The Visionary Mayan Queen: Yohl Ik'Nal of Palenque (28 page)

We welcome the new, the brightness that illuminates everything.

Lady Moon, very beautiful moon, you have risen over the forest

And illuminate the center of the sky.

As if by magic, dark clouds parted and became edged in silver. The women whirled and chanted, arms and faces lifted toward the sky. Slowly the brilliant white moon slid from behind clouds into the center of the sky, illuminating the plaza and glinting off eyes and teeth. Copal smoke curled like weightless snakes among the dancers, its heady incense altering perceptions of time and space. Again and again they repeated the chant, circling endlessly, floating effortlessly in their sinuous dance. Thus they would continue until exhaustion or trance overcame them.

Yohl Ik’nal gauged her state of consciousness and recognized readiness for her vision quest. Glancing at Sak K’uk, she knew the girl – actually now a young woman – was near trance herself. Arrangements were agreed upon before the ritual; the elder priestess had prepared a room inside the temple that opened on a small courtyard for the royal women to use. She also concocted a hallucinogenic brew made with secretions of the spotted toad, a common vehicle for visioning among rain forest Maya. Two attendants were ready to provide any support the royal women needed.

The Great Mother Goddess understood the bleeding of women, for She was in charge of these precious body fluids. Women’s moon blood and childbirth blood were all the sacrifice She required of this life-giving itz. The Goddess approved methods of vision trance other than self-blood letting, including toad secretions, plants and mushrooms. Sometimes simply fasting, dance and chants were sufficient to induce the visionary state.

Indeed this was so for Yohl Ik’nal, in whom the patterns of visioning were well established. For her daughter’s sake, however, she partook of the hallucinogenic brew, knowing the strong-willed Sak K’uk would have trouble releasing her mental control without it. They sat upon woven mats placed in the doorway facing the courtyard. From this vantage point, they could see the moon and bathe in her silvery rays.

Yohl Ik’nal lifted her face toward the moon, murmuring invocations. She saw the Rabbit in the full moon clearly, sitting with long ears perked. She knew that Ix Chel peered through the Rabbit’s eyes onto the Middleworld below, and asked inwardly to be shown the danger that advanced toward Lakam Ha. Sinking deeper into trance, she was dimly aware of Sak K’uk beside her. Now the young woman must rely on the training she had received, for her mother could not intervene once the process was underway.

Gently Yohl Ik’nal’s awareness slipped out of her body and floated up to the full moon. She sensed herself merging with the form of the Goddess, now taking shape as the full moon. Sliding into that brilliant orb, she expanded into roundness and light. Soon she settled into the Rabbit in the moon, blinking eyes several times to become accustomed to this perspective. The dark forests and mountain terrain of Lakam Ha stretched out below. Moonlight glinted off the rivers and white plazas. A few torches glowed in courtyards, but there was little movement. She marveled at the beauty of her city, seen from the sky far above.

She willed the Rabbit to look farther into the distance, following the K’umaxha River’s winding course. Other cities emerged from the forests, those closest to Lakam Ha in the B’aakal polity. Her vision drifted over Popo’, Yokib, Usihwitz and Sak Tz’i, as her expanded awareness entered into the collective thoughts emanating from each city. Only in Usihwitz did she sense animosity. Penetrating more deeply into these thought forms, she realized that an attack was being planned against Lakam Ha. Many warriors were involved and their hostile emotional energy was strong. There were energy strands connecting to warriors in other cities . . . she was unsure which cities, but not within the B’aakal polity . . . one strong strand linked directly to Lakam Ha itself.

The Rabbit suddenly shifted its eyes and gazed away from earth out into the vast cosmos. Millions of stars twinkled, space dust billowed in immense clouds of red and purple, constellations grouped in fantastic shapes. The Rabbit focused on one constellation: Scorpio, The Scorpion hanging over the earth’s south horizon.

Ek Chuuah! She immediately knew who was leading this attack. His anger toward her father and family had never cooled. And the energy strand linked to Lakam Ha must be connected with his brother Kab’ol . . and who else? Slowly familiar faces emerged to her sight: Chak’ok, a formidable warrior and several of his compadres. Uc Ayin seemed weakly involved, not clearly hostile. Her wealthy kinsman, Yaxun Zul . . . this pained her heart, even in her state of expanded consciousness. And what of his son, Kan Mo Hix?

A startling image burst into her awareness. She saw her daughter Sak K’uk being married to Kan Mo Hix. Struggling to avoid reacting, which could propel her out of the vision trance, she opened to accept this image . . and saw once again the splendid future city Lakam Ha, numerous magnificent buildings glowing orange and white, many foreign visitors, and the prophesied Great Ruler of her lineage . . the son of Sak K’uk and Kan Mo Hix.

Yohl Ik’nal allowed her awareness to rest in this glorious imagery, simply accepting. The time for making judgments and developing strategies would come later.

In timelessness, there is no sense of time passage. Was it an instant, or a large portion of the night? Yohl Ik’nal began to sense the dissipation of the hallucinogen. Soon her trance would end, and she wanted more information. Re-focusing the Rabbit’s eyes, she peered far into the distance toward the northeast, into the Ka’an polity. Try as she may, her vision failed to penetrate into the city of the Kan dynasty, Dzibanche.

Thanking the Rabbit and the Goddess Ix Chel as the full moon, she allowed her awareness to slip away and descend gradually to earth. As she re-entered her own body, aching joints began protesting their period of immobilization. A wave of nausea reminded her of a long-empty stomach now aggravated by the drug. Her head felt fuzzy and heavy, as though simply being awake was too great an effort. With a flicker of concern, she realized her heart was beating rapidly.

The attendants were quick to note that the royal women were emerging from trance. They brought warm corn gruel and blankets, administering these comforts with compassion. Sak K’uk retched her first sips of gruel, but soon wanted more. After drinking she lay listlessly in the arms of an attendant. Her glazed expression indicated she had not fully eliminated the hallucinogen from her system. Yohl Ik’nal drank the gruel thankfully and drew blankets closely around her shivering body. When the royal women were able to walk, the attendants conducted them to a waiting palanquin for their return to the palace.

The following day the royal women met to discuss their visions with Hun Pakal, trusted court advisors, and the High Priest and Priestess – the successors to Lahun Uc and Wak Batz, who had entered the road,
Xibalba Be
, several years ago to be carried by the celestial canoe into the sky as ancestors. The group gathered in an antechamber of the royal residential complex, secluded from view. They settled onto mats with an expectant air. No attendants were present and one of Hun Pakal’s warriors stood guard at the entryway.

Yohl Ik’nal’s usual light brown complexion was noticeably sallow. Her eyes appeared deeply set with dark circles underneath. Sak K’uk, by contrast, had surprisingly bright eyes with a rosy hue blushing her tan cheeks. As the mother emanated fatigue and aging, the daughter radiated vibrant energy and blossoming womanhood. She had now reached her fourteenth solar year.

“All is secure,” announced Hun Pakal. “You may begin.”

Yohl Ik’nal looked closely into the eyes of each person present. The silence sizzled with intensity. She spoke deliberately but softly.

“Now it comes. Now comes the knowledge we sought, and it is heavy with sadness. It is fraught with turmoil and steeped in betrayal. But before I speak this, it is important that we hear the vision of my daughter, Sak K’uk. Of this, she has not yet spoken, even to me. Sak K’uk, tell fully all that you experienced in your visioning.”

The young woman was taken by surprise and blushed more deeply. Regaining composure, she half-lowered her eyelids and recalled the vision.

“Lady Moon, Goddess Ix Chel took me into the night sky. She showed me the beauty of the stars and the vastness of the cosmos. She brought me to a future time in Lakam Ha, to a much larger city with structures and temples covering the eastern hills and plateaus. Such immense pyramids and huge complexes as I have never seen! They glow orange and white, their roofcombs reach high into the sky, their plazas are enormous. Many more people gather before temples, fill the markets, live in residences by the eastern river cascades. Lakam Ha has a great ruler, he builds the city and sits as a wise counselor for people from many distant places. I am overwhelmed.”

She paused, breathing rapidly and fighting for composure. Opening her eyes, she looked quizzically at her mother. She tried to speak, but her voice faltered.

“Be at peace, my daughter,” Yohl Ik’nal murmured. “You may speak here without fear, for none may judge what the Goddess revealed to you. This is your truth.”

“I saw . . “ Sak K’uk began, but hesitated again. “I was shown the one who is to be my husband. He is . . of our city. He is . . Kan Mo Hix.”

Despite her intention to remain impassive, Yohl Ik’nal shivered at her daughter’s revelation. Others present exchanged glances, a few murmured in surprise. Although the young man was of appropriate bloodlines, he had not been considered as a match for the ruler’s daughter. His family was not closely aligned with the ruler, and his father was viewed as dissatisfied and critical.

Immediately Yohl Ik’nal made rapid calculations, weighing the profound import of this revelation given in both visions. That Sak K’uk received the same message from the Goddess confirmed its validity: the Divine Plan ordained marriage of Sak K’uk and Kan Mo Hix, and from their union would be born the greatest ruler Lakam Ha would ever see.

This meant that Yohl Ik’nal must not implicate his father, Yaxun Zul, as a traitor. She knew the ahauob and warriors supporting her family would be unable to accept the match with a family who betrayed and plotted against the ruler. How to handle the situation was not yet clear, but she trusted the way would unfold.

Sak K’uk looked stricken. She squeezed her eyelids tightly, teardrops trickling from the edges.

Yohl Ik’nal reached over and took her daughter’s hand.

“Be comforted, Sak K’uk,” she said tenderly. “For I too was given this same image during my vision. I saw that you are to marry Kan Mo Hix. The intentions of the deities surpass our understanding. Know, my dear one, that this is for the good of our beloved city, of our people. Ix Chel would not guide us wrongly.”

The young woman’s eyes popped open and she gasped. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her chin and straightened her shoulders. All present watched her intently.

“This am I glad to know,” she said more evenly. “One more thing was I shown – the great ruler, the great architect of Lakam Ha’s future, will be the child born of our marriage. Knowing this, I can accept the will of the deities.”

The ahauob and priestly members present could not resist commenting to each other, exchanging reactions and thoughts. This was remarkable information, the more so that mother and daughter both had the same vision. Hun Pakal shook his head in astonishment; never had he considered that family for an alliance. After allowing time for venting the moment’s intensity, Yohl Ik’nal continued.

“Turmoil and destruction are aimed at our city. This evil comes from Usihwitz, but it is augmented by a greater evil in our own city. Ek Chuuah has planned an attack, gathering many warriors from his city and others. His goal is to destroy something precious, something sacred to us. He is full of hatred, but those in our city who assist him are full of envy and ambition. Know that a cadre of warriors have planned this attack with Ek Chuuah. They are led by his brother Kab’ol and our own brave Chak’ok who have swayed their contingents to join in this evil. These have I seen in my vision . . .”

She named those in the contingents of Kab’ol and Chak’ok, including the questionable Uc Ayin, but did not include Yaxun Zul. Heated discussion broke out amidst bursts of outrage, as the group pressed Yohl Ik’nal for details. Repeatedly she explained the nature of visions, that impressions given were often not complete or the visionary’s memory not perfect. She reiterated that the timing of the attack was unclear, but soon. The precise target also eluded her grasp.

Tilkach and Itzam Ik, leaders among court advisors, pressed for immediate action to seize and imprison the plotters in Lakam Ha. The seasoned warrior Chakab, one of the few surviving from Kan Bahlam’s time, was eager for quick execution of the suspects. But Hun Pakal’s clear reasoning brought them up sharply.

“These actions are premature and unwise. We have no proof that our townsmen are planning to support this attack, and as yet no evidence that Ek Chuuah has plotted it. To seize them solely upon Yohl Ik’nal’s vision is to leave ourselves open to criticism – not that I for one moment doubt what your vision has revealed,” he added to his wife.

“Seizing them would inform Ek Chuuah that we are aware of his scheme, and permit him time to make adjustments in the plan of attack. Better to allow him to proceed, to catch his forces in the act, and also those traitors from our city. We will prepare, our warriors will be on alert. Let us post sentries at all routes into Lakam Ha, and send scouts to watch the passageways from Usihwitz both by the rivers and through the mountains. Runners will carry messages when movement of warriors is seen and we will mobilize our forces in readiness.”

The High Priest and Priestess argued that Hun Pakal’s plan was preferable. After more discussion, the courtiers agreed. Although the K’uhul Ahau had the power to order imprisonment or execution of enemies, it was not good for the social order to take such actions without clear justification.

Yohl Ik’nal thanked all for their contributions, especially Hun Pakal and charged him to organize the men needed for intelligence and battle. She requested runners outside her chambers, should she receive more insight about timing or target.