Yokib chanch’e’en, “el Cielo y el Pozo de Yokib”: historia sagrada y espacios primordiales de Piedras Negras
Between 687 and 692, K’inich Yo’nal Ahk II, ruler of Piedras Negras (Yokib), undertook and completed a radical remodeling of the Acropolis and the West Group Plaza, Yokib’s chanch’e’en. He consecrated and inaugurated this architectural work at the end of the K’atun 8 Ajaw (9.13.0.0.0, 8 Ahau 8 Uo, March 16, 692 A.D.). In front of Structure J-4 he erected Altar 1, an exceptional sculpture because of its large dimensions and long glyphic inscription. The monument records a chain of mythical, legendary, and historical events that, along with a future date, spans 7,906 years. All the events contained in that long period took place in Yokib’s chanch’e’en, whether in its buildings, mountains, or waterways. This vision of the primordial history of Piedras Negras showed the sacred nature of the settlement throughout the ages. Later, a panel and seven stelae were periodically erected in Structure J-4, in front of the altar, as a testimony to the periodic rituals dedicated to the ancestors and tutelary deities, and to the endurance and divine essence of the chanch’e’en.
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