The Visionary Mayan Queen: Yohl Ik'Nal of Palenque

by Leonide Martin

  A slight flush colored Chak B’olon Chaak’s cheeks as he clasped his shoulder and bowed to the K’uhul Ahau.

  “With gratitude do I hear your kind words, Holy Lady,” he replied.

  “You do honor to your father, holy ancestor Zotz Choj, a good friend of my father. This is pleasing to the ancestors in the Upperworld; it is fulfillment of the dynasty. B’aakal is pleased to have the Sahal Chak B’olon Chaak in charge of his city.”

  “It is thus to serve Sacred B’aakal that is my goal and my destiny.” The sincerety of his voice left little doubt that he spoke truly.

  Yohl Ik’nal was pleased with this young sahal. She decided to continue her plan of dispensing favor.

  “It is known that you have twin children, a vigorous son and a lovely daughter. They are near the age of my son, Aj Ne Ohl Mat. Now comes something important: The K’uhul Ahau would have your children join our royal household at Lakam Ha. They are both of age for apprenticeship into their royal roles; we would have them study these skills with our leaders and teachers here. No finer training may be found in B’aakal. This is our desire and pleasure.”

  A nearly inaudible gasp arose as eyebrows raised and eyes shifted. This was a huge signal of regal favor, simultaneously linking the families of Popo’ and Lakam Ha into a close alliance. Few missed the implications that a future royal marriage might result.

  Chak B’olon Chaak swallowed quickly, his eyes widening in surprise. This unexpected summons of his children to the Lakam Ha court was a mixed blessing. While a royal marriage was a great honor, he would essentially be held captive to the K’uhul Ahau’s objectives as long as his children were in her power. Her perspectives would shape their young characters. Loyalties would be built to the B’aakal dynasty of Kan Bahlam that had lifelong implications. However, the close alliance would benefit his city and his dynasty. A wave of pride swept over the young sahal, erasing his concerns.

  “We of Popo’ are greatly honored, Holy Lady,” he declared. “To serve the desires and pleasures of the B’aakal K’uhul Ahau is our greatest accomplishment. As the wind is to the trees, as the stream is to the rocks, so shall the will of our Sacred Ruler, the Triad Deities incarnate, sweep over us in life-sustaining largesse. Ever to the Triad Deities do I bow.”

  Crossing both arms over his chest, Chak B’olon Chaak bowed to Yohl Ik’nal in the gesture of highest honor. She smiled at his well-phrased courtly language evoking the Triad Deities.

  “More of this later shall we speak,” she said, giving hand signs to her steward to arrange a later meeting. Bulux Max tipped his head in acknowledgement, sending her a significant glance. Offering his arm to the Popo’ ruler as the young man rose, the steward guided him to the stairs as voices below swelled in a symphony of approval.

  Bulux Max signaled for the next tribute, from Usihwitz.

  The representative from Usihwitz approached the throne. Short, powerfully built and darker skinned than most elite Mayas, his eyes were slightly crossed giving a shifty look to an already closed face. Zac Amal, nephew of ailing ruler Joy Bahlam, was impossible to read. The middle-aged man placed his symbolic tribute, a bundle of obsidian and jade, into the basket.

  Yohl Ik’nal recited the court tribute protocol:

  “Honored Representative of the Lord of Usihwitz, we are graced by your visit. What tribute have you brought for the K’uhul Ahau, for the Sacred City of Lakam Ha?”

  “Holy Lady, the city of Usihwitz offers eight measures of dried corn, 2 baskets of woven cotton, 3 measures dried beans, and 2 baskets cacao pods.” Zac Amal droned an enumeration of tribute items, all noticeably less than tribute offered by preceding sahals. Except for two beautifully painted ceramic bowls, there was no special offering for the ruler. Blandly he concluded with the formulaic response: “May these gifts receive approval of the Triad Deities and please you, Holy Lady.”

  The slight given by diminished tribute did not escape anyone’s notice. The court waited with bated breath in the charged silence.

  In the instant before her formal response, Yohl Ik’nal had to make a decision: To put him on the spot by demanding more tribute, or disparage the agricultural skills of Usihwitz farmers for their poor harvest in a season of abundance, or most insulting of all, insinuate that the ruler had faulty relationships with the deities resulting in a poor harvest – a serious failing in a Maya ruler’s central obligation.

  She chose none of these responses. Instead, she continued as if the Usihwitz tribute was not out of the ordinary—except for omitting her words of approval.

  “Thus does the Holy Lady accept your tribute, Honored Representative of the Lord of Usihwitz. In the person of the Triad Deities, she who is their earthly personification receives these offerings.” Her voice was as neutral as his.

  The scribe tilted his head and blinked as if to remove a speck from his eye. After this slight delay, he recorded the offerings. Courtiers who saw the scribe recognized this disparaging sign. They also noted the ruler’s subtle disapproval. Zac Amal also did not miss these messages.

  “How fares the health of the Sahal of Usihwitz, the Honored Lord Joy Bahlam?” Yohl Ik’nal asked, sincere concern in her voice. “Much is it my regret that he is unable to grace the Court of Lakam Ha with his noble presence. My revered father, now our Sacred Ancestor Kan Bahlam, held your ruler in greatest regard. Although many years have passed since last I saw Joy Bahlam, well do I remember his prowess at the great flower war of the past katun.” She was setting the stage.

  “It is thus, greatly to my sadness, that my Lord’s health does not fare well.” Zac Amal’s voice stayed smooth as glassy water. Heavy lids half-veiled his crossed eyes, making them even more impenetrable. “Great is his sorrow that he cannot be here to attend the Court of Lakam Ha for the first tribute. He charged me to say unto you, his Honored K’uhul Ahau: ‘The light of the Holy Lady’s presence shines not upon me, and for this I am diminished’.”

  “Thus also shall I be diminished, should we not meet again in the Middleworld. It is charged to you, Zac Amal, to repeat these words to Lord Joy Bahlam. With no disrespect to the Learned Ah Kins of Usihwitz, I will send back with you my most skilled healer priest. May the gods deign that he be successful in aiding your sahal.”

  Zac Amal clasped his shoulder and bowed in acknowledgement, saying:

  “So shall all of our city be grateful, should this healer priest of Lakam Ha bring relief to our beloved Lord. In their stead, and for Lord Joy Bahlam, do I offer our gratitude.”

  She asked a few questions about members of Joy Bahlam’s family, while Zac Amal answered with courtly politeness. Behind half-veiled eyes he waited to see her trajectory, though he could well imagine where it might be headed. With her next remarks, it became clear.

  “There resides in your city, I do believe, a distant kinsman of mine. He has chosen to stay in Usihwitz since his service after the flower war. Know you of his situation? He is called Ek Chuuah and is a warrior of great power.”

  Although she scrutinized Zac Amal’s face and posture, he gave no hint of reaction. In the same neutral tones as before, he answered:

  “Well-known in Usihwitz is Ek Chuuah, who is indeed, as the Holy Lady says, a powerful warrior. His choice to pursue life in our city is to our benefit, for he has contributed many skills and taught these to others. Surely the Holy Lady knows of his marriage to the ruler’s daughter, and of their child. A fine family, dedicated to serving our Honored Lord and city.”

  “It is our happiness that our kinsman has contributed well to Usihwitz,” Yohl Ik’nal continued. “Yet we regret he has not returned to visit his friends and relations in Lakam Ha. Perhaps he has undertaken travels to distant realms that prevent such a visit? Or may it be councils with foreigners that occupy his time. It seems he has learned unusual techniques of battle, new strategies and tactics. Such things might also benefit Lakam Ha, should he visit and teach us.”

  “Of this will I speak to him, be it the Holy Lady’s desire. Surely Ek Chuuah is eager
to visit his friends and relations in Lakam Ha. His sense of duty may be strained, however, between his city of birth and his city of residence. With our ruler’s declining health, he has assumed many responsibilities that make it difficult to leave at present.”

  Zac Amal waited after giving little in his response, to see if the K’uhul Ahau would command Ek Chuuah to return or press on about his actions. Yohl Ik’nal noted that he avoided the topic of foreign contact, and realized he would reveal nothing of significance. She decided this display of her awareness about the Scorpion’s activities was sufficient. The power structure at Usihwitz would be alerted that the B’aakal ruler kept abreast of events.

