The Sarcophagus of Pakal and Shield Jaguar and Her Principal Wife Lady Xoc

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The Sarcophagus of Pakal and Shield Jaguar and Her Principal Wife Lady Xoc

These two works of art from a historical perspective are very important to the people associated with them as well as to the general historical art. They are considered masterpieces of the kind of art that existed during the specific time they existed and they represent. Shield Jaguar and her principal wife lady Xoc art represents the kingship of shield jaguar and how her ween lady Xoc was an important element of her kingship. It discusses how her house was adorned with privacy and was an important house in the whole kingship since it is one of the very few houses belonging to women which are mentioned. In it there is a lot of art which describes the role of the wife to the king and her position. On the other hand, the Sarcophagus of Pakal is a great form of art in the nature of tomb lid of king Pakal and on the lid there is a lot of art which describes the people and the kind of life they lived. This paper discusses these two forms of art and compares them with an aim of trying to understand historical art and what it meant to the people represented.

The Sarcophagus of Pakal lid was a great art found by archeologist Alberto Ruz Lhuillier (says, 2015). He began an investigation of the ruined maya city and through the investigation he came across this great piece of art. His position of investigation was the temple of inscriptions when he found a stairway leading deep into the temple and he followed it and began extraction of the material carefully until he reached the tomb of the king (Minster, 2018). Even though there were different types of art which existed the most striking one was the stone which was covering the body of the king. The stone is rectangular in shape and it measures 245 by 290 millimeters thick. It is 2.2 meters wide and 3.6 meters long and it weighs around 7 tons. The whole stone is a piece of art as it art carvings on top and on the sides of it. From the time of discovery Ruz lifted it with the help of other people and placed wood on the bottom side to support it until 2010 when it was returned to its normal place and the remains of the king as well returned. The top and the side narrate the life of Pakal and his kingdom.

On the sides the most important thing are the carvings of the ancestors of Pakal being reborn as different types of trees. This communicates the faith of the people whom Pakal led that they believed in re-incarnation. Pakal’s father, K’an Mo’ Hix, is depicted being reborn as a Nance tree while his mother Sak K’uk’ is reborn as a cacao tree (says, 2015). His grandmother Yohl Ik’nal is reborn twice, first as a zapote tree and the next time as an avocado tree. His grandfather is reborn as a guava tree and Kan B’ahlam I who was the leader of Palenque reborn as a zapote tree.

Shield Jaguar and her principal wife lady Xoc represents how the wife is an important aspect of any community and in this, the duties and roles of a wife to the community and to the husband are shown clearly through art. Structure 23 and the lintels are what is most important in explaining the history of the people (Magazine, & Meisler, 2014). The Mayans were a very great civilization which produced some of the most complex written languages and at the peak of its civilization in 600 to 800 AD produced art in the form of stone sculptures, delicate figurines, painted ceramics and jade jewelry.

There are three limestone lintels which are intricately carved and they represent Lady Xok who was a very significant figure in the maya community since she has a town dedicated to her (Minster, 2018). She was the principal wife to shield jaguar and ruled Yaxchilán from 681 to 742 AD. The three lintels are in National Gallery of Art Museum in Washington, D.C. there are also two lintels in British museum and another one in museum of history and anthropology in New Mexico. In the first intel lady Xok performs a ritual meant for royalties as an offering to gods for continuation of life and shield jaguar stands next to her with a burning spear. In the sacrifice blood drops on a paper (Magazine, & Meisler, 2014). In the final lintel, shield jaguar wears battle amour made of a material which is covered in feathers and cotton. Lady Xok hands him a jaguar head and a shield. This shows that he is a warrior since jaguar was the fiercest animal known to Mayans and it was a symbol of power and bravery.

These two forms of art have their similarities and differences and this is an important part of the whole context of the art. Firstly, both are similar in that they express the history and the beliefs of their people. In the Mayan culture the lintels represent the real life of the people and how the queen or the wife to the king relates with his king while on the side of Palenque, Pakal is represented as a very important part of the whole leadership and he is the central part of the history of his people. The stone represents partly the real life of the people as well as the afterlife.

In conclusion, the two types of art have a lot in common as well as differences. These show the differences in the two cultures and leadership and also show the similarities which existed. However, the most important thing is that these two cultures valued art and it is through art that their history has been preserved and still exists today.

References

‌ Magazine, S., & Meisler, S. (2014). Of Majesty and Mayhem. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved October 27, 2021, from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/of-majesty-and-mayhem-2313965/

Christopher minster (2018). The Maya King’s Grave. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-sarcophagus-of-pakal-2136165says, A. Ey. (2015). The Mystery Of King Pakal. Ancient Code. https://www.ancient-code.com/the-mystery-of-king-pakal-did-he-lift-off-to-the-stars/

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