Temple of the Cross - Palenque

These exquisite, perfectly-scaled, durable Hydro-Calcite reproductions of ancient Maya carvings are hand cast from molds of hand-carved limestone reproductions created by modern Maya artists in the Chiapas highland rain-forests in Palenque, Mexico. Each highly accurate piece comes with a descriptive card and is suitable for display on walls, tables, stands or gardens (indoor/outdoor finish). Included at no charge is your choice of wall hanger or display stand.

History: This relief commemorates the Jan. 10, 690 AD accession of Chan Balum to the throne. At left is the ancestor spirit of his deceased father, King Pacal. Like the majority of monuments in Palenque the glyph texts at the Temple of the 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.