city state · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean

Piedras Negras

460 CE – 808 CE (approx.) · capital Piedras Negras

A Classic Maya kingdom on the Usumacinta whose stelae enabled Tatiana Proskouriakoff to prove in 1960 that Maya inscriptions record real history.

Origins

Piedras Negras, anciently Yo'k'ib', occupied the Guatemalan bank of the Usumacinta, upstream from Yaxchilan. Its kings appear in inscriptions from the 5th century, around 460 CE, and the city fought long wars with Yaxchilan over the river valley.

Rule and society

From the early 7th century its rulers raised a series of stelae marking accessions, showing a king seated in a niche above a ladder. Analysing these sequences, Proskouriakoff demonstrated that the glyphs named rulers and dated events in their lives. The kingdom was often allied with the Kingdom of Kaan and built sweat baths, palaces and a fine carved throne.

Decline and legacy

In 808 Yaxchilan captured K'inich Yat Ahk II, the last known king, and the city declined swiftly, being abandoned by the early 9th century. Excavations in the 1930s and 1990s revealed much of its layout.

Connections (1)

  • Piedras Negras was conquered by Yaxchilan808 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Piedras Negras. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/piedras-negras
MLA
“Piedras Negras.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/piedras-negras. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Piedras Negras.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/piedras-negras.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Piedras Negras’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/piedras-negras (Accessed: ).

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