Yaxchilan

Yaxchilan (also sometimes historically referred to by the names Mench? and City Lorillard in honor of Pierre Lorillard who contributed to defray the expense of an expedition into the Maya zone) is an ancient Maya city located on the Usumacinta River in what is now the state of Chiapas, Mexico.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The ancient name for the city may have been Izancanac.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Yaxchilan means Green Stones in Maya.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

detail of a carved lintel

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

depicting the Feathered Serpent Deity

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This was a large center, important throughout the Classic era, and the dominant power of the Usumacinta area. It dominated such smaller sites as Bonampak, and was long allied with Piedras Negras and at least for a time with Tikal; it was a rival of Palenque, with which Yaxchilan warred in 654. Yat-Balam, founder of a long dynasty, took the throne on 2 August, 320 when Yaxchilan was a minor site. The city-state grew to a regional capital and the dynasty lasted into the early 9th century. Yaxchilan had its greatest power during the long reign of King Shield Jaguar II, who died in his 90s in 742.

Maya: Maya may refer to:...

Usumacinta River: The Usumacinta River in southeastern Mexico and northwestern Guatemala, formed by the junction of the Pasi?n River, which arises in the Sierra de Santa Cruz (in Guatemala) and the Salinas River, also known as the Chixoy, or the Negro, which descends from the Sierra Madre de Guatemala, is the border...

Chiapas: Chiapas is a state in the southeast of Mexico. Chiapas is bordered by the states of Tabasco to the north, Veracruz to the northwest, and Oaxaca to the west. To the east Chiapas borders Guatemala, and to the south the Pacific Ocean....

Yaxchilan related Images and Photos (experimental)

Stela Depicting a Woman Presenting a Jaguar Mask to a Priest from Yaxchilan