Calakmul Part 3 of 6: The Royal Tombs within the great pyramid called Structure II

The tomb of Yuknoom Yich'aak K'aak' (Claw of Fire). He was one of the three great kings of the Kaan (Snake) Dynasty, who ruled Calakmul during the 7th and first half of the 8th centuries AD. The display above is located in the Museum at Fuerte San Miguel in the city of Campeche. This is how the tomb would have appeared a few years after his burial. 

The display is a reproduction because much of the original material, including the shroud and the wooden platform under the body, had largely disintegrated during the 1,300 years that elapsed before the tomb was discovered in the mid-1990s by the Archeological Project of the Calakmul Biosphere. 

In this posting, I'll talk about the contents of the tomb, how it was discovered, and a bit of the history of the person who was buried in it. In addition, I'll show some of the contents of other tombs found within Structure II, as well as discussing some of the ancient funerary beliefs and practices of the Maya. 

Structure II, viewed from its northeastern corner. A system of staircases leads up to the pyramid's seventh level. On that level, the doorways of Structure IIb (the ruler's palace) can be seen above. It was built during the 8th century AD, during the last phase of Calakmul's occupation. On the lower part of the main staircase, you can see a white stela. The image carved on it may be the mother of Claw of Fire. 

During the Early Classic (250-600 AD), a building now called Substructure IIb was constructed on level seven. Tombs for rulers and other top-level elites were constructed under the floor of Substructure IIb. This added a political function to a pyramid that had previously been devoted to religious purposes. Several decades after Claw of Fire's burial, the building within which he was buried was covered over by Structure IIb, the ruins of which we see today.

Structure II, viewed as a cross-section, looking west. North is to the right. At the bottom of the stairs you can see two of the five stelae that were erected in 702 AD by Yuknoom Took' K'awiil, Claw of Fire's Kaan Dynasty successor. Part way up the stairs is the white stela containing the image of Claw of Fire's wife (or mother?).  

Substructure IIb stands on level seven of the pyramid and has two tombs buried beneath its floor. Tomb 4 contained Claw of Fire, while the body in Tomb 3 was that of a young boy. Ancient graffiti found within the substructure show that in approximately 725 AD, it was covered over by the Structure IIb palace. The burials were discovered when archeologists tunneled down through the floor of Structure IIb. (Photo from A Dynastic Tomb From Campeche, Mexico) 

Tomb 4: Burial Site of Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk'

Detail of the reproduced tomb of Claw of Fire. The tomb has an east-west orientation. The head was toward sunrise, an important celestial event for the Maya. The walls of the tomb had been painted with glyphs, but they are unreadable due to deterioration. The body was interred on its back in an extended position with the right arm crossed over the chest and the left alongside the torso. It was richly surrounded by grave goods.

Claw of Fire was a robust man between 45 and 60 years old when he died. At 164 cm (5'4 in), he was slightly taller than the average Maya of his time. Three of his upper front teeth were inlayed with jade, a beautification method common among the Maya elite. Although his bones show signs of osteophytosis (ossification of the tendon insertions), the cause of his death is still undetermined. It may have been from battle wounds during his defeat by Tikal in 695 AD.

Cinnabar pigment was applied to the body. Its red color symbolizes sunrise and blood, both of deep importance to the Maya. The cloth shroud was sealed with  resin and then covered with latex, both in a liquid state when applied. This careful treatment was responsible for the level of the body's preservation. Finally, the cloth shroud was covered with an animal skin. 

Plate with glyphs declaring it was owned by Claw of Fire. It was common practice for Maya elites to possess ceramics containing declarations of their ownership. In the center of  the plate is the image of a god named for his jester-like hat. The Jester god was closely associated with Maya rulers, who often wore his image on their headgear. This plate in the tomb, along with other ceramics that establish a date range, strongly indicate the tomb is that of Claw of Fire. (Photo from Distribution Analysis of the Central Maya Lowlands)

In addition to the ceramics, the grave goods included Spondylus shell jewelry and eight sets of feline paws, possibly from jaguars. A wide variety of jade necklaces and bracelets were found on or near the body. Some perforated jade pieces had been sewn into cloth. Also present was the ruler's head dress, made of palm material which was polychromed and decorated with a jade mosaic. Finally, the tomb contained a spectacular jade mask

Claw of Fire's jade mask was found on the right side of his chest. The mask was made from a mosaic of jade pieces, along with gray obsidian and Spondylus shells for the eyes. The round devices below the ears represent the ear plugs worn by elite figures. Such masks were called k'oh by the Maya and were thought to be animated. It was quite common for k'oh to be buried with rulers. One of the most famous masks was found in Pakal the Great's tomb at Palenque.

Claw of Fire's mask was associated with the god of maiz (corn) and symbolizes the rebirth of life during the agricultural cycles. The Maya creation myth includes the story of Hero Twins who went into Xibalba (the underworld) to play the Ball Game against the Lords of Death. The Twins won, but the Lords killed them after the game. However, by a trick, they come back to life. After escaping Xibalba they became the sun and moon. Their father became the god of maiz.

Tomb I: Burial Site of a Great Ruler's Wife

Mask and ear plugs from the tomb of the wife of Yuknoom Ch'een II. His name means "He who makes the cities tremble." Yuknoom the Great was the father of Yuknoom Yich'aak K'ahk', so she may have been his mother. However, Maya rulers were known to have more than one wife. If she was Claw of Fire's mother, she might also be the figure portrayed on Stela 116, the white monument in the middle of Structure II's main steps. 

Drinking vessel painted with the image of the young maiz god. The glyphs on the tumbler indicate that it was to be used for drinking "fruity cacao". Cacao beans were (and still are) used to make chocolate, a drink reserved for the elite. The drink was sometimes enhanced by adding the dried blood of warriors. The beans were considered so valuable that they were sometimes used as currency. 

The image on the vessel shows the birth of the maiz god as he emerges from a split skull. Once again, a funerary connection is made to the death and re-birth cycles of agriculture. The Codex Style of this ceramic piece was given that name because the colors are similar to a Maya hieroglyphic codex. Ceramics like this were made for royal family members, particularly during the Kaan Dynasty of the 7th and 8th centuries. (Photo from National Museum of Anthropology)

Other Elite Tombs and Their Contents

Tomb reproduction from the Museum of Fuerte San Miguel. The contents of this tomb, called grave goods, are probably quite similar to those found in Tomb 3, a burial found next to that of Claw of Fire. The occupant of Tomb 3 was buried during the Early Classic era (250-600 AD), making the tomb at least 100 years older than Claw of Fire's burial and possibly much older than that. Tomb 3 was desecrated in Pre-hispanic times, but some items were recovered.

These included the bones of a boy aged between six and eight years. In addition, the tomb contained four ceramic pieces. These included two dishes and a vase in the Aguila (Eagle) style and a black tripod cylinder in the Teotihuacan style. The Early Classic styles of these ceramics established the time frame of the burial. The identity of the boy is unknown, although he must have been a member of the top-level elite to be buried in this site.

Jade pendent in the form of an articulated serpent. This jade serpent was found in one of Calakmul's tombs and has been dated to the Early Classic era. The pieces are all perforated lengthwise and were once connected by a fibre cord so that, when moved, it would writhe back and forth like a serpent. Jade was considered to be extremely valuable at this time, so beautifully-made piece was probably not a toy.

Jade has often been found in burial sites, sometimes in the form of round beads left in the mouth of the deceased. These symbolized planting and the re-birth of the maiz god. Serpents were considered to be the vehicles by which the sun and stars crossed the heavens. The periodic shedding of a serpent's skins was looked upon as a symbol of rebirth and renewal.

Early Classic pot and lid decorated with fish and fantastic faces. Pots like this have often been found in the tombs of elite figures who died in the Early Classic era. Possession of objects like this was a marker of status and wealth. 

The ceramic artists who made and decorated these kinds of ceramics were often sponsored by Calakmul's royal courts and those of other Classic Maya cities. Beautifully made ceramics were often used as diplomatic gifts by rulers desiring to cement relationships with subordinate officials, as well as being used as grave goods in high-status burials. 

Terminal Classic era remains of a child interred in an urn. Such burials often included flutes, whistles, small jade objects, and shells. It appears, in this case, that the child's body was disarticulated before it was placed in the urn. Although it is not shown here, mouths of funeral urns were often covered by an upturned plate.

The Maya deeply mourned the dead and feared Xibalba. They believed that there were nine levels and each was full of awful dangers through which the dead must pass. These included roaring waters, high mountains, rivers of blood, and spinning blades of razor-sharp obsidian. Grave goods placed in tombs were intended to assist the dead on their journey.

This completes Part 3 of my Calakmul series. Next time, we'll look at several other buildings around the Central Plaza that form an astronomical observatory. I hope you enjoyed this posting and, if so, you will please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below, or email me directly.

Hasta luego, Jim