Mayan lintel

myminifactory

Here the ruler, Bird Jaguar, stands over a captive noble whom, judging by the beaded droplets on his nose and cheek, has already let blood. Eight days later when his heir, Shield Jaguar II, was born, Bird Jaguar and one of his other wives performed ritual bloodletting in celebration. Seventy-five days later, on 3 May AD 752, Bird Jaguar was officially installed as a king, an event which took place only after the capture of noble prisoners and, in this case, the birth of a male heir.