| Yoʼnal Ahk III | |
|---|---|
| Ajaw | |
 Yoʼnal Ahk III's portrait on Stela 14 | |
| King ofPiedras Negras | |
| Reign | 10 March 758 – 767 |
| Predecessor | Itzam Kʼan Ahk II |
| Successor | Haʼ Kʼin Xook |
| Born | Piedras Negras |
| Died | 767 Piedras Negras |
| Father | Itzam Kʼan Ahk II |
| Religion | Maya religion |
| Signature |  |
Yoʼnal Ahk III (Mayan pronunciation:[joːnalahk]), also known asRuler 5, was anajaw ofPiedras Negras, anancient Maya settlement inGuatemala. He ruled during theLate Classic Period, from 758 to 767 AD. Yoʼnal Ahk III ascended to the throne upon the death ofItzam Kʼan Ahk II, who may have been Yoʼnal Ahk's father. He was succeeded by his probable brother,Haʼ Kʼin Xook in around 767 AD. Yoʼnal Ahk III left behind two surviving stelae at Piedras Negras, namely Stelae 14 and 16, the former of which has been called one of the finest niche stelae, according toSimon Martin andNikolai Grube.
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Yoʼnal Ahk III, also known as Ruler 5, was likely the son of Itzam Kʼan Ahk II, based on Yoʼnal Ahk III's veneration of Itzam Kʼan Ahk II's mortuary temple.[1][2] Yoʼnal Ahk III, whose name translates to "Black House Great Turtle",[2] ascended to the throne ofPiedras Negras on March 10, 758 AD (9.16.6.17.1 7 Imix 19 Wo in theLong Count), following the death of Itzam Kʼan Ahk II.[1] Not much is known about either Yoʼnal Ahk III or his successorHaʼ Kʼin Xook, which ledFlora Clancy to refer to both their reigns as "shadowy".[3] James L. Fitzsimmons argues that, politically, Yoʼnal Ahk III was weaker than previous leaders of Piedras Negras, given that theajaw erected only a handful of monuments and did not enforce his power beyond the existing Piedras Negras hegemony.[4]
Monuments at El Cayo record that Yoʼnal Ahk III was involved in burial ceremonies for asajal in 763 AD, although he was not involved in picking the leader's successor.[1] It is also known that during his reign, akʼiniʼ ajaw ("prince") of Piedras Negras, Tʼul Chiik, was captured byYaxun Bʼalam IV ofYaxchilan; it has been hypothesized that Yoʼnal Ahk III's focus on smaller satellite kingdoms such as La Mar and Yax Niil was a tactic to build up a "base of support" to combat the growing threat that Yaxchilan posed.[1][5] Yoʼnal Ahk III was succeeded by Haʼ Kʼin Xook, who was possibly his brother.[6]
Only two monuments that Yoʼnal Ahk III erected survive today: Stelae 14 and 16. The first of these, Stela 14—whichSimon Martin andNikolai Grube called the "finest of all 'niche' monuments"—is the king's accession memorial. Raisedc. AD 761, it depicts an effigy of the king in a small hollow (or "niche") scattering incense.[1] The monument was placed on the lower part ofStructure O-13, and according to O'Neil, the stela's "form, imagery, and location acknowledged and responded to Structure O-13's participation in the processional circuit" of the site.[7] The front of the monument features not only theajaw, but also his mother standing "as witness" to her son. Her positioning likely suggested that she has just arrived from the West Group Plaza via a sacred route.[7] Stela 14 also includes the names of several sculptors and artists. These names are difficult to translate, since many are unique and not found in any other extant Mayan glyphic texts.[8]
Stela 16 celebrates the accession of a localsajal (or lesser Maya leader) at the nearby satellite kingdom of La Mar. This stela causedTatiana Proskouriakoff to misidentify the sixthajaw of Piedras Negras as thissajal, instead ofHaʼ Kʼin Xook. The uniqueness of a La Mar ruler being celebrated on a Piedras Negras stela seems to signify that La Mar had, at the time of Yoʼnal Ahk III and possibly earlier, attained a certain degree of importance "within the Piedras Negrashegemony".[1] The front of the stela is heavily weathered, but Megan O'Neil argues it likely featured a carving of Yoʼnal Ahk III, based on comparisons with other stelae at Piedras Negras, like Stelae 6 and 11.[9]
