Lady Pakal of Yaxchilan – The Mayan Queen who lived to be ninety-eight

Little is known about Lady Pakal of Yaxchilan. She was the queen consort to King Yaxun B’alam III of Yaxchilan. Her son, Itzamnaaj B’ajlam III, would succeed his father as the next king of Yaxchilan. She also had a younger sister who would be her daughter-in-law named Lady Xoc. Yet, she is most renowned for living until she was ninety-eight years old.^[1] 

In 607 C.E., Lady Pakal was born. Her mother was Lady Xibalba.^[2] Her father was Lord Aj K’an Xoc.^[3] She had a younger sister named Lady Xoc (who would later be her future daughter-in-law).^[4] She married King Yaxun B’ahlam III of Yaxchilan (also known as 6 Tun Jaguar (r. 631-681)).^[5] Therefore, Lady Pakal became Queen of Yaxchilan.

Yaxchilan was a powerful Mayan kingdom that had a vast empire that spread north of the Usumacinta River.^[6] It had a grand plaza which was where most of their activities were conducted.^[7] Yaxchilan had the heaviest rainfall in the Yucatán Peninsula.^[8] This contributed to the wealth of the people of Yaxchilan.^[9] They also established close ties with the powerful Mayan kingdom of Calakmul.^[10]

Lady Pakal bore King Yaxun B’ahlam III of Yaxchilan a son named Prince Itzamnaaj B’ajlam III (who would be King of Yaxchilan after his father’s death).^[11] Prince Itzamnaaj B’ajlam III would later marry Lady Pakal’s younger sister, Lady Xoc.^[12] He would also have a secondary wife named Lady Ik’ Skull (also known as Lady Eveningstar), who was from Calakmul.^[13] In 681 C.E., Lady Pakal’s husband, King Yaxun B’ahlam III of Yaxchilan, died when she was seventy-four years old.^[14] Her son, Itzamnaaj B’ajlam III (also known as Shield Jaguar III), became the next King of Yaxchilan (r. 681-742).

During King Itzamnaaj B’ajlam III of Yaxchilan’s long reign, he and his queen consort, Lady Xoc, conducted many religious rituals.^[15] King Itzamnaaj B’ajlam III was succeeded by his son, King Yaxun Balam IV (also known as Bird Jaguar IV). Lady Pakal lived into her sixth k’atun.^[16] This meant that she lived to be ninety-eight years old until she died in 705 C.E.^[17] Lintels of Structure 24 lists the name of Lady Pakal.^[18]

Very few facts about Lady Pakal’s long life are known. She has largely been eclipsed by her sister and daughter-in-law, Lady Xoc.^[19] What is most unusual about Lady Pakal is her age.^[20] Yet, as queen and queen mother, Lady Pakal must have wielded considerable influence.^[21] Hopefully, with more research, more details on this forgotten Mayan queen will come to light.

Sources:

Inomata, T. (2008). “Women in Classic Maya Royal Courts”. Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History. (Walthall, A., Ed.). Oakland, CA: University of California Press. pp.45-65.

Matthews, P. (1988). The Sculpture of Yaxchilan. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Sharer, R. J. & Traxler, L. P. (2006). The Ancient Maya (Sixth ed.). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

Structural & Construction Conference (Volume 2). (2003). (Bontempi, F., Ed.). Volume 2. Netherlands: Taylor & Francis.

Tate, C. E. (2013). Yaxchilan: The Design of a Maya Ceremonial City. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.

World History Encyclopedia. (2011). (Neel, C., Ed.; Andrea, A. J., Ed.). NY: Bloomsbury USA..