Lady Xoc facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lady Kʼabʼal Xook |
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| Ajaw | |
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| Queen of Yaxchilan | |
| Reign | 23 October 681 - 15 June 742 (alongside Lady Sak B'iyaan and Lady Eveningstar of Calakmul) |
| Predecessor | Lady Pakal (sister) |
| Born | Yaxchilan |
| Died | 3 April 749 Yaxchilan |
| Spouse | Itzamnaaj Bahlam III (nephew) |
| Mother | Lady Xibalba |
| Religion | Maya religion |
Lady Kʼabʼal Xook (also called Lady Xoc) was a powerful Queen of Yaxchilan, an important ancient Maya city. She is known as one of the most important women in Maya history. Lady Xoc was the main wife and aunt of King Itzamnaaj Bʼalam II. He ruled Yaxchilan from 681 to 742. Many believe she was the sister of Lady Pacal.
Lady Xoc is famous for decorating a building called Structure 23 in Yaxchilan. She added three stone carvings, called lintels (Lintel 24, Lintel 25, and Lintel 26), above its doorways. These carvings show her performing special rituals. It was rare for women in ancient Maya art to be shown doing such important ceremonies. Lady Xoc's lintels have helped historians understand the role of royal women in Maya rituals and politics.
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Lady Xoc's Importance
Lady Xoc's important family connections helped King Itzamnaaj Bʼalam II become ruler. Because of this, she was his main wife, even though she did not have any sons with him. King Itzamnaaj Bʼalam II was a great leader of Yaxchilan. He was known as a strong warrior king who led many battles against nearby cities. He also built many temples in Yaxchilan.
It's interesting that Lady Xoc was one of the few women shown in ancient Maya carvings. This shows how popular and important Lady Xoc was in Yaxchilan.
Structure 23: Lady Xoc's Special Building
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In Maya culture, most buildings were thought to belong to the gods. However, only a few buildings were owned by people. Structure 23 was one of only two buildings owned by women. The other was Structure 11, owned by Ix Sak Biya꞉n, another important woman connected to King Itzamnaaj Bʼalam II.
Structure 23 was seen as Lady Xoc's special place in Yaxchilan. It was also a gathering spot for royal women. King Shield Jaguar (another name for Itzamnaaj Bʼalam II) dedicated Structure 23 to Lady Xoc to honor her. Unlike other buildings from his time, Structure 23 does not show scenes of war.
Historians believe Structure 23 was Lady Xoc's home because it offered a lot of privacy. The benches inside were not near the doors. To show that Structure 23 was hers, Lady Xoc had three special stone carvings, called lintels (24, 25, and 26), placed above the doorways. This showed her power and importance. Some historians call Structure 23 Lady Xoc's "queen's quarters." It was a busy and important place.
Inscriptions on Lintel 25 mention a term that means "bee's house." This suggests Structure 23 was a special place for a woman, like a queen's space. Many inscriptions on the lintels also call it Lady Xoc's "oto꞉t," which means "her space" in Maya. By giving Lady Xoc her own building, King Shield Jaguar showed how important and powerful his main wife was in Yaxchilan.
Another reason Structure 23 is linked to Lady Xoc is that her tomb is believed to be there. Her bones, carved with her name, are thought to be in the front right room of Structure 23. This burial is considered the richest and most detailed in the royal family of Yaxchilan.
Structure 24, built by King Bird Jaguar (Shield Jaguar's son), lists the death dates of his most important ancestors: Shield Jaguar, his mother, and Lady Xoc. This building is close to Structure 23. By recording Lady Xoc's death date, Bird Jaguar honored his father's main wife.
It is thought that the rituals shown on Lady Xoc's lintels might have happened inside Structure 23. Since Lady Xoc is shown performing important ceremonies with her husband, this means King Shield Jaguar entered this special space for women.
The Famous Lintels of Lady Xoc
Lady Xoc gave three lintels to be placed above the doors of a building in Yaxchilan's main plaza. These lintels show her playing a central role in important rituals. It is very unusual for a woman to be the main figure in such carvings, which makes these lintels very special. The lintels also showed the hopes King Shield Jaguar had for his kingdom. Placing them was a way for him to honor Lady Xoc, whose family connections helped him become king.
These lintels are known as Lintel 24, Lintel 25, and Lintel 26. They were likely created around the year 725. In these lintels, Lady Xoc is shown performing a bloodletting ritual with King Shield Jaguar. She is also seen talking with a dead ancestor and preparing the King for battle. By looking at these lintels in order, we can understand Lady Xoc's role in war and ancient Maya rituals.
Lintel 24: The Blood Sacrifice
In Lintel 24, Lady Xoc performs a blood sacrifice ritual. She pulls a thorny rope through a hole in her tongue. In Yaxchilan, blood sacrifices were a way for kings to ask for help or advice from ancestors who had passed away. These sacrifices were believed to help people gain favor with the gods. This ritual was also a way to prepare the king for battle.
Lintel 25: The Vision Serpent
In Lintel 25, we see the most important part of the blood sacrifice. Lady Xoc places her blood into a bowl. From this bowl of blood, a Vision Serpent rises. From the two heads of the Vision Serpent, a War God and Yat Balam (the founder of Yaxchilan) appear. This shows that King Shield Jaguar is asking for help from the gods and his ancestors as he gets ready for battle. Lintel 25 also has carvings that say the lintel is above Lady Xoc's house. One phrase translates to: "Lady Xoc's house is the heart/center of Tan-Haʼ Yaxchilan."
Lintel 26: Preparing for Battle
Lintel 26 shows King Shield Jaguar getting ready for battle. Lady Xoc is also in this carving, handing a helmet to the king. Since Shield Jaguar was a warrior king, Lady Xoc gives him a jaguar helmet for battle. In Maya culture, the jaguar was a symbol of great power. She also appears to be handing him a spear. Both the spear and the jaguar helmet are seen with King Shield Jaguar in other ancient artworks. In this lintel, Lady Xoc wears a headdress that kings sometimes wore at other sites in Yaxchilan.
Lintel 23: Lady Xoc's Home
Lintel 23 is found on the southwest door of Structure 23. Lady Xoc did not donate this lintel, but it shows her family history. It also has glyphs (ancient symbols) that confirm Structure 23 was Lady Xoc's home. It says "the opening/door of her house." Lintel 23 also shows ceremonies that took place at Structure 23.
Structure 23 was part of two special "och-kʼakʼ" ceremonies. These ceremonies involved changes to the southwest doorways of the building and dedications of the carvings inside Structure 23. Lintel 23 also shows that these ceremonies were mostly attended by women who were close to Lady Xoc. The fact that ceremonies were dedicated to Lady Xoc's house further shows her high status in Yaxchilan. These ceremonies also helped women stay involved in the social and political life of Yaxchilan.
The lintels on Lady Xoc's house show the important role women played in Yaxchilan society. They took part in political, social, and ritual activities. From Lintel 23, which shows Lady Xoc's family and ceremonies at her home, to the famous Lintels 24, 25, and 26, which show her in rituals and political events, Lady Xoc's monuments clearly show her power and importance in Yaxchilan.
