Yaxchilan Lintel 26

Title: Yaxchilan Lintel 26
Description: Lintel 26 represents the ritual of dressing up for war. Here, a husband and wife are shown, where the wife (Lady K’ab’al Xook) offers her husband, (Itzamnaaj B’alam II), a jaguar helmet as part of his war attire. This established a parallel with the Maize God, who was sometimes depicted as being dressed and adorned by women. Wearing a helmet or headdress with an image of a deity, which in this case was the Jaguar god, allowed a ruler to impersonate that deity and acquire the attributes of the god.
Creator: unknown
Identifier: 05.0-01234
Date: 724 CE
Type: relief (sculpture techniques)
Coverage: Yaxchilan; Chiapas; Mexico
cultural context: Maya (culture or style); Mesoamerican
Medium: limestone
Subject: Maya gods; Decoration and ornament
height: 215 cm
width: 85 cm
Rights
Rights Holder: National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico