Lintel 24, one of three panels from structure 23 at Yaxchilan,
Mexico. It represents a bloodletting ritual performed by the king of Yaxchilan, Shield Jaguar II, and his wife, Lady K'ab'al Xook. The Maya king holds a flaming torch over his wife, who is pulling a thorny rope through her tongue. The glyphs in the text at the top indicate the event and the date, 709 CE.
Lintel 24, one of three panels from structure 23 at Yaxchilan,
Mexico. It represents a bloodletting ritual performed by the king of Yaxchilan, Shield Jaguar II, and his wife, Lady K'ab'al Xook. The Maya king holds a flaming torch over his wife, who is pulling a thorny rope through her tongue. The glyphs in the text at the top indicate the event and the date, 709 CE.