667),[16] Stela 37 (June 26, 672),[17] Stela 39 (May 31, 677),[18] and Stela 38 (May 6, 682).[18]

Of Itzam K'an Ahk I eight stelae, six (Stelae 32–37) were raised in front of Structure R-5; these stelae purposely face the stelae of K'inich Yo'nal Ahk I so as to "respond" to them.[2][11]

Panels

Panel 2, constructed by Itzam K'an Ahk I, depicts Yat Ahk I being venerated by leaders from other polities.

Itzam K'an Ahk I commissioned Panels 4 and 7.[9]

Itzam K'an Ahk I crafted Panel 2 one k'atun after the death of his father, K'inich Yo'nal Ahk I. The carving is "ambiguous", and while it likely depicts the previous Piedras Negras ajaw Yat Ahk I, it could also simultaneously depict both Yat Ahk I and K'inich Yo'nal Ahk I, thereby connecting the two figures.[19] The leader is shown performing a religious ceremony involving the "grasping" of a Teotihuacan-influenced helmet; the associated glyphs reveal that Itzam K'an Ask I performed this ritual in 658—over one hundred years after Yat Ahk I had performed the very same rite in AD 510.[19][20][21] The ajaw on the panel is notably surrounded by subservient lords of nearby polities, implying that during Yan Ahk I's rule, Piedras Negras was the regional power.[7] O'Neil notes that the lords are "fully dressed and armed", which suggests "a sense of collaboration and alliance with their Piedras Negras overlord."[22] The panel was later reset and situated near Panel 3 on Structure O-13 during the reign of the last ajaw of Piedras Negras, K'inich Yat Ahk II.[23][22][24]

Other

Itzam K'an Ahk I commissioned Throne 2.[9]

On September 13, 657, Itzam K'an Ahk I also erected what is now called "Stela" 46: it is "squat column" about a meter tall, positioned in the middle of Itzam K'an Ahk I's Structure R-5 stelae group, with Stelae 32–34 to its left and Stelae 35–37 to its right.[25] According to Clancy, "It served double-duty as a hotun marker and as an altar for all six of the other stelae in the row."[25]

References

  1. 1 2 3 O'Neil (2014), p. 9.
  2. 1 2 3 Clancy (2009), p. 41.
  3. 1 2 3 Martin & Grube (2000), p. 143.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Clancy (2009), p. 42.
  5. ↑ Martin & Grube (2000), p. 148.
  6. ↑ Clancy (2009), p. 61.
  7. 1 2 Martin & Grube (2000), p. 144.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Martin & Grube (2000), p. 145.
  9. 1 2 3 Zander (n.d.).
  10. 1 2 3 Clancy (2009), pp. 48–54.
  11. 1 2 3 4 O'Neil (2014), pp. 119–126.
  12. ↑ Pitts (2011), pp. 55–57.
  13. ↑ Clancy (2009), pp. 54–57.
  14. ↑ Clancy (2009), pp. 57–60.
  15. ↑ Clancy (2009), pp. 60–62.
  16. ↑ Clancy (2009), pp. 62–63.
  17. ↑ Clancy (2009), p. 64.
  18. 1 2 Clancy (2009), pp. 64–65.
  19. 1 2 O'Neil (2014), p. 160.
  20. ↑ Pitts (2011), p. 58.
  21. ↑ Pitts (2011), p. 63.
  22. 1 2 O'Neil (2014), p. 162.
  23. ↑ Clancy (2009), p. 46.
  24. ↑ O'Neil (2014), p. 154.
  25. 1 2 Clancy (2009), p. 60.

Bibliography

Clancy, Flora (2009). The Monuments of Piedras Negras, an Ancient Maya City. University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 9780826344519.
Houston, Stephen D.; Héctor Escobedo; Richard Terry; David Webster; George Veni; Kitty F. Emer (1999). "Investigations at Piedras Negras, Guatemala: 1999 Field Season" (PDF). Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
Martin, Simon; Grube, Nikolai (2000). Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 9780500051030.
O'Neil, Megan (2014). Engaging Ancient Maya Sculpture at Piedras Negras, Guatemala. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 9780806188362.
Pitts, Mark (2011). A Brief History of Piedras Negras as Told by the Ancient Maya: History Revealed in Maya Glyphs (PDF). Pre-Columbian Society of the University of Pennsylvania Museum. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
Sharer, Robert; Traxler, Loa (2005). The Ancient Maya. Stanford University Press. ISBN 9780804748179.
Zender, Marc (ed.). "Piedras Negras Ruler 2". Mesoweb Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
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