ShieldJaguar Family
ShieldJaguar, or Itzamnaaj B’alam in Maya, is a name associated with three kings of the Maya kingdom of Yaxchilan. The best known of these three kings is Itzamnaaj B’alam II, or better known as ShieldJaguar the Great. ShieldJaguar II became high king of Yaxchilan on October 23, 681 ce, at the age of 34, and ruled until 742 ce, putting him into his nineties at the time of his death. His age in of itself might not be particularly remarkable, but what is, is that most of the records for this king represent the last third of his reign – extensive building activity, his eventual heir’s birth when he was sixty-one, and even the king leading his warriors into battle when he was in his eighties.

Unfortunately the information for the early years of ShieldJaguar’s life are sparse and there is only one mention of him prior to his accession in 681. What can be ascertained from the later inscriptions reflects a king of the true Maya mold – a warrior and a manipulative politician. ShieldJaguar’s principal wife was Ix K’abal Xoc (see the Lady Xoc family page for more information), a maternal first cousin from the same prestigious Yaxchilan family as his mother, to whom he gave a visibly prominent position within the kingdom. A second wife was Ix Ik’ Skull from the kingdom of Kalak’mul – the wife that bore his eventual heir, Bird Jaguar IV. A clever manipulation by ShieldJaguar on Temple 23 involving these wives and his heir draws a picture of a king that was wise to the political mechanisms necessary for promoting his Yaxchilan connections without offending the aggressive kingdom of Kalak’mul. ShieldJaguar was eventually succeeded by Bird Jaguar IV who ascended the throne of Yaxchilan in 752 ce.