Yaxchilán Lintel 25

The kneeling figure at the heart of this scene is Lady K'abal Xook, principal wife of the Yaxchilán king Itzamnaaj Bahlam III, better known as Shield Jaguar. She gazes up at a Vision Serpent she has conjured through self-sacrifice, a masked ancestor leaning from its jaws, while bands of hieroglyphs record the names and dates around her. Her leading role in Lintel 25, from Structure 23, shows that elite Maya women could hold real authority at the center of public ritual. Rated among the masterpieces of Yaxchilán's Chiapas workshops, the original limestone lintel was removed from the site and now resides in the British Museum.