Yax Ahau Xoc (8th-century) was a

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

Queen of

Tikal Tikal () (''Tik’al'' in modern Mayan orthography) is the ruin of an ancient city, which was likely to have been called Yax Mutal, found in a rainforest in Guatemala. It is one of the largest archeological sites and urban centers of the pre-C ...

and the wife of Yik'in Chan K'awiil.Tikal's Dynastic Line
/ref> Her personal name is unknown; in official writings, her son Yax Pasaj Chan Yopat identified her by the name and title ''Yax Ahau Xoc'' ("A Noble Young Reader" or "The Young Lord's Counter"). She was also historically known as ''Chac Nik Ye'' ("Lady of Palenque"), from the family of Pacal the Great. Yax Ahau Xoc was a princess of Lakamha, and the daughter of Lord K'inich Hanaab Pacal II. Her only known sibling was her brother, K'uk Balaam ("Quetzal Jaguar"), who was Lord of Lakamha after his father. The name and origin of her mother is unknown. In her early teens, she married Lord Yik'in Chan K'awlil and bore him a son, Yax Pasaj Chan Yopat. Her husband died in 762 AD after thirteen years of marriage and her young son was crowned Lord of Tikal. By the end of his reign, tension between the upper and lower classes as well as inbreeding among the small number of noble families led to the loss of the Lords' influence over the common people. Shortly after, in the middle of the ninth century, the Classic Mayan cities collapsed due to deforestation, soil depletion, drought, over-hunting, and overpopulation.

Cultural depictions

A fictional portrayal of Yax Ahau Xoc is found in the young adult novel in the form of a

diary A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal ...

, '' Lady of Palenque: Flower of Bacal'' by Anna Kirwan. In the novel, the author gives Yax Ahau Xoc the fictional personal name ''Shana'Kin Yaxchel Pacal'' ("Green Jay on the Wall"). The book presents an account of the Lady's early days in Lakamha (modern-day Palenque) when she is thirteen years old, and her subsequent journey to Xukpi after she is engaged to Yik'in Chan K'awlil (Fire Keeper Serpent of Holy Lineages), who was twenty years her senior. The epilogue states that a year after their marriage, they had a son, Yax Pasaj Chan Yopat (New Dawn Sky Anther). The Lady's husband, Lord Fire Keeper, died at age 46 after thirteen years of marriage and left his kingdom to his 12-year-old son. It is suggested that the Lady may have married again and had another son after her husband's death.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacal, ShanaKin Yaxchel 8th-century women Maya queens Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown