Intricate Mayan stone relief depicting deities and symbolism, featuring serpentine and humanoid figures with elaborate patterns and carvings.

Lady K'abal Xook (Lady Xoc)

Classic Period Maya Queen (8th century CE)

The principal wife of King Shield Jaguar, Lady K'abal Xook was a queen of Yaxchilán in the Classic period. Today, a series of lintels depicting her engaged in bloodletting and experiencing a vision serpent help us to understand her story.

Mayan stone carving with hieroglyphics, on display in a museum, featuring intricate patterns and figures on a purple background.

Why are the lintels of Yaxchilán so important? This video focuses on Lintel 25 from Structure 23, which features Lady K’abal Xook (sometimes spelled Xoc).

  • Simon Martin and Nikolai Grube, Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya (London: Thames & Hudson, 2000).

    Carolyn E. Tate, Yaxchilán: The Design of a Maya Ceremonial City (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1992).

    Lintel 25 at the British Museum