NaraNjo-Sa'al - World Monuments Fund

Figure 24. Pyramid C-3, Late
and Terminal Classic period.
Pirámide C-3, periodo Clásico
Tardío y Terminal.
The Terminal Classic Settlement (a.d. 800–900)
During the reign of Waxaklahuun Ubah Kawil (a.d. 814–830?), the last
known king of Naranjo-Sa’al, few building projects in the Royal Palace compound
were commissioned. The Palace (B15) was modified with the addition
of a fifth floor, giving it the appearance of a fortification reminiscent of the building
known as El Castillo in Edzná. Palace B43 came to acquire as many as 13 precincts, a
number that coincides with the northern position of the building and the 13 precincts
of palace B14. The new precincts may have served for lodging or private administrative
purposes.
During the Terminal Classic the west and southwest sectors of Naranjo-Sa’al’s city
center were developed. At the beginning of the ninth century, renovation work was
undertaken on the large quadrangles B5 and A19, though this work was carried out
by reusing materials from other deteriorated buildings. Occupation of peripheral residential
areas also continued during this period [Figure 25].
The archaeological evidence suggests that just before the city’s desertion, the inhabitants
of Naranjo-Sa’al’s epicenter placed numerous fragments of sculptures inside the
rooms of Palace B43. At this time, the rulers of Naranjo-Sa’al promoted a program to
relocate the Early Classic monuments associated with the Early Classic ruler Aj Wosal,
in an effort to re-dedicate them in front of several buildings. This activity is shown
through the relocation of stele 38 and altar 1 toward the top of north acropolis (D1).
There was also a re-dedication of the recently discovered stele 44 in the central sector
of the Hieroglyphic Staircase of temple B18, possibly forming part of a fruitless effort
of the governing elite that had lost its power and did not hesitate in resorting to the
revitalization of one of the most venerated Maya governors of all times, as an incentive
to increase its power and political scope.
The last known inscription at Naranjo-Sa’al dates to ca. 830, after which its epigraphic
record falls silent and the city was abandoned. In the years that followed, the
ruined and isolated city was periodically visited by Postclassic Itzá people, who came
to perform ancestral rites and deposit offerings in front of its abandoned temples.
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