1337 Maya Skillz!



Yaxchilan Stela 11. Drawing from the FAMSI archives.


Transcription (in Yucatec style classic Mayan; punctuation added for translator's ease)

bolon baktun, waklajun katun, jun kin, chum winal, chum kin, buluk ajaw [lunar information] waxak sek joy ti ajawlel yaxun balam u chaan aj uk aj jun kal, ox katun kalomte, k’ul ajaw [Yaxchilan] yal ixik ik chaanali ixik aj k’ujunil ixik b’akab’ u b’a u chit jo k’atun ajaw itzamna balam u chaan aj nik k’ul ajaw [Yaxchilan] b’akab’


Rough Literal Translation

9 baktuns, 16 katuns, 1 tun, 0 kins, and 0 days after the beginning of recorded time, on the day 11 Ajaw [information about the lunar cycle] 8 Sek, was tied on the ajawship to Bird Jaguar, the captor of he of Uk, he of the 21 captives, 3 katun kalomte of Yaxchilan, he the son of Lady Wind, the heavenly Lady of the Books the upstanding one, he the son of the five katun ajaw, Shield Jaguar, he the captor of he of Nik, divine ajaw of Yaxchilan, the upstanding one


Poetic Translation

On the day 11 Ajaw 8 Sek, 9 baktuns, 16 katuns, and 1 tun after the beginning of recorded time during the 5th day of [moon name] having x number of days, the ajawship passed to Bird Jaguar, captor of he of Uk, he of the 21 captives, a 3 katun kalomte of Yaxchilan. He is the son of the heavenly Lady Wind, who is called the upstanding Lady of the Books, and the divine five katun ajaw of Yaxchilan Shield Jaguar, the upstanding captor of he of Nik.