Fragment of a stela that shows a captive kneeling and with his hands tied in front. He wears a loincloth and a rolled cloth headdress, with his hair tied up and knotted with a string.

In Mayan culture, wars of power among city-states resulted in the capture of rulers, nobles and their families who, during the course of events, could be ritually sacrificed by the victor. This relief was probably commissioned by the victorious ruler of Dos Pilas, presenting one of his captured nobles in a submissive position.

* Former “Príncipe Maya” Museum Collection, Cobán, Alta Verapaz

Transcription

The texts in this stela mention the name of his captor, called “Guardian/ Captor of Aj Bolon Ti” (Lord of Fire), as well as a personal epithet of the captive, who is called “Guardian/ Captor of Yax Tok Bahlam“. The transcription of the text is as follows (Guido Krempel, personal communication):

A1-C2:

u-cha-CHAN AJ-9-TI’-i’ …. K’AK’-AJAW-wa u chan aj bolon ti’ …. k’ahk’ajaw “Captor of Aj Bolon Ti‘” (“he of many languages”)

D1-D3:

u-CHAN-na YAX-to-ko BALAM u chan yax tok bahlam “Captor of Green/Blue Cloud Jaguar “

Collaboration by Camilo Alejandro Luín (University of San Carlos, Guatemala, 2013) and reviewed by Guido Krempel (University of Bonn, 2014).

Commentary:

* “Due to the characteristic sculptural style and the naming of the title “Captor of Aj Bolon Ti‘”, this relief can clearly be assigned to the same individual who is also named on a wall panel from the city of Dos Pilas as a vassal of its young king. The accompanying hieroglyphic text next to the captive depicted here refers to him as the “captor of Yax Tok Bahlam“. This is one of the most beautiful and naturalistic depictions of a bound prisoner in Maya art, kneeling on the ground with his arms firmly tied.” (Dr. Nikolai Grube).

* This monument was published by Stephen Houston in 2009 when it was on display at the Príncipe Maya Museum in Cobán, Alta Verapaz, before it was transferred to the La Ruta Maya Foundation in 2010. According to his research, the stela could have been part of a structure close to the Hieroglyphic Stairway 1 of Dos Pilas, as suggested by David Stuart (cited in Houston, 2009) perhaps from its northern side, and from a structure mapped by Houston in 1986 (designated Structure L4-35).

Height: 70 cm
Width: 49 cm
Thickness: 22 cm

Object displayed in the Príncipe Maya Museum (Cobán, Alta Verapaz) until the collection was transferred to La Ruta Maya Foundation in October 2010.

“EL MUNDO DEL ARTISTA MAYA”. Centro de Formación de la Cooperación Española. Antigua Guatemala (febrero 3 – junio 16, 2013)

“EL MUNDO DEL ARTISTA MAYA”. Centro Cultural Casa N’oj, Quetzaltenango (agosto 12- septiembre 6 de 2013).

“TREASURES OF THE MAYA SPIRIT”. LA Art & Antique Show. LA Convention Center, California (enero 4 al 9, 2014)

“TESOROS DE LA RUTA MAYA”. Sala Quiroa, Paseo de los Museos, Hotel Casa Santo Domingo. Antigua Guatemala (agosto 30 – noviembre 9, 2014)

“MAYA: RULERS OF THE RAINFOREST”
Drents Museum, Assen, Holanda (28 febrero- 4 septiembre, 2016)
Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Speyer, Alemania (2 octubre, 2016- abril 23, 2018)
Museo Arqueológico de Alicante, MARQ, España (25 mayo 2017-7 enero 2018)

“MAYAS EN SANTO DOMINGO DEL CERRO”. Centro Cultural Santo Domingo del Cerro, Antigua Guatemala (agosto 16, 2018- abril 20, 2019)

“MAYA: THE GREAT JAGUAR RISES” (1st. Tour) Canada and United States (mayo 15, 2019- octubre 20, 2021)

“MAYA: THE GREAT JAGUAR RISES” (2nd. Tour) Kansas City Union Station (agosto 2022- marzo, 2023) y California Science Center (abril-septiembre, 2023)

“MASTERWORKS BY THE PRE-COLUMBIAN ARTIST.” La Ruta Maya Foundation, Guatemala City (November 6, 2024 to May 31st, 2025)

On display in the La Ruta Maya Foundation’s permanent gallery starting in June 2025.

Houston, Stephen. January 19, 2009. Category Archives: Dos Pilas. Maya Multilinguals? en Maya Decipherment, Ideas on Maya writing and Iconography – BOUNDARY END ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH CENTER. https://mayadecipherment.com/category/dos-pilas/page/2/