In the Mayan Civilization there were many rulers that made significant contributions. However, there is one ruler that stands out: K'inich Janaab' Pakal. K'inich Janaab' Pakal is also known Pacal the Great or just Pacal (Schele 23). He was born in March of 603 CE under his father, K'an Mo' Hix, and his mother, Sak K'uk'. The three lived in Palenque, a small Mayan city that was rather weak during the time before K'inich Janaab' Pakal’s rule. The city is located in current day Chiapas, Mexico. (Aloysius 20). During 611 CE, the current king died, and K'inich Janaab' Pakal was supposed to be the next heir of the throne. However, it was decided that he was too young to rule. During the year following his death, other people took the throne, albeit …show more content…
His burial is unlike any other king due to the fact that he was buried in a carved stone sarcophagus along with some of his belongings (Aloysius 32). His tomb was located in the Temple of the Inscriptions, which is a large stepped pyramid located in Palenque (Stuart 56). His tomb was discovered by Alberto Ruz Lhuillier in 1947 and was fully uncovered by 1952. Historians have dated that the tomb was created around 682 BCE, one year before K'inich Janaab' Pakal’s death (Aloysius 32). In his tomb, archaeologists found a sarcophagus containing K'inich Janaab' Pakal’s corpse and some of his belongings. The sarcophagus was engraved with much writing and images. It has a large lid with engraved scene of a man near the base of a tree (Stuart 56). In the sarcophagus, K'inich Janaab' Pakal’s corpse is found in a decent condition. Historians have analyzed his teeth in order to find that K'inich Janaab' Pakal had very careful eating patterns, Due to his relatively clean and full set of teeth, historians have been able to determine that he had a health-conscious diet with soft foods (Aloysius 32). His tomb also reveals many things about him. Writings on the tomb revealed the true pronunciation of his name, K'inich Janaab' Pakal, where as he was just referred to as Pacal the Great before (Aloysius 33). Moreover, K'inich Janaab' Pakal was also buried with other objects on him. He had a jade mask, jade jewelry, and a beaded net skirt. Historians believe that he was meant to be dressed like the Mayan Maize god. This reveals that K'inich Janaab' Pakal believed in the same religion that most Mayans believed in; Maize served as the god and needed to be