page_title: North Acropolis, Tikal
section_title: Monuments
hierarchical_section_title: North Acropolis, Tikal / Monuments
caption_attribution_description: English: Tikal, Guatemala: Stela 4 Deutsch: Tikal, Guatemala: Stele 4
context_page_description: The North Acropolis of the ancient Maya city of Tikal in Guatemala is an architectural complex that served as a royal necropolis and was a centre for funerary activity for over 1300 years. The acropolis is located near the centre of the city and is one of the most studied of Maya architectural complexes. Excavations were carried out from 1957 to 1969 by the University of Pennsylvania, directed by Edwin M. Shook and William Coe.
  The first traces of human activity at the site date to approximately 800 BC, with the first structures being built about 350 BC. Around 250 AD the complex underwent a major redevelopment with the construction of a massive basal platform that supported a cluster of temples; this was followed around AD 450 by the addition of a row of four pyramids on a terrace to the south of the main platform.
  A number of royal tombs have been excavated that have been identified with named kings, including the tombs of Yax Nuun Ayiin I, Siyaj Chan K'awiil II, Wak Chan K'awiil and "Animal Skull". An early tomb in the North Acropolis has been tentatively identified as that of the dynastic founder Yax Ehb' Xook.
context_section_description: A great many stelae were erected in the North Acropolis; by the 9th century AD there were a total of 43 stelae and 30 altars. Eighteen of these monuments were sculpted with hieroglyphic texts and royal portraits.
  Stela 4 was erected by king Yax Nuun Ayiin I to celebrate the k'atun-ending of AD 396. It is one of two stelae from Yax Nuun Ayiin I's reign and was re-erected at the base of his funerary pyramid, Temple 34. The stela displays a mix of Maya and Teotihuacan qualities, and deities from both cultures. It has a portrait of the king with the Underworld Jaguar God under one arm and the Mexican Tlaloc under the other. His helmet is a simplified version of the Teotihuacan War Serpent. Unusually for Maya sculpture, but typically for Teotihuacan, Yax Nuun Ayiin is depicted with a frontal face, rather than in profile.
  Stela 18 was one of two stelae erected by Yax Nuun Ayiin I to celebrate the k'atun-ending of AD 396. It was re-erected at the base of Temple 34, his funerary shrine.
  Stela 26 was found in the summit shrine of Temple 34, underneath a broken masonry altar. The monument had originally been erected at the base of the temple during the Early Classic period and was later broken, probably at the beginning of the Late Classic. Its remains were then interred within the temple shrine.
  Stela 31 is the upper portion of a monument that was broken and interred above the tomb of Siyaj Chan K'awiil II in Temple 33. It was dedicated in AD 445 and bears images of Siyaj Chan K'awiil II and his father Yax Nuun Ayiin I, who is depicted as a Teotihuacano warrior on the sides of the monument. The back of the stela is sculpted with a long hieroglyphic text legitimising Siyaj Chan K'awiil II's dynasty.
  Stela 40 was found at the base of Temple 29. It has been dated to AD 468 and depicts 5th-century king K'an Chitam. He is holding up a Teotihuacan-style headdress in one hand. The sides of the monument are sculpted with depictions of his father, Siyaj Chan K'awill II, and his mother, Lady Ayiin. A lengthy hieroglyphic text on the back details his birth in 415, his promotion to a junior rank in 434 and his accession to the throne in 458, as well as a brief description of his father's reign.
  Altar 19 was buried in the fill of the final version of Temple 33, immediately in front of the second version of the summit shrine. It was badly damaged and was broken into several pieces, and the majority of a sculpture depicting a seated person was chipped away. The three fragments were buried together in a way that paired the altar with the buried Stela 31; this may have maintained a relationship between the monuments that existed when they were originally on public display. The altar was crafted from limestone and is now in the site museum at Tikal. It has been dated to approximately AD 445.
caption: Stela 4 depicts Yax Nuun Ayiin I in central Mexican-style costume[41]
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