Political Dynamics through the Discourse of the Baah Sajal of Yaxchilan

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Recent Archaeological Investigations in Chiapas, Mexico" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

During the eighth century, the stone monuments of Yaxchilán and its area of influence recurrently recorded individuals with the title sajal, a position associated with leaders of corporate groups with functions related to the government of peripheral sites, administration, war, and circulation of goods. Among all the sajals of Pa'chan, only K'an Tok' Wayaab held the appellative baah sajal, “principal sajal,” a position that allowed him to appear on the monuments of the most important buildings in the city, such as Structure 33, to demonstrate their rank vis-à-vis other influential groups. In this way, the present paper aims to analyze how K'an Tok' Wayaab exposed his hierarchy through the monumental discourse on the Hieroglyphic Stairway 2 and, above all, the consolidation of Structure 1 as a possible seat of its corporate group within Yaxchilán. This analysis will also allow an understanding of the sajals' role in the political dynamics of Yaxchilán towards the last years of this capital.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Recent Archaeological Investigations in Chiapas, Mexico   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38179.0