Maya Relief of Royal Blood-Letting (700-950 AD)

This relief was taken from the doorway in a Mayan temple and shows a blood-letting ritual. It was carved from stone and is 109 centimeters tall. In the relief King Shield Jaguar III's wife Lady Xook is seen pulling thorns through her tongue. She is doing so to contact her husband's ancestors. It was believed that, as a ruler, knowledge was only gained through communicating with spirits. A ruler's power was determined by the knowledge gained from doing the blood-letting ceremony.