Itzamnaaj B'alam II

Itzamnaaj B'alam II was a Maya king who ruled in Yaxchilan from 681 until he died in the year 742. He is also called Shield Jaguar II by modern writers and commonly referred to simply as Shield Jaguar based on his name glyph before the phonetic name was deciphered. He was born in 647 to Lady Pacal and 6-Tun-Bird-Jaguar and later had a son named Yaxun B'alam IV who ascended to the throne after Itzamnaaj B'alam's death.

Early life

Little is known of Itzamnaaj B'alam's early life except that when he was eleven years old one of his siblings participated in a war that involved Pacal the famous king of Palenque.

Accession and reign

In order to become king, Itzamnaaj B'alam defeated Ah-Ahaual (a Mayan noble) in war and took him captive to Yaxchilan. At the age of 34 around October 23, 681, he became king of Yaxchilan. He was married to Lady Xoc and she held a great amount of power.

One of Itzamnaaj B'alam's greatest accomplishments was the construction of what is now called Temple 23. At Temple 23, Lady Xoc is shown performing a bloodletting ritual for three different occasions: Itz'amná B'alam's accession to the throne, the birth of Yaxun B'alam, and the dedication of Temple 23.

Preparing for an heir

Itzamnaaj B'alam married a second wife named Lady Eveningstar of Calakmul with whom he had his son Yaxun B'alam. He chose Yaxun B'alam to be his successor despite the fact that Lady Xoc, his other wife, had a strategically important bloodline. It is believed by Linda Schele and David Freidel that Itzamnaaj B'alam had Temple 23 in Yaxchilan constructed to honor Lady Xoc while also gaining public support for his son to become king.

End of the reign

The majority of the buildings constructed during Itzamnaaj B'alam's reign occurred in the last third of his life. As well, he was still leading his troops to battle in his eighties. (Ancient Worlds, 2006) Itzamnaaj B'alam II died at the age of 95.

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