Temple
of the Foliated Cross Central Panel
Cross Group Palenque
This relief depicts a ritual 'transfer of power" that took place on Jan. 10, 690 AD with the accession of King Chan Balum of Palenque to the throne. At right is the ancestor spirit of his deceased father, King Pacal, who is presenting him with power objects associated with kingship. Like the majority of monuments in Palenque the glyph texts at the Temple of the Foliated Cross chronicle the geneology of the kings of Palenque. King Pacal’s mother, Lady Zac-Kuk, is listed in the geneology records at Palenque as a “king” and in an extremely unorthodox and highly political move she asserted that even though her husband was not of royal lineage her son Pacal was, through his relationship to her. She wielded enough power to convince the ruling council to name her son king, but he and his son Chan Balum spent a lifetime reinforcing this claim of legitimacy so their descendant’s right to rule would never be challenged. For detailed translations of the glyph texts please read Linda Schele’s or Michael Coe’s groundbreaking books.