  “Speak to Ek Chuuah of our interest in a visit,” she resumed after delaying just long enough to evoke anxiety among those watching—and in Zac Amal, she hoped. “We do understand his responsibilities to an ailing sahal, and respect his commitment. Convey the regards of the B’aakal K’uhul Ahau who is also his kinswoman. For this do we give you thanks, Zac Amal.”

  The royal steward recognized that this dialogue was finished. He offered his arm to help Zac Amal rise, a bit more coldly than before, and guided the representative to the stairs as the crowd watched silently.

  Mas B’atz broke the tension by stomping his stubby legs and gesturing dramatically while calling for refreshments. Attendants quickly poured and distributed cups of liquid from the jars near the throne. This special drink was made of fresh corn milk mixed with fermented guava juice, produced only at the beginning of harvest before corn was dried into maize. Lightly sweet with a touch of alcohol, it was refreshing and stimulating. Murmurs of approval passed among waiting courtiers as they quaffed their cups.

  The court session continued with the ruler accepting tribute from the Sahal of Sak Tz’i, nobles and merchants of Lakam Ha and headmen of several villages. Then followed prominent ahauob and merchants of other cities. Most of the day was taken in this process, with occasional breaks for eating, drinking and relieving nature’s call in the secluded toilets among the plaza aqueducts. A steady stream of attendants carried heavy tribute baskets and bundles to the palace storerooms, where each was tallied by scribes. This tribute would feed the Lakam Ha royal court, and provide lavish ceremonial feasts for the people at rituals prescribed by the Maya calendars. Such was the proper due of the May Ku – the “navel of the world,” the city that served as seat of the 260-tun may cycle.

  YOHL IK’NAL - V

  Baktun 9 Katun 8 Tun 0 –

  Baktun 9 Katun 8 Tun 11

  (593 CE - 604CE)

  1

  Yohl Ik’nal oversaw the building program at Lakam Ha with driven intensity. Seven solar years was not an abundance of time for what she meant to accomplish. The ruler met daily with architects and builders, and visited stonemasons in the process of setting huge square limestone blocks so precisely carved that their junction would not admit the thinnest obsidian blade. In the workshops of stone carvers, her ubiquitous presence kept workers focused and alert as they rendered complex Maya hieroglyphs and lavishly attired figures in bas-relief on panels. Of varying sizes, these carved panels would decorate outer walls and columns, line interior chambers with richly significant reproductions of Lakam Ha rulers and deities, and grace roofcombs with large figures that could be seen from a distance. Locally available limestone, dense and fine-grained, was the finest in all the Maya regions. It allowed carvers to fashion crisply cut edges and buttery smooth surfaces giving unsurpassed elegance to the art of Lakam Ha.

  Uxul, the village stone carver, had the prestigious assignment of creating glyphs for Kan Bahlam’s commemorative temple that housed his crypt. Uxul’s art was featured prominently on the four outward-facing panels that flanked the temple’s three anterior doors. These magnificent stucco glyphs were carved in deep relief so their details would be preserved through baktuns of rain and weather. Faces of the Lords of Time, swirls and geometric symbols fused in complex designs with animal and zoomorphic faces to tell the history of B’aakal rulers and their embodiment of the deities.

  The temple’s rectangular roof featured a procession of the B’aakal lineage from founder K’uk Bahlam I, ending with the seventh ruler, Kan Bahlam I. The Lakam Ha rulers’ portraits were carved on the lower front roof, facing the plaza. They wore full regalia, every detail of function and decoration carrying important symbolic meanings. Above these larger than life size figures arose the narrow roof comb. In its center were three huge figures of the Triad Deities conferring their powers to the rulers.

  It was an awe-inspiring sight from the residential areas a distance below the high plaza on which Kan Bahlam’s temple stood. Taking advantage of the natural hill for elevation, the temple soared above four long rectangular plazas accessed by stairs spanning the entire plaza length. Simply ascending these tiers of stairs gave the feeling of meeting the sky, the domain of ancestors and gods. Once standing upon the temple plaza, worshippers ascended another four tiers of stairs that narrowed at each level, until they reached the middle door of the temple structure.

