Yax Ahau Xoc facts for kids

Yax Ahau Xoc was an important Maya Queen from the 700s. She was the wife of Yik'in Chan K'awiil, who was the ruler of a powerful Maya city called Tikal. We don't know her real personal name. In official writings, her son called her Yax Ahau Xoc, which means "A Noble Young Reader" or "The Young Lord's Counter." She was also known as Chac Nik Ye, or "Lady of Palenque," because she came from the royal family of Palenque, a famous Maya city. She was related to the great ruler Pacal the Great.

Yax Ahau Xoc was a princess from Lakamha, which is the ancient name for Palenque. Her father was Lord K'inich Hanaab Pacal II, who was the ruler of Palenque. She had one brother named K'uk Balaam, which means "Quetzal Jaguar." He became the ruler of Lakamha after their father. We don't know the name of her mother.

When she was a young teenager, Yax Ahau Xoc married Lord Yik'in Chan K'awiil. They had a son named Yax Pasaj Chan Yopat. Her husband passed away in 762 AD after they had been married for thirteen years. Their young son then became the new ruler of Tikal. Towards the end of her son's time as ruler, there were problems between the different groups of people in the city. The rulers started to lose their power over the common people. Later, in the middle of the 800s, many of the great Classic Maya cities, including Tikal, began to decline. This happened because of things like cutting down too many trees, soil becoming poor, long dry periods, too much hunting, and too many people living in one area.

Yax Ahau Xoc in Stories

Yax Ahau Xoc is featured in a fictional book for young adults called Lady of Palenque: Flower of Bacal by Anna Kirwan. This book is written like a diary. In the story, the author gives Yax Ahau Xoc a made-up name: Shana'Kin Yaxchel Pacal, which means "Green Jay on the Wall."

The book tells about Yax Ahau Xoc's life when she was thirteen years old in Lakamha (Palenque). It describes her journey to Xukpi (another name for Tikal) when she was engaged to Yik'in Chan K'awiil. He was twenty years older than her. The book says that they had a son, Yax Pasaj Chan Yopat, a year after they got married. Her husband, Lord Fire Keeper, died when he was 46. He left his kingdom to their 12-year-old son. The story also suggests that Yax Ahau Xoc might have married again and had another son after her first husband passed away.