LADY K’AB’AL XOOK

C.7TH CENTURY – C.8TH CENTURY

The principal wife and aunt of King Itzamnaaj Bahlam II, Lady K’ab’al is believed to have been one of the most powerful women of the Maya. She is featured in the Yaxchiln Lintels that depict her performing a series of rituals with her husband, which makes her one of the few women to be depicted in ancient Maya carvings. In this image of Lintel 24, Lady K’ab’al Xook performs a bloodletting ritual, pulling a thorny rope through her tongue.