  Inside the temple’s narrow room, murals depicted the major milestones of Kan Bahlam’s rule in brightly painted glyphs and figures. A round central altar stone, embellished with carved glyphs reciting prayers of offering and salutation, held lovely ceramic incense burners that emitted the woody, enchanting odor of copal. Ah Kins, the Solar Priests constantly attended this inner sanctum, performing rituals and receiving offerings.

  Yohl Ik’nal was well pleased with her father’s memorial temple. Several other structures were built on the temple plaza, including stucco and thatched roof houses for the priests and visitors making pilgrimage.

  To house all the workers needed for the building program, she had additional living quarters constructed on the hillside between the Tun Pitz and Ixha Rivers. A series of eight terraces were created, climbing sequentially uphill to make flat surfaces for seventy-eight structures and fifteen small courtyards. Called the Xinil Pa’ Group, its southern section contained the highest density of structures; small homes arranged around private courtyards. This provided families with their own areas, while concentrating buildings for efficient use of limited space. Water management features included drainage systems and altering the course of the Ixha River to maximize building area.

  Part of her building program included expanding the aqueduct serving the main plaza (later called the Picota Group) with its Royal Court building and Popol Nah. This sophisticated example of water management was built of tightly fitted stones that fed water from multiple springs through a network of channels. Pressure systems forced water up into residences and fountains, and included wastewater drainage from bathing and toileting areas. At the aqueduct’s exit, the flow rejoined the Bisik River, whose course was altered to turn sharply east, not following the flow dictated by natural gravity. The river passed through two other residential areas, then toppled downward in wide shallow cascades to join the Tun Pitz River flowing north towards the floodplains below.

  The Nauyaka Group, situated adjacent to the western-most complex that contained the royal palace and large homes of the most prominent ahauob, received special attention. This residential area was built on flat land, bounded on the south by the Bisik River and on the north by a steep hillside. In this prestigious area were homes of elite nobles, priests and priestesses, and the wealthiest merchants and artisans. Most of the residential groups were connected by elevated platforms that provided easy walking well above the water pooling at ground level during storms.

  Yohl Ik’nal added several new residential groups in this area, dispensing favor on additional elite by inviting them to live in closer proximity to the ruler. Of course, they were required to make extra contributions to construction for this privilege. When building was completed, the Nauyaka Group had seventy-four structures and seventeen courtyards.

  But adding housing for elite and wealthy citizens was not Yohl Ik’nal’s true motive in expanding the Nauyaka Group. This relatively isolated complex, w
ith a panoramic view of the northern plains far below, hid the most sacred shrine of Lakam Ha: the Sak Nuk Nah – White Skin House, the underground structure dedicated to the Triad Deities. Above the Sak Nuk Nah at ground level was a modest structure with a uniquely triangular form. Ostensibly a temple to the young moon goddess, the nubile form of Ix Chel, it was tended by her priestesses who performed moon rituals in the adjacent plaza. The priestesses lived in the two attached rectangular buildings, performing divinations and healings.

  Only the leading ahauob of the city, who had been initiated into the Triad Deity rituals, knew of this underground shrine. Part of their initiation was a pledge to keep the shrine’s location secret. Other nobles and prominent commoners knew such a special shrine existed and that its location was secret. The occult mysteries surrounding the Sak Nuk Nah enhanced its significance and imbued the rituals held there with exceptional power. It was rumored that the ruler and heirs actually became gods, taking on the form of one of the Triad during K’altun and other critical ceremonies.

  Access to the Sak Nuk Nah was through underground tunnels carved many years before by workers now departed to other dimensions. An obscure storage structure beside the Ix Chel temple was the entrance for ahauob and priests/priestesses. They entered through a concealed door from a chamber inside the healing temple. Ahauob frequently visited the Ix Chel priestesses, so their comings and goings did not arouse any curiosity. Only those initiated were ever taken to this chamber.

  The ruler’s entrance was a longer tunnel leading from the royal palace to the Sak Nuk Nah. An impressive work of engineering, this secret passageway was a testimony to the skill of Maya architects. The tunnel entrance in the palace was hidden behind a carved panel of Ix Chel as moon goddess that could be pivoted aside by pressing a certain glyph. The panel was located in a little-used private ceremonial room that opened only to the ruler’s sleeping chambers.