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Yax Ahk’ as captive impersonating jaguar deity
Identified by the hieroglyphic inscription on his leg, Yax Ahk’, the lord of a place called Anaayte’, along the Usumacinta River on the modern border between Guatemala and Mexico, is shown as a captive impersonating the jaguar god. The flaming jaguar ear and the twisted cord between his eyes are attributes of the deity, a warrior who was himself captured and tortured by fire in primordial war myths.
Yax Ahk’ como cautivo que personifica a una deidad jaguar
Altar Rojo, Monumento 155, Toniná, Chiapas, México
ca. 700 d. C.
Arenisca
La inscripción escrita en la pierna de esta figura indica su nombre: Yax Ahk’, señor de un lugar llamado Anaayte’, ubicado en las orillas del río Usumacinta, en la actual frontera entre Guatemala y México. Aquí se le representa como cautivo, a la vez que encarna al dios jaguar. La oreja llameante y el cordón retorcido en medio de sus ojos son atributos de esta deidad, la cual aparece representada como un guerrero cautivo y quemado en escenas míticas relacionadas con las luchas primigenias de los dioses.
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