Sarcophagus Lid, Tomb of Pakal, 7th Century

Sarcophagus Lid, Tomb of Pakal, 7th Century

K'inich Janaab' Pakal (March 603 - August 683) was ruler of the Maya polity of Palenque in the Late Classic period of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican chronology. During his 68 year reign he was responsible for the construction or extension of some of Palenque's most notable surviving inscriptions and monumental architecture. The large carved stone sarcophagus lid in the Temple of Inscriptions is a unique piece of Classic Maya art. Around the edges of the lid is a band with cosmological signs for sun, moon, and star, as well as the heads of six named noblemen. The central image is that of a cruciform world tree. Beneath Pakal is one of the heads of a celestial two headed serpent. Both the king and the serpent head on which he rests are framed by the open jaws of a funerary serpent, a common iconographic device for signaling entrance into, or residence in, the realm(s) of the dead. The king himself wears the attributes of the Tonsured maize god, and is shown in a peculiar posture that may denote rebirth. Interpretation of the lid has raised controversy.

MAYAN

Album / Science Source / New York Public Library

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762 x 1310 px | 2.9 MB

6.5 x 11.1 cm | 2.5 x 4.4 in (300 dpi)